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NIFL Omaha Beef

Beef notes

May 26, 2004 - National Indoor Football League (NIFL)
Omaha Beef News Release


From the Stands

"What went wrong tonight? The football game." -Mad Cow, Omaha.

"Turnovers were the key in this game. The Bandits got two turnovers, and that was the difference in the score: two possessions." -Tony Payne, Sioux City.

"Sioux City looked awfully good; I was impressed with them from the first drive." -Tim Burk, Dusty Burk's father, Atwood, Illinois.

From the Field

"Their wide receivers are good, and they outplayed us tonight. It's not a big defeat, but we know what we have to do to not lose." -#25, DB Dontae Jones.

"I thought I played decently tonight, but I would gladly trade a decent night for myself with a win for the team." -#2, DB Justin Comstock.

"It felt good to get that win." -#2 for Sioux City, DB Donte Gamble.

"They just stuck me back there tonight, and I paid off with big dividends. I've returned kicks the past three years, but this was the first time this season." -#8 for Sioux City, WR Robert Bailey.

"I had a lot of emotion coming into this one, and I thought we had the better team, but it just didn't happen." -#18, WR Johnny Ostermeyer.

"They beat us; we have no excuses. They played better than we did." -Head Coach Sandy Buda.

Maybe it's something in the water; there's definitely something in the air. Whatever it is, the Beef are still winless after three tries at Sioux City, falling 43-30 to the Bandits last Saturday night in front of a crowd of 3,510 typically hostile Bandit fans. A busload of excited Omaha fans saw their favorite NIFL team's 17-13 halftime lead whittle away to nothing in the second half as the Bandits used a swarming defense to hold the Beef to just 13 points, while the Bandit offense, led by QB Oscar Davenport, was able to hang 30 points on a highly-respected Beef defense. Omaha QB Dusty Burk was 13 of 26 for just 84 yards on the night, including two touchdowns and one interception, and was sacked four times by the Bandits.

"Omaha had big guys up front, so we just had to use our quickness and speed," said #55 for Sioux City, DL Art Maulupe, after the game.

"The Beef offensive line really established a running game, and I was getting concerned that if we couldn't keep it contained, the Beef would control the clock and keep our offense off the field," said Sioux City fan Tony Payne.

It definitely looked like Omaha was going to control the game early, holding onto the ball for over ten minutes in the first quarter. RB Kevin Brown got his toughest yards of the night early, including 14 yards on 3 rushes during a critical second-quarter touchdown drive by the Beef. However, Brown was kept in check by the Bandit defense late in the game, and he ended up with 27 yards on 11 carries for the night. It was QB Dusty Burk who led all rushers in the game, getting 45 yards and one touchdown on just 7 carries. WR A.J. Street once again led all Beef receivers, snagging 6 catches for 46 yards and a touchdown. Steve Lovell caught another four balls for 23 yards and the other touchdown through the air.

The Beefense completely shut down the Sioux City running game, allowing Bandits RB Fred Jackson just 21 yards on 12 carries. "Harris, Johnson, Eakin, and Bauman can really plug up the middle," Tony added.

But Sioux City did most of its damage through the air Saturday night as Davenport went 19 of 29 for 203 yards and 3 touchdowns. Davenport came out looking good thanks to his receiving corps of #8 Robert Bailey and #3 Lucas Green. Bailey caught 8 balls for 65 yards, while Green hauled in 5 catches for 102 yards and 3 touchdowns. Davenport let some ducks fly, but his receivers wanted them more than the Beef defensive backs did. "We gave them three big plays on defense, two where receivers out-jumped us," said coach Buda after the game.

Special teams problems by the Beef also helped the Bandits steal a victory Saturday night. Confusion on the blocking lanes led to big returns by Bailey and DB Donte Gamble. Bailey ripped through the Beef coverage for returns of 36 yards and 27 yards, and Gamble gave the Bandits a short field to work with on a 25-yard return. All three returns led to points on the board for Sioux City, two touchdowns and a field goal.

The most frustrating part of the game for the Beef had to be the number of on-field promotions the Bandits used to disrupt the flow of the game. It seemed like after every play there was somebody on the field throwing something into the stands or having a relay race for some inane prize. Kudos to the Bandits front office for finding a way to slow down the Beef offense. Granted, this isn't an excuse why the Beef lost, but it sure didn't help.

In-Laws Finally Coming to Town

The Billings In-Laws make their first-ever appearance at the Slaughterhouse this week in what looks to be a clash of Pacific Conference titans. Billings dropped to 7-1 in the conference after a 30-21 setback against the red-hot Sioux Falls Storm last week, and the In-Law offense is sure to be in a foul mood after not putting a single point on the board in the second half. Star QB Danny Ragsdale is still supposedly out with an injury, so coach Dan "Magic" Maciejczak pulled a rabbit out of his hat by signing former Beef backup QB Matt LaFleur to his squad late last week. LaFleur went 21 of 36 for 171 yards and 2 touchdowns in the loss to the Storm, but also showed he was a bit rusty on reading coverages by throwing 4 interceptions. Matt proved he is still dangerous as a runner, though, scrambling for 59 yards on 11 attempts for a 5.4 average and 1 touchdown in the loss.

