Roughnecks & Ruff Riders Square Off For First Time Since April 6
June 12, 2009 - Indoor Football League (IFL)
Abilene Ruff Riders News Release
ABILENE, TX. : The Odessa Roughnecks find themselves in a trend that has occurred for the past several weeks and that is every game being a must-win situation. From a mathematical standpoint, the Roughnecks are not out of the playoff picture just yet but they will need to win their final four games of the season and get some help to clinch a spot. The first of those final four games begins on June 13 against the Abilene Ruff Riders. According to Head Coach Chris Williams, Odessa has yet to play a full game from every aspect on the field. The Roughnecks have found themselves in battles with opposing teams week in and week out but costly turnovers and breakdowns have been two of the main factors that have contributed to the eight losses the Roughnecks have had this season.
Odessa is coming off a 42-30 loss to the Corpus Christi Hammerheads, but on a positive note, the Roughnecks defense had arguably their best performance of the season. Odessa's defense registered five turnovers including two interceptions from defensive back Larry Thompson. QB Cory Miles only completed two passes in the first half however the Odessa offense hit a dry spell even though Dennis Gile threw for 307 yards and Jimmy Conner caught 10 passes for over 80 yards receiving. It will be likely that the Roughnecks will continue to use their normal four-wide receiver sets throughout the June 13 game against Abilene, and use the running game on short-yardage situations especially inside the red-zone.
It is the first time that both Odessa and Abilene have played each other since early April but at this point in the season both teams have looked completely different since Week One. Odessa's defense has steadily improved week after week especially from the secondary and the defensive line. The linebacker core will feature Arthur Harris and quite possibly Michael Hinton, but if Hinton has to help the secondary look for Kendall Ricketts to maybe fill that gap.
Abilene is coming off a much needed bye week and the Ruff Riders have won two of their last three with their most recent game being a loss to the Corpus Christi Hammerheads (27-22). The big question mark is the health status of Quincy Carter who missed the ball game because of a back injury. But with the bye week, Carter should be ready to go as the Ruff Riders look to move further in hopes of clinching a playoff spot. Carter has had a productive year throwing for over 1,500 yards and 38 touchdowns. Carter has had a very consistent receiving core to throw to this season including WR Fred Howze and Mike Carrillo, who both lead the team with 37 receptions. However, Juan Reese is a good deep threat receiver and look for former NFL wide out Randy Hymes to be another key factor in the passing department.
Abilene's defense has only registered six sacks this season, but it certainly is a defense that can win the turnover battle every week. DB Joey Longoria is at the top of the IFL in interceptions with eight and Henry Russell is a solid linebacker that can provide pressure in the pocket and good open-field tackling. The intriguing match-up will be the Ruff Riders secondary versus the Roughnecks wide outs. Jimmy Conner leads the IFL in all-purpose yards and in receptions, and Eric Taylor will continue to be the normal deep threat in the passing game for Odessa. The Roughnecks defense will have to pressure Quincy Carter and continue to contain the running game, but the Roughnecks offense must avoid the game-changing turnovers and they must be more productive inside the red-zone. It will be an entertaining game to watch and get use to the match-up because this is the first of three meetings between both teams in the next five weeks.
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Indoor Football League Stories from June 12, 2009
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- Roughnecks & Ruff Riders Square Off For First Time Since April 6 - Abilene Ruff Riders
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