Empire Fall in Second Straight Week - by the Numbers
Published on June 17, 2018 under Arena Football League (AFL)
Albany Empire News Release
The Albany Empire (5-4) lost their second consecutive game on Saturday night in a back and forth battle against the Philadelphia Soul (5-4) at the Times Union Center by a score of 75-74 in front of a crowd of 9,534. The two teams traded blows all night until the final minute when Philadelphia was able to come back from a two-score deficit and defeat the Empire.
SCORE BY QUARTER 1 2 3 4 FINAL
ALBANY 14 27 20 13 74
PHILADELPHIA 14 20 14 27 75
Leading the way for the Empire, Tommy Grady had a huge night tallying 18 completions on 29 attempts for 335 yards, and a season-high 10 touchdowns. On the season, Grady has totaled 174 completions on 268 attempts for 2,263 yards and 59 touchdowns; both league bests. Last night Grady also surpassed 34,000 career passing yards.
Grady consistently found his top two targets all night. Rookie receiver Malachi Jones put up huge numbers. Jones caught 7 passes for 177 yards, 5 receiving touchdowns and 1 rushing touchdown. This year, Jones has totaled 59 receptions for a league-high 890 yards. On the season, Jones leads the league in total touchdowns with 25 and is tied for second in the league with 20 receiving touchdowns. Joe Hills had another big night with 9 catches for 143 yards and 3 touchdowns. This marked the 89th consecutive game with a receiving touchdown for Hills, an active league record. Hills now has 253 receiving touchdowns in his career, putting him in the top ten all-time in the category. Through eight games, Hills leads the league with 23 receiving touchdowns. Hills is second in the league with 64 receptions and third in the league with 811 receiving yards. Veteran receiver Greg Carr 2 catches for 15 yards and 2 touchdowns in the loss.
Jack linebacker Terence Moore led the Empire defense with 5.5 total tackles. On the season, Moore is second in the league in total tackles with 50, leads the league with 4 interceptions, and is tied for second in the league with 2 fumble recoveries. Defensive player of the game, Derrick Summers, added 4.5 total tackles, and 1 sack. Defensive back Varmah Sonie chipped in 4 total tackles and 2 pass breakups. Defensive end Nick Seither had 1.5 total tackles included 1 sack on the night.
The betting spread heavily favored the Empire (-8.5) which Albany was unable to cover, losing by 1 point. The score totaled up to 149 points; well above the over/under of 88.5 set by oddsmakers.
The next game for the Empire is a road matchup against the first place Baltimore Brigade on Saturday, June 23 at 7:30 pm in the Royal Farms Arena.
Arena Football League Stories from June 17, 2018
- Soul Amaze with Last Second Victory: by the Numbers - Philadelphia Soul
- Empire Fall in Second Straight Week - by the Numbers - Albany Empire
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