Soul get defensive, cruise to 52-34 opening game victory
Published on January 29, 2006 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Philadelphia Soul News Release
PHILADELPHIA - The Philadelphia Soul (1-0) kicked off the 2006 season with a 52-34 victory over the Tampa Bay Storm (0-1) in front of 14,115 fans at the Wachovia Center on Sunday afternoon. The win gave Soul head coach Bret Munsey his first win as head coach in the AFL.
The Soul's focus on defense during the offseason paid off as Philadelphia forced four total turnovers with two interceptions by Tampa Bay quarterback Shane Stafford and two turnovers on downs. The Soul's frontline was solid on both sides of the ball giving quarterback Tony Graziani plenty of time to get rid of the ball while putting constant pressure on Stafford the entire game. The Soul shutout the Storm in both the second and fourth quarters.
The Soul were lead by Graziani, who completed 19-of-34 passes for 283 yards with three touchdowns and ran for another as he was named the Offensive Player of the Game.
Philadelphia set team records with both 16 carries with four rushing touchdowns. WR/LB Sean Scott led the offensive attack with two rushing touchdowns and one through the air. He had a team high eight receptions for 87 yards en route to being named Ironman of the Game. WR/DB Mike Brown had a solid all around game with six receptions for a team-high 104 yards and two total touchdowns. He also added two tackles and an interception.
Stafford connected on 23-of-42 passes for 285 yards with five touchdowns. He connected with OS Freddie Solomon six times for a game-high 112 yards with one score.
At the midway point, the Soul were up by 22 points as they held the Storm scoreless in the second quarter with a halftime score of 35-13. The 22 point margin was the second highest halftime lead in franchise history.
Scoring his first AFL touchdown was rookie WR/LB J.J. McKelvey after he had a 45-yard catch for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage to start the second half.
The Soul return to the Wachovia Center this Sunday, February 5 when they
host the Los Angeles Avengers on Super Soul Sunday. Kickoff is set for 1pm
and will be televised live on NBC Sports (NBC-10). The game will also
feature a live performance by Bon Jovi at halftime. Tickets are still
available by calling 1-888-PHIL-AFL or by visiting www.philadelphiasoul.com
Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from January 29, 2006
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- L.A. Avengers open season with victory over Rattlers - Los Angeles Avengers
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