AFL: Detroit Drives Past Chicago, 27-20

ROSEMONT, IL-The Detroit Drive secured their third straight win with a 27-20 victory over the Chicago Rush in a Week 9 AFL game.

The game started slowly, with both teams trading punts. Chicago was on the 3-yard line, and an Arman Drummond screen pass to Ward Despain was disrupted by Tad Adler who tackled Despain in the end zone for a safety and a 2-0 Detroit lead with 10:34 remaining in the first quarter. The Rush recovered from the safety and would move 47 yards on 6 plays. Dete Justen finished the drive with a 50-yard field goal with 3:38 left in the first to take a 3-2 lead. Detroit tried to drive for a score, but a fumbled snap by Lou Couch was recovered by MacArthur Fagan at the Detroit 47-yard line.

The Rush would then finish an 8-play, 47-yard drive with a 17-yard touchdown pass from Drummond to Zach Allen, giving Chicago a 10-2 lead with 12:45 left in the half. Detroit responded by moving the ball 61 yards on 8 plays. Couch completed the drive with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Vern Kelly. The Drive successfully went for two, and tied the game at 10 with 8:32 to go in the second quarter. Chicago would answer with a 12-play, 59-yard drive. Justen ended it with a 33-yard field goal giving the Rush a 13-10 lead with 2:49 to go in the half. The Drive would turn it over again, as Couch was sacked by Fagan, and Harlan Fears recovered at midfield.

Detroit opened the second half with a 7-play, 41-yard drive. Cletis Frayer would finish it off with a 47-yard field goal with 11:15 left in the third to tie it at 13. The teams would trade punts, and Chicago's Lonnie Clements fumbled at the Detroit 39 and Jeffrey Wilkey recovered for the Drive. After another exchange of punts, Detroit drove 53 yards on 6 plays. Couch threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Dave Huntley to go up 20-13 with 1:06 left in the third quarter.

Chicago would punt, and the Drive worked their way down the field again, going 80 yards on 13 plays. Couch threw his third touchdown of the game, a 12-yard pass to Todd Boyce to put Detroit up 27-13 with 8:37 left in the game. The Rush answered with an 8-play, 63-yard drive. Drummond completed a 4-yard touchdown pass to Despain with 5:37 remaining to make it 27-20. Both teams would punt, and the Rush were at their own 20 with 1:19 to go, but they couldn't even convert a fourth down, and Detroit ran out the clock.

Detroit (7-2) gained 382 yards of total offense. The Drive ran for 131 yards on 31 carries. Couch and Patch Brolie each gained 45 yards rushing on 10 carries each. Couch went 25-of-43 passing for 257 yards and 3 TD, and was sacked once for a 6-yard loss. Kelly led Detroit's receivers with 10 catches for 105 yards and a TD. Next week, the Drive will host the New York Dragons in a rematch of a 17-9 Detroit victory in Week 4.

Chicago (2-7) gained 242 yards of total offense. The Rush ran for 51 yards on 19 carries. Clements led the Rush with 22 yards on 9 carries. Drummond went 21-of-38 passing for 192 yards and 2 TD, and was sacked once for a 1-yard loss. Allen led Chicago's receivers with 6 catches for 45 yards and a TD. Chicago will host the Iowa Barnstormers next week, in a rematch of a 57-20 shellacking by the Barnstormers in Week 4.

