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NIFL Omaha Beef

Beef Squeak by Cavalry

June 17, 2004 - National Indoor Football League (NIFL)
Omaha Beef News Release


The Beef and the Cavalry locked horns Saturday night in what turned out to be a close game up until the very end. Wyoming started the night with a bang when Joel Longoria intercepted a Dusty Burk pass and returned the ball for a 26-yard touchdown. Cavalry kicker Trey Ransom sealed the point-after attempt, bringing the score to 0-7 less than three minutes into the first quarter. But the Beef fired back when LeAndre Moore returned a 44-yard Ransom kick to give James Johnson the field position he needed. Johnson received a seven-yard pass from Dusty Burk and ran in the touchdown. Chace Long's point-after attempt was good to tie the score. The Cavalry answered with a 33-yard pass to Eric Nelson and another point-after attempt by Trey Ransom. After a few incomplete Burk passes, Long stepped in with a 35-yard field goal, bringing the Beef within 4 points.

It was Wyoming's turn once again after standout quarterback Matt Strand completed a 22-yard pass to Eric Nelson giving Wyoming the biggest lead they would have on the night. Long completed another field goal to edge Wyoming 20-17 at the end of the first quarter.

The Beef came out running at the start of the second quarter after Dontae Jones recovered a blocked Ransom field goal in the Wyoming end zone for a touchdown. Long's kick was good, giving Omaha their first lead of the game, 24-20. Wyoming answered back with a touchdown pass to Charlie Ricks. Omaha tied the game after another Chace Long field goal, making the score 27-27 with 6:06 left in the second quarter. Charles Verdone then picked off a Strand pass, his seventh interception of the season, giving Burk a chance to complete a 23-yard pass to Steve Lovell for a touchdown. The remainder of the second quarter left both teams stalled, with Omaha edging the Cavalry at the half, 33-27.

Omaha clenched the lead in the third quarter after a 52-yard missed field goal and was returned by Justin Comstock to put the Beef in the perfect scoring position. LeAndre Moore drove the ball home for a touchdown, followed by a Long kick to bring the Beef to 40-27. And things just got better for the Beef. After Dontae Jones picked off a Strand pass at Omaha's 24-yard line, James Johnson took over and rushed twice for a total of 11 yards. Dusty Burk then completed a pass to Steve Lovell, sealing the deal 47-27. But Wyoming hadn't given up yet. A couple of passes by Matt Strand and a Beef penalty gave the Cavalry the opportunity for a Charlie Ricks touchdown to end the third quarter, reducing Omaha's lead to 47-34.

After a couple incomplete passes in the fourth, Dusty Burk scrambled for a four-yard touchdown, followed by another successful Long kick. But then it seemed the Beef lost some of their exuberance. Matt Strand led the offensive attack against the tiring Beef defense to bring his team within just eight points. Feeling the pressure, a field goal by Long gave the Beef a slightly larger lead, but Wyoming stepped up to the challenge. Another touchdown pass by Matt Strand gave the Cavalry the 54-53 lead with only 1:49 left in the game. Yellow flags were flying as both teams were plagued by penalties in the remaining minutes of the game. After incomplete passes and two sacks against the Beef, it almost looked like the Beef would lose a game that just about everyone in the Civic Auditorium thought would be an easy win. Finally, with only 29 seconds remaining on the clock, Omaha's hero, Chace Long, ran onto the field and nailed a 27-yard field goal to clench the win, prevailing over the Cavalry 56-54.

Long finished the game having made five field goals on only six attempts, tying his record for the Beef and in the league. Dusty Burk led the Beef in passing with 15 completions on 25 attempts, throwing for 153 yards and three touchdowns. Steve Lovell was the Beef's top receiver, with nine receptions for a total of 86 yards and two touchdowns. Justin Comstock proved once again that he is one of the best in the league at returning missed field goals when he ran back a 52-yard return, his second in as many attempts.

For the Cavalry, Matt Strand dominated the offense, completing 17 passes of 34 for 206 yards and six touchdowns. Eric Nelson led the Cavalry receivers, with five receptions for 80 yards and two touchdowns. C. Abercrombie led all players defensively, with eight total tackles and one tackle for loss. Joel Longoria and Kuma Hatten both finished with 5 tackles for the Cavalry and Longoria managed the only interception for the team.

Donavon LaViness was the top Beef defender on the night, recording six tackles and one tackle for loss. Charles Verdone finished the night with his seventh interception of the season, ranking him third in the league, and 5.5 tackles.

Stampeding Their Way Into the Playoffs

After a win over the Cavalry Saturday night, the Beef are in prime position to be a playoff contender in the NIFL. Omaha is currently ranked fourth in the Pacific Conference, with this weekend's opponent, Sioux Falls, ranked third. The top six teams in both the Atlantic and Pacific Conference will enter post-season play. In the Atlantic Conference, the Houma Bayou Bucks lead with their 9-2 record, followed by Ohio Valley Greyhounds (9-3), Show Me Believers (8-4), Tupelo FireAnts (7-4), Lexington Horsemen (7-4) and the Beaumont Drillers (7-5). In the Pacific Conference, the Billings Outlaws lead with a 9-2 record, followed by the Tri-City Diesel (10-3), Sioux Falls Storm (9-3), Omaha Beef (8-4), Sioux City Bandits (7-5) and Utah Warriors (5-7). For the Conference quarterfinals, set to be held July 9-10, the number 1 and 2 seeds will receive byes during the first week of playoffs. The number 6 seed will play at the number 3 seed, while the number 5 seed will play at number 4. For the Conference semi-finals, the top two seeds will host the winners of the contests after the teams are reseeded. July 23-24 will be the Conference Finals, with July 30-31 being a bye week and August 6-7 the NIFL Championship game.

