The Philadelphia Soul
earned their second win of the season in their home opener with a 54-41 victory
over the Jacksonville Sharks on Saturday, April 19 at the Wells Fargo Center in
Philadelphia.
Dan Raudabaugh went 15
for 25 in the victory, throwing for 197 yards, four touchdowns and three
interceptions. Tiger Jones gained 93 yards for three touchdowns on six
receptions, earning him the J. Lewis
Small Playmaker of the Game. Ryan McDaniel racked up 88 yards and one
touchdown on two catches. Derrick Ross ran for 58 yards and three touchdowns.
The defense had their
greatest performance of the season yet, as Rayshaun had 10.5 tackles, three
breakups and a forced fumble to earn the Riddell
Defensive Player of the Game. Bryan Robinson had 1.5 sacks, while James
Romain had a fumble recovery.
The game started out
with a pair of interceptions from both Dan Raudabaugh and Aaron Garcia on the
opening drives for each team. Raudabaugh’s pass went through Tiger Jones’ hands
up against the boards and was caught by Micheaux Robinson for a Jacksonville
interception. Garcia would bring the Sharks down to Philadelphia territory,
before throwing an interception in the end zone to James Romain. Raudabaugh
found Tiger Jones on the next possession for the game’s first score.
Rayshaun Kizer forced a fumble from receiver Jeron
Harvey on Jacksonville’s second possession of the game, which was recovered and
returned by Romain for a touchdown, giving the Soul a 14-0 lead.
Newly acquired defensive back and kick returner Fred
Shaw returned a kickoff 48 yards to start the second quarter. Derrick Ross
punched the ball in for a two yard touchdown to give the Soul a 21-7 lead.
Linebacker Charlie Hunt brought in two interceptions
for the Sharks in the second quarter, returning the first for a touchdown to
cut the Soul lead to one point. Jacksonville was unable to capitalize on the
second interception, turning the ball over on downs.
With 5:43 remaining in the third quarter, the Sharks
tied the game at 27 apiece with a touchdown from Garcia to Jeron Harvey.
Raudabaugh responded on the next play of the game, finding
a wide open Ryan McDaniel for a touchdown the length of the field to give the
Soul 34-27 lead. On the kickoff, Clint Dolezel called for an onside kick which
was recovered by Bryan Robinson for the Soul. Raudabaugh would find Tiger Jones
for a nine yard touchdown to give the Soul a 41-27 lead with 47 seconds
remaining in the third quarter. The teams exchanged touchdowns throughout the
fourth quarter, and the Soul were able to maintain their two touchdown lead and
escape with a 54-41 win.
It
felt same old same old in the game, as the Soul were able to defeat the
Jacksonville Sharks for the fifth time in their last six meetings and defeated
Aaron Garcia once again. It wasn’t necessarily a pretty win, as Raudabaugh committed three turnovers alone, but it was a big win at home in front of 12,300 fans, and over a team they could be battling for home field advantage or a wildcard spot.
The Soul are still at the bottom of the East Division
at 2-3, but with 13 games remaining in the season it’s great to see the Soul
finally coming together and finding their game back-to-back weeks. There's a lot of game to be played, and it's worth noting that the Soul were 2-3 after five games last season as well and still ended up in the Arena Bowl in August. The Jacksonville
Sharks didn't seem to be in sync throughout portions of the game, but there’s no
question that this will be a team to compete with down the stretch, and a win
over Aaron Garcia is never one to discount.
Hopefully the Soul will be able to continue their
home success and extend their win streak to three straight next week, as the
Iowa Barnstormers will pay a visit at 4 p.m. on Sunday, April 20 at the Wells
Fargo Center, which will be broadcast on ESPN 2.
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