Your Quincy Carter/IFL Update: FIN

((HT: Abilene Reporter-News/Jaklewicz))

Quarterback Quincy Carter is no longer with the Abilene Ruff Riders after not showing up to play at Saturday's Ruff Riders' game against Odessa at Taylor County Coliseum.

When the Riders were introduced, Randy Hymes was named as the starting quarterback. Hymes, who signed with the Riders as a receiver and caught four touchdown passes last week against San Angelo, played quarterback in college at Grambling. His last game as a quarterback was in 2000.

Riders coach Gerald Dockery said he was called by Carter about 3 p.m. Saturday and the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback told him he wasn't playing.

Dockery said he didn't try to change his mind. About an hour before the game with Odessa, the Riders drew up a new game plan that put Hymes under center. Hymes was only 4-of-16 passing for 27 yards but he scored a touchdown and did not turn over the ball. The Riders won easily, 43-27, to gain a home playoff game.

Carter had not started a game since being injured late in the May 23 game against El Paso. He played the fourth quarter last week in San Angelo when his backup, David Bowie, went down with an ankle injury. Bowie was released Sunday after throwing four interceptions in a 56-32 loss.

Riders general manager Barney Welch said at halftime of Saturday's game that he didn't know Carter's whereabouts but that the quarterback no longer was with the team.

Both Dockery and Welch said Carter continually tested their patience during the season even as they tried to work with him. Hymes will be the teams' quarterback for the playoffs, Dockery said.

Your Quincy Carter/IFL Update: Week 9

Technically, there is no update since Quincy didn't play...

But the Abilene Ruff Riders ((pictured, thanks Thomas Metthe/Abilene Reporter-News))still played...
((HT: Abilene Reporter-News/Youngblood))

Trailing by five after Corpus Christi scored with 3:27 to play Saturday, quarterback David Bowie and the Abilene Ruff Riders had a shot to send 4,008 fans home with a dramatic win.

But the Riders' comeback bid ended at the Hammerheads 21 yard line on an incomplete pass on fourth and 7, leaving the Ruff Riders with a 27-22 loss at Taylor County Coliseum.

The defeat prevented Abilene from sweeping three games with its Lone Star Division rival and gave the Riders two losses in the division. Second-place El Paso had two losses going into this weekend's action.

After having his third interception wiped out by a Corpus Christi facemask and a 16-yard scramble to the Hammerheads 6 erased by a holding penalty on back-to-back plays, Bowie and the Riders offense faced a 1st-and-20 from their own 16 with less than three minutes remaining, needing a touchdown to take the lead.

Bowie hit running back Carlos Alsup with an underhand toss for eight yards on first down but after a penalty on the Hammerheads, Bowie missed on his last three pass attempts, giving the ball back to Corpus to run out the clock.

"We had penalties, I had two costly turnovers and I had a couple of bad balls that should have been completed," said Bowie, who finished his first start 9-of-22 passing for 111 yards and a pair of touchdowns. "As a QB you dream about stuff like this, having the ball in your hands on the final drive with a chance to win the game. But I didn't get it done tonight, and that hurts."

Abilene's offensive struggles proved to be the difference. The Riders were outgained 214-154 and went 0-for-7 on third downs.

Abilene, which was playing without starting quarterback Quincy Carter, converted just two of its nine possessions into touchdowns, picking up its other nine points on Nich Pertuit field goals of 44, 38 and 22 yards.

"You've got to put points on the board to win, and our offense really struggled," Riders coach Gerald Dockery said. "When your defense gives up 27 points, you expect to win in this game. We had chances to gain the momentum, but we could never seem to make the plays we needed offensively."

Despite scoring a season-low 22 points, the Riders had many chances to beat the last-place Hammerheads and actually led for most of the contest.

Thanks to a strong defensive performance, the Riders held a lead for nearly the entire first half until the Hammerheads scored with a second remaining in the second quarter to take a 13-10 lead. And after regaining the lead in the third quarter, Abilene was either ahead or tied until Corpus scored their final touchdown with 3:27 to play.