Whoever the quarterback is for the In-Laws, Billings brings one of the most potent offenses in the NIFL into the Slaughterhouse this week. The running game is led by #21, RB Verna Owens (74 attempts, 236 yards, 3.2 average, 11 TD, 29.5 yards/game this season). #4, WR Cory Grow (60 receptions, 625 yards, 10.4 average, 14 TD, 78.1 yards/game) is 2nd in the league in receptions and yards/game, and #14, WR Darwin Pitts (43 receptions, 443 yards, 10.3 average, 5 TD, 63.3 yards/game), is 8th in the league in receptions. #1, WR Jason Quinn (27 receptions, 394 yards, 13.1 average, 9 TD, 56.3 yards/game), makes for a dangerous third receiver.

On defense, the In-Laws are lead by #46, LB Travis Salter (52 solo, 26 assisted, 65.0 total, 6.5 TFL for –16 yards, 2 sacks for –7 yards, 1 INT, 5 fumble recoveries, 1 safety). Salter leads the league in fumbles recovered, and is 3rd in total tackles. The defensive line is anchored by #8, Andy Petek (24 solo, 20 assisted, 34.0 total, 9.5 TFl for –34 yards, 7 sacks for –27 yards), who is 6th in the league for tackles for loss, and 4th in the league for sacks.

Three things stand out for the contest this week:

1. The In-Laws bring the NIFL's most prolific passing attack up against one of the league's best pass-defense teams in the Beef this week. If Omaha can control the line of scrimmage and force the In-Laws quarterback to make mistakes, things will go well for the home team. At the same time, the Beef have to do a better job of protecting their own quarterback and give him time to get the ball downfield.

2. Billings turns the ball over a lot more than the Beef do; if the Beef can cause a deluge of turnovers, they can control the clock.

3. The red zone has sometimes been the twilight zone for Billings; 18 times the In-Laws have gone into the red zone and come away with no points; nine times they have lost the ball on downs, and five times they've been intercepted. A short field doesn't work to the advantage of the In-Laws offense. The Beef in the red zone are nearly unstoppable; coming away with no points just 7 times, and not a single interception.

Instead of making the trip all the way back to Billings, coach Maciejczak has his team staying in Sioux City for the week to avoid the "bus legs" all coaches worry about. The battle between the Beef and the In-Laws is going to be hugely important in determining the seeding for playoffs in the Pacific Conference, so let's all make sure we give Matt and the rest of the Billings In-Laws the great big welcome they deserve at the Slaughterhouse this week!

Halftime entertainment during the Billings game is sure to be just as exciting as the main event when Todd n' Tyler's Z-92 calendar girls go up against the Omaha Beef's very own Prime Dancers in a "friendly" game of football. Rumor has it the NIFL's best dance team isn't too happy with being referred to as "just cheerleaders," so look for the Prime Dancers to mop up the floor with the calendar girls. The early line is the Prime Dancers by 7 points. If Z-92 wanted a football game against the Beef cheerleaders, the Rump Roasters would have to play...

Notes

BEEF FAN TRIPS: The Meatheads are putting together a fan day trip to Lincoln on Friday, June 4th and an overnight trip to Sioux Falls on Saturday, June 19th.

ROAD TRIP

$25 gets you a ride to and from Lincoln, a ticket to the game, and all the fun that goes on when the Meatheads, Jello Scientists, Jerkys, Rump Roasters, and Prime Dancers get on the same bus.

Don't forget about the trip to Sioux Falls on Saturday, June 19th either. The Beef look to wrap up the North Division title against the suddenly life-like Sioux Falls Storm, so come out and support the Beef on their drive to the NIFL championship.

Please call Phyllis & Duane at 402-422-0385 for more information. You may also request additional information by e-mailing paldel@cox.net or check out the website at www.themeatheads.com.

DAY 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!

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: Dawn at the Lincoln Capitols office at 402-477-8888 or e-mail her at lincolncapitols@yahoo.com. Remember – the Meatheads are putting together a day trip for this game.

MILITARY NIGHT – JUNE 12 vs. Wyoming Cavalry. Kickoff is at 7:05 PM. Anyone presenting a Military ID will receive a FREE ticket to the game plus $3 off all additional tickets purchased... no limit. For more information please contact Jen Good, Ticket Manager at jgood@beeffootball.com, or stop by the Omaha Beef Football office at 1907 Harney Street.



National Indoor Football League Stories from May 26, 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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