June 26,2017
(Photo Credit: Cleveland Gladiators)
Perfect 10
– The Philadelphia Soul are four wins from the first
perfect regular season in the history of the Arena Football League.
Their 59-28 victory over the Cleveland Gladiators in Week 12 pushed them
to 10-0, making them the sixth team in AFL history to get to that mark.
All five previous 10-0 teams at least reached the ArenaBowl. The Soul
are now on the second-longest winning streak in terms of regular season
games (14) and total games including the postseason (17) in AFL history.
They've got a bye coming up, but in Week 14, they'll have the ability
to match both record marks.
Most Consecutive Wins to Start a Season in AFL History
2014 Arizona Rattlers: 14
2002 San Jose SaberCats: 12
2015 San Jose SaberCats: 11
1994 Orlando Predators: 11
2017 Philadelphia Soul: 10
1988 Chicago Bruisers: 10
Most Consecutive Wins (Including Playoffs) in AFL History
2013-14 Arizona Rattlers: 18
2016-17 Philadelphia Soul: 17
1995-96 Tampa Bay Storm: 17
1992-93 Detroit Drive: 16
Most Consecutive Regular Season Wins in AFL History
2000-01 San Jose SaberCats: 15
2007-08 Dallas Desperados: 15
2013-14 Arizona Rattlers: 15
2016-17 Philadelphia Soul: 14
1995-96 Tampa Bay Storm: 14
1992-93 Detroit Drive: 13
2001-02 San Jose SaberCats: 13
2011 Jacksonville Sharks: 13
Most Consecutive Regular Season Road Wins
2014-15 San Jose SaberCats: 10
1988-90 Detroit Drive: 9
1999-00 Nashville Kats: 9
2016-17 Philadelphia Soul: 8
1995-96 Tampa Bay Storm: 8
2002-03 Orlando Predators: 8
Raudabaugh Inches Closer to History – Not only have the Soul ultimately won 14 consecutive regular season games, but Dan Raudabaugh has won all 14 as a starter. There's only one streak of consecutive starts under center that is longer, that being Erik Meyer's streak from 2014 with the Spokane Shock and 2015 with the San Jose SaberCats. Meyer missed some games in the middle due to injury, but 15 consecutive times he started under center, he led his team to the 'W'.
Most Consecutive Regular Season Wins by a Starting Quarterback
Erik Meyer (2014-15): 15
Dan Raudabaugh (2016-17): 14
Jay Gruden (1992-93): 14
Aaron Garcia (2011): 13
Mark Grieb (2001-02): 13
Turnover Streak Continues – With the bounty of turnovers by the Gladiators in Week 12, the Soul have now forced at least one turnover in 24 straight games, the longest active streak in the AFL. The only other team that has forced a turnover in every game this season is the Tampa Bay Storm, who have the second-longest active streak of consecutive games with a forced turnover at 12.
More Turnover Trauma – There were nine turnovers in totality in the Cleveland/Philadelphia game in Week 11. The six turnovers by the Gladiators were the most in a game this season and the most since the Storm turned the pill over six times against the Portland Steel on June 3, 2016. The last time a team committed more than six turnovers in a game was in 2014. The last time there were nine turnovers in an AFL game? July 12, 2014. Aaron Garcia and Kyle Rowley combined for five picks, and the LA KISS and Portland Thunder each had two lost fumbles. In an ironic twist, the last time there were more than nine turnovers in a game was April 11, 2014. Arvell Nelson was responsible for two of the 10 turnovers in a game between the Pittsburgh Power and the New Orleans VooDoo. The irony? Nelson recovered two fumbles while playing at Jack Linebacker.
Rumblin', Bumblin' and Stumblin' – Washington Valor fullback, Will Corbin ripped off a 36-yard run in the second quarter against the Baltimore Brigade. It was a thing of beauty, except for the fact that he was tackled two yards shy of the end zone. It's a good thing the Valor paid off the big man, allowing him to plunge into the end zone for the much-deserved score he was just short of two plays prior. The 36-yard run was the longest in the brief history of the Valor and the second-longest in the AFL this season. Corbin also finished with a franchise-record for rushing yards in a game with 41.
Sloppy Soul Still Survive – Clint Dolezel was quick to state after the game that this wasn't his team's best performance on offense. Some stats you don't see on the Soul every day:
-They failed to score a touchdown on five consecutive possessions to start the second half. The last time they failed to find the end zone on five straight drives was on July 26, 2014 against Pittsburgh.
-They failed to score a point in the third quarter. It was just their second scoreless quarter of the season.
-They scored just two touchdowns in the second half. The last time that happened was on April 11, 2016.
-They scored just one offensive touchdown in the second half. The last time that happened was on July 26, 2014. (That's 53 consecutive halves with at least two offensive touchdowns!)
And yet the Soul were still good enough to ultimately win by 31 points, the second-biggest win by any team in the AFL this year!
