Philadelphia Circling Home Field Advantage
June 15, 2012 - Arena Football League (AFL)
Philadelphia Soul News Release
PHILADELPHIA (June 15, 2012) -The Philadelphia Soul (10-3) travel to Jacksonville, FL for their second meeting of the season against the Sharks (6-6), this time at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena on Saturday, June 16 at 7 p.m.
The Soul hold a firm grasp on the No. 1 seed in the American Conference based on number of wins (10). The Soul can clinch a playoff spot and the East Division championship in Week 15 with a victory over the Sharks and a loss by the Cleveland Gladiators. A victory by the Soul clinches a playoff berth.
Week 15 sees the Soul reach game four of a six-game streak of rematch games. The rematches started in Week 12, with Philly evening the series with division rival Cleveland. The following week the Soul earned a series sweep of Orlando, followed by another revenge victory in Week 14 to make up for an mid-season loss to the Milwaukee Mustangs. The Soul get another opportunity to sweep a member of the Southern Division and improve their record to 7-0 against the South as a whole this Saturday in Jacksonville.
Their first meeting between the teams this season saw Philadelphia run away with a 56-38 victory over Jacksonville. Since then, the Soul and Sharks have both only lost one game. Philadelphia fell the following week 65-47 against Spokane, while Jacksonville went on a three-game win streak with Bernard Morris taking over at quarterback before losing to the Georgia Force this past weekend.
Since taking control under center, Morris has compiled a 3-1 record as a starter for Jacksonville. Morris had defeated Iowa, Orlando, and Tampa Bay consecutively before falling to Georgia this past week. Morris has gone 65-of-112 passing for 745 yards and 21 touchdowns with three interceptions. He has also carried the ball 19 times for 134 yards and four touchdowns.
In his first meeting against Jacksonville, Soul quarterback and National Guard MVP candidate Dan Raudabaugh completed 20-of-26 for 308 yards and seven touchdowns. He finished the day with a completion percentage of 76.9 and a quarterback rating of 115.5. Raudabaugh hasn't cooled off since.
Raudabaugh has completed 276-of-411 passes for 3,652 yards and 84 touchdowns for a 67.2 completion percentage and 119.44 rating. He has quarterbacked the Soul offense to the top of the AFL standings as they lead the league in scoring and rushing. Raudabaugh looks to remain as a presence of stability in the Philadelphia locker room and on the field.
"I don't think we need to change all that much. We can't get complacent or start just going through the motions," said Soul head coach Doug Plank. "You have to stay hungry. We're only a few games ahead of the Conference and we need everyone to keep performing as well as they have been all season."
Offensive Player of the Year and All-Arena candidate Tiger Jones has caught 109 passes for 1,628 yards and 38 touchdowns. Jones is on pace to finish as No. 1 in each category in Soul single-season history and currently sits at No. 2 for receiving yards (1,628), No. 3 In receiving yards per game (125.2), No. 4 in receiving touchdowns (38), receptions (109), and scoring (17.5), No. 5 in yards per catch (14.9), and No. 6 in receptions per game (8.38).
Since returning from a wrist injury a few weeks ago, WR Donovan Morgan, who won National Guard MVP of the Week for Week 14, picked up right where he left off. In three games, Morgan has compiled 22 receptions for 298 yards for seven touchdowns and an average of 99.3 yards per game. On the season, Morgan has 45 receptions for 511 yards and 15 touchdowns with an average of 85.2 yards per game. 12 more receiving touchdowns moves him past teammate Larry Brackins into the No. 2 spot in Soul franchise history.
Soul fullback and National Guard MVP and All-Arena candidate Derrick Ross continued his stellar season-long performance last week as he carried the ball seven times for 27 yards and two touchdowns. Currently, Ross needs one more rushing score for sole possession of the No. 10 spot in League history with 65, 59 more carries for the single-season mark in league history, 171 yards to break his own single-season record for yards in a season, and 17 more rushing touchdowns to break the league single-season mark.
Through 14 games this season, Ross has 109 carries for 452 yards and 25 touchdowns. He is No. 1 in Soul single-season history for each category. His 84 yards against the Orlando Predators in Week 13 was a franchise single-game record, as were his 21 carries. Ross has also added seven receptions for 131 yards and three touchdowns in the air. His week 13 performance earned him both AFL Playmaker of the Week and National Guard MVP honors.
Philadelphia's defense has improved as the season has worn on, ranking No. 3 in the league for both interceptions (23) and turnover margin (+10). The Soul defense is tied for No. 5 with 22 sacks. LB Joe Goosby is tied for No. 1 in the AFL for interceptions returned for touchdowns (3).
Defensive Player of the Year and All-Arena candidate Bryan Robinson has been a force in the backfield, ranking No. 2 in the League for tackles for loss (11.0) and forced fumbles (5) and No. 3 for sacks (8.0). Two more sacks gives Robinson the Soul single-season record.
All-Arena candidate Kent Richardson is tied at No. 2 in the AFL with nine interception returns. DB Rayshaun Kizer ranks No. 1 in passes defended (27), tied for No. 4 with two touchdowns off of picks, No. 5 in interception return yards with 113, and is tied for No. 6 in interception returns with six.
The Soul know they cannot take anyone lightly in the final weeks of the season, regardless of their record. Philadelphia wants to lock up home field advantage and the only way for them to do that is to keep on winning. There are only five games remaining after this weekend's trip to Jacksonville, FL and with just a three-game lead on the Conference, the Soul can't afford to make any mistakes.
Arena Football League Stories from June 15, 2012
- Storm Dissipates in Jungle, Preds Win 64-40 - Tampa Bay Storm
- Predators Defeat Tampa Bay Storm, 64-40 - Orlando Predators
- SaberCats Travel to Kansas City to Take on Command - San Jose SaberCats
- Philadelphia Circling Home Field Advantage - Philadelphia Soul
- Moye-Moore Named Week 15 National Guard Community MVP - AFL
- Kurt Rocco Set to Face Former Team - New Orleans VooDoo
- KC Command vs. SaberCats Game Preview - Kansas City Command
- Sharks Host Soul in Week 15 Rematch - Jacksonville Sharks
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