AFL League Leaders

RUSHING	ATT	YARDS	TD	LONG	AVG
Sale, SJ	124	582	5	28	4.7
Gregson, DAL	113	500	4	69	4.4
Millstone, COL	99	445	4	62	4.5
Kindrick, LA	98	443	6	43	4.5
Clements, CHI	89	420	5	63	4.7
Giles, ORL	95	348	2	32	3.7
Harrell, GR	102	334	2	14	3.3
Foulks, GEO	91	331	3	15	3.6
Ramos, IOW	91	322	3	20	3.5
Larron, NY	94	312	2	16	3.3
RECEIVING	REC	YARDS	TD	LONG	AVG
Bonewell, GEO	53	561	5	54	10.6
O'Connell, IOW	51	567	5	35	11.1
Margerum, CHI	50	555	5	39	11.1
Hawes, DAL	49	588	3	49	12.0
Warhurst, TB	49	608	3	34	12.4
Harley, ALB	45	485	4	50	10.8
Huntley, DET	42	473	2	30	11.3
Kelly, DET	41	498	4	46	12.1
Gregson, DAL	39	383	4	28	9.8
Jones, ARI	38	367	1	28	9.7
PASSING	RAT	ATT	COMP	PCT	INT	INT%	YARDS	YPP	TD	LONG	SACK
Damron, GEO	104.8	277	189	68.2%	3	1.1%	2067	7.5	16	54	17
Stanley, TB	90.7	266	169	63.5%	7	2.6%	2020	7.6	12	65	22
Couch, DET	90.3	269	178	66.2%	10	3.7%	2013	7.5	14	46	24
Drummond, CHI	87.4	289	178	61.6%	9	3.1%	2221	7.7	13	70	23
Blansett, IOW	82.7	298	174	58.4%	11	3.7%	2023	6.8	17	51	22
Emerson, NY	80.0	262	157	59.9%	12	4.6%	1837	7.0	14	80	13
Thom, COL	78.3	286	173	60.5%	11	3.8%	2071	7.2	10	59	16
Voorhees, DAL	77.7	312	180	57.7%	10	3.2%	2019	6.5	13	73	24
Brickhouse, NAS	77.3	277	169	61.0%	9	3.2%	1883	6.8	8	54	11
Wayne, GR	75.2	274	139	50.7%	10	3.6%	1747	6.4	16	64	25
SACKS
Board, SJ	11
Tuck, IOW	9
Lake, NAS	8
Berle, COL	7
Gandy, SJ	7
Dudson, DAL	6
Boozer, NAS	6
Spencer, GEO	6
June, LA	6
Flack, ORL	6
Jaxon, DAL	6
INTERCEPTIONS	INT	YARDS	TD	LONG
Waltrip, IOW	7	82	0	19
Brill, GR	6	89	0	34
Bird, SJ	6	41	0	22
Hilton, GEO	5	25	0	13
St. Johns, IOW	5	77	0	36
Kriner, MIL	5	122	0	52
Putman, COL	5	29	0	18
Harrelson, LA	5	82	0	40
Cushing, TB	5	85	1	44
Simon, CHI	4	7	0	5
Reinhart, DAL	4	38	0	19
Berger, NAS	4	36	0	15
Mills, NY	4	43	0	18
PUNTING	PUNT	AVG	BLK	RET	YDS	FC	TB	IN20	LONG	NET
Alonso, DET	27	46.1	1	10	118	1	9	8	72	35.1
