Roughnecks Back At Home To Face Austin On Saturday, April 17
April 16, 2010 - Indoor Football League (IFL)
West Texas Roughnecks News Release
MIDLAND, TX. : The West Texas Roughnecks return home to face the Austin Turfcats on Saturday, April 17 from the Ector County Coliseum in Odessa. The Roughnecks have spent nearly a month on the road and they look to snap a four-game losing streak with the most recent game being a 44-35 loss to the San Angelo Stampede Express. The Roughnecks played well in many aspects on the field but the Stampede Express were able to capitalize off of late turnovers and post a late touchdown pass to seal the win. The Roughnecks now turn their attention to the Austin Turfcats who are coming off a 63-34 win over the Abilene Ruff Riders.
The Roughnecks offense has been playing as of late especially at the quarterback position as Tommy Jones has thrown for 574 yards and nine touchdown passes in his last three games. Wide out Ryan Bugg's consistent play has made him one of the top ten receivers in the IFL in both yards and receptions. Bugg led the Roughnecks with eight receptions for 109 yards and three touchdowns against San Angelo and look for more of the same against the Turfcats on Saturday. Wide outs Steve Bergeski and Josh Floyd have also stepped up their games as Bergeski has become a deep-play threat with Floyd becoming a solid possession receiver. The Roughnecks will have offensive linemen Peter Fields back in the line-up and his presence will help within the red-zone and especially in the running game with both DeWayne Hogan and Jorvorskie Lane. The Roughnecks offensive line will need to consistently protect Tommy Jones throughout the ball game against a fast Turfcats defense.
The Austin Turfcats are in their first season as part of the Indoor Football League. In their recent 63-34 win over Abilene, the Turfcats outscored the Ruff Riders, 20-0, in the second quarter and they went on to score 21 points in both the third and fourth quarters. Austin has a faster-style offense led by QB Deron Ellis and WR Reggie Smith. Ellis is a dual-threat quarterback and the Roughnecks defensive line will have to concentrate on pressuring Ellis. The Roughnecks added depth on the D-line this week by acquiring former Abilene Ruff Riders DL Fred Thrweatt. Thrweatt will play a key role at nose tackle which will help Jermaine Blakely, James Vess and Jerrickus Speights. The Roughnecks defensive line will look to build off of their solid performance against San Angelo by posting two tackles-for-loss and two sacks.
The Roughnecks secondary will be challenged this week with receivers Reggie Smith and Austin Willis. Smith leads the Turfcats with 476 all-purpose yards and six touchdowns including 196 receiving yards. The Turfcats defense is allowing 46.3 points a game but it's a defense that makes critical plays at important moments. Linebacker Joseph Turner leads the Turfcats with 18 total tackles and one sack this season, and DB Kemmie Lewis has posted three interceptions with three pass break-ups so far this season.
This match-up has all the makings of becoming a high-scoring affair, but execution and capitalizing off turnovers will be important factors for the Roughnecks on Saturday evening. The key factor will be the Roughnecks defense matching up with the Turfcats quick-style offense. This is the first of two meetings between both teams in the 2010 regular season and the second meeting will take place Saturday, May 8 in Austin.
Game Time / Location: 7:11 p.m. kickoff - Ector County Coliseum, Odessa, TX
Broadcast: 95.1 BOB FM (6:45 p.m. start)
Online: BOB FM - www.boblivesintexas.com / B2 Networks - www.b2livetv.com
Next Game: The West Texas Roughnecks host the San Angelo Stampede Express on Saturday, April 24, 2010
The Austin Turfcats host the Corpus Christi Hammerheads on Saturday, April 24, 2010
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