Your IFL/Quincy Carter Update Week 4

((HT: Abilene Reporter News/Sam Waller))

In a game where one defensive stop can be the difference, the Abilene Ruff Riders ((pictured, thanks Abilene Reporter-News)) came up with a bunch Saturday.

The Abilene defense forced four turnovers, recorded two safeties and stopped the San Angelo Stampede Express twice in the red zone as the Ruff Riders rolled to a 59-20 victory before an announced attendance of 5,012 at Taylor County Coliseum.

"Defensively, (the key) was to get on them quick," Ruff Riders coach Gerald Dockery said. "We knew they had a backup quarterback (Damion Carter), so we wanted to keep the pressure on him. We knew we had to be consistent. They had a week off and we wanted to make sure we put the pressure on him."

Abilene (3-1) moved a half-game ahead of San Angelo (2-1) in the Lone Star Division with the victory, holding the Stampede Express to 129 total yards while gaining 287.

"It was just one of those nights in the arena game where it got away from us," San Angelo coach Sonny Cumbie said. "We didn't play well."

Abilene linebacker Rico Brooks was everywhere, recording a game-high 11 tackles with three for loss and a sack. He also blocked a field goal attempt that resulted in a safety for the Ruff Riders, recovered a fumble and knocked down a pass.

"Everyone was in the right spot," Brooks said. "We were there on time and made good plays. The secondary were locking down their men and it was good."

Brooks' performance overshadowed a huge night by Abilene quarterback Quincy Carter.

Carter threw for 220 yards and eight touchdowns -- four to Fred Howze -- as Abilene overcame a slow start. Carter had thrown for 10 TDs in his first three games, and Howze had only one touchdown catch coming into the game.

The Ruff Riders failed to score on their first four possessions, which included a fourth-down incompletion from the San Angelo 1-yard line, before the offense began clicking.

Carter finished 19-of-28 passing, connecting with Howze, who had eight catches for 105 yards, on touchdowns covering 4, 8, 20 and 25 yards. Jerale Badon and Juan Reese each caught two TD passes.

San Angelo came into the game with the top-rated pass defense in the Indoor Football League, giving up less than 80 yards per game.

"That's the type of offense that we have," Dockery said. "We want to make sure we score on every possession. The timing is starting to come around."

For the Stampede Express, Damion Carter finished 8-of-22 passing for 64 yards with three interceptions -- two by Joey Longoria, giving him five for the year -- and was more a threat as a runner than as a passer. Damion Carter's 24-yard scramble set up a 1-yard TD run by Blake Timmons for the only points of the first quarter, and he added a 2-yard score with six seconds left in the first half after Abilene reeled off 25 consecutive points.

"(The Ruff Riders) played at a higher speed than we did the whole game," San Angelo's Carter said. "Next time we come out, we've just got to come out and match their speed."
An interception by Henry Russell led to Abilene's first touchdown, the 4-yard pass from Quincy Carter to Howze, and the Ruff Riders went on to lead by 46 points in the fourth quarter. The string of consecutive scoring drives was broken when San Angelo's Clay Harrell recovered a fumble and returned it 18 yards for the final TD with 2:43 remaining.

Here's your highlights thanks to our friends at ARNTV and 96.1 The Wolf...