Rhymer, SJ	38	43.8	0	18	180	4	8	6	61	34.9
Fletcher, ORL	40	43.7	1	18	159	7	7	10	58	36.3
Wynn, GEO	36	43.7	1	17	192	3	6	8	65	35.0
Tadwell, NY	40	43.6	0	21	192	5	5	8	56	35.3
Percell, ALB	43	43.4	0	20	182	5	12	4	59	33.6
Kalkman, TB	34	43.3	0	12	70	7	4	7	62	38.9
Butler, IOW	42	43.0	1	23	363	6	5	7	77	31.9
Wilcox, DAL	43	42.9	0	25	216	4	7	12	64	34.7
Burnett, CHI	32	42.8	3	15	104	6	4	6	61	37.1
KICK RETURNS	RET	YARDS	AVG	TD	LONG
Holman, COL	17	482	28.4	1	88
Naylor, GR	10	267	26.7	0	40
Keough, LA	26	680	26.2	2	97
Osler, NAS	35	870	24.9	0	65
Bull, GEO	25	618	24.7	1	98
Meads, ARI	19	462	24.3	0	63
Warden, ORL	40	968	24.2	0	52
Robustito, CHI	13	312	24.0	0	45
Goldberry, DAL	20	479	24.0	0	40
Clements, CHI	19	442	23.3	0	46
PUNT RETURNS	RET	YARDS	AVG	TD	LONG
Huntley, DET	10	170	17.0	0	75
Osler, NAS	11	157	14.3	0	53
Coggins, IOW	11	114	10.4	1	68
Bane, MIL	12	114	9.5	0	26
Crafton, GEO	11	100	9.1	0	37
Counce, SJ	12	101	8.4	0	21
Howell, COL	11	89	8.1	0	36
Vilmer, GR	13	98	7.5	0	20
TACKLES
Checkers, MIL	79
Carle, ALB	76
Tennison, ORL	67
Stonewall, ALB	65
Shipley, ARI	64
Josephs, TB	63
Clift, GR	63
Presley, DET	63
Quasar, ARI	63
Van Horne, NAS	62
Harpole, GR	62
June, LA	62
TOUCHDOWNS	TOTAL	RUSH	REC	RET
Kindrick, LA	10	6	4	0
Cage, MIL	9	0	8	1
Gregson, DAL	8	4	4	0
Sale, SJ	7	5	2	0
Crafton, GEO	6	1	5	0
Coggins, IOW	6	0	5	1
Osler, NAS	6	5	1	0
Taylor, TB	6	3	3	0
Clements, CHI	6	5	1	0
Margerum, CHI	5	0	5	0
Bonewell, GEO	5	0	5	0
O'Connell, IOW	5	0	5	0
Sidney, GEO	5	0	5	0
Adams, DET	5	4	1	0
Millstone, COL	5	4	1	0
Harrell, GR	5	2	3	0
Fowler, ALB	5	4	1	0
KICKING	FG	FGA	LONG	XP	XPA	PTS
Frayer, DET	16	21	54	22	23	70
Stevenson, NAS	18	24	53	16	16	70
Rhoads, IOW	15	24	53	24	24	69
Philbrook, MIL	16	22	49	19	19	67
Hall, DAL	16	21	53	18	19	66
Hamrick, NY	15	17	53	18	18	63
Ahmad, GEO	13	22	52	22	24	61
Justen, CHI	13	18	53	20	22	59
Wycoff, SJ	13	22	54	20	21	59
Quincey, TB	13	19	49	17	18	56