Summers' Ironman Streak Ends – Derrick Summers had played in 70 consecutive games before missing out on the Week 12 game against Philadelphia. The last time Summers missed a game was on May 25, 2013. Summers' absence leaves the Soul with the two longest active streaks of consecutive games played in the AFL.
Most Consecutive Games Played (Active Streaks)
Dan Raudabaugh: 118
Mykel Benson: 69
Joe Hills: 57
Joe Goosby: 54
Rory Nixon: 41
Dwayne Hollis: 32
Phillipkeith Manley: 31
McDaniel Takes Soul All-Time Lead – Ryan McDaniel has been the epitome of consistency for the Soul over the course of the last several seasons. He reached two milestones in Week 12, the first of which was overtaking Tiger Jones for the most receptions ever by a Soul player. Then McDaniel joined the 400-reception club for his career, making him the first to do so exclusively in Philadelphia. His 400th catch was a doozy, a one-handed grab in the back of the end zone while being illegally held by a Cleveland defensive back.
Benson Ties Bowden For Third in Rushing TDs – Mykel Benson continues to be a load to bring down out of the Soul backfield. He had another rushing touchdown in Week 12, bringing his career total to 103, tying the great Andre Bowden for the third most in AFL history.
Most Rushing Touchdowns in AFL History
Derrick Ross: 195
Barry Wagner: 127
Mykel Benson: 103
Andre Bowden: 103
Odie Armstrong: 101
Going Back to Back – Kenny Veal picked off back-to-back Raudabaugh passes in the third quarter in Week 11. You might think that's a complete rarity in the AFL, but it isn't even the first time in Raudabaugh's career he's been intercepted on consecutive plays by the same player. Greg Reid did the same thing to Raudabaugh on July 18, 2015, and that's the last time any player intercepted back-to-back passes by an opposing quarterback.
AFL Week 12 Odds and Ends
-Beau Bell picked up a his league-leading 7.5th sack of the season in Week 12. With that sack, Bell (45.5 sacks) moved into a tie for eighth place all-time on the AFL sack list with B.J. Cohen.
-Justin Lawrence scored his second career touchdown when he picked up a fumble and stumbled across the goal line to cap off the 59-28 victory.
-Shaun Kauleinamoku had three receiving touchdowns for the 15th time in his career.
-Jeramie Richardson scored his 50th career rushing touchdown.
-Arvell Nelson set a career-high with four interceptions. He has now been picked off 10 times this season; eight of those 10 interceptions have come against the Soul.
-Philadelphia's 42-14 halftime lead over Cleveland tied the largest halftime lead by any team this year. The Valor had a 34-6 edge over Baltimore in Week 1.
-The Soul attempted two field goals in a game for the first time since Week 7 of the 2015 season. Adrian Trevino's made field goal was the first three-pointer for Philadelphia since Week 13 last season.
-Pat Clarke nailed his first career field goal for the Brigade.
AFL Week 12 Accolades
Top Passing Performances
Dan Raudabaugh (Philadelphia) – 18/33, 256 Yards, 6 TDs 2 INTs
Shane Carden (Baltimore) – 21/31, 251 Yards, 5 TDs, 0 INTs
Sean Brackett (Washington) – 17/31, 175 Yards, 5 TDs, 1 INT
Arvell Nelson (Cleveland) – 18/36, 175 Yards, 2 TDs, 4 INTs
Top Receiving Performances
Shaun Kauleinamoku (Philadelphia) – 6 Receptions, 143 Yards, 3 TDs
Reggie Gray (Baltimore) – 9 Receptions, 110 Yards, 3 TDs
Greg Carr (Washington) – 4 Receptions, 74 Yards, 2 TDs
Michael Preston (Cleveland) – 7 Receptions, 68 Yards, 2 TDs
Darius Reynolds (Philadelphia) – 6 Receptions, 57 Yards, 1 TD
Top Rushing Performances
Will Corbin (Washington) – 4 Carries, 41 Yards, 1 TD
Phillipkeith Manley (Cleveland) – 3 Carries, 22 Yards
Arvell Nelson (Cleveland) – 4 Carries, 14 Yards
Shane Carden (Baltimore) – 6 Carries, 12 Yards, 1 TD
Mykel Benson (Philadelphia) – 4 Carries, 10 Yards, 1 TD
Top Defensive Performances
Kelvin Rodgers (Philadelphia) – 5 Tackles, 2 Forced Fumbles, 1 INT
Kenny Veal (Cleveland) – 5.5 Tackles, 2 INTs, 1 TD
Justin Lawrence (Philadelphia) – 1 Tackle, 1 Sack, 1 Fumble Recovery, 1 TD
Dwayne Hollis (Philadelphia) – 4 Tackles, 1 Fumble Recovery, 1 INT
James Romain (Philadelphia) – 6 Tackles, 1 INT
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