PHILADELPHIA – The Philadelphia Soul (1-4) travel west for their fifth road game of the season to face the San Jose SaberCats (4-2) on Friday, April 22 at 10:30 p.m. (EST). This will be the first meeting between the two clubs since July 27, 2008 at ArenaBowl XXII, where the Soul defeated the SaberCats, 59-56, to become World Champions.
After a 58-52 overtime victory against the Pittsburgh Power (2-3) in Week 1, the Soul have lost four straight games, losing the last three by a combined total of just 12 points. The Soul also held double-digit leads in each of the three games, but lost them all in the final seconds, with two on the final play.
“We have had a great week of practice on and off the field to figure out what needs to be done to come away with a victory,” said Soul Head Coach, Mike Hohensee. “Our guys are hungrier than ever for a win, and we know we have to play our best to get it.”
Whether it is Justin Allgood or Ryan Vena leading the Soul’s offense, both quarterbacks have been able to rely heavily on wide receiver Donovan Morgan. In his first home game for the Soul in Week 6 against the Storm, Morgan caught seven passes for 98 yards and two touchdowns, raising his season totals to 42 receptions for 661 yards and 10 touchdowns. He is ranked second in the league in receiving yards and yards per catch (15.7), third in yards per game (132.2), and ninth in all-purpose yards per game (131.2).
At the helm of the league’s No. 4-ranked total offense (315.3), and No. 5-ranked passing offense (297.7) is SaberCats’ quarterback Mark Grieb, ranked No. 1 in the AFL in passing yards (1,813) and pass completions (159), and No. 2 in completion percentage (71.6%). The SaberCats’ receiving corps has also proven to be lethal, with Samora Goodson and Nichiren Flowers catching a combined 75 passes for 929 yards and 24 touchdowns.
Two members of the Soul secondary looking to declaw the SaberCats’ offense are defensive backs Tanner Varner and Mike Brown. Varner leads the Soul with his 35.5 total tackles, four interceptions, and three pass break ups, and has also added a fumble recovery and blocked kick. Brown has contributed with 21.0 total tackles, two interceptions, and a pass break up.
The SaberCats also have a dynamic pair of defensive backs in their secondary with Dwight McLean and Mervin Brookins eager to attack. McLean leads the SaberCats in tackles with 37.0, while Brookins leads the team with three interceptions and five pass break ups. Former Soul player, now SaberCat, Eddie Moten, has added 12.5 tackles and two interceptions in his two games of work.
The Soul have begun to show improvement protecting the ball, yet are still ranked No. 16 with 12 sacks against, and are tied for No. 14 with a -5 turnover margin. The SaberCats thus far have relied on outscoring opponents, ranking No. 3 in the league, averaging 60.5 points per game, but will want to tighten defensively where they allow 53.8 points per game, ranked No. 13, and 308.0 passing yards per game, ranked last.
One of the most intriguing match-ups of the game will play out on the bench of both clubs, with the AFL’s No. 3 and No. 4 winningest coaches of all-time squaring off against one another. Hohensee’s 129 regular season victories ranks No. 3, while SaberCats Head Coach Darren Arbet, ranks No. 4 with 111. The two men above them, Danny White, with 142 wins, and Tim Marcum, with 184, are no longer actively coaching in the AFL. Hohensee and Arbet will both be looking to add to their respective totals Friday night in San Jose.
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