"I can't say anything bad about the defense," Bowie said. "The defense was on, and the offense didn't capitalize when the defense made stops."

Abilene scored the first points of the game -- the only points of the quarter -- on a 19-yard reception by Fred Howze from Bowie with 15 seconds.

Corpus Christi answered on its second drive of the second quarter with a Austin Willis 20-yard reception, but a missed an extra point left the score 7-6 in favor of Abilene.

The Riders added to their lead with a 44-yard field goal by Pertuit with 3:14 left in the half, but the Hammerheads scored on the final play from scrimmage in the first half when Redford Borel ran it in from one yard out on fourth and goal.

Abilene regained the lead early in the third, when Bowie hooked up with Juan Reese from 11 yards out, making the score 16-13 with 13:35 left in the third quarter.

But that was the Riders' final touchdown of the game. A turnover, 72 yards of penalty yardage and struggles on third downs by Abilene kept Corpus Christi in the game, and the Hammerheads sandwiched a pair of Toric Goins touchdown catches around Pertuit's third field goal to turn a 19-13 deficit into a 27-22 lead.

"It is what it is," Dockery said. "We hurt ourselves with turnovers and penalties. We've got to play smarter on offense and take care of the ball. We've got to minimize mistakes."

The loss pushes Abilene down to 5-4 on the season and 5-2 in conference play going into a bye week.

"With this bye week coming up, we're going to correct some of these things we did wrong tonight," Dockery said.

Here's your highlights, thanks to our friends at ARN-TV and 96.1 The Wolf

Your Quincy Carter/IFL Update: Week 8

((HT: Abilene Reporter-News/Daniel Youngblood))

Backup quarterback David Bowie led a pair of scoring drives, and kicker Nich Pertuit nailed a 23-yard field goal with 1:20 remaining Saturday to seal a 45-35 Abilene Ruff Riders ((pictured, thanks Victor Cristales/Abilene Reporter-News)) win over the El Paso Generals before 3,409 fans at Taylor County Coliseum

The win puts Abilene (5-1 Lone Star Division) in first place in the Lone Star Division of the Indoor Football League.

El Paso, which beat Abilene 58-36 two week ago on its home turf, now is 5-2 in the division.

Up 35-23 after three quarters, star quarterback Quincy Carter went down with a back injury on the first play of the fourth quarter.

But on his first play from scrimmage, Bowie connected with Fred Howze for the receiver's third touchdown of the game to put the Riders up 42-23 with 9:38 to play.

The Generals countered with back-to-back touchdowns, the last coming on a Lemans Casimier 12-yard reception with 5:50 to play to make the score 42-35.

But on the next Riders possession, Bowie hit a pair of seven-yard passes, ran for 14 yards and calmly led the Riders downfield.

"That's the reason we carry a backup quarterback," Riders coach Gerald Dockery said. "Bowie is an afl2 veteran and we wanted to get him in here and get him some reps. That's why I carry him.

"Q (Carter) is a good quarterback, but he's human, and (Bowie) came in and did exactly what we asked him to do."

The Generals held Abilene on a third-and-seven but Pertuit hit the field goal to put the Riders up two possessions and seal the game.

"We put a lot of points on the board tonight, and at the end when it was my job to put us up by more than one touchdown, that's what I've got to do," Pertuit said. "This game was really enjoyable for me so when I stepped up, I was a little bit more relaxed and all the coaches and my teammates said they had confidence in me, so it was no problem when it came down to it."

With 1:20 remaining, El Paso had a shot at scoring but on first and 10 from the Riders' 13 yard line, Generals quarterback Tommy Jones was intercepted by Henry Russell in the back of the end zone, allowing Bowie to kneel the Riders to victory.

"I've got to give credit to my teammate, (Andre) Morgan. I wanted to call another play, and he told me don't call that play, call something else," Russell said. "That enabled me to sink back and I guess he didn't see me and I was able to get the pick."

