Rampage Beat Crush for Second Win of Season
Randy Snow
Sunday May 1, 2005
The Rampage were perfect in the first half, scoring five touchdowns and a field goal in six possessions on their way to a 37-24 halftime lead. The only first half miscue for Grand Rapids was a missed extra point. At the half, Rampage quarterback Michael Bishop, who was pulled at the end of the third quarter last week against New Orleans after failing to score on three possessions, was 15 of 19 passing for 177 yards and three touchdowns. He also had two rushes for 21 yards and another touchdown.
In the second half, the two teams traded touchdowns back and forth until the final minute of the game. Grand Rapids missed a 31-yard field goal with under a minute to play giving the ball back to Colorado, who trailed the Rampage by only six points, 58-52. The Crush were driving toward the goal line when Rampage WR/DB Dennison Robinson intercepted a pass from Crush QB John Dutton with 14 seconds remaining to preserve the victory.
The biggest reason for the win was the play of Rampage QB Michael Bishop. This is the Michael Bishop that Rampage fans have been waiting for. He has played exceptionally well at times this season but has never put together a complete game like he did against Colorado. Bishop gave some of the credit to new Rampage backup quarterback Chad Salisbury, who was signed to the team just last week. "He’s been telling me little things that I didn’t know that helped me out today," said Bishop. "A couple of throws that I made today were because of things he’s been telling me and I felt good about that."
"We knew Michael could do it all along," said Rampage head coach Sparky McEwen after the game. "Tonight was his best game of the year. He’s had some other big games, but tonight was the best game of the year because it was a complete ball game for him. I’m proud of him."
For the game, Bishop was 25 of 31 passing for 310 yards and five touchdowns. He also had five rushes for 32 yards and two more touchdowns and was named Offensive player of the Game. Bishop now needs just 16 more yards rushing to set a new league single-season record.
DS Damon Mason was named Defensive player of the Game and WR/LB Dialio Burks was named Ironman of the Game.
Two game balls for "Mom"
After Rampage WR/LB Dialeo Burks scored a touchdown on the second play from scrimmage, he ran up into the stands and gave the ball to a woman sitting in Section 124. Later in the first quarter, Colorado WR/LB Andy McCullough scored a touchdown for the Crush and gave the ball to the same woman! It turns out that the woman was McCullough’s mother, who had come up from Dayton, Ohio to see the game. "Andy and I are real good friends," said Burks. "As a matter of fact, we’re like brothers. She’s been supporting me ever since I came into the league. She’s like a mother to me." While Burks ran up into the stands to present his gift, McCullough stood at the edge of the field and had his mom come down from her seat to get the ball. I guess that running into the stands of an opposing team’s arena would not be such a good idea for a visiting player.
Upper deck souvenir
On the final play of the game, Grand Rapids quarterback Michael Bishop ran the last few seconds off the clock by dropping back and throwing the ball into the stands. But he didn’t just throw it out of bounds; he heaved the ball all the way up into Section 209 of the upper deck, making one fan very happy! Souvenir footballs are rare in the uppers sections of any arena, so I hope whoever got it had it autographed by Bishop after the game.
Upper Deck AFL Cards
Prior to going to the game in Grand Rapids Saturday night, I happened to stop by a sports card shop in my hometown of Kalamazoo. The clerk behind the counter, knowing of my connection to Arena football, gave me a couple of Arena Football cards the store had received as a promotion from the soon-to-be-released Upper Deck set. The quality of the cards is exceptionally good and they will make a fine addition to anyone’s card collection, including mine.
Next Game
The Rampage travel to Tennessee for a rematch with the Nashville Kats, whose record stands at 5-7-1. The Kats beat Grand Rapids 40-27 earlier this season on April 3.
Randy Snow covered the Grand Rapids Rampage of the Arena Football League for ArenaFan from 2003-2008. He also covered the Fort Wayne Fusion of arenafootball2 in 2007. From 2004-2008 and in 2010, he was a member of the Arena Football League Writer’s Association and, since 2011, has been a member of the Professional Football Researchers Association. Randy lives in Kalamazoo, Michigan but will travel just about anywhere for a football game or a great football story. He runs the web site www.theworldoffootball.com and hosts a podcast with his son, Adam, called “This Week in The World of Football.”
