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NIFL Omaha Beef

Beef Show St. Charles Who\'s Boss

July 9, 2004 - National Indoor Football League (NIFL)
Omaha Beef News Release


The Omaha Beef finished strong in their final game of regular season play against the Show Me Believers June 26 in St. Charles, Missouri. With their offense suffering from star running back James Johnson's injuries and LeAndre Moore absent from the field, Beef Coach Sandy Buda recruited co-owner of the Beef and former Nebraska football star Damon Benning and former University of Nebraska at Omaha quarterback Josh Luedtke. Both were on the team's 30-man roster and, due to the injured offense and looming playoff games, were asked to suit up and play for the Beef.

Benning and Luedtke fell right back into the routine of things. The game started with a couple rushes by James Johnson, followed by an eight-yard Dusty Burk pass complete to Doug Bargman and a successful Chace Long Kick to bring Omaha to 7-0. Failed passes by Show Me's quarterback Justin Peery left Omaha on their own 11-yard line. Damon Benning took over for Omaha's offense, catching a 27-yard Burk pass and almost rushing for a touchdown before fumbling the ball, which was recovered by Show Me's Andy Peterson. Peterson ran the ball in for a touchdown, bringing the score to 7-7.

After a rough last game against Sioux Falls, Beef quarterback Dusty Burk stepped up his game and fired a 14-yard pass to Steve Lovell, followed by a 26-yard pass to A.J. Street for a quick touchdown to give Omaha the lead, 14-7. Unsuccessful passing attempts by Peery and a couple small rushes by running back Ricky Brown left St. Charles stalled at the end of the first quarter, trailing Omaha 7-14.

The second quarter proved to be more successful for the Show Me Believers. An incomplete pass and two consecutive Dusty Burk sacks left Chace Long with a long 56-yard field goal attempt, which finished wide. St. Charles' offense took over with a nine-yard rush by Brown, followed by a 20-yard pass to Mike Lawrence, leaving the Believers at the Omaha 16. A 14-yard Lawrence rush left Justin Peery in the position he needed and St. Charles tied the score 14-14.

With 8:41 left in the second, a couple of minor gains by Omaha put them in scoring position. A 30-yard successful field goal by Chace Long once again gave Omaha the lead. But St. Charles wasn't finished yet. A 20-yard kick return by Mike Lawrence and a 30-yard pass to D. Deshields was all St. Charles needed to give them the lead, 21-17.

Josh Luedtke then tried his hand as quarterback for the Beef, completing two passes to Benning and a three-yard rush. A failed third-down pass to Street left Chace Long within kicking range, completing a 24-yard kick to leave Omaha behind 20-21. A couple botched passes and fumbled rushes by St. Charles left them scoreless at the end of the second half, leaving the score 21-17, St. Charles.

The Omaha defense came out strong at the start of the second half. Three consecutive incomplete passes by Peery and a big seven-yard sack by Richard Johnson left Omaha with the ball on the Show Me's 14-yard line. A James Johnson rush and an 11-yard Burk pass complete to A.J. Street gave Omaha the lead, 27-21. But St. Charles answered back with more Justin Peery passes to tie the score for the third time that game. Two Damon Benning rushes and a 40-yard Burk pass to J. Ostermeyer gave Omaha the quick lead, 34-27. That was followed by a 45-yard Peery pass complete to Scott Pingel to bring Show Me within one point.

Damon Benning once again proved he was an asset to the Beef when he put Dusty Burk in scoring position to complete an eight-yard pass to Steve Lovell, giving Omaha the 41-33 lead going into the fourth quarter.

A 43-yard return by Benning started off the fourth and a Burk pass complete to Johnson sealed the deal. More unsuccessful passing attempts left St. Charles just short of a touchdown, giving position back to Omaha. Benning, a former Orange Bowl all-star, let his talent speak for itself after three rushes and a 31-yard pass complete to A.J. Street brought Omaha to 55-39.

Show Me went on to score their final touchdown after Peery completed three consecutive passes to leave St. Charles trailing 47-55.

The Beef went on to score only once more, by a Johnson rush, followed by a successful Long kick to give Omaha the win, 62-47.

Damon Benning led the team in rushing with 13 carries for 42 yards. Benning also led in receiving, with 4 receptions for 39 yards, followed by A.J. Street, who finished with three receptions for 70 yards and three touchdowns. In addition, Benning had two kickoff returns for 45 yards. Chace Long finished with two field goals in four attempts.

Defensively, Justin Comstock led the team with nine solo tackles and one tackle for loss, followed by Charles Verdone, with 8.5 tackles and one interception to help the Beef win their final game before post-season play.

Scouting Sioux City

In the upcoming playoff game this Saturday against Sioux City, the Omaha Beef finds themselves in a great deal of uncertainty. The Beef and the Bandits have split the last two games, with Omaha winning the first 38-26 and Sioux City the second, 43-30. Statistically, Sioux City has the offensive advantage with the Beef's offense struggling late in the season, currently ranked 11th in passing offense and 12th in rushing. However, the Beef defense remains the team's strong suit, ranked 5th in scoring defense and boasting some of the best players in the NIFL.

