The Riders will try for that elusive first win tonight, when they get a quick rematch with the San Angelo Stampede Express. The first meeting between the two teams two weeks ago was a back-and-forth game at Taylor County Coliseum. Abilene grabbed its second lead of the game with just under 7 minutes to play, then gave up two touchdown passes by Express quarterback Chad Draper to receiver Chris McKinney.

“The guys are still p---ed off and I’ll let them stay that way and let them doing something abou it,” coach Gerald Dockery said of the team’s second loss in a row at home to San Angelo. The Express to a field goal as time expired last season to knock the Riders out of the IFL playoffs.

“It’s a long season. In our division, we’re one game out of first place,” he said. “Sixteen teams out of 25 go to the playoffs and we plan on being one of those.”

Against Arkansas, the Riders rolled out their fifth starting quarterback since relocating to Abilene from Katy, with four-year arena veteran Bart Gloyd taking snaps. Gloyd threw for three touchdowns and Abilene scored the most points it has in three games.

“He did well. He was with us two days. The upside to that was he threw three touchdown passes and went the whole game with no interceptions,” Dockery said. “He’s had a week now to get his timing down with his receivers.”

Arkansas also started a new quarterback in James Pinkney.

“It was a team we’ve never seen, only on film and they changed quarterbacks. He was damn good,” Dockery said. “We’ll see those guys again.”

The game started well for Abilene, with Gloyd going 26 yards to Robert Gill and, one play later, running back Carlos Alsup dashing 17 yards on an option. Alsup had 48 yards.

Gloyd went back to Gill for a 13-yard TD midway through the quarter — Gill’s first TD with the Riders.

Abilene did not score in the second quarter, continuing a problem seen last year.

Gloyd threw TD passes to Fred Howze and Gill again in the second half, with backup Haven Mosely going to Gill for 21 yards for the team’s last score.

Gill had the breakout game the team was seeing, catching five passes for 92 yards.

Abilene had 214 yards but gave up 240.

“We had guys out and had to mix and match. We’ll have players back in their positions,” he said.

While Gloyd provided a needed offensive spark, he also fumbled lost two fumbles and took a safety. Dockery said the safety was the smart move for Gloyd instead of throwing an interception under pressure at his goal line. One fumble was a strip from behind.

“I won’t be made about that. He took care of the ball,” Dockery said.

It was Gloyd’s first action in more than a year; he was away from football in 2009 to heal a shoulder injury.

“It held up. He took some shots,” said Dockery, who got backup Mosely into the game late. Mosely, who was the Game 2 starter, threw a touchdown pass.

“He’s not a bad quarterback, just inexperienced,” Dockery said. Gloyd, he said, made good reads and had quick releases.

The team will welcome back kicker Nich Pertuit, who missed the Arkansas game to attend a free agent workout. Mark Trevino kicked in his place and hit 1-of-2 PATs.

Defensive back James Holland is still out but the team signed DB Brandon Crawford and linebacker/lineman Andrew Gamboa.

“He’s a lot like Rico Brooks,” Dockery said, referring to the Riders defensive standout who remains hospitalized after being shot outside his Abilene apartment.

If Abilene could pick up a road win, it would provide momentum for the team’s three-game homestand, which begins April 10 with the first meeting with the Austin Turfcats.

“That first game, it was penalties and turnovers. We’re not going to have those this time. We held their offense to 21 points,” Dockery said. “They’re going to see a different team.”

BREAKOUT

The Ruff Riders offices moved last week from downtown to 2249 S. Treadaway. The phone number, 677-7277, remains the same.

RUFF RIDERS CAMP WITH KIDS AT THE EXPO CENTER

Local professional football team showing that Kids Come First

ABILENE, TX – (March 23, 2010) The Abilene Ruff Riders hosted a spring football camp for the children of New Horizons on March 20, 2010 at the Taylor County Expo Center. Ruff Rider players and coaches gave instruction on football fundamentals and spoke to the children on the importance of hard work and self motivation. “It gives them a positive perspective and they can see that goals that they set for themselves are attainable”, says Head Coach Gerald Dockery of the Ruff Riders. For the children this was an opportunity of a lifetime to be able to interact with their role models, form relationships and gave them a chance to see that there are people who care about their well being. Following the camp lunch was provided by New Horizons and the children and their families were invited to attend the home game that evening against the San Angelo Stampede Express.