If Omaha were to begin playoffs today with their current 8-4 record, they would enter as the number four seed and host the Pacific Conference quarterfinals in the Civic, playing the number five seed, the Sioux City Bandits. However, if Omaha were to win this weekend's game against the Sioux Falls Storm, their record would improve to 9-4, while Sioux Falls, currently ranked number 3, would drop to number 4 with a 9-4 record. In that case, Omaha will once again host the Conference quarterfinals in the Civic, facing off with the number 6 team, currently Utah Warriors. But, if Omaha loses to the Sioux Falls Storm this weekend, their record would change to 8-5, while Sioux Falls' record would improve to 10-3. Sioux Falls would then be a contender for the number 2 spot, while Omaha would remain at number 4, still hosting the number 5 seed.

With endless possibilities, Omaha's fate hangs in the balance. But a win against Sioux Falls would put the Beef in the perfect position to take the NIFL playoffs head on.

Playoff Format

The top six teams in both the Atlantic and Pacific Conference will enter post-season play, with seeding based on overall record.

The Number 1 and 2 seeds will receive byes during the first week of the playoffs as the Number 6 seed will play at Number 3, and the Number 5 seed will play at Number 4. The following week, the two top seeds will host the winners of the contests after being reseeded.

Playoffs will be tentatively scheduled as followed: • Week 1: July 9-10 Conference Quarter-Finals • Week 2: July 17-18 Conference Semi-Finals • Week 3: July 23-24 Conference Finals • Week 4: Bye Week • Week 5: August 6-7 NIFL Championship Game

ANY GAME 2004 POST SEASON GAME HOSTED BY OMAHA BEEF FOOTBALL WILL BE PLAYED ON THE SATURDAY DATE.

Beef Prepare for a Storm

As the weekend quickly approaches, the Beef are preparing themselves for what may be one of the most important games to date. With the playoffs looming, the Beef are looking to hang the Sioux Falls Storm out to dry, bumping themselves up to the number 3 seed in the Pacific Conference.

In their last meeting, the Beef hosted Sioux Falls and defeated the storm 41-14. A big quarterback sack by Brian Eakin and Damien Bauman on the first play of the game set the tone for the night. Omaha's defense continued to dominate the Storm's highly praised offense, holding quarterback Rich Fuentes to just 6 of 14 for 79 yards and five interceptions. Charles Verdone finished with six tackles and two interceptions, Damien Bauman had four sacks and Brian Eakin with four tackles and three sacks.

On the other hand, Omaha's offense faired the storm. Then Beef quarterback Troy Travis finished 17-28 on the night, throwing for a total of 138 yards and two touchdowns. Kevin Brown captured four receptions for 62 yards, while Steve Lovell contributed 43 receiving yards.

However, Sioux Falls has improved drastically since their March 13 meeting with the Beef. Their starting quarterback, Rich Fuentes, ended his season April 16 due to an Achilles injury. His brother, Jose has since taken over quarterback duties. He has completed 79 passes of 124 attempts, helping the Storm take the third position in passing offense in the league. But no one ever said Sioux Falls was a one-dimensional team. The Storm also hold the third spot on rushing defense, and is second behind the Beef in scoring (kicking), with Adam Hicks 20-38 in field goals. And with a long of 45, Omaha's Chace Long will finally have a kicker to compete with.

Justin Bivins, Matt Holmlund and Corey Walker lead Sioux Fall's offense. Bivins has racked up 506 rushing yards in just 124 attempts this season, with 17 touchdowns. Holmlund leads the Storm's receivers. The 6-2, 207-pound receiver has 670 yards on 58 receptions and averages 55.8 yards per game, ranking him eighth in the league. Walker also sees quite a bit of time on the field, having recorded 586 yards this season with 64 receptions, ranking him fifth in the NIFL.

Bobby Perkins is another Sioux Falls star. He has returned six missed field goals for a total of 145 yards and has five interceptions for 63 yards.

If the B-fence can once again contain the Sioux Falls offense, this weekend's game should be a lock for Omaha. However, with Sioux Falls playing hard to retain their position in the Pacific Conference, the Storm will be hungry for the Beef in their second and final meeting of the season.

Notes

HOTEL 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. The team will be spending the night on Friday and returning to Omaha after the game Saturday night. The Travelodge is located within walking distance of the Family Arena in St. Charles.

LAST CHANCE to get on the Fan Bus to Sioux Falls this weekend! Only $45 per person includes the ride to and from the game, a game ticket, a box lunch (B.Y.O. Beverage) on the way out of Omaha, a $10 Gordmans gift card and an embroidered hat ($20 value). The bus will leave Omaha at 2:00 PM and arrive at the Sioux Falls Arena at 5:00 PM – plenty of time for tailgating before the game. The bus will then return to Omaha after the game. For more information please contact the Omaha Beef Football office, 346-2333.

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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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