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NIFL Omaha Beef

Beef notes

May 14, 2004 - National Indoor Football League (NIFL)
Omaha Beef News Release


From the Stands

"It was marvelous; we won." -Phyllis Liebsack, Ralston.

"It was awesome. I love it when the Beef stomp their opponents." -Scott Harrison, Omaha.

From the Field

"Defensively, we had some missed plays and reads, but overall we did good and came out with the victory." -#32, defensive back Mike Leach.

"I am glad to be here. The guys on the team are awesome, and the crowd is great. What more could you ask for?" -#18, wide receiver Johnny Ostermeyer.

"That is one heck of a defensive line, and (Dwayne) Harris is one heck of a football player." -#8 for Tri-City, quarterback Alex Neist.

"My hats off to the Beef; they did a heck of a job and won the game soundly. The Slaughterhouse is a tough place to play." -Tri-City Head Coach Robert Fuller.

"Our offense played a much better game, and no sacks tonight." -Omaha Head Coach Sandy Buda.

Oh what a difference a month can make. Four weeks ago, the Beef were reeling from a loss at the Diesel Dome in Kearney and looking for a healthy quarterback. Diesel running back Wes Cates ran roughshod over the Beefense, and Tri-City's defensive line was still sacking Beef quarterbacks in their sleep. It was a nightmare for the guys in black and silver.

Last Saturday night at the Slaughterhouse, the tables were turned on the Diesel. League-leading rusher Wes Cates was held to just 33 yards against the Beef, more than fifty yards below his average. "It sure does help an awful lot to have some semblance of a running game," coach Fuller grumbled afterwards. "Wes didn't have a whole lot of yards on the ground tonight, and that was due to Omaha's defensive line getting after us." Dwayne Harris, Bryan Eakin, and Richard "Big Sexxy" Johnson not only kept Cates in check on the night, but also put an enormous amount of pressure on Diesel quarterback Alex Neist. Neist had to spend much of last Saturday night running for his life. "Harris hit us all night long, and that really changed some of the things we were trying to do," said Fuller. Harris was credited with four quarterback hurries, a sack, and two other tackles for losses on the night. Johnson and Eakin provided two more quarterback hurries each, and Johnson also pulled Neist down for a 9-yard sack. Neist threw for 209 yards and three touchdowns on the night, but nothing came easy for the rookie quarterback.

In contrast, Omaha's offensive line didn't let the Diesel get even a whiff of Beef quarterbacks. "Damien Bauman, Cody Beguin, and Dan Potmesil played great for us tonight," coach Buda said. "We put them up against the guy that killed us last time, Leif Murphy. He didn't get a sack tonight."

Things didn't start out all peaches and cream for the Beef, though. Diesel back Demetrius Ross picked off quarterback Dusty Burk's first pass attempt of the game. With Tri-City unable to move the ball, Ezequi Arevalo's long field goal try was short, and Steve Lovell electrified the 3,340 fans with a 57-yard touchdown return. "We didn't do a good job of maintaining our lanes of coverage on that field goal return, and Steve did what he's been doing for years, returning missed field goals for touchdowns. He's a heck of a player," said Fuller after the game.

The score was 16-14 in favor of the Diesel late in the first half when new Beef wide receiver Johnny Ostermeyer finally got his first pass completion in a Beef uniform, a 12-yard toss from co-quarterback Kahil Jones. Ostermeyer followed it up with his first Beef touchdown reception two plays later, a 30-yard strike from Jones. "It was awesome," said Ostermeyer. The Beef took a 21-19 lead into the locker room at halftime.

The Beef added four more touchdowns on consecutive drives in the second half, including a 26-yard pass completion from Dusty Burk to a wide-open Doug Bargman in the fourth quarter. "I basically just got lost behind the defense. Dusty rolled the pocket back the other way, and that took all the focus off of me," a happy Bargman said after the game. A.J. Street also caught a 27-yard touchdown from Burk in the second half, and finished the game with 3 catches for 43 yards and the one touchdown. Tri-City wasn't able to overcome the second half scoring onslaught by the Beef, and the final score was 49-42 in favor of the home team. Omaha moved to 5-2 with the win, including 4-0 at home this season. "We don't want to lose at home; we want to try and keep getting as many wins at home not only for the fans and the division championship, but to help in seeding for the playoffs," said Buda after the game. "Now is the time to do that."

War out West

"Now is also the time for us to get a big win on the road," Buda also said after the Tri-City game. He's talking about this weekend's game in Salt Lake City, Utah, as the Beef take on the Utah Warriors in a rematch of last season's Pacific Conference Championship. The Warriors came into the Slaughterhouse and handed Omaha a disappointing home loss in that game, and the Beef are looking to return the favor this weekend. "I haven't seen any film on them yet, but they're 5-3 right now. They've got about 20 Division I players on their team, and when you look at their roster, you say, ‘Wow.' They are a capable football team."

