A Ruff End to a Exciting Game

“Can’t blame the defense,” Abilene coach Rodney Blackshear said. “Obviously, our offense is still a work in progress. We dropped too many balls. Their pass rush, to be honest, was the difference in the game. I knew it would be. At the same time, our pass rush was good, too. We just have to correct some protection problems and get better as a team.”

The Ruff Riders (1-6), who scored a season-high points in a 48-31 victory over Corpus Christi in Blackshear’s debut last week, had a chance to ice their second-straight win when Nich Pertuit tried a 36-yard field goal with less than a minute to play. But Pertuit’s kick missed the mark, and the Diamonds got the ball at their own 5 with 36 seconds left.

Jones answered quickly, throwing a 40-yard pass to Ricardo Lenhart down to the Abilene 5. After losing two yards on a keeper, Jones scrambled on a second-and-goal play and ambled into the end zone.

The Riders had a chance to send the game into overtime but Pertuit missed a 47-yard field goal as time expired.

The loss spoiled the debut of Robert Kent, a former Jackson State quarterback who Abilene signed earlier in the week. Kent got the start over Bart Gloyd. After throwing two interceptions on Abilene’s first two possessions, Kent threw two touchdowns passes, both to Robert Gill.

He engineered two drives to start the second half that produced touchdowns, giving the Riders a 23-12 lead.

“He knows my offense,” Blackshear said. “He made a bunch of throws, and guys dropped some balls when we needed the catches.”

Blackshear said he made the decision to start Kent, since he played two seasons for Blackshear with Lubbock in the af2.

The Abilene defense provided an early spark when it sacked Jones in the end zone on the game’s opening drive.

The Riders had three sacks for a loss of 24 yards on that opening drive — the last when Jones was called for intentional grounding in the end zone under heavy pressure.

The Riders had a chance to jump on the Diamonds quickly, too, when they started the ensuing drive after the free kick at the Arkansas 10. But on fourth-and-goal from the 4, Kenneth Fontenette picked off Kent in the end zone and raced the distance of the field for the touchdown.

On the next play from scrimmage, Steven Savoy picked off a Kent pass at his own 16 and returned the ball to the Abilene 7. The Diamonds had to settle for a 22-yard field goal by Brian Umstead for a 10-2 lead with 7:26 left in the first quarter.

Kent came back to throw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Gill with 4:10 remaining in the quarter. Pertuit’s PAT made it a one-point game (10-9).

There would be no more scoring in the half, until the Diamonds got a safety — blocking Pertuit’s 50-yard field goal attempt in the end zone 1:03 before halftime for a 12-10 lead.

Kent got off to a better start in the second half, throwing a 30-yard touchdown pass to Gill on the opening possession of the half.

The Riders pushed their lead to 23-12, when Trae Ivory capped a seven-play, 30-yard drive with a seven-yard touchdown run on Abilene’s next possession. Pertuit’s PAT gave Abilene a 23-12 lead.

Arkansas got field goals of 34 and 27 yards for Umstead to get within five.

Diamonds 26, Ruff Riders 23

Arkansas 10 2 0 14—26

Abilene 9 0 14 0—23

First quarter

Abi — Safety. Brian Jones sacked in end zone, 12:49

Ark — Kenneth Fontenette 50 interception return (Brian Umstead kick), 10:05

Ark — Umstead 22 FG, 7:26

Abi — Robert Gill 33 pass from Robert Kent (Nich Pertuit kick), 4:10

Second quarter

Ark — Safety. Blocked field goal in end zone, 1:03

Third quarter

Abi — Gill 30 pass from Kent (Pertuit kick), 11:16

Abi — Trae Ivory 7 run (Pertuit kick), 2:23

Fourth quarter

Ark — Umstead 34 FG, 9:15

Ark — Umstead 27 FG, 4:09

Ark — Jones 7 run (A.J. Harris run), 0:16

The Abilene Ruff Riders have signed a new quarterback, Robert Kent.

