Late in the final quarter, with the ball on the twenty-five yard line, Rampage quarterback James MacPherson puts his hands in between the legs of his center Brandon Eaton. With less than a minute to go on the clock and his team down by four, MacPherson knows his team's fate lies squarely on his shoulders. Before the day is done, he can become the conquering hero stealing a win from the home team, or crawl back to Michigan with his tail between his legs.

How did Sunday's game get to this point?

FIRST QUARTER

The opening quarter started off with a [to be a lazy writer] “Rush.” Travis LaTendresse fielded a Brian Gowins kickoff smoothly after bouncing off the screen. Displaying Devin Hester-esque vision, he juked this way and that, spinning and jiving his way thirty yards to half field. 

The Rush spent extensive time in their pre-game warmups on bombs to the corners of the end zones, and the extra work paid off immediately. On their opening snap from scrimmage, Russ Michna loaded his gun of an arm, then let a bullet fly to the corner of the end zone. 

As cheerleaders scattered out of the way, Donovan Morgan beat his man and cooly fielded the TD.   

Now it was the Rampage's turn to respond. Following a touchback and a Kenny Higgins first down, James MacPherson connected with Higgins again near the sideline. Rush defensive back Jeremy Unertl read the pass and introduced Kenny to his good friend Mr. Boards. 

Kenny was down, not for the count, but for a few minutes writhing in pain so bad he could not walk back to his bench under his own power. 

Later on the same drive FB Alan Krutulis joined Higgins on the injury table, under slightly more embarrassing circumstances. Bringing in a MacPherson screen pass Krutlis was rumbling down the sideline when that pesky invisible henchman slid by and mercilessly tripped him sending the 280 pounder crashing hard to the ground.

Like Kenny, he was unable to make it off the field on his own.

If the henchman is not to be blamed, perhaps Alan just got far too excited over only his second catch of the season. 

Thanks to Alan's hard work, however, the Rampage did have the ball on the one, and MacPherson scored on the next snap with a QB keeper to even the score at seven apiece.

Chicago's ensuing scoring drive was keyed by a fifteen yard reception by little used tight end Robert Boss to the Grand Rapids eight yard line. Chicago advanced the ball, but failed to score over the next three plays, and faced a fourth and goal on the one yard line.

Perhaps in homage to owner Mike Ditka, head coach Mike Hohensee tapped his version of “the fridge” to come in for the down. Linebacker DeJuan Alfonzo had four touch downs in nine carries on the year, and added his fifth Sunday afternoon plowing through Rampage defenders to put the Rush ahead by six.

Unfortunately, Dan Frantz missed the extra point, but Alfonzo continued putting his jack of all trades game on display on the ensuing kickoff when he made an ankle tackle on Chris Martin at the nine yard line.

SECOND QUARTER

MacPherson quickly marched the Rampage down the field, scoring on a sixteen yard bullet to Jermaine Lewis to, complete with an extra point by former Northwestern great Brian Gowins to take a one point lead with less than a minute gone by in the second quarter.

Travis LaTrandresse was filling in for the injured Jonathan Ordway on kickoff returns, and although his first couple run backs were alright, this time he was not able to get out of the end zone. It was a sign of difficulties to come for Travis. 

Nevertheless, Michna, who after starting the year as a backup is officially “our quarterback” now, according to coach Hohensee, efficiently moved them down the field, and got them inside the ten yard line.

Dan Alexander, then did what he did twenty times for the Cornhuskers, bouncing like a bowling ball of a few Rampage pins into the end zone to put Chicago back on top. 

The Chicago defense stepped up on the ensuing Rampage drive, led by defensive back Dennison Robinson, featured on this game's program with the headline “D-Robber.”

Halfway through the drive he looked like anything but a Robber; however, when he dropped a sure-interception. He proved his mettle a little later, though, knocking down what would have been another touchdown by Lewis, to force the Rampage into the game's first field goal. 

On the subsequent Chicago drive, Michna was looking to put the Rush ahead by two scores taking the snap on his own fifteen yard line. His protection broke down, and lineman Michael McFadden and Dovana Arp had their hands all over him, but Russ refused to give up, somehow getting a throw away.

He should have just given up.

The ill advised attempt made its way not to a Chicago receiver, but into the excited hands of Rampage DB Ronald Dillion. 

