Mistakes Cost Fury, Rush Win 52-38
Neal Ruhl
Sunday June 23, 2002
It was a tale of two halves for the Fury on Saturday night, as they came out smoking in the first, scoring on all four of their first half possessions. QB Scott Semptimphelter highlighted the first two stanzas by going 16 for 19, which was good for 168 yards and three scoring strikes to three different receivers. The first half was not completely perfect for the Fury however as they saw WR Chuck Winters tear his left ACL, which will cause him to miss the remainder of the season. The Rush were able to stay in the game however behind three touchdowns of their own. Chicago opened up their scoring on a dazzling 40-yard Billy Dicken connection to Dameon Porter. The Rush added two TD runs to trail 28-21 at the half.
The beginning of the second half saw the Fury continue to dictate play as Ironman of the game Al Hunt picked off Rush QB Billy Dicken and returned it to the Rush 23 yard line. On the very next play, Hunt was on the receiving end of a 23-yard Semptimphelter toss that gave the Fury a 35-21 lead. The Fury were able to obtain the ball again after a 60 yard FG attempt by Rush kicker David Cool hit the scoreboard giving the Fury possession looking to go up by three scores. That was when things seem to fall apart for the Fury however as Semptimphelter fumbled a snap and LB Jaime Bowers recovered at the Fury 11 yard line. Chicago capitalized with a Dicken 6 yard pass to Antonio Chatman to cut the lead to 35-28. The mistakes would pile up for the Fury as Ty Grovesteen caught a pass from Semtimphelter and proceeded to run backward into the end zone where he was tackled for a safety, allowing the Rush to capture the momentum, and soon after, the lead. Semptimphelter would add two more picks later in the fourth, the second of which was returned for a 44-yard TD by Rush DB Dameon Porter as time expired, giving the Rush a 52-38 victory. The Rush climbed to 6-4 while the free fall of the Fury continued, to 1-9.
QUOTEABLES
Fury WR Chuck Winters on his injury: “They (doctors) are not quite sure of the amount of time I will miss, but it is very frustrating”
Fury kicker Brad Selent on his performance that saw him miss no extra points or field goals: “All I wanted was chance to show what I could do, and I did”
COACHES CORNER- Quotes from Fury coach “Mouse” Davis
On the Winters injury: “We have had more than our fair share of stuff happen to us, but that’s what happens when you are losing”
On newly acquired kicker Brad Selent: “He did a good job tonight, he will definitely be our kicker next week”
On the fumbled snap: “We are just gonna have to keep moving people through the center position until we get someone in there that won’t do that”
Inside the Fury
The loss of WR Chuck Winters is the second starting receiver the Fury have lost this season. They also lost Robert Gordon for the year earlier in the season. DLs Kelvin Kinney and R-Kal Truluck continued their outstanding play this year as they pressured Rush QB Billy Dicken multiple times. The Fury’s 1-9 start mathematically ensures they will not have a winning season this year; WR/DB Al Hunt was named Ironman of the game for the Fury.
Behind Enemy Lines
Rush RB Jaime McGourty added another rushing TD, bringing his league leading season total to 10. The win over the Fury brought Chicago’s division record to a perfect 4-0. Head Linesman Brent Durbin was sandwiched into the boards in the third quarter and was shaken up. Keeping in the Ironman mentality of the league however, he would return to complete the game.
Neal Ruhl lives in the Metro Detroit Area where he has covered the Detroit Lions as well as the Motor City Bowl.
