Defense Key in Soul Win Over Chicago

The Philadelphia Soul extended their win streak to five games and tied the Jacksonville Sharks for first place in the American Conference after defeating the Chicago Rush, 58-26, in front of 10,878 fans at the Wells Fargo Center.  After getting outscored in the first quarter, the Soul’s defense clamped down, allowing only two touchdowns for the rest of the game.

“Winning all three phases of the game has been the key to this run we’ve been on these past couple weeks,” explains Soul head coach Clint Dolezel.  “Our defense was outstanding tonight and our offense almost scored on every drive.  You can’t ask for much more than that from your team, especially when you play an opponent like Chicago.”

Russell Athletic Offensive Player of the Game Tiger Jones led all Philadelphia receivers with 186 yards on 10 receptions and three touchdowns. Andrae Thurman had 4 catches for 43 yards. Larry Brackins had two catches for 14 yards with two touchdowns.

Soul QB Dan Raudabaugh was efficient leading the offense on 18-of-25 passes for 257 yards and five touchdowns.

On the ground, FB Derrick Ross rushed for nine yards and one touchdown. Riddell Defensive Player of the Game and J. Lewis Small Playmaker of the Game DB Rayshaun Kizer led the defense with two interceptions, four pass breakups and seven tackles. DB Carlos Campbell recorded six tackles and a fumble recovery for a touchdown while DL Tyron Hurst recorded 2.5 tackles and a sack.

Chicago’s QB Carson Coffman connected on 10-of-17 passes for 124 yards along with three touchdowns and an interception.  WR Reggie Gray led the Rush receivers with eight catches for 75 yards and two touchdowns.  DB Vic Hall led the Chicago defense with nine tackles.

The Chicago Rush led after the first quarter with two touchdowns, scoring on a 25- yard catch by Taurus Johnson and a 3-yard catch by Reggie Gray.  Philadelphia’s only touchdown came on a 32-yard catch by Tiger Jones. After a missed extra point, the first quarter ended with Chicago in the lead, 13-7.

Philadelphia took the lead in the second quarter after outscoring the Rush, 24-7.  The Soul points came on a 1-yard run by Derrick Ross, a 23-yard field goal by Carlos Martinez, a 30 –yard catch for Jones and a 4-yard catch by Larry Brackins.  The Rush’s only touchdown came on a 20-yard catch by Johnson for his second of the night.  The half ended with Philadelphia leading, 31-19.

The Soul extended their lead to 25 in the beginning of the second-half, scoring two unanswered touchdowns on a 40-yard catch by Jones for his third of the night and a fumble recovery in the end-zone by Carlos Campbell.  After not allowing a score, the Soul led at the end of the third quarter, 44-19.

Philadelphia didn’t let go of their lead heading into the fourth, as they scored on a 10-yard catch by Brackins, which was the Cutter’s Catch of the Night.  On the ensuing drive, Joe Goosby intercepted the ball and returned it 48 yards for a touchdown to earn the AFL’s Highlight of the Night.  The Rush scored their first touchdown since the second quarter on a 6-yard catch by Gray.  The game ended with the Soul winning, 58-26.

The Philadelphia Soul will host the Utah Blaze next week on Friday, July 12 at 7:35 p.m. ET.