MacPherson and the Rampage easily took the lead on a screen pass to Anthony Hines. 

LaTrandresse was once again unable to get the ball out of the end zone, leaving his team with forty-five yards to respond. Michna showed he was not going to let one mistake take him out of the game as he confidently led his squad to the Grand Rapids 18, with the help of an offsides penalty. 

He then turned again to the fattest [in a good way] receiver I have ever seen, Robert Boss who turned a short pass into a long gain, breaking multiple Rampage tackles and body checking would-be-tackler William Haith, blowing the DB off his feet as he rumbled to the six yard line. 

With less than ten seconds on the clock, Michna patiently sat in the pocket looking for an opening and then hit Donovan Morgan who had shook his man and was cutting wide open across the back of the end zone with a side arm toss to put the Rush back up by a field goal. 

Brian Gowins tried a last second forty-four yard field goal to tie the game that barely missed wide left heading into halftime. 

THIRD QUARTER

Down by three, the Rampage were driving to take the lead on their opening drive and swiftly made it to the Chicago thirteen. Maybe it is just something about Chicago that the seemingly easiest part of a football play, the snap from the center to the quarterback is so difficult. 

Whatever the reason, MacPherson looked like Rex Grossman on the next snap as he missed the ball and it was picked up by Alfonzo who took it all the way to the Grand Rapids ten. Michna easily scored five plays later on a one-yard rush to put Chicago ahead by ten. 

Over the quarter's remainder, the offenses traded off a score each. Chicago's TD came yet again in the hands of Donovan Morgan on the day of his breakout party, as he got behind Chris Martin for a twenty-six yard TD. 

Chicago's special teams struggles continued as Frantz's extra point try was blocked by Donovan Arp. 

Heading into the final quarter, Chicago was ahead by nine, when they should have been up by at least eleven.

FOURTH QUARTER

The Rampage brought it within two, with a touchdown drive to start the fourth. Then, thanks to an “unfortunate carom off the iron” as the PA announcer called it, Grand Rapids got the ball right back on the Chicago three yard line. Travis misjudged where the kickoff would land, and his inexperience cost his team the lead as Grand Rapids scored one play later to go up by five. 

He was probably still kicking himself on the following kick-off, and his inability to move caused him to once again miss the kickoff and see the pigskin end up in the hands of a Rampage player. Thankfully for Travis, this time it was after the ball had already gone out of bounds, so the Rush maintained possession. Needless to say, that would be the last time this game Travis returned a kick. 

Just four plays later, with Ahmad Hawkins covering him head to toe tighter than an STD, Donovan Morgan somehow still managed to pull in his fourth TD of the day. Chicago subsequently declined the obvious pass interference penalty on Hawkins. 

LaTendresse made up somewhat for his numerous mistakes on the day, catching the two point conversion throw from Michna to put Chicago ahead by three. 

The kid just could not help himself Sunday, however, on the next play, getting an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty to move the Rampage kickoff return to their own twenty three yard line. The Rampage took the lead four plays later on Higgins' third touchdown of the day.

Down by four and needing to respond, Michna next looked to the game's hero Donovan Morgan on the first play of the ensuing drive. Sadly, Morgan made his only gaffe of the day, following the catch, he forgot he also had to hang onto the ball, and fumbled it, giving Grand Rapids the ball on the Chicago twelve. 

The good news for Donovan was that cover boy Robinson was in the house, and he lived up to his billing. MacPherson found Jermaine Lewis open in the end zone, but his throw was too hot for the receiver to handle. The ball bounced off Jermaine's hand, off the iron of the rebound net, and safely into Dennison's hands to give Chicago the ball back with no harm done. 

Earlier following the fumble, Morgan had gone to the sideline and held his head high, taking ownership of the mistake and “asked coach to come to me again.”

Come he did, as Michna's first pass of the next drive was straight back to Donovan for a twenty-one yard gain. Two plays later, Russ made a dangerous throw to Damien Harrell in the corner of the end zone with two Rampage defensive backs all over him. Seconds later, two bodies crashed to the ground and Damien was the only one standing to put Chicago back on top. 

And you remember the way I over-dramatized that MacPherson moment in the beginning, well let's just say the outcome involved his tail between his legs. 

FINAL SCORE

 CHICAGO RUSH 55 

GRAND RAPIDS RAMPAGE 52

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