AFL Week 8 Standings

EASTERN DIVISION	W	L	T	PF	PA
Detroit Drive	6	2	0	216	174
Albany Firebirds	5	3	0	161	178
New York Dragons	4	4	0	195	183
Grand Rapids Rampage	4	4	0	181	188
SOUTHERN DIVISION	W	L	T	PF	PA
Tampa Bay Storm	5	2	1	186	157
Georgia Force	4	4	0	227	185
Nashville Kats	3	4	1	178	211
Orlando Predators	2	6	0	165	218
CENTRAL DIVISION	W	L	T	PF	PA
Milwaukee Mustangs	5	3	0	199	175
Dallas Desperados	5	3	0	206	191
Iowa Barnstormers	4	4	0	243	179
Chicago Rush	2	6	0	207	238
WESTERN DIVISION	W	L	T	PF	PA
Colorado Crush	5	3	0	158	146
San Jose Sabercats	5	3	0	185	154
Los Angeles Avengers	3	5	0	206	204
Arizona Rattlers	1	7	0	127	259

WEEK 8 SCORES (Home teams in BOLD)

Detroit 39, Grand Rapids 15

Albany 30, New York 27

Tampa Bay 26, Nashville 26 (OT)

Georgia 21, Orlando 18 (OT)

Dallas 31, Chicago 27

Milwaukee 27, Iowa 24

Los Angeles 40, Arizona 17

Colorado 13, San Jose 6

WEEK 9 GAMES

Detroit (6-2) at Chicago (2-6)

Grand Rapids (4-4) at Iowa (4-4)

Albany (5-3) at Milwaukee (5-3)

New York (4-4) at Dallas (5-3)

Nashville (3-4-1) at Los Angeles (3-5)

Tampa Bay (5-2-1) at San Jose (5-3)

Georgia (4-4) at Colorado (5-3)

Orlando (2-6) at Arizona (1-7)

AFL: Crush Hold Off Sabercats, 13-6

DENVER-The Colorado Crush defeated the San Jose Sabercats 13-6 in a Week 8 AFL contest.

There was no scoring in the first half, but not for a lack of trying. Elson Saxon returned the opening kickoff 54 yards to the Colorado 37-yard line, but Timmy Carey's pass was intercepted by Adrian Greenfield at the 28. After the Crush punted, the Sabercats drove into scoring position, but Ethan Wycoff missed a 45-yard field goal attempt. Both teams would trade punts, and Colorado would drive into position for a score, but Earl Ginger missed a 39-yard field goal attempt early in the second quarter. On the ensuing possession, the Sabercats would drive into scoring position, but Wycoff would miss a 40-yard field goal attempt. The Crush would then drive again and appeared ready to score a touchdown, but Valentine Millstone would fumble at the 5-yard line, and Rod Gaines recovered for the Sabercats. San Jose would later punt, and the game was still scoreless at the half.

Colorado finally broke the scoring ice at the start of the third quarter. The Crush would drive 80 yards on 10 plays, and Howton Thom would scramble in from 7 yards out to give them a 7-0 lead with 10:23 left in the third. On San Jose's ensuing possession, Carey fumbled and Jordy Word recovered the ball at the San Jose 39. The Crush seemed destined to score, but Millstone fumbled again, and Gaines recovered for San Jose at the 12. After the Sabercats went three-and-out, the Crush moved the ball 52 yards on 7 plays. Ginger would kick a 25-yard field goal with 4:12 to go in the third to extend the lead to 10-0. Fernando Findley fumbled at his own 35, and Curley Wentworth recovered for the Crush. After a 6-play, 30-yard drive, Ginger kicked a 22-yard field goal with 1:03 remaining in the third to take a 13-0 lead. Alan Sale fumbled, and Deron Putnam recovered at the Sabercats 28-yard line. Colorado appeared ready to put the game out of reach, but Gaines intercepted a pass by Thom at the 22-yard line.

The Sabercats offense would finally get going with a 10-play, 78-drive ending with a 5-yard touchdown pass from Carey to Sale. The extra point was no good, and San Jose was down 13-6 with 9:17 remaining in the fourth quarter. Both teams would punt, and San Jose would get one last chance from their own 20 with 41 seconds left. But the desperation passing went to no avail, and Colorado swept the season series.

Colorado (5-3) gained 442 yards of total offense. The Crush ran for 140 yards on 31 carries. Millstone led the team with 58 yards on 12 carries. Thom went 25-of-41 passing for 311 yards and 1 INT. He was sacked once for a 9-yard loss. Turk Dill was the leading receiver with 7 catches for 71 yards. The Crush will host the Georgia Force next week.

San Jose (5-3) gained 291 yards of total offense. The Sabercats ran for 72 yards on 20 carries. Carey was the team's rushing leader with 36 yards on 6 carries. Sale was held to 19 yards on 8 carries. Carey was 20-of-38 passing for 230 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. He was sacked once for an 11-yard loss. Festus Blanks was San Jose's leading receiver with 7 catches for 118 yards. San Jose will host the Tampa Bay Storm next week.

NOTE: With this game, we have officially reached the halfway point of this AFL season. The next post will contain the usual standings, scores, and schedule of games for Week 9. But it will be immediately followed by another post featuring the statistical leaders in various categories. Stay tuned.

