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The Louisiana Swashbucklers offense has been a nearly unstoppable force all year.

The Fairbanks Grizzlies defense has been the too-movable object.

That’s why head coach John Fourcade decided moves had to be made before the Grizzlies take on the Intense Football League’s top team at 7:05 tonight at the Carlson Center.

The Grizzlies added two defensive backs, two players who could play wide receiver or defensive back and a defensive lineman.

“When you’re 1-7, you’ve got to make some form of move,” Fourcade said. “We figured we’ve got to find some other players. Nothing against the guys that we have, sometimes it’s the combination. The job’s not getting done and we have to shake up our roster.”

The Grizzlies defense enters today’s game ranked sixth in the nine-team league, giving up 237.1 yards per game. Their 6.0 yards allowed per play average is the second most in the league, above only the Katy Rough Riders (6.3).

The Swashbucklers, meanwhile, have been the top offensive team in the league this season. Their 502 points scored is first in the league, as are their 279.7 yards per game and 6.6 yards per play.

“They bring the heat. They bring some players. They’re a well-coached football club,” Fourcade said. “That’s why they won the championship last season. We’ve got to take advantage of every chance we get. We can’t make mistakes and try to beat this team. This team is too good.”

Quarterback Alvin Bartie leads an efficient Swashbucklers offensive attack, throwing for 197.6 yards per game while completing almost 57 percent of his passes. Wideout Shaun Piper has proven to be a playmaker, averaging 16 yards a reception.

“They’ve got a steady QB who’s not making mistakes and they’ve got a big, big line to protect them,” Fourcade said. “They’ve got a bunch of experienced players who’ve played together, won championships.”

To counter that, Fourcade brought in help.

The Grizzlies added defensive backs Daniel Dumas and Derek Zak, two-way players Sydney Dumas — Daniel’s brother — and Darrell Perkins, and linebacker and fullback Ryan Neely.

The Grizzlies also expect to add defensive back Terrel Sutton next week. Sutton, a teacher, played with the Grizzlies during their Texas road trip, but couldn’t come join the team in Fairbanks until the school year ended.

Fourcade said he expects the newcomers to bring more experience and aggressiveness to the Grizzlies defense.

“I’ve been telling our guys all year long that you’ve got to be aggressive in man-to-man, you’ve got to be able to press,” Fourcade said. “I know these guys and they can press.”

Quarterback Bo Bartik knows one of these players well.

Bartik and Zak played college ball at West Georgia University together before Zak transferred to Florida Atlantic.

“He’s a real vocal leader on the defense,” said Bartik, who will play this weekend after missing the last two games with a bulging disc in his neck. “It’s his first opportunity to play professionally. He’s been hurt here and there, and he’s going to take the opportunity he has here and he’s trying to run with it.”

The biggest challenge for the Grizzlies will be trying to get everyone on the same page in time for kickoff.

“I don’t know who’s playing,” Fourcade said. “We’ve only practiced a couple days.”

Fourcade will need strong work out of his secondary, because the defensive line has struggled to pressure the quarterback all season — Shane Tufford leads the team with two sacks. With Louisiana’s strong offensive line, and Bartie doing all his work from deep drops out of the shotgun, pressure should be tougher to come by this weekend.

“Our key, we know they throw from the shotgun. We’ve got to have them make mistakes,” Fourcade said. “We need their center/quarterback exchange go awry. Shane’s got to bring some heat up front. And the next thing is, we need our cover guys to cover. He takes deep drops out of the shotgun. He’s hard to get to.”

The defense has to find a way to step up, though, because the Grizzlies offense won’t find the going too easy, either.

The Swashbucklers have the top defense in the league, too.

“Let’s be honest, the team we’re playing against, they don’t have strangers on this team,” Fourcade said. “They have guys who have played four, five years of arena football. That’s the key to any team in any league, you need experience.”

The Grizzlies hope the experience they’ve added makes the difference tonight.