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Another Rush win as record climbs to 5-1

It was Rush wide receiver Terrance Turner’s turn to shine in the spotlight as his 10-catch, 112-yard and 4-touchdown night powered the Rush to a 62-61 win over the Milwaukee Mustangs at Allstate Arena on Saturday.

“My output is just a product of this offense and I capitalized on the opportunities given to me,” Turner said.

Chicago’s defense would take hits on the scoreboard throughout night, but took its biggest one at defensive back with Vic Hall leaving the game due to injury on Milwaukee’s first offensive possession. His absence left the Rush (5-1) using receivers Marquis Hamilton and Reggie Gray in the secondary as well as rotating other defensive players to new positions. Milwaukee quarterback Gino Guidugli capitalized on the changes (28-35, 330 yards, 8 touchdowns, 1 rushing touchdown) to accumulate touchdowns on all nine offensive possessions, four of which found wide receivers Jonathan Wilson and Jared Jenkins in the first half.

With Chicago’s defense down its best defensive playmaker, the Rush offense was forced to keep pace with the Mustangs. Early on the rushing attack provided three touchdowns as Kelvin Morris, Marquis Hamilton and Russ Michna fought their way into the end zone. Michna provided the last-second elation to close out the second quarter by taking the snap, surveying receivers and tucking the ball to run along the left side boards and sneak in for a touchdown to tie the game at 28.

The back-and-forth nature continued into the second half, but a missed extra point and two failed two-point conversions hurt the Mustangs. Third-quarter touchdown passes by Michna to Turner brought the first lead of the night for Chicago, which never led by more than two points.

For every Rush touchdown, there was an answer by the Mustangs. Guidulgi ran for a final score with 52 seconds left in the game to give the Mustangs a 61-55 advantage.

Michna, the game’s MVP for the Rush, answered back with under a minute left, taking the offense to the Milwaukee 22-yard line with four seconds remaining.

“(Russ) had bullets fired at him all night … the last play was 100 percent his call and he told us he wanted to run something,” said Chicago Head Coach Bob McMillen.

The trust paid off as Perry scored with a 22-yard touchdown grab with four seconds to go to put the cap on a 62-61 victory.

Michna completed 26 of 34 passing attempts for 306 yards and 6 touchdowns. He was sacked four times, and his No. 1 target, Reggie Gray, was denied a receiving touchdown for the first time in his career.

Rush defensive back Brandon Freeman totaled 9 tackles, leading the team.

On Saturday, the Rush travel to San Antonio to take on quarterback Aaron Garcia and the Talons in a divisional match up.

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