AFL: Los Angeles De-Fangs Arizona, 40-17

LOS ANGELES-The Los Angeles Avengers broke a four-game losing streak, defeating the Arizona Rattlers 40-17 in a Week 8 AFL contest.

The Avengers began the game with a 13-play, 29-yard drive, ending it with a 47-yard field goal by Carmon Grimes to put Los Angeles up 3-0 with 11:04 left in the first quarter. Arizona's first drive ended with an interception by Gus Wolfe at the Rattlers' 31-yard line. After a 5-play, 23-yard drive, Grimes kicked a 25-yard field goal to make it 6-0 with 8:07 left in the first. After both teams traded punts, the Rattlers drove 43 yards on 5 plays. Melvin Jones would score on an 11-yard touchdown run to give Arizona a 7-6 lead with 1:32 to go in the first quarter.

The Avengers would answer back with an 11-play, 68-yard drive, and Grimes kicked his third field goal of the game, from 21 yards out, to put Los Angeles back in the lead, 9-7 with 10:27 left in the first half. The Rattlers would turn it over again as Don Fawcett was intercepted by Preacher Draper who returned it 20 yards to the Arizona 38. Two plays later, Juan York hit Clovis Awtrey for a 36-yard touchdown with 8:20 left in the second quarter, giving the Avengers a 16-7 lead. Arizona went three-and-out, and Chip Kindrick returned the punt 30 yards to the Rattlers' 42-yard line. Four plays later, Kindrick scored on a 4-yard touchdown run to extend the Avengers lead to 23-7 with 4:27 remaining in the half. The Rattlers fumbled the ensuing kickoff, but York had a pass intercepted by Whitey Teel who returned it 10 yards to their own 17. Following a 10-play, 53-yard drive, Pancho Barrow kicked a 47-yard field goal with 19 seconds left, and the score was 23-10 at halftime.

Arizona started the second half going three-and-out, and the Avengers drove 54 yards on 5 plays. York finished the drive with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Randall Dimsey to make it 30-10 with 10:58 remaining in the third. The Rattlers tried to drive for a score, but Speedy Crowley's fumble was recovered by Elrod Rodgers at the Avengers' 24. The Avengers would punt, and the Rattlers went on a 6-play, 80-yard drive, and Fawcett completed a 10-yard touchdown pass to Stomp Navarro, cutting the lead to 30-17 with 4:06 left in the third quarter. The Avengers went three-and-out, and Fawcett was later picked off by Courtney Harrelson. Los Angeles then went 48 yards on 3 plays, with York tossing a 2-yard touchdown pass to Kindrick, making the score 37-17 just as the third quarter came to an end.

After an ill-fated attempt by Arizona to go for it on fourth down, the Avengers had a 6-play, 22-yard drive, ending with a 19-yard field goal by Grimes, making the score 40-17 with 10:33 to go in the game. Not much of note happened after that, as the Avengers were content to run out the clock, and the Rattlers couldn't make much of a move.

Los Angeles (3-5) gained 447 yards of total offense. The Avengers ran for 132 yards on 30 carries. Kindrick led the team with 93 yards on 17 carries and a TD. His 2-yard touchdown reception also made him the first player to score 10 TDs this season (6 rushing, 4 receiving). York was 24-of-39 passing for 321 yards, 3 TD and 1 INT. He was sacked once for a 6-yard loss. Keifer Dance led the Avengers with 6 receptions for 62 yards. The Avengers will host the Nashville Kats next week.

Arizona (1-7) gained 291 yards of total offense. The Rattlers ran for 49 yards on just 13 carries. Jones led the team with 23 yards on 6 carries and a TD. He also led the receivers with 6 catches for 47 yards. Fawcett went 26-of-41 passing for 288 yards, 1 TD and 3 INT. He was sacked five times, losing 46 yards. The Rattlers host the Orlando Predators next week.

