ALBANY, NY-Arman Drummond threw four touchdowns to lead the Chicago Rush past the Albany Firebirds 31-19 in a Week 14 AFL contest.
There was no scoring in the first quarter. Dom Wenning missed a 39-yard field goal on the Firebirds' first possession. The teams then traded punts until late in the quarter when Wenning missed another field goal, this one from 28 yards out.
Early in the second quarter, Sinbad Gargaro was intercepted by Niko Simon who returned it 57 yards to the Albany 23-yard line. But Dete Justen missed a 36-yard field goal attempt. Following an Albany punt, Chicago went on an 8-play, 80-yard drive finishing with an 18-yard touchdown pass from Drummond to Marty Margerum to take a 7-0 lead with 6:57 left in the second quarter. Both teams traded punts, then Gargaro was intercepted again, this time by Wilbur Rankin who returned it 15 yards to the Firebirds 42-yard line. Four plays later, Drummond threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Roscoe Garrett to put the Rush up 14-0 with 3:37 remaining in the half. Albany fired back with an 8-play, 42-yard drive. Wenning finally made a 42-yard field goal attempt with 50 seconds remaining, and the score was 14-3 in favor of Chicago at the half.
After the Rush punted to start the third quarter, the Firebirds moved the ball 42 yards on 9 plays, and Wenning kicked a 25-yard field goal to make it 14-6 with 8:40 remaining in the third. Chicago would answer with a 12-play, 73-yard drive. Drummond finished the drive with a 23-yard touchdown pass to make it 21-6 with 2:57 to go in the third quarter.
The Firebirds answered with a 7-play, 65-yard drive ending with Gargaro throwing a 2-yard touchdown pass to Jerreld Richmond making it 21-13 with 14:50 left in the fourth quarter. After trading punts, the Rush went on a 4-play, 31-yard drive. Justen would kick a 44-yard field goal to put Chicago up 24-13 with 9:23 to go in the fourth. The Firebirds would come back with a 7-play, 69-yard drive, and Abdul Fowler would score on a 14-yard touchdown run. Albany missed a 2-Point Conversion, and were down 24-19 with 7:13 remaining in the fourth quarter. Chicago then drove 65 yards on 13 plays, and Drummond finished it off with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Ward Despain to pit the Rush ahead 31-19 with 1:41 left in the game.
Chicago (6-8) gained 298 yards of total offense. The Rush gained 96 yards rushing on 31 carries. Clements led the team with 47 yards on 16 carries. Drummond went 17-of-28 passing for 220 yards, 4 TD and 1 INT. He was sacked twice, losing 18 yards. Margerum led the receivers with 8 catches for 97 yards and a TD. Next week, the Rush will host the Tampa Bay Storm.
Albany (5-9) gained 325 yards of total offense. The Firebirds gained 74 yards rushing on 19 carries. Tico Ponder gained 20 yards on 7 carries. Fowler gained 20 yards on 4 carries and a TD. Gargaro led with 21 yards on 3 carries. He also went 25-of-44 passing for 265 yards, 1 TD and 2 INT. He was sacked four times, losing 26 yards. Richmond was Albany's leading receiver, with 8 catches for 67 yards and a TD. Teddy Harley caught 5 passes for 81 yards. Next week, the Firebirds are on the road against the San Jose Sabercats.
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