Fresh off one of the biggest wins in franchise history, the Philadelphia Soul are rolling at a pace no one can seem to keep up.
Sitting 6-1, the Soul have the second best record in the league, after taking down the Arizona Rattlers 65-68 last weekend at home for their first win over the desert snakes for the first time, ever.
Now, after opening the season as underdogs to the Arizona Rattlers and Jacksonville Sharks in some eyes, the Soul will face their biggest opponent to date, when the undefeated Orlando Predators head to the Wells Fargo Center Saturday night for a battle to decide the league’s first place halfway through the regular season.
Orlando has been the AFL’s cream of the crop this year, playing with a flawless record which sits them first in the American Conference at 7-0, one game ahead of the Soul.
Quarterback Randy Hippeard has been the storyline for the last remaining team to lose a game, as Hippeard’s 125.4 quarterback rating is just behind Nick Davila so far. In his second season with the Predators, the 30-year-old Hippeard leads the league in passing yards with 1,920 yards, 42 touchdowns and four interceptions.
His top receiver, Greg Carr, is third in the league in receiving with 631 yards and 13 touchdowns. Brandon Thompkins is Orlando’s leading scorer with 17 touchdowns.
It’s been hard for opponents to stop the Predators offense on any down, as they lead both third down efficiencies (65 percent completion) as well as fourth efficiencies (72 percent completion).
Orlando gets production from all three phases of their team, as Brand Thompkins leads the league in kick returns with 843 yards as well as three touchdowns to the house.
The Preds defense is equipped with the league’s second top defensive back Varmah Sonie, who’s five interceptions is tied with Philly’s Dwayne Hollis (but Dwayne has two interceptions on those picks to his credit).
With numbers these high and threats on all sides of the ball, you would think the Predators are dominating their opponents in outstanding fashion…
But luckily for Soul fans, things aren’t always as they seem.
There is no doubt the Predators have the outstanding playmakers listed above, but Orlando has escaped some close calls against some not-so-impressive opponents.
In their season opener, the Predators throttled the Tampa Bay Storm 76-25. Fast forward seven weeks later, and the Storm still haven’t won a game yet. But last week, the Storm showed the vulnerability of Orlando’s defense that falls asleep at times and cannot give the offense the opportunity to extend their lead, no matter how little their opponent may be. This was the same case for head coach Rob Keefe’s team week two, when the Preds could only defeat the league’s last winless team, the Portland Steele, by a field goal.
At the same token, the Predator offense hasn’t always been in sync, as they showed two weeks ago falling behind by a pair of scores to the Arizona Rattlers. They would rally in the game and handed the Rattlers their first loss of the season with a 77-59 win.
For the Soul, their offense looked nearly flawless last weekend against those same Predators, as their only offensive drive of the game that didn’t result in a touchdown still earned points on a field goal.
The Soul defense took down the all-mighty Rattler offense impressively last week, now they have their biggest opponent they will probably face this season. Orlando has found ways to win every single game this season, no matter what the extent of the victory was. Philly’s defense very well may be the most challenging they’ve faced this season as well.
The teams will meet again in Orlando to end the regular season on July 30, but who knows if the teams will be playing for anything by than.
This will match that will have great implications in the league’s MVP candidates in Raudabaugh vs. Hippeard. It will have great implication on the home field picture for the playoffs.
The Soul proved last week that if they can reach the Arena Bowl, they can beat the Rattlers in it. Now, they have to prove they can make it to the big game.
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