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Columbus Destroyers Fall to Philadelphia Soul 76-55 on ESPN Arena Football Monday Night

April 21, 2008 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Columbus Destroyers News Release


COLUMBUS, OHIO - The Columbus Destroyers, presented by Germain, lost to the Philadelphia Soul 76-55 Monday night on Huntington Field at Nationwide Arena in front of 14,974 fans. The Destroyers suffered their second loss in as many weeks giving up a combined 132 points. The loss moves them to 1-3 at home, and 2-6 overall.

Destroyers' wide receiver Derek Lee caught his 100th touchdown pass of his career in the loss. The catch puts him in a very elite group of AFL receivers. He becomes the 33rd player in AFL history to have 100 career touchdown receptions and gain over 4,000 receiving yards for his career. Lee ended the game with 138 yards and two touchdowns on six catches.

Columbus quarterback Matt Nagy also set personal bests. With 389 yards, seven touchdown passes and one interception on 20-34 passing. Nagy set a career high in passing yards, surpassing his previous record of 361, which he set against Cleveland earlier this season. He also tied a season high with his seven touchdown passes.

Philadelphia's Larry Brackins took home the Offensive Player of the Game honors, as he led the offense. He caught nine passes for 134 yards and three touchdowns. Anthony Dunn, the Soul's mac-linebacker, earned the Defensive Player of the Game award as he recorded 4.0 tackles (2UT-4AT), one of which a sack for a loss of 1.0 yard and a timely defended pass, keeping the Destroyers out of the end zone.

The Destroyers started the first quarter with a flourish as Nagy hit receivers Calvin Russell, Derek Lee and C.J. Johnson for touchdowns on the Destroyers' first three plays from scrimmage. The Soul, however, answered all three scores, the first coming on their first play. Philadelphia managed to stop the Columbus drive at the end of the quarter, keeping the score 21-21. This is a big switch from the last time Columbus hosted the Soul. The first time these teams met in 2007, the first quarter was scoreless.

After Philadelphia opened the quarter with a touchdown, Philadelphia's starting quarterback Tony Graziani was sidelined, as he irritated the injury on his left knee, the same knee that has sidelined him the past four weeks. The teams traded touchdowns as Harold Wells and Johnson both reached the end zone for the Destroyers, and Matt D'Orazio and Chris Jackson hooked up twice for two scores, the second of which ending the half.

With the Soul scoring on the first possession of the second half, the Destroyers found themselves down 13 points. Two Destroyer turnovers in the second half led to an eventual 27-point deficit, which Columbus could not come back to overcome.

The Destroyers defense could not keep the Soul out of the end zone for the first three quarters and that continued in the fourth as the teams traded scores throughout to conclude the game with a score of 76-55 in the Soul's favor.

The Destroyers return to action on Saturday, May 3 as they host the Dallas Desperados on Huntington Field at Nationwide Arena. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. (ET).

WE BELIEVE Saturdays are made for football. Single game tickets starting at just $15 are on sale now at the Nationwide Arena Ticket Office, ticketmaster Ticket Centers, ticketmaster.com and all FSN Ohio Blue Line team stores located at The Mall at Tuttle Crossing, Chiller Easton, Chiller Dublin and Chiller North.

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Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from April 21, 2008


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