VooDoo Fall in Nail-Biter to Soul, 63-62
March 18, 2012 - Arena Football League (AFL)
New Orleans VooDoo News Release
NEW ORLEANS (March 18, 2012) - The New Orleans VooDoo took the Philadelphia Soul down to the wire, having a chance to win on a last second field goal, but it was blocked as the Soul defeated the VooDoo 63-62 in The Graveyard on Sunday afternoon.
The team had a total of 53 plays for 363 yards and zero turnovers, which made head coach Pat O'Hara proud.
"I'm very pleased with how our players fought today. They played hard and I'm happy with their effort. It was a tough loss, but they will learn from their mistakes and effort. We know that we will have to work with special teams," said O'Hara in post-game interviews.
Kurt Rocco completed 25 out of 39 passes with a total of 314 yards. He also had 6 touchdowns, feeling more comfortable with each offensive series.
"I felt more comfortable as the game went on and was satisfied on how open our wide receivers were," added Rocco.
Quorey Payne led the all VooDoo receivers with 10 receptions for a total of 130 yards and hauled in 3 touchdowns. Josh Bush also had a great VooDoo debut with two touchdowns while L.J. Castile added one of his own.
The Soul's offense was the first to put points on the scoreboard when they started the game off with a touchdown on the first drive of the game. They snagged another touchdown the next time they got their hands on the ball, building a 14-0 lead.
The VooDoo came right back when quarterback Kurt Rocco rushed for 5 yards to Philadelphia's 3-yard line, and Joe Alajajian finished the play off when he crossed the goal line on the next play. The extra point attempt was missed by kicker Joshua Shene to make the score at the end of the first quarter 14-6.
Alajajian would score again to start off the second quarter for a 2-yard touchdown run, but the following drive Soul quarterback Dan Raudabuagh completed a 35-yard touchdown to Tiger Jones. With the score being 28-13, the VooDoo fought back when Payne scored on a 22-yard pass to make the score 28-20 at halftime.
The VooDoo thrilled the crowd when Bush caught a 33-yard pass from Rocco to start off the third quarter to make it a one-score game.
The team would have a 62-56 lead with 1:02 remaining in the game, but Donovan Morgan would soon end that lead for the VooDoo when he scored a 2-yard touchdown pass to make the score 63-62.
The VooDoo had a chance to steal the win, but Shene's 40-yard field goal attempt was blocked by Bryan Robinson.
The next matchup for the New Orleans VooDoo will be this Friday, March 23 in The Graveyard against the Milwaukee Mustangs. Kickoff is slated for 7:00 p.m.
Post-game notes: False start on 4th down conversion on first offensive possession- 4th down conversion falls incomplete for VooDoo; only turnover on downs for the VooDoo in the game. 4:31 in 2nd quarter - 1st passing TD for VooDoo on the season (Rocco to Payne, 22 yards). 1:16 in 2nd - 1st turnover of the game- fumble recovered by VooDoo. On 3- yard line VooDoo run the ball failing to score and running out the final 9 seconds of the first half in the process. Soul QB Dan Raudbuagh completed all his passes in 2nd quarter (6-6). Donovan Morgan targeted on 8 of 15 passes for Soul thru halftime. At the end of the first half Soul had 7 penalties while VooDoo had 1. VooDoo score on 1st play of 2nd half with a touchdown pass from Rocco to Bush (33 yards). Greg Ellingson first professional career catch 7:00 in 3rd quarter... Joe Alajajian tied VooDoo record with 3 rushing touchdowns in one game (Dan Curran 5/15/2004)... Jeff Hughley's kickoff returned for touchdown was first against the VooDoo since 06/24/2007 (4:42 in 3rd)... 13:38 VooDoo first lead of game... Roughing the kicker penalty on VooDoo PAT leads to 2-pt conversion attempt-pass interference on Soul on attempt-2-pt good on second try with QB sneak by Kurt Rocco in 4th quarter... VooDoo score more than 61 points for the first time at home since 5/30/08... Through 3 quarters of play, the VooDoo had only 1 penalty and finished with 2 for the game...
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- Blocked Field Goal Lifts Soul to 63-62 Win Over VooDoo - Philadelphia Soul
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