Kent comes from Jackson State in Jackson, Mississippi where he set school records in passing yards and total offense. He started at Jackson ever since his freshman year while also helping the team rebuild their program. In 45 games, he completed 825 of 1539 passes (53.6%) for 11,797 yards, 104 touchdowns and 58 interceptions, averaging 262.16 yards per game. His 11,797 yards passing rank fourth in NCAA Division 1-AA history. He joins just three other athletes in Division 1-AA annals to throw for over 100 touchdowns in a career.

Kent runs a 4.87 in the 40-yard dash, a 1.7 in the 10-yard dash, a 4.25 in the 20-yard shuttle, and a 7.71 in the three-cone drill. He also has a 26.5-inch vertical jump, a 9'2" broad jump, a 33 5/8-inch arm length, 8 7/8-inch hands, and he is also right-handed.

Kent attended Gentry High in Indianola, Mississippi where he earned All-State honors as a senior. He threw for 2883 yards and 30 touchdowns in his final season and also lettered in track, basketball and tennis.

After college, Kent attended the Tennessee Titans training camp. Kent started his indoor professional football career for the Alabama Steeldogs but after only three games, was traded to the Lubbock Renegades where he gave the renegades their true identity. Given the nickname "Superman", no one questioned the name because of the way he performed on the field. After his season with the Renegades, Kent was signed by the Toronto Argonauts.

The Abilene Ruff Riders have a home game this Saturday, April 24 at 7pm. You can buy tickets at the Ruff Riders office at 2249 S. Treadaway or at the box office. For more ticket information you contact our office at 325-677-7277.

Thomas Metthe/Reporter-News Abilene Ruff Riders wide receiver Desmond Sanders (80) gets shoved into the wall just short of the goal line by Corpus Christi defensive back Ruben Flowers (1) during the second quarter of the Ruff Riders' game against Corpus Christi on Saturday, April 17, 2010, at the Taylor County Coliseum.

Thomas Metthe/Reporter-News Abilene Ruff Riders running back Carlos Alsup (12) shoves off Corpus Christi defensive lineman Joe Small (6) for a touchdown during the second quarter of the Ruff Riders' game against Corpus Christi on Saturday, April 17, 2010, at the Taylor County Coliseum.

Thomas Metthe/Reporter-News Abilene Ruff Riders head coach Rodney Blackshear does a dance after a Ruff Riders touchdown during the second quarter of the Ruff Riders' game against Corpus Christi on Saturday, April 17, 2010, at the Taylor County Coliseum.

Thomas Metthe/Reporter-News Abilene Ruff Riders' defensive lineman Vincent Rhoades (19) celebrates after picking off a pass in the end zone for a touchdown during the first quarter of the Ruff Riders' game against Corpus Christi on Saturday, April 17, 2010, at the Taylor County Coliseum.

Thomas Metthe/Reporter-News Abilene Ruff Riders' Jason Berryman (45) pulls down Corpus Christi kick returner Justin Hardman (22) during the first quarter of the Ruff Riders' game against Corpus Christi on Saturday, April 17, 2010, at the Taylor County Coliseum.

Rodney Blackshear couldn’t have been happier with his debut at the Abilene Ruff Riders head coach.

Not only did the Ruff Riders finally pick up their first win the season, but they scored more points than they had in a game all season.

Bart Gloyd threw for three touchdowns and ran for another Saturday night as the Ruff Riders beat the Corpus Christi Hammerheads 48-31 in an Indoor Football League game at Taylor County Coliseum.

“Oh man, this is a great feeling,” Blackshear said. “We wanted to get the guys morale up, which we did. You could see it on the field. The guys had enthusiasm throughout the game, and we finished. I think we have a good team, but we just haven’t been finishing games.”

Blackshear replaced Gerald Dockery has head coach earlier in the week after the Riders opened the season 0-5.

Gloyd threw for 118 yards and one interception. Two of his three TD passes were to Robert Gill.

The Riders’ 48 points equalled the second highest total since the franchise relocated to Abilene. The team beat Corpus 48-37 last season.

Abilene had four red-zone trips in the final quarter and did not score.

“We finally got one,” Gloyd said. “The offense started gelling, and the defense played real well. It was just an overall good game.”

The Ruff Riders’ defense provided the big spark in the first quarter. Defensive lineman Vincent Rhodes scored two touchdowns to spark Abilene to a 19-9 lead after the first quarter.

