Indoor football: Roughnecks put little stock in past victories against Thunder

Odessa Roughnecks coach Chris Williams has admitted time and again that the 2008 Intense Football League season has been his most challenging.

From the season-opening back-to-back losses in Alaska to the personnel and coaching changes, Odessa has been on a roller-coaster ride just trying to make the playoffs.

Odessa did earn a postseason berth for the fifth consecutive season, and the fourth-seeded Roughnecks will play host to the fifth-seeded Frisco Thunder at 7:11 p.m. today in a first-round game at Ector County Coliseum.

Odessa (7-7) defeated Frisco twice during the regular season - 47-46 on April 6 in Frisco and 74-41 on April 19 at Ector County Coliseum.

"Those two victories are a long time ago," Williams said. "Both teams have changed a lot since then, and I know that Frisco is going to want to come in here and make up for those losses. We definitely have to be ready."

The first victory against Frisco was the first of three consecutive wins that left Odessa at 3-2. However, the Roughnecks followed with a three-game losing streak as the team dealt with problems on the offensive line and in the defensive secondary.

Williams used six different centers in six consecutive games in an attempt to find the right player to work with quarterback Dennis Gile. Williams moved defensive stalwarts Ahmad Childress and Fred Thrweatt into the position for a try, but Jon Hall has settled into the position.

"We all got on the same page offensively," running back De'Wayne Hogan said. "Everyone started doing his job, and we've started to jell at the right time."

Frisco (6-8) has lost six of its last seven games in a slide that started with the loss to Odessa on April 19. The Thunder have played their last seven games on the road because their arena is undergoing renovations.

"If we can take care of the things we're supposed to, then everything takes care of itself," Frisco coach Tony Esprit said in a release from the team. "The only thing that we are concerning ourselves with is getting out of Odessa with a victory."

Frisco will be without starting quarterback Wes Cooper (broken finger) and wide receiver Richard Morris (neck injury). Cooper had completed 200 of 381 passes for 54 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in 11 games before his injury, while Morris had 76 receptions in nine games for 888 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Gile has settled down in the last month after a four-game stretch that saw him throw 14 of his 22 interceptions. He has completed 160 of 310 passes for 2,027 yards and 41 touchdowns.

"Dennis has been playing much better," Odessa wide receiver Don Robinson said. "He's adjusted and gotten more comfortable, and it shows on the field."