Las Vegas – Clay Rush threaded the needle with golden aim Sunday, and his precision tied the knot between the Colorado Crush and the ArenaBowl XIX championship.
With three seconds left in the game, the kicker took aim at the 9-foot-wide space and ended his first season with the Crush as the star, hitting a 20-yard field goal for 51-48 victory over the Georgia Force before 10,822 at the Thomas & Mack Center.
The outcome sent the favored Force back to Atlanta, where the 13-6 team will have Colorado, also 13-6, on its mind throughout the offseason.
“It was a big kick for us,” Rush said. “Our team worked so hard this year, I had to come through. Everybody on this team had it on their shoulders today. That’s the way I wanted it.”
Rush’s kicking (three field goals and 6-for-6 on extra points) kept the pressure on the Force in a chess match that came down to the last play. Georgia tied the score 48-48 with 18 seconds left on a 20-yard touchdown pass from Matt Nagy to Chris Jackson.
“We’ve been in the position of playing from behind before,” said Nagy, who passed for 247 yards and four touchdowns. “We did bounce back, but it came down to the last play of the game. It was a helpless situation on the last kick.”
The Crush advanced to its first ArenaBowl with a 49-43 overtime victory over Chicago in Denver, and Sunday it appeared the finalists would need some extra playing time to determine the Arena Football League title.
But on first down after Georgia’s last kickoff, Crush quarterback John Dutton connected with Kevin McKenzie on a 37-yard strike to the Force’s 8-yard line. Rush’s winning field goal followed.
“When an opportunity comes for me, I’m going to make a play,” said McKenzie, who had three receptions for 62 yards. “I’m glad J.D. threw it the way he did, because it got us a victory. He underthrew it a little, but if not I would have scored, and that would have left time on the clock.”
After gaining additional yardage because of a roughing-the- passer penalty on the strike to McKenzie, Dutton (23-of-41 for 347 yards and three touchdowns, with no interceptions) dropped back and purposely ran the clock down to three seconds with an incomplete pass. That put the burden of proof on Rush’s right leg.
“Every point counted today,” Dutton said. “We wanted the ball at the end and we got it, and Clay came through.”
Reserve quarterback Jose Davis, who took over the holder’s duties last week against Chicago, gave his kicker a pep talk.
“I talked some trash to him before we lined up,” Davis said. “I can’t say what I said, but I toughen him up. He likes that.”
Crush co-owner John Elway called the victory another significant step in a football career that includes two Super Bowl rings as a star with the Broncos.
“I’m not sure we expected to win it in three years,” Elway said. “I thought we really had control throughout the game. I have to credit the organization, coach Mike Dailey and his staff.”
It was Dailey’s his second AFL championship. He coached Albany to a title in 1999.
“Clay Rush was spectacular and he came through in championship fashion today, but I can’t say enough about the guy on my left,” said Dailey, pointing to the Crush’s Willis Marshall.
Marshall scored four touchdowns, three on running plays, and his 45-yard dash to the end zone, after catching a Dutton pass, lifted the Crush back into the lead at 41-34 with 7:57 to play.
“I pride my game on consistency,” Marshall said. “In a game like this it takes a player who isn’t afraid to make big plays. I think I was that player today. If they want to put it on my shoulders, I’ll take it every play.”
Marshall’s touchdown runs of 1, 4 and 3 yards gave the Crush leads of 7-0, 17-7 and 24-13.
There were almost as many stars for the Crush, which never trailed, as there were plays.
Ahmad Hawkins intercepted Nagy on Georgia’s first offensive play of the game.
Rush’s first 20-yard field goal gave the Crush a 10-0 lead.
Rashad Floyd swatted away Nagy’s fourth-down pass on the first series of the second half, and Dutton followed with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Damian Harrell to give Colorado a 31-20 cushion. Harrell finished with eight catches for 122 yards and two touchdowns.
The big plays all added up to Rush’s command performance.
Georgia 7 13 7 21 – 48
Colorado 10 14 7 20 – 51
First quarter: Col – Marshall 1 run (Rush kick), 12:18. Col – FG Rush 20, 4:42. Geo – Nagy 1 run (Garner kick), :42.
Second quarter: Col – Marshall 4 run (Rush kick), 11:56. Geo – Aldridge 27 run (kick failed), 5:42. Col – Marshall 3 run (Rush kick), :52. Geo – Thomas 2 run (Garner kick), :29.
Third quarter: Col – Harrell 12 pass from Dutton (Rush kick), 7:53. Geo – Lee 2 pass from Nagy (Garner kick), 3:01.
Fourth quarter: Col – FG Rush 26, 12:03. Geo – Lee 34 pass from Nagy (Garner kick), 9:19. Col – Marshall 45 pass from Dutton (Rush kick), 7:57. Geo – Lee 27 pass from Nagy (Garner kick), 4:47. Col – Harrell 30 pass from Dutton (Rush kick), 3:36. Geo – Jackson 20 pass from Nagy (Garner kick), :18. Col – FG Rush 20, :00.
A – 10,822.
Geo Col
First downs 20 23
Rushes-yards 6-31 7-12
Passing yards 242 341
Total yards 273 353
Passes 24-36-1 23-41-0
Return yards 111 22
Fumbles-lost 0-0 0-0
Penalties-yards 7-29 7-34
Time of possession 28:45 31:15
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING – Georgia, Aldridge 2-30, Thomas 1-2, Nagy 1-1, Carey 2-(-2). Colorado, Marshall 4-12, Peaua 2-0, Dutton 1-0.
PASSING – Georgia, Nagy 24-26-1-247. Colorado, Dutton 23-41-0-347.
RECEIVING – Georgia, Lee 12-133, Jackson 7-84, Bergeron 3-25, Carey 1-8, Wilson 1-(-3). Colorado, Harrell 8-122, Marshall 6-111, McKenzie 3-62, McCullough 3-41, Hawkins 3-11.
Staff writer Irv Moss can be reached at 303-820-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com.
