Blaze Head to Philly Seeking Division Title
July 17, 2012 - Arena Football League (AFL)
Utah Blaze News Release
SALT LAKE CITY - With 19 weeks of Arena Football behind them, the Utah Blaze (12-5) will close out their regular season with a stern test on the road against the Philadelphia Soul (14-3), who currently holds the best record in the AFL. The two teams will face off at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on Sunday, July 22nd, with kickoff scheduled for 4:05 PM MT.
Last Friday night, the Blaze extended their win streak to six games by trouncing the Cleveland Gladiators (7-10), 83-63. The victory thrust Utah into first place in the division, as the Arizona Rattlers (12-5) fell to the San Antonio Talons (14-3) on the same night, 62-61. Utah holds the tiebreaker over the Rattlers due to a superior divisional record. With a win over the Soul, the Blaze will clinch the West Division title and a first round playoff game on their home turf.
QB Dan Raudabaugh operates a high-powered Soul offense that ranks first in the Arena Football League in scoring with an average of 68.2 points per game. Raudabaugh has thrown for 4,678 yards with 110 touchdowns and 18 interceptions on 352-of-525 passing (67.1%) while adding two more rushing scores. Philadelphia has allowed the fewest sacks in the League, giving up just five on the season.
However, airing it out isn't Philadelphia's only means of scoring. The Soul offers as balanced an offensive attack as you will find in Arena Football thanks to a strong running game led by FB Derrick Ross. Ross leads the AFL in nearly every rushing category having gained 564 yards with 30 touchdowns on 133 attempts. Philadelphia places atop the League charts with an average of 42.0 yards per game on the ground.
In order to stop the Soul, Utah must continue to play tight defense on all levels. Delving deeper into the numbers, the Blaze have been amazingly effective in limiting the productivity of opposing quarterbacks in recent games. Over the past five contests, opposing passers have managed an average of just 264 yards and 3.6 touchdowns per game, completing only 57.8 percent of their attempts.
"The Philadelphia offense is one of the best in the League," said President & Head Coach Ron James. "Few teams have been able to slow them down this season. We will need to play well defensively through all four quarters."
The Soul defense is predicated on pressuring the quarterback and causing turnovers. DB Kent Richardson is the AFL leader with 14 interceptions on the year, while DB Rayshaun Kizer places third with 10 picks of his own. Philadelphia has registered 33 interceptions on the season - second-best in the AFL - while posting a League-high 61 takeaways. DL Bryan Robinson is the team's most decorated pass rusher, delivering 10.0 sacks with five forced fumbles in 2012.
"The strength of Philadelphia's defense is without a doubt their pass rush," James said. "The pressure they put on opposing quarterbacks has enabled a very talented secondary to make the most of their opportunities. We must be sound in our pass protection this week."
Utah's offense is clicking on all cylinders behind the arm of QB Tommy Grady. The six-foot-seven gunslinger continued his assault on the record books last week, tossing an AFL-record-tying 12 touchdown passes against the Gladiators. Grady has four receivers that have caught at least 60 passes and 15 touchdowns at his disposal. Utah ranks first in passing (321.4 ypg), as well as second in scoring (64.4 ppg) and total offense (332.4 ypg).
The Blaze also received a remarkable effort from its special teams unit last week. K Kyle Brotzman managed to boot three thunderous kicks off the nets that were recovered by Utah and converted into touchdowns. Needless to say, those extra possessions gave the Blaze a keen advantage. Getting the ball back to Grady and the offense is essential in securing a victory, and in turn, the division title.
"Special teams can provide you with that extra edge in a hard-fought contest. Kicking has been a bright spot for us in the past few weeks, but Philadelphia is also strong in that aspect. We will need to be prepared in that facet of the game as well."
The Utah Blaze vs. Philadelphia Soul can be viewed LIVE online on Sunday, July 22nd beginning at 4:05 PM MT. Visit www.ustream.tv/utahblaze or www.utblaze.com/live to stream the game at no cost! Game coverage can be heard in the Salt Lake City area on The Zone 97.5 FM/1280 AM, the radio home of the Utah Blaze.
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