Carter, who suffered back spasms after taking a hit on a scramble, was off to a hot start before he was injured. In three quarters, he passed for 187 yards and four touchdowns and ran for another score.

And with the aid of a stellar first-half showing by the defense, the Riders were able to build a 21-9 lead by halftime.

Carter led the Riders to scoring drives on three of four first-half possessions, sandwiching a one-yard touchdown scamper with a pair of touchdown passes to Juan Reese.

Abilene led 14-0 before El Paso got on the board with a Trey Crum 25-yard field goal with 4:57, and the Riders surrendered just one more score on a Ulysses Odom four-yard reception with 44 seconds left in the half.

It was more of the same in the third quarter, when Carter found a connection with Howze, who made a pair of acrobatic touchdown catches in the third quarter and a leaping catch over the boards on Bowie's touchdown pass.

"Howze did it all night with the big catches, and he made the biggest catch of the night on that last touchdown," Dockery said.

El Paso got its offense going in the second half, scoring twice in the third and two more times in the fourth, but the Riders made plays when they needed them most and held on for the victory.

"We finally tried to put a complete game together," Dockery said. "It got scary there in the fourth quarter, but that's why we've got backup players, to step in and make big plays."

Here's your highlights, thanks to our friends at ARN-TV and 96.1 The Wolf...

Your Quincy Carter/IFL Update: Week 7

((HT: Abilene Reporter-News/Ren))

It never hurts to return home during a losing skid -- especially when the opponent is struggling.

After dropping two straight road games, the Abilene Ruff Riders came back to the Taylor County Coliseum on Saturday, handing Corpus Christi a 48-37 loss before 4,062 fans.

Quincy Carter threw for 162 yards and six scores and rushed a yard for the game's final touchdown to lead Abilene (4-3, 4-1 Lone Star Division), which overcame a 31-22deficit en route to the win. Corpus Christi, which has now dropped three of four road games on the year, fell to 2-5 overall and 2-5 in the division.

A sluggish second quarter, which saw Abilene held to just three points, nearly cost the Riders. But three third-quarter scoring passes from Carter to Juan Reese ((pictured, thanks Thomas Metthe/Reporter-News)) proved to be the difference.

"Any time a team finds out what you're doing, they're going to adjust," said Abilene coach Gerald Dockery of the sudden lack of execution. "Then, when we see what they do, we adjust to it.

"It's all part of the game it was all about coaching."

Entering the game ranked 15th in the 19-team Indoor Football League in total offense, Corpus Christi appeared accommodating early on. Combining penalties and one first-quarter turnover, the Hammerheads allowed Abilene to move to 19-6 lead by the end of the period.

Carter was 5-of-6 through the air in the first 15 minutes, including a pair of touchdown passes to former Hardin-Simmons standout Mychal Carrillo.

The second quarter, however, brought an immediate shift in momentum. Three consecutive Corpus scores saw the Hammerheads take the lead, the first of which came with 13:03 left in the half with a 1-yard touchdown run by Redford Borel.

A 26-yard Rene Vasquez field goal followed at 7:26, after which defensive lineman Chris Williams scooped up a Carter fumble and ran 20 yards for a touchdown with 5:16 left before the break.

The Riders' lone second-quarter score came at with 2:29 when Nick Pertuit connected with a 40-yard field goal, cutting the 'Hammers lead to 23-22.

Carter, who was on fire through the first 15 minutes, hit just 1-of-6 passes for nine yards in the second quarter. But he got his game working after halftime.

"We just went back to basics," Carter said. "We had a turnover and we lost the ball on downs in the second quarter."So in the third, we just got basic and started executing a lot better."

Corpus Christi managed to carry the momentum into the third, scoring at the 12:19 mark on a 4-yard touchdown run by Stephen Fillmore for a 30-22 lead.

