Rush Continue Home Dominance; Career Day for Michna
Jeff Sims
Tuesday June 5, 2012
The Chicago Rush improved their perfect record at home this season to 6-0 as they soundly defeated the Spokane Shock 73-62 on Sunday at Allstate Arena.
After a field goal on their first possession, the Rush offense went almost flawless the rest of the way scoring touchdown on each of their remaining drives.
“There is definitely an advantage playing here,” said Rush quarterback Russ Michna. “Even on the last possession, this place is loud. I haven’t heard it that loud in a while. You look around and there aren’t as many people as you would like, but they are all out there making noise and everyone is involved. It is definitely an advantage for us.”
Michna had a career day as he broke three Rush team records in this game. He completed 32 of 38 passing attempts which broke the previous record held by Billy Dicken, who completed 31 passes against Indiana in the team’s inaugural season in 2001. His 412 passing yards broke Raymond Philyaw’s record of 409 in a game against Colorado in 2005. The nine touchdowns he threw puts him in a class by himself as the organization had previously had eight touchdowns thrown in a game four times, the last being by Michna earlier this season against Tampa Bay.
“He is average,” joked head coach Bob McMillen when asked about his quarterback’s performance. “He is so smart out there. We are calling plays and he is changing it and all of sudden you see six points up on the board. I think he is the hottest quarterback in the league right now.”
That point is hard to argue against as during his last three starts, Michna is a combined 79-102 passing attempts with 22 touchdowns against only one interception. His 68.4% completion percentage going into the game this week was the highest in the league among consistent starting quarterbacks.
“I am happy with what we (are doing),” Michna stated. “I keep talking about these receivers. It is amazing to me what we are able to do with them. The things that we do on the fly and what we see; we are playing the game after the ball is snapped. That makes the game so easy for a quarterback.”
“There is no selfishness amongst the receivers,” said Rush wide receiver Jared Perry, who compiled 11 catches for 131 yards and four scores against the Shock. “We want to score on each possession and we support one another to get it done.”
The offense is having to support the load as the Rush continue to find the right combination on defense. The team has had eleven different starters in its secondary this season. The team added DB Leslie Majors from New Orleans this week when they picked him up in a trade for defensive end Xavier Brown.
“That’s what this league is about, right?,” Michna asked. “We expect to complete every ball. We expect to score every drive. That is just the way the game goes. We got three stops today (on defense) and I thought we did a real nice job. We’ve got a new group of guys out there. We’ve got a lot of new names on (our) defense. They’re going to get better, they are going to mesh, and they are going to figure this thing out.”
“We were only plus one in turnovers the first half of the season,” McMillen said. “I’ve told the guys if we can get to a plus twelve through the second half of the season, we will be more successful.”
The victory over Spokane gives them a hold on the fourth playoff spot in the National Conference and also gives them the tiebreaker should the two teams tie for a playoff spot at the end of the regular season.
The Rush offense will need to continue their high efficiency as they go back on the road next weekend to play another team with a high scoring offense in Utah.
Playing With a Heavy Heart
It was a tough week for Rush jack linebacker Kelvin Morris. On Tuesday, Morris learned that his former teammate and close friend, Johnie Kirton, passed away. Kirton was a member of the San Jose Sabercats at the time of his death.
Morris had played with Kirton in AF2 2 in Spokane on the team that won the ArenaCup in 2009. They also played together in Arizona in 2010 and then with the Rush last season. The two had become close friends.
After having the day off on Tuesday, Morris returned to practice and was supported by his coaches and teammates throughout the week.
“Some of the guys helped me get through it.,” said Morris “You just try to think about all of the positive things that we did together.”
In memory of his good friend, Morris has changed his number and will wear number 37 in memory of Kirton through the rest of the season.
“It means a lot knowing that he is still with me,” said Morris. “He will carry me through the season and I am only going to get better, so that is going to be scary.”
Morris had a solid game on Sunday forcing a fumble, recovering it, and then returning it 27 yards before being tackled 16 yards from the endzone.
“I thought I was going to score,” he said. “I don’t know what happened, but my legs got weak.”
Game Notes
Game Notes
With his 9 touchdown passes, Russ Michna eclipsed the 250 passing touchdown mark for his AFL career. He now has 256.
His 32 completions put him over 1,000 completions for his career. He is currently at 1,002.
Reggie Gray had 8 catches on Sunday. That gives him 200 catches in his three years with the Rush.
Vic Hall anticipates being able to return to the Rush secondary in about one to two weeks. He is still recovering from a leg injury he sustained in Arizona.
Jeff has been writing for ArenaFan.com since 2004. Originally from New York, Jeff has been living in the Chicago area for the past ten years and is an avid football fanatic. He holds a BA in communications from Hofstra University in New York and a sports management certificate from Loyola University in Chicago.