Soul hexed by VooDoo, 61-47

Published on February 20, 2005 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Philadelphia Soul News Release


NEW ORLEANS – The Philadelphia Soul got seven more touchdowns from quarterback Tony Graziani, but New Orleans QB Andy Kelly threw seven of his own in leading the VooDoo to a 61-47 win in front of 15,169 fans at New Orleans Arena. The loss dropped to Soul to 2-2 on the year while the VooDoo improved to 3-1.

The New Orleans defense made five defensive stops and intercepted Graziani twice in an impressive effort against the AFL's third-highest scoring team.

Soul offensive specialist Steve Smith had another notable performance, grabbing four touchdown catches and tallying 259 all-purpose yards in the loss.

Philadelphia closed the deficit to 11 points halfway through the fourth quarter after making a defensive stop to place the ball back in Graziani's hands. Looking for Smith in the end zone on the ensuing play, however, he was intercepted by VooDoo defensive specialist Monty Montgomery effectively icing the game for New Orleans.

"New Orleans did a good job of putting pressure on me today," said Graziani. "We didn't do a good job of putting points on the board in the second half and failed to make plays in critical situations."

The Soul fell behind early in the game after mishandling the opening kickoff. After a made field goal by the VooDoo's Brian Schmitz, New Orleans took an early 3-0. On Philadelphia's first offensive possession, the Soul went four-and-out after Graziani threw three incomplete passes and was sacked on fourth down at the Philadelphia 13-yard line. The VooDoo had a chance to take a commanding lead but Chris "Soul Train" Ryan made an amazing interception in the end zone halting the VooDoo's drive.

The two teams would trade scores the entire first half as the Soul went into the locker room down 37-34. The VooDoo took control early in the third quarter scoring fourteen unanswered and outscored the Soul 24-13 in the second half.

The Soul were paced by another impressive effort by Smith, who caught eight passes for 145 yards. Philadelphia native Sean Scott recorded seven receptions for 105 yards and two scores and University of Pennsylvania grad Rob Milanese added a touchdown as well.

New Orleans offensive specialist Aaron Bailey caught a game-high 11 passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns, and Jacques Rumph tallied two more scores on seven receptions and 105 yards.

Graziani and Kelly have now both thrown a league-leading 27 touchdowns and are on pace for 108 for the year which would break the AFL single-season record for TD passes.

The Soul return to Philadelphia this Sunday, February 27th when the host their Eastern Division rival Dallas Desperados. Kickoff is set for 3:00 pm (ET) and can be seen live on NBC Sports (NBC-10 WCAU-Philadelphia). The game can also be heard on News Talk 990 am WNTP-Philadelphia or via the internet at www.philadelphiasoul.com. Season tickets and single game tickets are still on sale. Call (888) PHIL-AFL or log on to www.philadelphiasoul.com for more information.

Notes: The Soul welcomed the return of two fan favorites from their Inaugural Season in fullback/linebacker Chris "Soul Train" Ryan and offensive specialist Tyronne Jones. Ryan made an interception in the first quarter and ran the ball twice for 11 yards; Philadelphia's loss places the Soul in third place in the Eastern Division at 2-2, one game behind the first-place Desperados who visit Philadelphia next Sunday.

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Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from February 20, 2005


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