AFL Philadelphia Soul

Philadelphia Soul Look to Preserve Division Lead

Published on May 24, 2012 under Arena Football League (AFL)
Philadelphia Soul News Release


PHILADELPHIA (May 24, 2012) - The Philadelphia Soul (7-3) complete their two-game road trip against their division rival, the Cleveland Gladiators (6-3) on Sunday, May 27 at 4 p.m. ET at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, OH.

The Soul are tied for the top spot in the Arena Football League, hold sole possession over first place in the American Conference, and stand atop their division. However, they are only 1-2 within the East Division. After spoiling the Soul's home opener back in Week 4 with a 68-62 victory, the Gladiators hold a 6-2 lead in the series that dates back to Philadelphia's 2004 inaugural season.

After compiling a four-game winning streak early in the season, the Soul have found themselves bouncing back and forth the past few games. They now find themselves in a four-way tie for first in the AFL with a 7-3 record. The Arizona Rattlers, San Antonio Talons, and San Jose SaberCats all have identical records.

Last week's defeat at the hands of the Spokane Shock was the first time this season that Philadelphia lost a game by more than six points. Trailing the whole game, the Soul were unable to overcome the early deficit and fell to the Shock by a score of 65-47.

The loss puts Philadelphia in a difficult situation this week, as Cleveland has pulled within one game of tying for the top spot in the East Division. The Soul look to hold them off and right the ship as they visit the Gladiators this Sunday.

Philadelphia will have to find a way to score on the League's stingiest and top-ranked defensive unit in Cleveland. The Soul possess the No. 1 scoring and rushing offense and the No. 6 passing attack in Arena Football. The Gladiators have the No. 2 passing defense and will look to contain Soul WR Tiger Jones and confuse QB Dan Raudabaugh.

Raudabaugh has been a model of consistency all season, but in recent weeks has struggled, throwing six interceptions over the course of the past two games. On the season, Raudabaugh has completed 67.1 percent of his passes, connecting on 214-of-319 for 2,887 yards and 66 touchdowns with 11 interceptions and a quarterback rating of 120.91.

Philadelphia's signal caller has been among the League's best the entire season. Raudabaugh ranks No. 2 in total offense average yards per play (8.7) and yards per attempt (9.1), No. 3 in pass yards per completion (13.5) and passing touchdowns (60), No. 4 in passing yards (2,887), and No. 5 in passing efficiency (120.9) and in passing yards per game (288.7).

"As I've said before, Dan's a big part of our success. The past few weeks he has struggled, but he has been so consistent this year I have no doubt he will lead us back on track. I know the players are unhappy and working hard to make sure they don't feel the way they did last week," said Soul head coach Doug Plank. "Last week's loss hurt. It was our first loss where we weren't in it until the very end. We have a challenge this week against a division rival in Cleveland who has already beaten us this season."

Helping Raudabaugh has been the performance of his offensive line. The Soul, led by Christian Johnson, Brennen Carvalho and Zipp Duncan, have only allowed their field general to be brought down behind the line of scrimmage three times through the first half of the 2012 season (No. 1 in the AFL).

So far in 2012, WR Tiger Jones has been all the Soul had hoped he would be. Jones has caught 85 passes for 1,313 yards and 30 touchdowns. With those numbers, Tiger is projected to surpass Soul single-season records for receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns by season's end.

Not only has Jones become one of the Soul's best weapons, but also one of the most lethal receivers in the AFL. Jones currently sits at No. 1 for receiving yards (1,313), yards per catch with 15.7, and receiving yards per game (131.3). No. 2 in receiving yards per catch (15.4), tied for No. 3 in receiving touchdowns (30), and No. 4 in scoring (18.0). His 85 receptions place him at No. 5 in the League.

Soul FB Derrick Ross will look to muscle his way through Cleveland's fifth-ranked rushing defense. Ross now ranks No. 1 in Soul single-season franchise history with 72 carries for 275 yards and is No. 2 in touchdowns with 16. With four more rushing touchdowns this season, Ross moves into the No. 1 spot.

Philadelphia's defense has been steadily improving throughout the season, despite last week's performance against Spokane. The Soul defense ranks No. 3 in the AFL with 19 interceptions so far. The unit ranks No. 4 in the League with 18 sacks through the first ten games and in turnovers with a +8 rating.

Soul defensive lineman Bryan Robinson ranks No. 2 in the AFL in tackles for loss with 10.0 and No. 3 in sacks with 7.0 and forced fumbles with four. Robinson is joined among the League leaders by teammates Joe Goosby, Kent Richardson, and Rayshaun Kizer/

Linebacker Joe Goosby ranks No. 1 in the League with three interceptions returned for touchdowns and No. 8 in interception return yards with 84. Defensive back Kent Richardson is tied for No. 2 in the AFL with eight interceptions on the season returned for 93 yards and a touchdown. Fellow DB Rayshaun Kizer ranks No. 4 in passes defended with a total of 19 and is tied for No. 9 in interceptions with five.

The Soul know that they need to improve their record within their division to achieve their season-long goals. Cleveland offers a challenge for Philadelphia to prove their mettle. The Soul remember what happened in Week 4 and know that the Gladiators are a talented squad that can challenge them for the top spot in the East Division.

Check out the Philadelphia Soul Statistics

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



Arena Football League Stories from May 24, 2012


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