From that point, however, Abilene owned the initiative. The Riders got back on track on their first possession of the third, with Carter finding Reese with a 25-yard scoring strike at the 10:56 mark. Carter and Reese connected again one possession later, ending with a 9-yard scoring strike to give the Riders a 35-30 edge with 3:29 left in the third.

After stopping Corpus on downs inside its own 11 yard-line, the Riders caught a break when Iran Hodge was flagged for roughing the passer during a fourth-down incompletion. Abilene took advantage of it two plays later when Carter hit Reese with a 5-yard scoring pass with 6:11 remaining in the game.

The Riders defense, in the meantime, blanked Corpus over the final 12 minutes of the third quarter. And with the exception of a wide receiver pass from Toric Goins to Anderson for a score with 5:40 left in the game, Abilene didn't allow the Hammerheads to score again.

"We knew they were going to do that (trick) play and we worked on it all week," Dockery said. "We just got a DB caught up in the play action and they got a big play on us."
Abilene's final score game with 1:30 remaking on a 1-yard keeper by Carter.

With the game decided, Corpus' final gasp came over the final 45 seconds when it was stopped on downs inside the Abilene 5.

The Riders will next see action Saturday when they host the El Paso Generals, the Lone Star Division leader that whipped Abilene 58-36 in El Paso.

Here's your game highlights from our friends at ARN-TV and 96.1 The Wolf

Quincy Goes OFF!!!

((HT DFWReporting/Kimberly Torres))

Kimberly caught up with Abilene Ruff Riders QB Quincy Carter and he went off on anything within earshot...
Enjoy...
Your first round highlight...
“It was a billionaire power play”, says Carter. “That’s what he [Jerry Jones] did. It was a billionaire power play. He [Jerry Jones] had the NFL lose those tapes. That’s how powerful Jerry Jones is.”



For part 2 of Q.C. going N.S.F.W., please click here.

Your Quincy Carter/IFL Update: Week 6

((HT: Abilene Reporter-News))

Abilene police arrested Ruff Riders quarterback Quincy Carter late Sunday on a warrant out of Dallas County on a charge of a probation violation.

Carter "had a warrant and they picked him up," said Sgt. Keith Shackleford, a spokesman for the Abilene Police Department.

The former Dallas Cowboys quarterback was bonded out and didn't spend time in jail.

Carter said the warrant for the probation violation came from a February DWI arrest in South Texas. He said he knew it would be issued at some point.

"I didn't know about it until (Sunday)," Carter said. "That's when I was attempting to actually go pay for it."

Carter said Ruff Riders coach Gerald Dockery and general manager Barney Welch knew of the violation before signing Carter and knew that the warrant would be something that would come up during the season.

"He had gotten some charges, which everybody knew about," Welch said. "When he got in trouble before coming here, that was a violation of his probation at the time and so now it's coming up because there was a warrant out for that violation, which we knew about prior to him coming here."

The Ruff Riders are Abilene's Indoor Football League team. They are 3-3 with Carter as the team's signal caller.

With a Saturday home game against Corpus Christi, Carter said the warrant is a non-issue and will not affect him on the field.

Welch said the warrant was "no big deal."

"It affects the team in no way; it affects his play in no way," Welch said. "He's been on a pretty straight arrow since he's been here, trying to keep his head straight and mind on the game. He's done a pretty good job so far."

Welch said he and Dockery have been pleased with Carter's performance on and off the field.

"So far, coach (Dockery) and the team have been pleased with his efforts and his performance," Welch said. "We don't want this to hinder anything, and our focus is on football and winning games. We just want to put this behind us."

It isn't Carter's first run-in with the law. In February, two weeks before signing with the Ruff Riders, he was arrested on charges of marijuana possession and DWI in south Texas. He also was arrested on marijuana possession charges in December 2006 and in October 2007.

Here's Quincy's reaction to the arrest in black, thanks to our friends at KRBC/KTAB...

