Roughnecks Begin Two-Game Road Swing in Omaha
April 23, 2009 - Indoor Football League (IFL)
West Texas Roughnecks News Release
ODESSA, TX: The Roughnecks (0-3) return to the road following a 77-66 loss to the El Paso Generals back on April 18, and now will play outside the division against the Omaha Beef (3-2) on Friday, April 24. The Roughnecks got out to a fast start in the first half against El Paso and led by as much as 25 points. El Paso compiled an impressive comeback in the second half by making adjustments in the secondary and registering 42 points in the half. QB Tommy Jones threw for eight touchdown passes and the Generals special teams came away with several blocked kicks to give El Paso the edge in the winning effort.
If Odessa is going to climb back into the playoff picture they will need to hold a lead in the second half. The loss to El Paso marks the third consecutive game in which the Roughnecks have lost the lead in the second half. Odessa once again faces a must-win situation as they take on the Omaha Beef. Omaha has won two straight going into Friday and they will contend with a Roughnecks offense that has progressively gotten better week after week. That Roughnecks offense will get a big boost with the return of OL Peter Fields who is listed at 6'10", 340 lbs. Fields should be able to provide consistent protection for QB Dennis Gile and open the holes on the line for RB Tony Taylor.
The Roughnecks offense will have to contend with a very tough Beef defensive line. DL Ramon Richardson leads the Beef with four total sacks and Odessa must contain Richardson especially after giving up three sacks to the Generals in last weekend's game.
Offensively, the Beef are led by wide outs Mike Jones, O.J. Simpson, and Allen Burrell. Jones leads Omaha with six touchdown receptions and 297 receiving yards. QB James McNear is a experienced quarterback who will lead the Beef offense. McNear enters Friday with 14 touchdown passes. To counter the Beef offense the Roughnecks must provide pressure in the pocket. Odessa recently acquired former Kansas Jayhawks TE Marc Jones to play defensive line. Jones is a former teammate of former Roughnecks DL Rodney Allen and he could be just the spark to get the defensive line back on track. Jones will be joined along side Elex Reed and Ahmad Childress. Both Reed and Childress have made impacts on the D-line but their presence might open things up for Marc Jones to get to McNear throughout the game.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. from the Omaha Civic Auditorium. Next week, the Roughnecks finish the two-game road trip on Saturday, May 2 against the Corpus Christi Hammerheads.
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