Philly Vs. Dallas: a Rivalry Renewed
July 1, 2011 - Arena Football League (AFL)
Philadelphia Soul News Release
PHILADELPHIA (July 1, 2011) - The football rivalry between Philadelphia and Dallas will be renewed in the Arena Football League on Saturday, July 2, when the Soul (5-10) travel to take on the Vigilantes (9-5) at the American Airlines Center. Coverage of the Soul's final road game of the season begins at 8:30 p.m. (ET) on WMCN-TV with Lou Tilley, Bill Osborn, and Tom Goodhines calling the action.
The Soul are coming off of a 55-54 last-minute defeat to Arizona in Week 16. Philadelphia led the majority of the game, yet the Rattlers outscored the Soul 21-7 in the fourth quarter to narrowly escape with the victory. The Soul have now lost three consecutive games to fall out of the playoff race.
The Vigilantes have won their last three games, all of which were against National Conference opponents. This season, the Vigilantes are 5-1 at home and have outscored their opponents by an average of 14.2 points in those games. Dallas is currently one game behind Chicago for the Central Division lead while they own a two-game lead over Utah and Spokane for third place in the Conference.
"Practice itself has been great, and as Mike Brown said, it was the closest feeling to what 2008 felt like all year," said Soul head coach Mike Hohensee. "This is a proud group of men and I expect them to come out firing on all cylinders. Meetings have been very productive with film study and good communication amongst our team all week."
Soul Quarterback Ryan Vena has played his best football of the season in the past six quarters, dating back to halftime in Week 15 against Tulsa. In that span, Vena has completed 29-of-46 passes for 394 yards and six touchdowns, for a completion percentage of 63.0. He has also carried the ball eight times for 18 yards and four touchdowns, and most importantly has not had a single turnover. The main weapon on the Soul offense continues to be wide receiver Donovan Morgan. The Offensive Player of the Year candidate has recorded 107 receptions for a League-leading 1,712 yards and 33 touchdowns.
The No. 4 scoring offense, which averages 59.6 points per game, is led by one of the AFL's most dynamic trios. Quarterback Dan Raudabaugh has completed 277-of-423 passes for 3,673 yards and 75 touchdowns, and is coming off of back-to-back seven-touchdown performances. Wideout Anthony Jones had 14 catches for 162 yards and 5 touchdowns last week, and ranks No. 4 in the League with 124 receptions and 35 touchdowns, and No. 3 with 1,603 receiving yards. The final member of the trio is fullback Derrick Ross, who leads the League with 129 rush attempts, 525 yards, and 28 touchdowns.
The Soul's No. 2 ranked rushing defense will play an important role when going against Ross this week. An area the Soul defense must improve upon is applying pressure to the quarterback, having gone without a sack in three consecutive games. Philadelphia will be hoping for defensive back Mike Brown to have a repeat performance of last week, where he recorded two interceptions prior to being ejected on a controversial personal foul penalty.
The Vigilantes defensive front has played a crucial role in out-sacking their opponents 22 to 11. Linebacker James 'Dusty' Bear has greatly affected the success of his team's pass rush, ranking No. 3 in the League with nine-and-a-half sacks while adding 10.5 tackles for a loss. The Dallas secondary is led by Jason Harmon's team-high 69 total tackles, three forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries. Harmon also has 13 pass breaks, three interceptions and two tackles for a loss to his credit.
Neither team has a clear advantage on special teams, however Soul kick returner Keith Stokes has proven that he can out-sprint and out-juke opponents when finding the correct lane past the first wave of defenders.
If the Soul decrease the amount of penalties taken, continue to limit turnovers, and play a full 60-minutes, they will come away from Saturday's game with a victory from what will likely be a traditional Philly-Dallas shoot-out.
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