Thomas Metthe/Reporter-News Abilene Ruff Riders kicker Nich Pertuit kicks the opening kickoff of the second half during the Ruff Riders game against San Angelo on Saturday, March 20, 2010, at the Taylor County Coliseum.

Before Nich Pertuit attempted his first field goal for the Ruff Riders last year — the team’s inaugural season in Abilene, the third-year Wylie boys soccer coach had his eye on the future and his imagination set to overdrive.

A self-described positive guy, Pertuit said the dream was there to kick in the NFL, and the hope was that a year or two in the Indoor Football League would be his ticket.

At that time, such a goal may have seemed like just that — a dream. But a year later, what once sounded like wishful thinking may be a little more realistic.

Pertuit, whose 37 field goal attempts and 61 extra point tries last year were his first since his senior year in high school, will be in Pheonix on Saturday and Sunday to participate in a free agent specialists combine held by 13-year NFL coach Gary Zauner. There, Pertuit and a number of other kickers, punters and long snappers will show their stuff for NFL, CFL and United Football League scouts in hopes of earning a spot with a franchise in one of those leagues.

And though he said he’s not quite sure what to expect, his goals are high as always.

“At first, (kicking) was just a new opportunity,” said Pertuit, who contacted and started working with Zauner last year before reestablished contact to extend an invitation to the combine. “But I’m really competitive, and I’ve one of those guys that anytime I do something like this, I want to the be the best. I don’t want to be OK.

“But I realized how much potential there was when I finally worked with (Zauner). Hearing from a professional coach that you have natural talent, that really was an eye-opening experience. I’ve always said the sky is the limit and let my imagination go. Why not?”

Pertuit’s optimism is not without reason.

He said his leg strength received high marks from Zauner, who thinks the outdoor game might suit him well.

Indoors, Pertuit is forced to take something off his field goals to focus on putting the ball through the uprights, which are just nine feet apart, and leg strength is largely negated on kickoffs, where kicks through the end zone are of little benefit.

For that, and other reasons, the outdoor game intrigues Pertuit, who said he has hit a 65-yard field goal without a wind and a 73-yarder with heavy gusts at his back.

“That’s one of the most fun parts, I don’t have to worry about hitting the ceiling or kicking too far,” he said. “I get to let my leg loose. Outdoors, on kickoffs and field goals, the higher and farther the better as long as it’s straight.

“And really I just enjoy being outdoors. Growing up playing soccer, I’ve always been an outdoors guy.”

But while the opportunity to play on football’s biggest stage is before him, and a contract offer would make his story one worthy of the cinema, Pertuit said he’s taking everything in stride. He loves his life as it is, and is more than happy to return to it if things don’t work out this weekend.

If he impresses scouts enough to earn a contract, as 17 of the 41 kicking specialists did a year ago, he’s prepared to live his dream. But if his “fallback plan” means returning to a busy schedule that includes coaching the Bulldogs, kicking for the Ruff Riders and completing his Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction from Texas Tech, that’s fine, too.

“I always keep a positive outlook and the way I see it, I really have nothing to lose,” he said. “I have a blast at everything I do. I love coaching, I love teaching and I have a great wife (ACU assistant women’s basketball coach, Terri Pertuit). Everything is going pretty well for me.

“I’d like to see how far I can advance, but I don’t really feel any pressure. I’m just having a good time.”

The Abilene Ruff Riders rolled out a new quarterback Saturday night at Verizon Arena.

Unfortunately, so did the home team, the Arkansas Diamonds, and new Diamonds player James Pinkney outdueled the Ruff Riders’ Bart Gloyd, the team’s fifth starter in 18 games, in leading his team to a 53-34 victory.

The loss was third straight to open the season for Abilene.

"We've got to play a complete game," Riders coach Gerald Dockery said.

Pinkney accumulated 139 yards passing and three touchdowns on the night.

The result keeps the Ruff Riders winless and keeps the Diamonds, now 3-1, in the lead in the East Division of the Indoor Football League’s Intense Conference. This was the first time the two teams had played.

The game was close through the first half, with the Ruff Riders trailing only 19-13. But the Diamonds outscored the Ruff Riders 24-7 in the third quarter and cruised to the victory.

The Ruff Riders have another road game Saturday, a bit shorter trip than the Arkansas trip. They will travel to San Angelo to play the Stampede Express, which won 38-27 two weeks ago in Abilene.