John Mamerow knows a thing or two about what ingredients are needed for a winning football team recipe.

After all, as a take-no-prisoners right guard, Mamerow helped the Racine Raiders win three national championships during his career from 1987-1993.

Mamerow will be the first to admit that physical talent is the overriding factor in winning a championship.

But he also knows from his championship experiences that you can't overlook the emotional and psychological aspects.

"You have to believe in yourself," said Mamerow, now in his second season as the Raiders head coach. "On those (championship) teams, when we stepped onto the field, we felt nobody was going to beat us. We had that mind-set.

"We did whatever it took to win the game. I can't remember anyone being selfish. We were a unit.

"Hopefully, we will have those same things with our team now."

The Raiders should get a good idea if they are national championship caliber Saturday night. That's when they play their first North American Football League game of the 2009 season.

The Raiders will host the Dubuque (Iowa) Bruisers at Horlick Field. Kickoff is 7 p.m.

The Bruisers, like the Raiders, are 2-0 overall. In both of their victories, they annihilated their opponents.

The Bruisers defeated the Bridge City Knights 38-18 and the Minnesota Maulers 59-2.

In both victories, Dubuque quarterback Javar Jackson was sensational. He threw three touchdown passes and ran for two more touchdowns against Bridge City.

Against Minnesota, Jackson completed 27-of-43 attempts for 429 yards and seven touchdown passes.

"We'll have to contain him," Mamerow said.

While Mamerow is concerned about Jackson & Co., he is more concerned about his own team and blending in several newcomers with established veterans.

The fact that many of the first-year Raiders played at the collegiate level has made things easier, Mamerow said.

"We have a lot of good athletes and they know the game," Mamerow said. "That's very important and that's nice part of this year versus last year.

"We have more guys on the team with college experience, so we could get right to it and run plays and implement our schemes.

"Last year, we had to do a lot more coaching."

On paper, the Raiders, who are coming off a bye weekend after defeating the Kilbourn City Hawks 87-7, seem well fortified at most of the positions.

That doesn't mean all the starting spots are etched in stone, though. The Raiders have some heated competition at several spots, including quarterback.

Mamerow said Ron Ricciardi will open at quarterback against Dubuque, with Virgil McNeil waiting in the wings.

"We'll start Ron and see what he does and go from there," Mamerow said. "Ron's a very smart quarterback and he's very passionate about the game. He also has a great work ethic.

"But we're not going to count anybody out yet at that position. Virgil has experience; he's been around the league and he's very knowledgeable about the game, too."

While Mamerow loves the talent and depth at the quarterback position - reserves Stephen Jackson and Chris Walsh are intriguing prospects - Mamerow feels equally good about his running back corps.

That group includes Bryan Jennings Jr., J.R. Taylor, Dante Washington, Demetrius Thompson, Eric Ervin and LeRoy McFadden.

"All of those guys can carry the ball and get the job done," Mamerow said. "It's a good situation for us. We have a lot of good backs so we can alternate them and keep them fresh."

Mamerow has plenty of weapons at his disposal. How well that abundance of talent meshes will ultimately determine whether the Raiders can achieve their ultimate goal this season, and that's completing their season with a national championship in Atlanta.

So far, Mamerow likes what he sees of his team.

"I'm sure there'll be some turmoil at some points in the season," Mamerow said. "But as long as we have same goal things will take care of themselves."

Obviously, Mamerow is hoping his team will take care of business against the Bruisers, a NAFL newcomer.

"We're excited about getting going and playing at Horlick Field in front of our fans," Mamerow said. "We're looking forward to just seeing how good we are."

Dubuque at Racine

WHAT: Racine Raiders (2-0 overall and 0-0 NAFL) vs. Dubuque (Iowa) Bruisers (2-0, 0-0 NAFL).

WHEN: 7 p.m., Saturday

WHERE: Horlick Field.

LAST WEEK: The Raiders had a bye. They are coming off an 87-7 victory over the Kilbourn City Hawks. It was the 500th win in Raiders' history.

LAST MEETING: This will be the first game ever between the teams.

TICKETS: Prices are $8 for adults; $6 for senior citizens and $4 for students.

RADIO: The game will be broadcast live on WRJN (1400 AM). Joe Mooney will provide the play-by-play with John Wosyk doing the color commentary. Don Wadewitz will conduct interviews and provide game analysis.