Arena bowl 32 guide

Where: Times Union Center, Albany, NY

When: Sunday, August 11, 8pm ET

How to watch: ESPN 2

ArenaBowl 32 is set between the Albany Empire and the Philadelphia Soul. Both teams made it very clear in their semifinal blowouts that they are the right teams to face-off for the title. The Empire have been on a mission this entire season after losing in last year’s semifinals to the 2-10 Washington Valor. They were phenomenal throughout the regular season going 10-2 with the best offense in the League. In the playoffs they left no doubt and beat the Baltimore Brigade 123-47 in the two game aggregate scoring. They will face-off against a Philadelphia Soul team that has been playing its best football at the right. After going through a midseason slump where they fell to 3-4, the Soul went on a tear, winning four of their last five games to end up 7-5. In the playoffs they kept their momentum, dominating the Washington Valor in the two game playoff series 117-74. 

Let’s breakdown the matchup.

Key Matchup: Albany Defensive backs vs Philadelphia receivers

In the past two weeks Philadelphia has seen its receiving core improve greatly by moving Darius Reynolds from defense back to receiver and Aaron Wascha coming back from injury. Now Philadelphia touts a dangerous one-two punch in Darius Prince and Reynolds supported by capable playmakers in Wascha and BJ Bunn who cannot be ignored. Add in an experienced quarterback in Dan Raudabaugh who knows how to get the ball to his playmakers and Philadelphia’s passing attack is dangerous. The Albany secondary, led by AFL tackles leader Tevin Homer, will have their hands full all night. During the season this unit played aggressive and garnered 14 interceptions, but also gave up 245 passing yards per game, second worst in the League. Normally the Albany’s offense is so dominant that the defense doesn’t have to play perfect, but the defense will have to step up against arguably the best receiving core in the League. 

What the Empire need to do to win ArenaBowl 32- Give Grady time to throw.

Recently announced MVP recipient Tommy Grady has been on fire this whole season. The Albany quarterback led the league in almost every major passing category this season including passing yards, passing touchdown, completion percentage and QB rating. On top of that, has two superstar receivers in Malachi Jones and Quentin Sims who can make plays from anywhere.  A big part of that is thanks to his offensive line that has given up a League best two sacks this season. Every member this unit collected All-Arena honors and Ryan Cave was awarded this season’s Offensive Linemen of the Year. They will have to contain a hungry Philadelphia defensive line that plays a huge role in Philadelphia’s success. One important thing to note is that the Soul are the team that collected both sacks against Albany this year, so they know how to get to Grady. Even more telling is that the Soul are 9-2 when recording at least one sack and 0-3 when collecting no sacks.

What the Philadelphia Soul need to do to win ArenaBowl 32- Create turnovers.

The Philadelphia Soul have one of the best secondary’s in the League with Defensive Player of the Year James Romain and Second-Team All-Arena selection Dwayne Hollis anchoring the group. They go after the ball every play and ended the regular season tied for the most interceptions In the League (16) and having the most interception touchdown returns (4). They will need to record an interception to slow down this offense and steal a possession. While the secondary is one part of the puzzle, the defensive line will be another factor in getting pressure on Tommy Grady to potentially cause him to make bad throws. And remember, the Soul are the only team to record a sack against the Empire this season. While they can get pressure and have been on fire lately collecting seven sacks during their two playoff matchups against Washington, they will be facing the best offensive line in the League. 

X-factor: Experience vs Home field advantage

There are two very prominent X-factors going into this championship game. One is the Empire’s home field advantage. They are 6-1 at home this season and the Times Union Center will probably contain an overwhelming amount of Empire supporters. Look to see how the crowd effects Philadelphia’s communication on offense and the momentum of the game in big moments. 

The other prominent factor is experience. The Philadelphia Soul have championship pedigree. They won back-to-back championships in 2016 and 2017 with this will being their third ArenaBowl appearance in four years. Players such as Dan Raudabaugh, James Romain, Darius Prince, and head coach Clint Dolezel were all part of that repeat season and they know how to win the big game. Prince and Romain were even offensive and defensive players of the game for ArenaBowl XXX. This is quite a contrast to the Empire. While coaches Rob Keefe and Les Moss have won ArenaBowls and some players such as Terrance Smith and Mykel Benson have also captured championships, the team definitely lacks ArenaBowl experience compared to the Soul. Stars such as Malachi Jones and Tevin Homer are going to their first ArenaBowl and others such as Quentin Sims and Tommy Grady have yet to win one. Look to see if big game nerves make an impact.