Your Quincy Carter/IFL Update: Week 6

((HT: El Paso Times))

Tommy Jones outdueled Quincy Carter at the El Paso County Coliseum on Saturday night, leading the El Paso Generals to a 58-36 victory over the Abilene Ruff Riders in a battle of the top two teams of the Lone Star Division of the Indoor Football League.

Jones threw three touchdown passes and ran for two more as El Paso improved to 5-1 and Abilene fell to 3-3. Carter, the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback, was 22-of-44 passing for 252 yards and five touchdowns, but his team never led after getting the first score of the game.

El Paso running back and kick returner Ulysses Odoms scored on a 53-yard kickoff return and a 22 yard rush for the Generals. Generals kicker Trey Crum was 3-of-3 on field goals, including one from 49 yards.

The Generals now have a two-game lead in the division and are unbeaten at the Coliseum. The Generals led 27-21 at halftime.

Jones accounted for three touchdowns in the first half -- two passing scores and one rushing.

Carter also had a big first half with three passing scores.

El Paso could have had an even larger margin, but twice it reached the Abilene 1-yard line without scoring a touchdown.

On the first occasion, the Generals threw an interception in the end zone. On the second, El Paso settled for a field goal.

It's Autumn Sam's last story on the Saturday sportscast, thanks to our friends at KVIA-TV. You don't have to watch the whole thing. You can use the slide bar.

Your Quincy Carter/IFL Update Week 5

((HT: Wichita Eagle/Kollen Long))

Even though he played for the visiting team, the quarterback you probably want to know about this morning is Quincy Carter, and that's understandable.

It's a compelling story: Former NFL player, troubled by off-the-field issues, tries to keep his career alive in the Indoor Football League.

But the QB who made the loudest statement was lesser-known Alex Melugin, the hometown boy who overcame an unsightly first half to lead the Wichita Wild ((the defnese is pictured, thanks Fernando Salazar/Wichita Eagle))to a 49-33victory over the Abilene Ruff Riders on Saturday night in Hartman Arena.

A former Friends University star, Melugin completed 21 of 32 passes for 230 yards and four touchdowns, helping the Wild improve to 2-4 in front of 3,548 fans. The Ruff Riders, playing outside Texas for the first time, dropped to 4-2.

"We got some great play from Alex, once he settled down," Wild coach Ken Matous said. "He showed resiliency out there tonight. I'm really proud of him."
While inconsistent, Carter showed off his arm on several occasions, making throws you won't see at any other IFL game this season. The former Cowboys starter threw for 227 yards and five touchdowns.

But he also completed just 16 of 40 passes, tossed two interceptions and lost his composure late, picking up an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that helped the Wild score an important insurance touchdown.

"I think he's a heck of a player," Matous said. "He made the throws, and he was dangerous on a couple runs."
To be sure, Melugin is still very much a work in progress. He threw three interceptions in the first half, and his throwing motion is a bit unorthodox at times.

Even so, he led the Wild on a key scoring drive to end the first half, hitting Clinton Solomon on a 13-yard touchdown pass to push Wichita's lead to 20-12 at halftime.

In the third quarter, Melugin connected on two long touchdown passes -- a 27-yarder to Carlos Cavanaugh and one to Solomon for 36 yards -- to give the Wild the lead for good at 32-20.

"That first half... I haven't thrown three interceptions since junior college," Melugin said. "It can be tough to keep your self confidence up, but the team was relying on me. I had to do it for them.

"Really, my job was easy. Coach Matous is a great X's and O's coach. And when you're throwing to guys like Clinton, Tim (Riley), (Brian) Murph, Carlos (Cavanaugh), I just have to deliver it somewhere close and they make the plays."

Somewhat overshadowed in a game that included 29 total first downs and more than 500 yards of total offense was a big kick by Dylan Pohlman.

With the Wild leading 32-27 in the fourth quarter, he booted a 45-yard field goal -- a kick that forced Abilene to go for a two-point conversion to tie late in the game. That try failed when Carter threw an incompletion; he apparently thought pass interference should have been called and argued with the officials, leading to the penalty.

