The Rush sure could have used Bobby Sippio on Saturday night.
An ankle injury left the league’s leading scorer out of action and the Rush was held to a season-low point total as visiting Nashville claimed a 44-27 Arena Football League victory before a sellout crowd of 16,142 at Allstate Arena.
The Kats (5-7) snapped a three-game losing streak as they took command with two touchdowns over a span of less than three minutes in the second half.
The Rush (8-3) suffered its second straight loss and missed a chance to clinch a postseason playoff berth.
After playing in the last 19 games, the league’s leading scorer (246 points), Sippio sat out as a precaution after suffering a sprained left ankle in last Monday’s 52-48 loss at Dallas.
Veteran Russell Shaw made an impressive return from a preseason ankle injury as he took the opening kickoff and returned it 35 yards. The Rush went on to score on a 1-yard DeJuan Alfonzo run.
It led through the first two quarters and built a 21-16 lead by halftime as rookie Rob Mager added an 11-yard touchdown reception and lineman Robert Boss scored on a 14-yard pass — his first career touchdown.
One of Nashville’s touchdowns came on a 25-yard Dan Alexander run.
The Kats claimed their first lead — 23-21 — early in the third quarter when quarterback Jeff Smoker hit wide receiver Rocco Forgione on a 16-yard strike. But the Rush replied with a seven-play, 31-yard drive capped by Alfonzo’s second touchdown run — this time a 3-yarder — for a 27-23 edge. But Nashville scored twice in a 2-minute-32-second stretch to take command at 37-27 with 10 minutes to play.
