Roughnecks Return To The Road To Face Corpus
April 30, 2009 - Indoor Football League (IFL)
West Texas Roughnecks News Release
ODESSA, TX: The Odessa Roughnecks (0-4) are back on the road for a second consecutive week, this time to face the Corpus Christi Hammerheads (1-3) on Saturday, May 2. This is the first of back-to-back meetings between both teams and May 2 will be the first time both teams have played each other in the 2009 regular season. Both teams are looking to head back in the right direction at this crucial point of the season.
Corpus Christi has lost two straight games heading into this weekend and their most recent loss was a 68-16 loss to the El Paso Generals back on April 25. The Hammerheads offense has been struggling this season as they have only registered 97 total points this season and have only exceeded the 30 point mark in a game once. The big question will be wether or not QB Michael Bishop will play in this game. Former Roughnecks QB Ty Sellers played in the April 25 game against El Paso going 4-for-10 for 98 yards passing and two touchdowns. Sellers also led the team in rushing with 71 yards and two scores. Bishop however has thrown for 265 yards and two touchdowns this season.
WR Nathaniel Dunn has been the go-to wide out for the Hammerheads this season. He leads Corpus with 11 receptions for 220 yards and four touchdowns. Schuyler Anderson is right behind Dunn with seven receptions for 89 yards and one touchdown. Look for Toric Goins to be a deep threat in this game versus the Roughnecks secondary.
Defensively, Wali Munin leads Corpus with 17 total tackles with 2.5 tackles for loss including two interceptions. Look for James Griffin and Johnny Anderson to be crucial factors in pressuring QB Dennis Gile and containing the Roughnecks passing attack. Corpus manage to register three interceptions in the loss at El Paso on April 25.
The 0-4 start for the Odessa Roughnecks may not look good on paper but on a positive note the Roughnecks offense has been playing outstanding as of late. Odessa enters this weekend as the fourth rated offense in the IFL, and the Roughnecks are averaging 50-plus points a game this season. Dennis Gile has thrown for 669 yards and 16 total touchdowns this season including a combined 10 touchdown passes in his last two games. Gile will have his all-important receivers to go to in Torrey Day and Jimmy Conner, but look for Eric Taylor to be a big-play threat after coming off a 141-yard, four touchdown performance in the loss against Omaha back on April 24. RB Tony Taylor's return is questionable so once again Head Coach Chris Williams will have to turn to ether David Daniels or Voncarie Owens at running back for this Saturday.
The Roughnecks defense will be under new direction with newly acquired Defensive Coordinator, Ron Rankin. Odessa's defense ranks last in total defense and scoring defense. If Odessa can establish more turnovers and stops on defense then the offense should carry the Roughnecks to their first win. However, the last time Odessa visited Corpus Christi the end result was not pretty as the Roughnecks were dominated by the Hammerheads, 76-7. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. on Saturday, May 2.
• Discuss this story on the Indoor Football League message board...
Indoor Football League Stories from April 30, 2009
- Ruff Riders Head To Wichita For A Wild Showdown - Abilene Ruff Riders
- Wild take on former NFL WR Peter Warrick and Bloomington on Monday, May 4 at 7:05PM - Alaska Wild
- Generals Face Tough Divisional Test On May 2nd - El Paso Generals
- Indoor Football League Week 8 Preview - IFL
- Roughnecks Return To The Road To Face Corpus - West Texas Roughnecks
- Ice Face Omaha Beef - Colorado Crush
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
