Georgia Force 70, Chicago Rush 49
DULUTH, Ga. - And then there were none.
Georgia exploded for 49 first half points Saturday night and toppled Arena Football League's last unbeaten team, ripping the Chicago Rush 70-49 at The Arena at Gwinnett Center.
Quarterback RJ Archer threw for 205 yards and six touchdowns for the Force (3-2), completing 21-of-27 passes. Three of those scoring strikes went to Brandon McRae, who had seven catches for 67 yards, while Mykell Benson rushed for 47 yards and two touchdowns.
Chicago quarterback Russ Michna compiled 263 yards and four touchdowns in the air, but also tossed four interceptions and lost a fumble. The last turnover led to Larry Shipp's game-clinching 5-yard touchdown run with 3:25 remaining.
The Rush got big games from wide receivers Jared Perry and Reggie Gray. Perry had nine catches for 106 yards and two touchdowns, while Gray bagged seven receptions for 133 yards and two scores. Vic Hall recorded eight tackles for the Chicago defense.
Chicago was hoping for a franchise-record 5-0 start to its season, but Georgia established a 49-20 lead and never led by less than 13 points in the second half. After the Rush cut the advantage to 56-43, Benson rushed 5 yards for a score with 11:19 left in the game.
Despite the loss, Chicago remains a game ahead of San Antonio in the National Conference's Central Division. The Force moved into a first place tie with Tampa Bay in the American Conference's South Division.
Chicago returns home next Saturday night to host Milwaukee at Allstate Arena.
