Chris Gould booted a 20-yard field goal as time expired to give the Rush a thrilling 59-56 victory over the Cleveland Gladiators in front of 8,075 fans at Allstate Arena Friday evening. The home-opening win moved the team to 2-0 in its 2010 return to the Arena Football League.Gould’s game-winning kick was the conclusion to a see-saw game that saw no team hold a lead of more than seven points the entire 60 minutes.In fact, the final kick came only after Gladiators quarterback John Dutton connected with WR Ben Nelson on a 13-yard touchdown to tie the score at 56-56 with just 45 seconds remaining. But 45 seconds was more than enough time for the Rush, as QB Russ Michna led the team down the field in six plays, setting up the game-winning kick.Michna was sharp all night for, connecting with Samie Parker on a 42-yard touchdown on the game’s first play en route to a game that saw him complete 22 of 27 passes for 315 yards and a career-high eight touchdowns – without throwing an interception. For the second week in a row, Parker was Michna’s favorite target, catching nine passes for 148 yards and three TDs. But despite the great offensive performance, it was the defense that helped turn the game around. With the game tied 42-42 late in the third quarter, an interception by Chris Martin and an ensuing facemask penalty gave the Rush the ball at its 15-yard line. Two plays later, Nichiren Flowers scored on a 25-yard TD reception to give the Rush a 49-42 lead and the Rush would not trail again.

NOTES—The Rush defense had three more interceptions this week, giving them eight in two games … FB Robert Boss again had an impact on the offense, catching an 18-yard TD pass and rushing for five yards …Gould’s game-winning kick might have been outdone by his tackle of Gladiators kick returner Brent Holmes with 3:30 remaining in the game. Gould hit Holmes in such a way that Holmes went spinning up in the air, resulting in a huge ovation from the crowd.