It was an unlikely field goal for Pohlman, given the distance and the fact that he had missed three extra points. (Matous said Pohlman's timing is off because the Wild has used several snappers).

"It was a relief," Pohlman said. "You just have to have a short memory and stay focused. It was a blessing."

Here's your highlights, thanks to our friends from KAKE-TV

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...

Your IFL/Quincy Carter Update: Week 3

Just when you thought there was only one washed-up quarterback to pay attention to in the IFL, we found another...

Remember Michael Bishop from Kansas State...?
Bishop and his Corpus Christi Hammerheads hosted Quincy and his Abilene Ruff Riders. Carter's team came out on top with a big fourth quarter.

When the dust finally settled, the Hammerheads were on the wrong end of a 33-27 decision against the Abilene Ruff Riders.

With the loss, the Hammerheads fall to 1-2 for the season, while the Ruff Riders improved to 2-1.

Despite the loss, Corpus Christi's defense was stout and held Abilene, who came in to the game with the Indoor Football League's second-rated passing offense, to a season-low 182 yards of total offense. Quincy Carter, also the second-leading passer in the league, was limited to only 169 passing yards. Still, in the end, the Ruff Riders scored to the points they needed to steal the win away from the Hammerheads.

After back-up quarterback Cory Miles connected with receiver Nathaniel Dunn twice in the first quarter to build a 14-0 lead for the Hammerheads, the Ruff Riders went on to outscore Corpus Christi, 33-13, through the last three quarters.

Corpus Christi quarterback Michael Bishop, who missed the start of the game after his flight from Houston was delayed because of bad weather, completed five of 22 passes and was picked off twice.

Dunn finished the game with four catches for 114 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Schyler Anderson had two catches for 54 yards and a touchdown.

Running back Redford Borel scored his second rushing touchdown in as many games.

Corpus Christi now hits the road to face longtime rival Odessa Saturday.
Here's your highlights from Dan McReynolds and the rest of our friends at KIII-TV in Corpus Christi...

Week 2: Your Quincy Carter/IFL Update

((HT: Abilene Reporter-News))

Daniel Youngblood's headline: "Omaha Proves Too Beefy" seemed to scare us a little bit...

But in Week Two of the Quincy Carter Experiment, the results weren't as positive...
The Abilene Ruff Riders lost to Omaha 52-46 after sprinting out to a 20-10 lead.

Carter finished 12-for-23 for 170 yards and 5TD's. He also threw one interception and was sacked three times. The Ruff Riders are now 1-1 on the season and have a road game in Corpus Christi for Game 3.

Here's your highlights from ARN-TV and 96.1 FM...

Your Quincy Carter/IFL Update

((HT: Abilene Reporter-News/Greg Jaklewicz))

It's not every day that you hear about a field goal attempt hitting the ceiling...

It happened in Quincy Carter's IFL debut for the Abilene Ruff Riders in their 39-24 win over the Odessa Roughnecks...

Georgia grad Quincy Carter threw four touchdown passes, two each to former Abilene Christian wideouts Jerale Badon and Chris Morris, to lead the Abilene Ruff Riders to a 39-24 win over the Odessa Roughnecks before 3,982 at the Taylor County Coliseum.

It was the season-opening game for both teams and the first win in Abilene franchise history.

"We did some things good on offense," said Carter, who was 18-of-31 for 235 yards. "Early on we were stalling out a little bit but we came out in the second half and put points on the board."

Carter was 3-of-9 before going 37 yards to Badon for the first touchdown in the Abilene team's history. The Ruff Riders played last year in Katy. Abilene led 17-16 early in the second half when the Ruff Riders scored three straight touchdowns, two set up by big defensive plays.

