Roughnecks, Generals Square Off On April 18
April 16, 2009 - Indoor Football League (IFL)
West Texas Roughnecks News Release
ODESSA, TX: For the first time since 2004, the Odessa Roughnecks (0-2) will be facing a professional indoor football team from El Paso on Saturday, April 18. That team will be the El Paso Generals who come into the game at 1-1 after splitting back-to-back meetings with the Corpus Christi Hammerheads. The Generals began their inaugural '09 season on a strong note defeating Corpus in El Paso, 50-17. However, the outcome last Saturday for El Paso did not fair so well after losing to the Hammerheads, 37-17. El Paso was held to just seven points in the first half and the club did not score any offensive points until early fourth quarter. Corpus Christi registered three interceptions in the winning effort and newly signed QB Michael Bishop went 11-for-18 with 149 yards passing and one touchdown.
There will be some familiar faces on the field Saturday evening when Odessa faces El Paso including QB Tommy Jones. Jones led the Odessa Roughnecks to their only championship in 2006 and set several Intense Football League passing records in that same season. Jones had a strong showing in the first meeting against Corpus Christi, throwing for 212 yards and five touchdowns. In the second game Jones had a set-back going 18-for-47 for 148 yards, three interceptions, and one touchdown. The other familiar face will be Generals Head Coach Brian Brents who was an assistant head coach to Roughnecks Head Coach Chris Williams for several years, including the '06 championship season.
The Generals are very much a pass-first team and they have talented wide outs that will be running all over the field. WR DeAngelo Woodie leads the club with nine receptions, 117 yards receiving, and two touchdowns. WR Lemans Casimier has seven receptions for 48 yards and one touchdown. Look for former UTEP WR Cedrick Johnson to be another key weapon as he enters the game with five receptions, 87 yards, and one touchdown. The Roughnecks secondary will need to step up their game to slow down the pass-friendly Generals especially when San Angelo put up three touchdowns in the second half against Odessa last Saturday.
The Roughnecks are back to where they started in '08 with a 0-2 record. Consider this a must-win for the Odessa Roughnecks being that it is the third straight Lone Star Divisional opponent they will face in three consecutive weeks. The last thing for Odessa to have is an 0-3 start with all losses coming against Lone Star Division teams. The Roughnecks are coming off a heartbreaking defeat to the San Angelo Stampede Express, 56-55. A missed extra point following a last-second touchdown pass was the major factor that gave San Angelo the win. One positive note heading into the game for Odessa is that the red-zone offense has significantly improved. Odessa registered seven rushing touchdowns in the San Angelo game including four from RB Tony Taylor. Taylor will play a big role on offense once again but the big question is whether or not we will see Odessa start throwing the ball more this time around. QB Dennis Gile has only thrown 34 passes this season for 184 yards and two touchdowns.
Both of Gile's touchdown passes have been to WR Torrey Day who leads the Roughnecks with eight receptions for 74 yards receiving. The Roughnecks all-purpose man, Jimmy Conner, will be another factor on the field in both passing and on kick returns. If Conner is healthy then he should be a big help to the Roughnecks in so many different areas. Odessa will need to avoid penalties and blown coverages in the secondary. Missed assignments from the defensive backs and averaging eight penalties a game have been key points to the Roughnecks 0-2 start. However, the Roughnecks do have the friendly confines of the Ector County Coliseum on their side and a home win could be just the thing to turn Odessa around.
The Roughnecks will need to pressure QB Tommy Jones in order for him to be inconsistent in the passing game. Expect Roughnecks DL Elex Reed and DL Ahmad Childress to play key roles in that department. Look for a game that will feature a load of passing and good-hitting. The end result will be based upon turnovers, time of possession, and the ability to make big plays at key moments. Further information on these topics can be obtained by contacting the Roughnecks front office at (432) 332-PASS (7277) or by visiting www.odessaroughnecks.com.
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