AFL: Barnstormers "Caged" By Mustangs, 27-24

MILWAUKEE-C.C. Cage caught the game-winning touchdown with 7 seconds left to break the Milwaukee Mustangs' 3-game losing streak and defeat the Iowa Barnstormers 27-24 in a Week 8 AFL game.

The Barnstormers opened the game with a punt, and the Mustangs would answer with a 9-play, 50-yard drive, ending with a 24-yard field goal by Rock Philbrook to take a 3-0 lead with 9:43 left in the first quarter. Iowa would punt again, and a 26-yard return by Rory Bane placed the ball at the Barnstormers' 37. But after three plays, Philbrook would miss a 47-yard attempt. After another Iowa punt, Milwaukee would get in position for Philbrook to attempt a 27-yard field goal, but it was blocked by Grant Douglass and returned it to the Iowa 38-yard line.

Both teams traded punts, and then early in the second, Ev Blansett threw a long pass that was intercepted by Conn Kriner who returned it 41 yards to the Barnstormers' 17-yard line. Following a 5-play, 13-yard drive, Philbrook connected on a 21-yard field goal with 7:58 to go in the half to make it 6-0 Milwaukee. After another three-and-out by Iowa, Milwaukee appeared to be driving for a touchdown, but Nigel McClain's fumble was recovered by Stew Fugundo at the Barnstormers' 7. Both teams would trade punts, and Iowa would move the ball 20 yards on 4 plays. SB Rhoads would finally put the Barnstormers on the board with a 53-yard field goal with 34 seconds left in the half, and the score was 6-3 in favor of the Mustangs at halftime.

Milwaukee opened the second half with possession, and JC George's first pass of the second half was picked off by Seth Waltrip who returned it 16 yards to the Mustangs 31-yard line. Five plays later, Blansett threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Davlin Coggins to put Iowa up 10-6 with 12:04 to go in the third. The teams traded punts, and Milwaukee drove 40 yards on 8 plays, with Philbrook kicking a 38-yard field goal with 4:20 to go in the third to make it 10-9. The Barnstormers went three-and-out, and Jean Butler's punt was blocked at the Milwaukee 24-yard line. Six plays later, George plunged in from 2 yards out for a touchdown. The 2-Point Conversion was good, and the Mustangs pulled ahead 17-10 with 1:25 remaining in the third quarter.

The Barnstormers would answer with a 7-play, 64-yard drive. Blansett completed a 1-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah O'Connell with 13:00 to go in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 17. The Mustangs would drive 27 yards on 5 plays, and Philbrook kicked a 41-yard field goal to put Milwaukee up 20-17 with 9:49 remaining. Iowa would respond with a 10-play, 67-yard drive that ended with Blansett connecting with O'Connell for an 8-yard touchdown to give the Barnstormers a 24-20 lead with 4:26 to go. Both teams punted, and the Mustangs were on their own 33 with 1:28 left in the game. An 8-play, 67-yard drive ended with George throwing a 2-yard touchdown pass to Cage with 7 seconds to go to give Milwaukee a 27-24 victory.

Milwaukee (5-3) gained 348 yards of total offense. The Mustangs ran for 92 yards on 26 carries. Chester Brice led the Mustangs with 41 yards on 6 carries. George went 23-of-44 passing for 284 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. He was sacked four times, losing 28 yards. Nelson Romine led the Mustangs with 5 catches for 59 yards. Milwaukee will host the Albany Firebirds next week.

Iowa (4-4) gained 173 yards of total offense. The Barnstormers were held to 46 yards rushing on 19 carries. Powell Ramos led the team with 18 yards on 7 carries. Blansett went 20-of-32 passing for 171 yards, 3 TD and 1 INT. He was sacked five times, losing 44 yards. O'Connell led the Barnstormers with 9 catches for 62 yards and 2 TD. Iowa will host the Grand Rapids Rampage next week.