"The defense played strong all night," coach Gerald Dockery said. "At halftime, I told them, 'Don't let up. Come out on fire.'"
An interception and a fumble recovery gave Abilene a chance to add to its 24-16 lead and Carter cashed in both times. Suddenly a one-point game was a 36-16 lead for the Riders. Abilene's lead grew to 39-16 on Nich Pertuit's second field goal of the game before Odessa scored its only second-half touchdown with 5:12 to play, but the Riders ran out the clock with their ensuing possession.

Morris caught six passes for 83 years and Badon four for 91. Badon only joined the team seven days earlier.

"We got into a rhythm tonight," he said of catching two TD passes from Carter.

The first was the bomb that Badon caught in stride crossing into the end zone.

"I always have the first one, every season since I've been playing," Badon said.

Abilene took a 17-13 lead at halftime when Carter faked a run into the line and kept around right end with 3 seconds remaining. His body never made it into the end zone but he held the ball ahead of him to break the plane.

Carter was 9-of-18 in the half for 113 yards, including the 37-yarder to Badon. The Riders had the edge in yards, 145-93. For the game, it was 292-154 in favor of Abilene. The game was slowed by 12 penalties in the half, one that wiped out a Riders touchdown on an interception return by Willis Hogan and another that negated a 25-yard scoring pass by Gile, who was 14-of-24 for 116 yards.

Odessa took the second-half kickoff and cut the Riders' lead to 17-16 on Zeke Arevalo's 19-yard field goal. That score stood for just three plays. Carter went deep to Morris for 22 yards and the Riders began to pull away.

Joey Longoria's interception and a personal foul on the Roughnecks put the ball at the Abilene 24 seconds later and Carter went to Badon again for the TD.

Longoria said the Riders defense stared to play the pass over the middle better. On his interception, linebacker Rico Brooks pressured Gile, who threw high to his receiver.

"The game seemed like it was lagging and something like that happens and everyone jumps up," Longoria said.

Conner fumbled the kickoff and Brandon Henry recovered at midfield for the Riders.

Three plays later, Carter hit Morris crossing left and Morris broke through arm tackles to score and give his team a three-TD lead.

The first Ruff Riders points of franchise history were scored by Pertuit, who hit a 24-yard field goal 10:09 into the season.

The game was marred by an injury to Odessa's Steven Kennedy one play into the second quarter. Kennedy was taken from the field on a stretcher with a right leg injury.

Ruff Riders 39, Roughnecks 24

Odessa 6 7 3 8--24

Abilene 3 14 19 3--39

SCORING

First Quarter
ABI- Nich Pertuit 24 FG 4:51
ODE-Jimmy Conner recovers fumble in end zone (kick failed) 0:37

Second Quarter
ABI Jerale Badon 37 pass from Quincy Carter (Pertuit kick) 14:06
ODE Tony Taylor 1 pass from Dennis Gile (Zeke Arevalo kick) 11:39
ABI-Carter 3 run (Pertuit kick) 0:03

Third Quarter
ODE-Arevalo 19 FG 9:00
ABI Chris Morris 22 pass from Carter (Pertuit kick) 7:01
ABI-Badon 26 pass from Carter (kick failed) 4:56
ABI-Morris 12 pass from Carter (kick failed) 2:33

Fourth Quarter
ABI Pertuit 23 FG 8:11
ODE Torrey Day 3 pass from Gile (Eric Taylor pass from Gile) 5

Key stat
0 Turnovers by the Ruff Riders; Odessa had three, two in the second half that led to Abilene scores.

Key number
1 The jersey number of quarterback Quincy Carter, who threw four touchdown passes in his IFL debut, and the number of wins in Abilene franchise history.

Key play
Joey Longoria's third-quarter interception allowed Abilene to march to a touchdown that gave the Rough Riders a two-score lead (30-16).

Here's your highlights courtesy of the Reporter-News and "96.1 The Wolf"

Abilene Welcomes Quincy Carter ((????))

Greg Jaklewicz of the Abilene Reporter-News has tracked down Quincy Carter...
Abilene, Texas and the Intense Football League

Abilene Ruff Riders coach Gerald Dockery said he hopes the only thing that keeps his new quarterback, Quincy Carter, down this season is a cold.