Fred Jackson is the leading running back for the Bandits. Currently ranked fifth in the league, Jackson has rushed for 734 yards in 190 attempts and averages 61.2 yards per game. In addition, the 6-0, 205-pound running back has tallied 23 touchdowns this season alone. Jackson is also leading the team in scoring, with 142 points. The Bandits will look to quarterback Oscar Davenport to lead the team's passing attack. Davenport is ranked eighth in the league in passing yards, with 2,222. He has completed 193 passes in 259 attempts and has thrown for 41 touchdowns. He is also leading the Bandits in total offense, with 2,335 total yards and averages 166.8 total yards a game. Lucas Green is the go-to wide receiver that Davenport will be looking for. Green is ranked second in the NIFL in receiving yards per game, averaging 69.4. This season alone he has recorded 971 yards in just 64 receptions and has recorded 22 touchdowns. Donte Gamble will be returning kickoffs for the team. Gamble has amassed 884 yards on 45 returns, with a long of 50.

Abrian Stovall is the leading defender for the Bandits. He is ranked 15th in the NIFL in tackles, with 75.5, and has recorded 3.5 sacks and 13.5 tackles for a loss of 53 yards. The former University of Nebraska at Omaha linebacker has caused five quarterback hurries and two pass breakups in addition to picking off two interceptions. Marcus Washington follows Stovall with 51.5 tackles and two interceptions, and Donte Gamble, with 44.5 tackles.

The first face-off between the Beef and the Bandits took place April 3. The Beef prevailed over Sioux City 38-26 in what turned out to be a defense-dominated game. The Beef's defense held the Bandit's quarterback, Oscar Davenport, to only 143 yards on the night, with just two touchdown passes and Omaha's own Justin Comstock providing two interceptions. With only 4:17 left in the game, newcomer Doug Bargman caught a 35-yard Troy Travis pass, giving Omaha the lead 36-26. To top off the victory, Richard Johnson nailed Davenport in the end zone, sealing the deal for Omaha. For Sioux City, Fred Jackson led the rushing offense, with 34 yards and a touchdown. Davenport went only 10-27 on the night and Lucas Green led the receivers, with three receptions for 77 yards and one touchdown. Defensively, Abrian Stovall dominated the Bandit's defense with 11 total tackles and two tackles for loss.

Omaha's Donavon LaViness led the defense with nine tackles and one tackles for loss, while Richard Johnson finished with 4.5 total tackles and the lone sack of the game. Kevin Brown finished the night with 13 carries for a gain of 37 rushing yards, with one touchdown. Troy Travis completed 12-23 passes on the night, throwing for 133 yards. Receivers A.J. Street and Steve Lovell led receivers. Street ended the night with 50 yards in five receptions, while Lovell managed 27 yards in three.

Sioux City was granted sweet revenge the second time the Beef and the Bandits faced off this season. The Bandits scored 30 points in the second half alone to give Sioux City the win over the Beef, 43-30.

A 20-yard Chace Long field goal turned out to be the only points on the board for the entire first quarter. The Beef defense held the Bandits scoreless until the second quarter when an Oscar Davenport pass complete to Lucas Green gave them their first lead. The teams were neck and neck until the middle of the fourth quarter when Sioux City's Abiran Stovall intercepted a Dusty Burk pass at the Sioux City 14. A successful 47-yard field goal by Chace Long and a Burk pass complete to Steve Lovell brought the score to 30-37 but it would not be enough. The Bandits scored again with 48 seconds remaining to end the game 30-43, Sioux City.

This time around, if the Beef defense manages to contain Bandit's quarterback Oscar Davenport and the offense can live up to their Show Me Believer's performance, Omaha just may find themselves in the second round of the NIFL playoffs.

Beef Stampeding Into the Playoffs

Currently the number 4 seed, Omaha will host the number 5 seed, Sioux City, this upcoming Saturday (July 10) at the Civic Auditorium. Seeds 1 and 2, the Sioux Falls Storm and the Billings Outlaws, will receive byes the first week of play, while the number 3 seed, the Tri-City Diesel, will visit the number 6 seed, the Utah Warriors. After each round, the lowest seeded team will be reseeded to face the highest seeded team.

News & Notes

JULY 10 POST GAME PARTY – ICE HOUSE Join Players, Coaches, Prime Dancers, & Rump Roasters at the Ice House Sports Bar located at 108th & Maple Street after the game Saturday night! Present your ticket stub and receive ½ priced pizzas. There is a $5.00 Cover and $1.00 draws & well drinks all night long.

PLAYOFF TICKETS Playoff tickets are available by contacting Jen Good, Ticket Manager at 346-2333 or jgood@beeffootball. Or, purchase tickets at any TicketMaster location, on-line at www.ticketmaster.com or charge by phone at 422-1212.

PLAYOFF PICTURE – GAMES THIS WEEKEND ATLANTIC CONFERENCE: �� Atlantic City CardSharks at Lexington Horsemen, Saturday, July 10 @ 7:30 PM – Rupp Arena �� Show Me Believers at Fort Wayne Freedom, Sunday, July 11 @ 7:00 PM – Allen County War Memorial Coliseum PACIFIC CONFERENCE: �� Tri-City Diesel at Utah Warriors, Friday, July 9 @ 7:00 PM – E-Center �� Sioux City Bandits at Omaha Beef, Saturday, July 10 @ 7:05 PM – Omaha Civic Auditorium

WHERE WE GO IF WE WIN ON SATURDAY... Tri-City travels to Utah for the other game in the Pacific Conference this weekend. If Omaha wins and Tri-City wins, the Beef will travel to Sioux Falls next weekend. If Omaha wins and Utah wins, the Beef will travel to Billings next weekend.



National Indoor Football League Stories from July 9, 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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