The Colorado Crush is averaging 63.7 points a game, tops in the Arena Football League.
The Nashville Kats are allowing just 37.0 points a game, tops in the league.
Is it the irresistible force vs. the immovable object in this early Central Division showdown in Nashville’s noisy Gaylord Entertainment Center on Saturday night?
“I don’t know,” Crush quarterback John Dutton said. “But something’s got to give. One of us is not going to have a good game.”
So far this season, the Crush has had nothing but good games, winning three in a row in defense of its ArenaBowl championship, mostly on the strength of its Dutton-led, high-powered offense. Nashville has won two of three, limiting its first two opponents to a total of 55 points (28 and 27) before giving up 56 in a one-point loss to Chicago last weekend.
“They’re a very good football team,” Crush coach Mike Dailey said. “They’ve got a great pass rush (led by Joe Minucci) and an excellent secondary (featuring Khalil Carter and Monty Montgomery). That’s the heart and soul of their team.”
But Dutton, who has thrown a league-leading 20 touchdowns this season, doesn’t need to be reminded.
“Hey, they gave us fits last year,” Dutton said of two close calls against the Kats. “Their DBs just really trust that the D-line is going to get to the quarterback, so they sit on routes and wait for you to throw it into traffic. But we’ve got a great offensive line, and then we’ve got the big-play receivers, so we’ll see what happens.”
Dutton looks forward to the confrontation.
“It’s a big challenge for us offensively, but no one’s really attacked them,” he said. “That’s what we like. We have guys on our team that like those challenges. Everyone talks about their defense, but hey, we can put points on the board, and our defense can play a little defense, too.”
The Crush quarterback won’t let early adversity turn the tide.
“It’s one of those deals where you just got to go out there and keep fighting,” Dutton said. “Play the whole game and that’s what we’re going to do. We’re not going to get down when they stop us because we know our defense can come up with some key stops, too. We’ve just got to keep playing, keep playing and keep playing, and eventually we’ll score enough points to win.”
Dutton was 23-of-34 for 232 yards and six touchdowns in a 42-35 victory in Nashville last season, then completed 31-of-40 for 349 yards and five touchdowns in a 42-39 victory in the second meeting in Denver.
Crush
Who: Colorado Crush (3-0) vs. Nashville Kats (2-1)
What: Arena Football League
When: Saturday, 6 p.m.
Where: Gaylord Entertainment Center, Nashville, Tenn.
TV/radio: FSN/KHOW 630 AM
Joseph Sanchez can be reached at 303-820-5458 or jsanchez@denverpost.com.