Carter was a no-show to his tent party Friday outside a local bank, missing the Intense Football League team's announcement that it had signed the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback. The spotlight fell on former Hardin-Simmons receiver Mychal Carrillo, who has signed with the team in hopes of making the final 25-player roster.

You can bet that list will include Carter, which gives the team a marquee player.

"You see Quincy on TV and you see Quincy up close and there's no comparison," coach Gerald Dockery said. "He can throw the ball with amazing accuracy and has a strong NFL arm. With the right season, he has the opportunity to be right back up there."
That could happen during the Ruff Riders' inaugural season, which begins April 6 at home against Odessa.

"At this level, we expect that to happen. That's what we want and we encourage it," Ruff Riders general manager Barney Welch said. "This league allows player to move up. We don't want to encourage lateral moves. But we want them to know that if they play for the Abilene Ruff Riders, maybe they can be the next guy who plays for the Dallas Cowboys."
Carter's been there. He was named starting quarterback for the Cowboys after the retirement of Troy Aikman and played three seasons in Dallas before going to the New York Jets. He also has played one season in the Canadian Football League, Bossier-Shreveport in AF2, another arena league and started the final three games last summer for the Arena Football League's Kansas City Brigade.

Besides his equipment and workout clothes -- Carter already has been in town to work with rookies such as Carrillo at the team's minicamp, Carter also brought personal baggage to Abilene.

On Feb. 27, he was arrested in the Rio Grande Valley for DWI. In the past, he also was in drug rehabilitation.

"We've had conversations about that the past couple of weeks," Welch said. "He told us, 'Yes, I want to be here.' His focus is being a leader of this team. Everyone deserves a second chance. He is grateful and he wants to prove he can move forward."

What got the team and Carter over the hump in negotiations?

"His commitment," Welch said. "He wants to show fans that he is a better person and a better player. So far, he has shown us that."

As for pay, Carter will get the league standard of $200 per game, plus $50 bonus given players on the winning team.

Like other players, he'll also have a weekday job. Welch said businesses have stepped forward with day jobs for players, who then will practice after work and play games on weekends.

Carter will have a job with the Ruff Riders front office, "selling tickets and sponsorships," Welch said. "He's got a history with other teams of doing that and we think he can build relationships in the community."

As for the team's other quarterbacks, Damone Scott and Orrick Watkins, Dockery said they still will be competitive in their workouts.

"If you had Jerry Rice and T.O. in camp, that wouldn't affect Carrillo," Dockery said. "They're not going to let that discourage them. Someone has to be ready to step in, an inexperienced quarterback who understands the game."

Carrillo already has been on the receiving end of Carter passes.

"You hear a lot about guys getting into the league and their work ethic, not working as hard. (Quincy) demands respect in the huddle but he's a down-to-earth guy," said Carrillo, who played at HSU from 2005-2008 after graduating from Sweetwater High. "The quarterback-receiver relationships is a key to a team's success."
Carrillo said Carter anticipates where and when a receiver will be open.

"You'd better get your head around and your hands up or he'll hit you (with the football) in the chest," Carrillo said. "He can put it on the spot or hit you in stride."
Dockery said Carter's arena football experience is limited "but he's picking it up. He knows how to make throws. It's not hard to pick up the concept."

Will Carter be given a chance to run the football?

"We want to use his arm, definitely, but we also want to use his feet," Dockery said. "He said he's 31 years old but has the legs of a 25-year-old. I'll see about that.

"He has been working out at the gym. He said he needed to lose a few pounds but he's ready. I told him what I wanted from him is to dominate, whatever the level."

Carter passed for 6,337 yards in four NFL seasons and rushed for 518 yards. He threw for 32 touchdowns with 37 interceptions.

For Kansas City last year, Carter was 51-of-89 for 575 yards and eight TDs. He had four interceptions.