“That was big,” Gloyd said. “It got our offense rolling and makes us settle down.”

With the Riders up 6-0, Zach East blocked a 49-yard field goal attempt by Rusty Garrett. Rhodes recovered the ball in the end zone to give the Riders a 12-0 lead with 4:43 left in the quarter.

On the Hammerheads’ ensuing possession, Rhodes picked off a pass and returned it four yards for a touchdown. Nich Pertuit’s PAT made it 19-3 with 3:27 remaining in the quarter.

Corpus Christi (2-5) answered with an 11-yard touchdown run by Justin Hardman to make it 19-9 less than two minutes before the end of the quarter.

Earlier in the quarter, Garrett booted a 29-yard field goal, but Riders’ quarterback Gloyd threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Gill.

The teams exchanged a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter as the Riders led 33-23 at halftime — just four points shy of the most points they’ve scored in a game this season.

Carlos Alsup ran six yards for a touchdown, and Gloyd scored from a yard out for the Riders.

Redford Borel ran seven yards for a touchdown, and Ruben Flowers added a six-yard run for the Hammerheads.

Corpus Christi had a chance to get another touchdown just before the half, when Gloyd was sacked at his own 2 on a fourth-and-10 play. But the defense rose to the occasion, keeping the Hammerheads out of the end zone on four plays.

It took the Riders only two plays to score after taking the opening possession of the second half. Gloyd threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Juan Reese. It appeared the ball would be picked off, but the ball sailed through a defender’s hands at about the Corpus 20 — and right to Reese who ran the rest of the way for the score.

The Riders made it 48-23 as Gloyd threw an eight-yard touchdown pass to Gill on the first play of the fourth quarter, and Alsup ran for the two-point conversion.

Corpus avoided the shutout in the second half. Quarterback John De Los Santos threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Hussey with 9:13 to play — one play after the Hammerheads recovered a Riders fumble. De Los Santos threw a pass to Sedale Threatt on the two-point conversion, making it a 17-point game.

Rodney Blackshear promised more fun and more winning during his formal introduction Tuesday as interim head coach of the Abilene Ruff Riders.

The former Texas Tech player who said his dislike of kicking field goals comes from offensive minded former Red Raiders coach Mike Leach, said he wants practices to be fun and fans to see quick-strike touchdowns. Blackshear was student assistant coach at Tech while completing his degree in 2003.

Blackshear’s philosophy differs from that of Gerald Dockery, who was fired by the team’s ownership Sunday following the Riders’ fifth straight loss and most lopsided of the season. While Dockery talked up clock management, his team this season averaged 33 points a game. Only Bloomington, at 2-3, has scored fewer points in five games (152 to Riders’ 165).

Dockery was 8-12 overall as coach of the Riders for their first 20 games in Abilene. The team relocated from Katy for the 2009 season.

Blackshear believes his team can score more, can win and battle for a playoff spot.

“We have five home games left and we split on the road, that’s 7-2,” he said of how he believes the Riders can finish the season. “Changes needed to happen. We are going to start a winning streak.”

Said team general manager Paul Briscoe, “We’ve put it in his hands.”

“We like Black’s aggressiveness and the players have respect for him,” Briscoe said. “He is not sitting back on his heels. He is going to go for it.”

Blackshear said one key to scoring is simplifying the offense.

“You have to score points in this league and keep it exciting for the fans,” said Blackshear, who last played for the Red Raiders in 1991.

He was offensive coordinator of the af2 Rio Grande Valley Dorados in 2004, then was head coach of the Intense Football League CenTexas Barracudas in 2006, the af2 Lubbock Renegades for 2007 and 2008 seasons, and the af2 South Georgia Wildcats in 2009. An all-Southwest Conference receiver and kick returner at Tech, he was with the Miami Dolphins one season before going to arena football.

He said Riders players have accepted the firing of Dockery and none have left the team.

“They may leave by my choice,” he said, smiling. “The bottom line is these are grown men and if they can’t handle these things, they shouldn’t be playing. I’ve been released as a player and fired as a coach. They understand these things.”

If the Riders offense can put more points on the board, the defense won’t be under as much duress, he said. The 68 points the Riders surrendered in Saturday’s loss to the Austin TurfCats were the most since the franchise moved to Abilene.