AFL: Dallas Takes Win Over Chicago, 31-27

ROSEMONT, IL-Heinie Voorhees accounted for three touchdowns and helped the Dallas Desperados come back to defeat the Chicago Rush 31-27 in a Week 8 AFL game.

Chicago started out the game in fine fashion with a 7-play, 54-yard drive. Arman Drummond put the finishing touches on a drive with a 7-yard touchdown pass to Keith Headrick to give the Rush a 7-0 lead with 10:45 remaining in the first quarter. Voorhees' first pass was intercepted by Lin Atlas at the Rush 42-yard line. Chicago then drove 58 yards on 6 plays, with Drummond throwing a 1-yard touchdown pass to Marty Margerum to go up 14-0 with 7:06 to go in the first. The Desperados would punt on their next drive, but Zach Allen would fumble the return, and Maury Dancy would recover for Dallas and go 15 yards to the Chicago 2-yard line. Voorhees would then toss a 2-yard touchdown pass to Elson Gregson with 3:03 left in the first to make it 14-7.

After that, the Rush would move the ball 35 yards on 9 plays, and Dete Justen would kick a 46-yard field goal with 14:04 left in the second quarter to put Chicago up 17-7. The Desperados would punt on their next drive, and Chicago drove 88 yards on 7 plays. Drummond completed the drive with a 43-yard touchdown pass to Orrin Davenport to give the Rush a 24-7 lead with 8:09 to go in the half. Dallas would begin its comeback with a 13-play, 84-yard drive. Voorhees would keep the ball and run for a 5-yard touchdown with 1:53 remaining in the second, and the Desperados trailed 24-14 at the half.

Horace Evers took the second half kickoff and returned it 64 yards to the Chicago 27-yard line, but a disastrous sack of Voorhees by Loren Wilkerson would result in Greg Hall missing a 54-yard field goal attempt. The Rush would punt, but Voorhees would be victimized again by Atlas at the Desperados' 45-yard line. Justen would miss a 47-yard field goal attempt. The Desperados would punt, and Drummond would fumble the snap, and it was recovered by Dallas' Otto Scholl at the Chicago 36-yard line. Five plays later, Helmut Briley would score on a 5-yard touchdown run with 4:46 remaining in the third quarter to make it 24-21. After the Rush went three-and-out, Dallas drove 23 yards on 4 plays, and Hall kicked a 50-yard field goal with 23 seconds left in the third to tie it at 24.

The Rush would punt on their next drive, but Gregson's fumble would be recovered by MacArthur Fagan of the Rush at the Dallas 41-yard line. After a 5-play, 27-yard drive, Justen kicked a 31-yard field goal with 9:53 remaining to give Chicago a 27-24 lead. Both teams traded punts twice, and then Dallas would quickly move 68 yards on 5 plays. Voorhees threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Briley with 1:13 left to give the Desperados a 31-27 lead. Chicago managed to drive to the Dallas 43-yard line with 1 second left but could not score.

Dallas (5-3) gained 345 yards of total offense. The Desperados ran for 56 yards on 23 carries. Gregson led the team with 26 yards on 14 carries, and caught 5 passes for 61 yards and a TD. Voorhees went 22-of-40 passing for 315 yards, 2 TD and 2 INT. He was sacked four times, losing 26 yards. J.J. Hawes was the Desperados' leading receiver with 11 catches for 166 yards. The Desperados will host the New York Dragons next week.

Chicago (2-6) gained 380 yards of total offense. The Rush gained 54 yards rushing on 24 carries. Lonnie Clements led the team with 21 yards on 7 carries. Drummond went 26-of-41 passing for 336 yards and 3 TD. He was sacked twice, losing 10 yards. Margerum led the receivers with 9 catches for 63 yards and a TD. Next week, the Rush will host the Detroit Drive.