AFL: Chicago Rush Dominate Philadelphia Soul in Blackout

The Chicago Rush welcomed the Philadelphia Soul to town Friday night where the Rush have started celebrating their 10th season with a "Blackout."  The Rush donned all black uniforms in honor of the occasion and fans were encouraged to do the same.

If you ask Soul quarterback Jason Allgood, Philly walked into a black hole.

The Soul connected on a touchdown pass on the first play from scrimmage—after that, nearly every drive was swallowed up by the Rush defense.

The defensive line, led by nose tackle Mark Weivoda, controlled the line of scrimmage and helped cause many bad exchanges between the center and quarterback.  The miscues by the Soul on offense and special teams put them in a hole that they would not be able to climb out of. 

The defensive backfield controlled the open field after the first play. 

Russ Michna and the offense had another solid game, even if he won't admit it, but defense was the name of the game for the Rush. 

In two games this season, the Rush have shown to be a more physical team than they have been in the past.  Mike Hohensee, Philadelphia head coach, had led Chicago until this season.  As a more offensive-minded coach, the contrast between last year's playoff team and this year's 2-0 team is apparent.

Having watched the Arena game for about three years now, I know that the passing game and offense in general is the name of the game.  The key has always been getting one or two more defensive stops than your opponent. 

Rush coach Bob McMillen may be changing that dynamic slightly. 

Defensive power and ball control (even a running game) may be his way of leading the Rush to a 2011 Arena League championship.