ArenaBowl XIX was the 2005 championship game of the Arena Football League (AFL), and was played at the Thomas & Mack Center in Paradise, Nevada. The first neutral-site title game in AFL history drew 10,822 fans to see the Colorado Crush defeat the Georgia Force 51–48 to claim the Foster ArenaBowl Trophy. ArenaBowl XIX is widely considered one of the greatest games played.[citation needed]
Game summary
In a matchup of two first-time ArenaBowl participants (not counting the Force's appearances in ArenaBowls XIV and XV as the Nashville Kats, as those games are attributed to the new Kats franchise), the Crush claimed the Foster ArenaBowl Trophy in just their third year of existence.
The Crush got out to a 7–0 lead on the first of four touchdowns by Willis Marshall and added a Clay Rush field goal to extend the lead to 10–0 before the Force got on the scoreboard. The teams then traded touchdowns throughout the remainder of the first half, with the Crush leading 24–20 at the break. The first half was especially notable for being the first time in ArenaBowl history in which neither team threw a passing touchdown.
Crush quarterback John Dutton, the MVP of ArenaBowl XVI, and Force signal-caller Matt Nagy would soon change that, however, as the two combined for seven passing touchdowns in the second half. Rookie Derek Lee caught three touchdown passes in the half for Georgia, but it was not enough to offset the Colorado attack, as Dutton threw two touchdowns to Damian Harrell and another to Marshall
With 18 seconds remaining, Nagy threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Chris Jackson, tying the game at 48. However, the Crush quickly moved into field goal range, and kicker Rush converted his third field goal of the day, this one from 20 yards out as time expired, giving Colorado its first ArenaBowl title with a 51-48 win.
Marshall was named both Offensive Player of the Game and Ironman of the Game, with six catches for 111 yards and one touchdown in addition to three rushing touchdowns. Ahmad Hawkins earned Defensive Player of the Game honors by registering the game's lone interception.
Colorado coach Mike Dailey earned his second championship ring while Georgia's first-year head coach Doug Plank, the league's 2005 Coach of the Year, came up short in his fourth consecutive ArenaBowl, having lost the previous three as the defensive coordinator for the Arizona Rattlers.
