The rematch between the Colorado Crush and the Chicago Rush is beyond the stage of bulletin board fodder.
In last year’s Arena Football League semifinal playoff game at the Pepsi Center, the Crush won 49-43 in sudden-death overtime on John Dutton’s 22-yard touchdown pass to Andy McCullough. The Crush advanced to the ArenaBowl in Las Vegas and won the championship.
Crush coach Mike Dailey won’t soon forget that semifinal game.
“Maybe in my entire time in the AFL, the last couple of minutes of the game and the overtime might have been the most traumatic game I’ve ever been in,” Dailey said. “That game seemed to have so much drama to it at the end.”
This year the Crush-Rush showdown comes in the quarterfinals, with the winner of today’s 1:30 p.m. game at the Pepsi Center continuing on to a possible ArenaBowl appearance.
Rush quarterback Matt D’Orazio said his teammates have talked about the rematch.
“We’re trying to not focus on last year,” D’Orazio said. “We’re focusing on the fact that we have another chance at them. Sure, we’ve talked about the Arena- Bowl. The Rush has lost in the semifinals the last two years, and our goal is to make it to the ArenaBowl. But for us to look past Colorado would be a shame. No one wants to have that ‘wait until next year’ feeling.”
Dutton said last year’s experience of getting to the Arena- Bowl and winning has his team well aware of what’s going on.
“We don’t have to talk about it,” Dutton said. “You can feel what’s going on. It seems as if we’re practicing a lot harder.
“We know what it takes to win in the playoffs and Chicago does, too. Matt and the rest of their team have been playing maybe the best in the league at the end of the year.”
Dutton ended the Crush’s regular season with career bests in completions (390), attempts (614), yards passing (4,421), touchdown passes (96) and yards passing per game (276.3).
D’Orazio passed for 3,546 yards and 63 touchdowns in the Rush’s regular season.
Dailey knows all about motivation in the playoffs.
“Everyone wants to advance,” Dailey said. “Everyone wants the opportunity to get into a championship game. Motivation isn’t difficult when you’re in a playoff circumstance.”
Arena football
Who: Chicago Rush (8-9) vs. Colorado Crush (11-5)
What: Playoff game
When: 1:30 p.m. today
Where: Pepsi Center
TV/radio: KUSA-9/KHOW 630 AM
Irv Moss can be reached at 303-820-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com.
