Philadelphia Soul Week 2 Game Preview
April 30, 2019 - Arena Football League (AFL)
Philadelphia Soul News Release
The Philadelphia Soul (1-0) travel to Baltimore this Friday to take on the Brigade (1-0) at Royal Farms Arena. Coming off a season-opening win over the Atlantic City Blackjacks, the Soul will look to avenge last year's playoff loss in which they lost both legs of a first-round matchup against the Brigade. Fans can watch live on NBC Sports Philadelphia+ or listen to the action on 97.5 The Fanatic.
Like the Soul, Baltimore won its season opener at home, defeating the Washington Valor 59-51 behind quarterback Shane Boyd's six touchdown passes. Boyd wasted no time integrating offseason acquisition Joe Hills into the offense. Hills, who led the league with 33 receiving touchdowns for Albany last season, finished with a team-high three scores in the win. The 2018 First Team All-Arena wideout found success against the Soul last season, catching 8 touchdowns in three games.
The Philadelphia secondary will look to slow Hills down this time around, led by newly-minted franchise interception leader James Romain. The defensive back picked off Blackjacks' quarterback Randy Hippeard twice in the opener, taking both interceptions to the house and earning game MVP honors. Joining him in coverage is Dwayne Hollis, who returns from a one-game league suspension.
With Hollis back and last season's postseason result still fresh in their minds, Romain said he expects the team to be extra motivated.
"We don't like Baltimore," the Delaware State product said. "Last year was a fluke. Play teams six times, you're supposed to get the upper edge."
The Soul have lost four of their last five matchups with the Brigade, including both postseason games last season. While Philadelphia leads the all-time series 6-5, the team has struggled on the road, posting a 1-4 record at Royal Farms Arena.
"It's difficult to go on the road on a short week but we know what to expect and how to prepare," said Soul head coach Clint Dolezel. "We're certainly motivated after last season."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
QB Dan Raudabaugh
With big days from Romain and Ferns, Raudabaugh finished with just 151 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns in the season-opening victory. The yardage total was his lowest since Aug. 5, 2017, when he threw for 145 yards against the Tampa Bay Storm in a game where he only played the first half in order to rest for the postseason. Raudabaugh averaged 273.4 passing yards and more than five touchdown passes per game in five meetings with Baltimore last season.
DB Dwayne Hollis
After serving a one-game league suspension, Hollis returns this week. The 2017 Defensive Back of the Year will look to shut down Baltimore's top receiver, Joe Hills.
WR Joe Hills
After leading the league in touchdowns as a member of the Albany Empire in 2018, Hills joined the Brigade ahead of this season. The 2018 First Team All-Arena receiver got off to a hot start with his new team, hauling in three touchdowns in the season opener.
DB Joe Powell
Powell was named Defensive Player of the Game in the team's season-opening win over the Valor after recording 6.5 tackles and two interceptions. He'll match up with 2018 All-Arena honorees Darius Prince and Darius Reynolds this Friday.
BY THE NUMBERS
87: Wide receiver Darius Reynolds' 87 receiving touchdowns rank third in franchise history. He needs three more to tie Larry Brackins for second place on the franchise leaderboard.
22.7: In a surprising twist, Adrian Ferns scored a team-high 22.7 DraftKings points in Week 1, ranking 10th in the league. Two Baltimore players also cracked the top 10, as the duo of Shane Boyd and Joe Hills scored 33.5 and 30.4 points respectively.
3: The Soul have lost three straight road games to the Brigade and are 1-4 all-time at Royal Farms Arena. In those five games, the team has averaged 41.8 PPG, compared to 57.8 PPG in six matchups at the Wells Fargo Center.
Soul vs Brigade - Series History
HOME ROAD
W-L 5-1 1-4
PPG 57.8 41.8
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