Anchorage Daily News

Finally, it's all about the game for the Alaska Wild.

After a week of uncertainty, the Wild have their head coach, Hans Deemer, back in time for the biggest game in franchise history, and the game of the year to date in the Intense Football League.

Defending champion and undefeated Louisiana visits Sullivan Arena this afternoon in a battle between two of the top teams in the league.

Alaska is riding a six-game home winning streak dating to last season. The Swashbucklers are a frighteningly potent offensive and staggeringly stingy defensive club.

"They're impressive," quarterback E.J. Nemeth said. "I saw them play when I was down in San Angelo (as a backup QB), and they put a hurtin' on us down there. They're efficient; they move the ball and make plays."

Louisiana averages 74.5 points a game, best in the league. Three times the Swashbucklers have topped 80 points, with a high of 89. They only give up an average of 23.3.

"They're very diverse offensively, they've been putting up a lot of points," Thomas Ford Jr. said. "Defensively they're a pretty similar team as last year's, and they were the No. 1 defense last year.

"We have to give them a lot of respect -- they're the defending champs and they haven't lost a game yet. We have to get over this hump."

But while Louisiana is clearly the class of the league, Alaska isn't the cellar-dweller of a year ago. At home the Wild have been very good, and despite the distractions of the past week insist they will be ready.

"There's no excuses," said defensive coordinator Abe Hernandez, who ran practices while the ownership situation was resolved and Deemer was still fired. "They know that Louisiana is coming. The distractions have been minimal. We're going to go out there and do our best.

"If anything we've worked harder this week, knowing that we're up against a lot of stuff right now. That's a testament to these guys."

Hernandez said that Keith Smith would probably start at quarterback today in an effort to give the Swashbucklers a different look.

Nick Mystrom, who started the first four games, is still on injured reserve with a leg injury. Smith started and won the April 10 game against Fairbanks. Nemeth stepped into the starting role in an April 28 victory against San Angelo.

"We don't want them to read anything we're doing right now," Hernandez said. "We're doing the same thing on defense."

Smith is no stranger to the Swashbucklers. He played on last year's championship team and started both games against the Wild, collecting wins.

Whoever ends up under center -- a platoon situation isn't out of the question, either -- Nemeth likes the Wild's chances.

"I feel good about where we are," he said. "This team coming in is a really good team, and we're really good ourselves. Hopefully we can show them who we are."

Said Ford: "It was nice to have two weeks to prepare for these guys. We got our bodies healthy and everyone that we need to be healthy is healthy. We've been sharp at practice, guys have been really running hard and giving their best effort. We know what's at stake."

Today's game marks the halfway point of the Wild's season. The second half will get tougher -- only two home games against five roadies, though two of those are in Fairbanks.

Find Andrew Hinkelman online at adn.com/contact/ahinkelman or call 257-4335.

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