Brigade fight Soul's big plays in 54-24 loss

Published on March 13, 2006 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Kansas City Brigade News Release


KANSAS CITY- It was an atmosphere of celebration Monday night at Kemper Arena with the Philadelphia Soul in town. The Kansas City Brigade played its first Monday night Arena Football game and vice president Neil Smith had his number 90 retired in a halftime ceremony emceed by Ron Jaworski, the Soul's president and a former Eagles and Chiefs quarterback. The team was unable to complete the trifecta, however, as the Brigade faced an insurmountable first half lead in a 54-24 defeat.

Philadelphia built a 27-point advantage midway through the second quarter before the Brigade put its first points on the board. The situation at that point called for heroics and Andy Kelly delivered. Steve Smith broke open deep downfield and Kelly found him in the corner of the end zone for an over-the-shoulder 30-yard touchdown. The Soul tacked on three more scores before the Brigade found the end zone again. T he highlight reel kicked on at the end of the first half as Kelly again looked for a big play to give the Brigade some momentum. In classic Arena Football style, he went for the Hail Mary from 23 yards out by throwing the ball off the net. James Jordan went airborne in a scrum and came down with it as time expired. Kansas City went for a two-point conversion but was unsuccessful, leaving the score at 49-12. The second half saw an effort that most teams would not give down by such a margin. As the third quarter neared conclusion Chris Pointer recovered a botched Philadelphia handoff on a rush near Kansas City's goal line. The Soul threat was over and the Brigade answered. Byron Douzart worked his way around the right end from the one yard line for a rushing touchdown to make the score 51-18 early in the fourth quarter.

Head coach Kevin Porter gave his backups the opportunity for some experience late in the quarter and quarterback Chris Sanders was inserted to prove his mettle. He guided the Brigade downfield in the final minute and, under intense pressure, hooked up with Smith across the front of the end zone as the game clock expired. The Brigade defense did not give up a touchdown in the second half.

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from March 13, 2006


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central