At first blush, the Fort Dodge football team's rout of Council Bluffs Thomas Jefferson on the road last Friday appeared to be everything head coach Matt Miller wanted from a season opener.

After reviewing the game film and digging a little deeper, though, Miller contended his Dodgers are more of a rough draft than a finished product.

A 44-6 destruction of the Yellow Jackets was obviously satisfactory, but Miller only handed out a ''passing grade'' for his ballclub given its hopes of becoming a legitimate contender in the weeks to come.

Fort Dodge makes its 2009 home debut tonight at Dodger Stadium, hosting Des Moines Roosevelt (0-1 overall) at 7:30 p.m.

''We did some nice things, but also left a lot of points on the field and have a lot of improving to do,'' Miller said after the program's first Week 1 victory since 2005. ''The coaches are telling our kids that if we don't take care of business (this evening), all of the positives from the TJ game will more or less be erased.

''Now definitely isn't the time to get over-confident. I think the kids will react well (to their early success) and concentrate on getting better week by week. We definitely had a solid overall effort (in Council Bluffs), but it was a lot closer to a B or a C (grade) than an A.''

Fort Dodge forced eight turnovers against the Yellow Jackets, saw junior tailback Jontel Clayton rush for a career-high 225 yards, and held Thomas Jefferson under 100 yards on the ground until the final drive of the game.

On the other hand, the Dodgers completed only two passes, struggled mightily with penalties and didn't have to prove they could string together many sustained drives. FDSH's first five possessions started inside the TJ 30-yard line and junior speedster Darreus Caston had a 92-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, which accounted for 31 of the team's 44 total points.

''We have to be more consistent, and it starts with cleaning up the foolish penalties,'' Miller said. ''It's one thing to get called for holding or pass interference - that happens in football. It's another to take as many five-yarders (false starts, illegal procedure, delay of game, etc.) as we did, especially in the second half when we kind of lost our focus and intensity.

''If this group wants to succeed at a high level - like any team - it has to start by controlling the controllables. I'm optimistic we'll see a more crisp performance in front of the home crowd, which the kids are anxious to see.''

Roosevelt dropped its debut contest at Sioux City East last Friday, 46-21. Black Raider quarterback Ben Moes threw for 297 yards and five touchdowns in his first varsity start, mostly finding all-state receiver Quentin James (199 yards, four TDs). The Roughriders, who were 1-8 a year ago, did register 365 yards of total offense in defeat, with tailback Dallas Monk running for 121 yards and quarterback Tajh Washington adding 96.

Monk and Washington were regulars on last season's Roosevelt squad, which was beaten by the Dodgers at Drake Stadium, 24-7.

''They present a whole new set of challenges for us,'' Miller said. ''Monk and Washington are both talented and experienced athletes. We'll see how our kids respond, because they have the capability of stringing a lot of big plays together.''

The FDSH defense pinned its ears back and attacked the Yellow Jackets in the opener. Senior linebacker Cole Clarken had two interceptions and two fumble recoveries, including one for a score. Junior Levi Porter pounced on a pair of fumbles as well.

''The plan is to be aggressive again this week,'' Miller said. ''We watched tape of the East game, and it looks like (the Roughriders) are a lot better than they were a year ago, so we have to be smart when we take our chances.''

The Dodgers will be without the services of offensive lineman Sam Linde, who has an injured MCL and may miss the rest of the season. Juniors Ethan Bartlett and Porter will tag-team the right guard spot in Linde's absence.

Junior fullback Austin Sherman is expected to return. Junior linebacker Connor Morain (back) is still out.

Fort Dodge will also lift the curtain on its revamped 3-5-3 defensive scheme, with only Alex Herrington, Grant Forsythe and Porter on the line of scrimmage. Seniors Clarken and Dallas Rogers join juniors Will Kenny, Mark Wilson and Bartlett as linebackers.

Contact Eric Pratt at (515) 573-2141, or by e-mail at sports@messengernews.net