“We’d hold them to fourth down and they still score. You can’t ask the defense to keep (opponents) out of the end zone” the whole game, he said. “We score points but then we bog down. And special teams isn’t doing its job.”

Blackshear said personnel changes probably would be made. Minutes before being introduced Tuesday, he took a cell phone call from an athlete inquiring about a tryout.

He said players could be switched from offense to defense, or vice versa, and that practices each week would be “open auditions” for starting positions.

The Riders, who went through three quarterbacks in 2009, are on their second of this season with recent acquisition Bart Gloyd. The team also was set back by the loss of defensive sparkplug Rico Brooks after he was shot outside his Abilene apartment.

The coaching staff has been pared to three. Barris Grant replaces Blackshear as defensive coordinator while Marco McGee will head the offense.

“To be honest, that was a change that Doc and I had been talking about,” Blackshear said. “Sometimes, players hear too many things from too many people.”

Blackshear said it’s vital the Ruff Riders win this weekend’s home game against Corpus Christi, which comes in 2-4.

“It’s huge. From the business side, the fans see a change and they expect positive results,” he said. “This is a huge game for us. They are like Austin, a team that has been struggling all year.

“But we are the ones that have been struggling the most.”

The Abilene Ruff Riders have terminated head coach Gerald Dockery after a 0-5 start to the 2010 football season. Coach Dockery was the only head coach the Abilene Ruff Riders have had after coming with the franchise from Katy. Coach Dockery led the Ruff Riders to an 8-7 record in their first season in Abilene, but was unable to guide the Ruff Riders to a win this season after a rocky start. Ruff Riders Vice President Paul Briscoe had this to say about Coach Dockery. “We thank Coach Dockery for his hard work and service to the Ruff Riders and the Abilene community. We consider Coach Dockery to be a great person and mentor to young men. It is unfortunate that the team was not able to come together yet on the field as a success and we felt it was best to change the direction of the franchise at this time.” Coach Rodney Blackshear has been named the interim head coach. Coach Blackshear, a Texas Tech alum and “Team MVP" of the 1990 Red Raiders, has been a head coach previously with the CenTex Barracudas, Lubbock Renegades, and the South Georgia Wildcats.

The Ruff Riders next home game is against the Corpus Christi Hammerheads on April 17^th at 7 PM.

The Abilene Ruff Riders had trouble scoring in the first half and fell 68-34 to the Austin TurfCats on Saturday in an Indoor Football League game.

The loss was the fifth straight to open the season for the Riders, who return home after a three-week road trip to play Lone Star Division rival Corpus Christi next weekend.

The TurfCats, who lost 71-20 to Amarillo the week before, squared their record at 2-2.

Abilene was down 26-6 at halftime, scoring on a 50-yard pass from Bart Gloyd to Desmond Sanders, his first IFL touchdown.

It was 40-6 before the Riders scored again, this time on a 32-yard pass from Gloyd to Robert Gill. Abilene got three touchdowns in the fourth quarter — a short pass from running back Carlos Alsup to Gill, a 45-yard pass from Sanders to Gill and, with 1:01 to play, a 16-yard pass from Gloyd to Fred Howze.

Gloyd was 14-of-28 passing for 153 yards without an interception while Alsup rushed for 38 yards. Howze caught seven passes and Gill six.

Deron Ellis threw for 86 yards and four touchdowns while running for another for the ’Cats. Austin also got a 45-yard kickoff return from Rickey McKinney, the second time this season that Abilene has surrendered a return for six points.

The 68 points is the most the Riders have given up since the franchise moved to Abilene for the 2009 season.

“No turnovers, just couldn’t score in the first half or stop them on defense,” coach Gerald Dockery reported by text message.

Schedule Change

This weeks game, due to a schedule conflict, will be in Austin. All tickets purchased for the April 10th home game seats will be honored for the May 15th game when the Abilene Ruff Riders take on the Austin Turf Cats in Abilene. With the last game holding such hot action as the Abilene Ruff Riders loose by 2 points, fans might consider watching the game live on the B2 Network over the internet. This match between the Turf Cats and Ruff Riders is sure to hold lots of thrills.GO Ruff riders!