This will be the Beef's first visit to the E-Center, and the surroundings will feel familiar to them. "We've got a good set of fans here in Utah, it's a very Raider-esque atmosphere," said Utah Head Coach Lee Leslie in an interview this week. "We've got loud fans that really get into it with the face painting and everything; it's a lot like Omaha."

The Warriors are led by rookie quarterback Doug Smith. Smith has completed 98 of 165 passes for 1,313 yards (187.6/game average) and 29 touchdowns, with 8 interceptions on the season. "He's been having a good year for us," coach Leslie said. Smith's top two wide receivers are Emmett White (34 receptions, 437 yards, 12 touchdowns, 54.6 yards/game) and fellow rookie Mike Rigell (19 receptions, 296 yards, 6 touchdowns, 49.3 yards/game). The running game is led by former University of Utah running back and Warrior mainstay Omar Bacon (96 attempts, 302 yards, 15 touchdowns, 37.8 yards/game), who is just as versatile catching the ball out of the backfield (21 receptions, 211 yards, 5 touchdowns, 26.4 yards/game). "I think Omar's having an even better year this year for us," coach Leslie added. The Warriors offense can move the ball (245 yards/game, fourth in the NIFL) and put some points on the board (52.0/game).

Utah's defense is led by LB Bart Amundsen (31 solo tackles, 37 assists, 49.5 total), an NIFL veteran out of Southern Utah. "Bart controls the run pretty well for us, so we've been able to fatten up a bit on defensive backs this year," said coach Leslie. That includes signing DB Antwoine Sanders just last week. Sanders, a former University of Utah star, was most recently in camp with the San Francisco 49'ers

If there's one thing about Omaha coach Leslie is worried about, it the Beef defense. "They're awesome, from the line to the backs." To counter the Beef pass rush, coach Leslie has added 6-7, 330-pound OL Dustin Rykert. Rykert, a standout at BYU for three years, was drafted by the Oakland Raiders.

Utah has lost at Billings (30-40), at Sioux City (27-50), and at home to Wyoming (49-51) so far this season. Beating the Warriors at home won't be an insurmountable hill for the Beef to climb, but they'll have their work cut out for them. A couple of things stand out for the Warriors:

• They're 19th in the NIFL with a –0.38/game turnover margin, while the Beef are 3rd best in the league with a +1.14/game.

• Utah is 23rd in total defense, giving up 263.1 yards/game; Omaha is 8th, giving up just 192.4 yards/game.

• The Warriors are next to last in the league in pass defense, giving up over 200 yards a game through the air; the Beef have the NIFL's best pass defense. Will the Riverboat Gambler find the Warrior secondary to be just too tempting a target to pass up?

• Utah has only four sacks on the season, but Omaha has allowed a league-high 15 sacks; can the Beef offensive line turn in another great performance like it did against the Diesel last week?

The game against the Utah Warriors can be heard live on KHLP 1420 AM, with the voice of the Omaha Beef, Jim Kelter. Pre-game will air at 7:50 PM Omaha time, with the game to immediately follow.

Notes

ROAD TRIP TO SIOUX FALLS: Fans, don't forget about the upcoming bus trip to Sioux Falls on Saturday, June 19th. Call the office and let Jennifer know how many seats you want on the bus to see the Beef take on the revitalized Storm. This game could determine the Pacific North Division champion, so let's go up and cheer on the Beef! Money is not due until the week before the trip, so make a reservation now!

OTHER BEEF FAN TRIPS: MEATHEADS BUS TRIPS. The Meatheads are putting together fan day trips to Lincoln on Friday, June 4th, Sioux City on Saturday, May 22nd and an overnight trip to Sioux Falls on Saturday, June 19th. Please call Phyllis & Duane at 402-422-0385 for more information. You may also request additional information by e-mailing paldel@cox.net.

HOTEL ACCOMODATIONS FOR SHOW ME BELIEVERS GAME: For the Saturday, June 26 trip to the Show Me Believers the team will be staying at the Travelodge, 2781 I-70 South Service Road, St. Charles, Missouri 63303. The phone number for the hotel is 636-949-8700.

TICKETS FOR GAME IN LINCOLN - The Lincoln Capitols are offering all Omaha Beef fans an $8.00 ticket for our game at Pershing Center on Friday, June 4th. Please contact: Michael Barrett, Lincoln Capitols Account Executive at 402-477-8888 or e-mail him at Mbarrettlc@aol.com. Remember – the Meatheads are putting together a day trip for this game.



National Indoor Football League Stories from May 14, 2004


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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