"We just need to play Soul football next weekend and we should come away with the victory," Ross said.
The Soul had it all working Sunday night. The offense clicked behind the powerful running of Ross, who broke the single-season AFL rushing record, which he owned from his rookie season. The defense limited Utah's MVP candidate, quarterback Tommy Grady, with a strong push up the middle. And special teams scored a fourth-quarter touchdown on a fumble recovery off a kickoff.
Ross finished with two touchdowns on 13 carries for 81 yards. Quarterback Dan Raudabaugh continued his efficient season with 10 completions on 15 attempts and five touchdowns.
"It kind of felt like everything was just going right," Raudabaugh said, "like we couldn't do anything wrong."
Ross' record-setting run came in the third quarter. He didn't find out about it until the public-address announcer told the crowd with four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
Ross heard the booming voice and ran out to the middle of the field, where he waved a towel above his head before completing his signature celebration. His moment ended with a shoulder shimmy, and he ran back to the bench with a big smile.
Raudabaugh, his close friend, had a simple message: "Congrats. I'm proud of you. Now let's go do it in the playoffs."
Contact Chad Graff at cgraff@philly.com. Follow on Twitter @ChadGraff.
