Game Preview: Soul Seeking Victory over SaberCats
July 18, 2014 - Arena Football League (AFL)
Philadelphia Soul News Release
PHILADELPHIA (July 18, 2014) - The Philadelphia Soul (8-8) recorded another win last week against the Orlando Predators and are pushing for the playoffs this week. Coming off a Bye Week, Week 19 looks promising for the Soul, who are home for the last time this regular season in the Wells Fargo Center taking on the San Jose SaberCats (12-4) Sunday, July 20. The game kicks off at 4 p.m. and will be online on ESPN3.
In the Soul's last game, they were in a huge defensive battle against the Predators, but got the victory, 42-35. This week is another must-win game for the Soul, who are hoping to make the playoffs and spent last week resting and working hard.
"We are in playoff-football mode now," said Soul head coach Clint Dolezel. "Our last win was hard-fought and it built up our confidence for our final playoff push. Our guys understand the magnitude of what is in front of us, now it's a matter of execution."
Soul quarterback and All-Arena candidate, Dan Raudabaugh, is coming off a solid game when he completed 14-of-25 passes for 193 yards and four touchdowns . For this season, he has completed 331-of-491 passes for 3,986 yards and 81 touchdowns. San Jose defeated Tampa Bay last week, 52-43, and rookie quarterback Nathan Stanley had another strong outing, completing 24-of-41 passes for 291 yards, with five touchdowns and zero interceptions. This season Stanley has completed 161-of-265 passes for 1,930 yards and 43 touchdowns.
Offensive Player of the Year candidate, Derrick Ross' led the ground game with 18 rushing yards and one touchdown. This season, Ross has a league-leading 417 yards for 32 touchdowns. Markee White led Philadelphia's offense, finishing the night with five receptions for 64 yards and three touchdowns. White has 20 receptions for 212 yards and five touchdowns this season. Tiger Jones who finished the night with seven receptions for 108 yards and one touchdown also helped lead the Soul to victory, and leads the receiving corps with 1,466 yards and 31 touchdowns. White and Jones will matchup with SaberCats' defensive leader, Ken Fontenette, who has 95.5 total tackles and 23 pass breakups. Another San Jose defensive back, Clevan Thomas, will also prove to be a good competitor, adding a season total of 64.0 tackles with 13 pass breakups and eight interceptions.
Week 17 showed a strong game from the Soul defense, and they are hoping to do it all over again this week. Against the Predators, Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year candidate, Teddy Jennings finished the night with 2.0 sacks and two total tackles. Jennings now has 25.0 total tackles this season and has tied the franchise record for 11.0 sacks in a season. Jerome Williams Jr. also played a great game with one sack and five total tackles, and has 16.5 total tackles for the season. This season James Romain is one of the top defensive leaders with 74.5 tackles and five interceptions. Rayshaun Kizer is leading the Soul's defense with 89.0 tackles, 31 pass breakups and seven interceptions.
The SaberCats' offense will prove to be a bit of a challenge for the Soul defense. FB Odie Armstrong leads San Jose's rushing offense, with 158 yards for nine touchdowns this season. Wide receiver Rod Harper is one of Stanley's main targets, with 97 receptions for 1,004 yards and 18 touchdowns. Wide receiver Reggie Gray leads the SaberCats in touchdowns with 26 and has recorded 77 receptions for 930 yards.
Week 20 marks the end of the regular season and has the Soul traveling to play their state rival, the Pittsburgh Power. The game will be held Saturday, July 26 at 5 p.m. at the Consol Energy Center, and broadcasted on the Comcast Network.
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