ROSEMONT, IL-The Georgia Force kept the Chicago Rush out of the end zone when it mattered most, and came away with a 20-15 victory in a Week 9 AFL game.
The Rush opened the game with a 10-play, 58-yard drive. Dete Justen would kick a 22-yard field goal to give Chicago a 3-0 lead with 9:38 to go in the first quarter. The Force answered back with a 7-play, 68-yard drive. Yannel Gansz fired a 17-yard touchdown pass to Tinker Trice giving Georgia a 7-3 lead with 6:42 left in the first. Chicago would drive 31 yards on 8 plays, and Justen would connect on a 38-yard field goal to make it 7-6 with 2:56 to go in the first quarter.
Georgia would march down the field with an 18-play, 81-yard drive. Gansz found Gevan Crafton for a 6-yard touchdown pass extending the lead to 14-6 with 12:53 remaining in the second quarter. The Rush would drive 41 yards on 8 plays, and Justen would kick a 40-yard field goal to make it 14-9 with 8:36 left in the half. The Force went three-and-out, and the Rush marched from their own 9-yard line towards a potential touchdown. But Hershell Kimbrell's pass was picked off by Lin Byers in the end zone and he ran it back 23 yards to the Georgia 14-yard line. The Force would run out the clock.
Georgia would punt to open the second half, and Chicago looked to get on the board again. But Justen would miss a 54-yard field goal. The Force's next drive was thwarted by a fumble from Bo Bull that was recovered by Niko Simon at the Rush 37-yard line. The subsequent 10-play, 63-yard drive ended with Kimbrell throwing a 10-yard touchdown pass to Zach Allen. The 2-Point Conversion failed, and Chicago led 15-14 with 5:03 remaining in the third quarter.
After trading punts, Georgia would go 34 yards on 6 plays. Wilbur Ahmad ended the drive with a 46-yard field goal to retake the lead at 17-15 with 14:10 to go in the fourth quarter. The teams would trade punts, and then the Force would benefit from a 33-yard punt return from Fulton Darwin putting them in Rush territory. Following a 6-play, 14-yard drive, Ahmad would drill a 52-yard field goal with 3 minutes left in the game to make it 20-15. Chicago could not convert a fourth down in Georgia territory, and the Force would run the clock out.
Georgia (4-5) gained 243 yards of total offense. The Force ran for 52 yards on 22 carries. Bull led the team with 25 yards on 11 carries. Gansz was 19-of-34 passing for 220 yards and 2 TD. He was sacked three times, losing 29 yards. Raven Bannon was the leading receiver with 5 catches for 41 yards. The Force visit the New York Dragons next week.
Chicago (6-3) gained 407 yards of total offense. The Rush ran for 130 yards on 27 carries. Finley Gentry led the team with 53 yards on 12 carries. Kimbrell was 22-of-41 passing for 320 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. He was sacked five times, losing 43 yards. Allen was the leading receiver with 8 catches for 130 yards and a TD. Next week, the Rush will host the Los Angeles Avengers.
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