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NIFL Omaha Beef

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June 11, 2004 - National Indoor Football League (NIFL)
Omaha Beef News Release


From the Stands

"We kicked their butts." -Jerry Kenison, Meathead, Omaha.

"54-0...wow...maybe the Capitols should have let that little league team play the Beef. At least their quarterback could throw." -Hawkeye, Avoca, IA.

"It wasn't very fun tonight, not at all. The Beef outplayed us up and down the field, and injuries took their toll on the Capitols." -capsfan4life, Lincoln.

"It was good." "Really good." -Alex and Morgan Wilcox, Omaha, enjoying their first road game and bus trip with fellow Beef fans.

From the Field

"I've been getting on the coaches all season, trying to get them to let me return just one kick." -#2 for the Beef, DB Justin Comstock.

"I'm only as good as my offensive line is, and I'm only as good as the wide receivers that catch the ball and get in the end zone. It's just a testament to the whole team." -#5 for the Beef, QB Kahil Jones.

"We tried a new center out tonight and it didn't really work out, so I had to go play center for the rest of the game. We just couldn't get clicking, so now we go back and practice; there's not too much we can do other than what we've been doing." -#90 for the Capitols, DE Trent Toline.

"I'm very, very glad coach Buda brought me in here, and I just want to help the team make the playoffs." -#22 for the Beef, DB Brian Riley.

"My goodness, a goose egg in indoor football, against a solid team. One down and one to go in the division." -Beef boss Sandy Buda.

And Lincoln thought it was going to be a kicker's duel.

54-0. Wow. A shutout. Zero points for. Or in the case of the Beefense, zero points against. It doesn't happen in the NIFL very often. The last time it occurred was a year ago when Lincoln was on the giving end of a shutout to the Sioux City Bandits 20-0 at the Venue Formerly Known as the Sioux City Auditorium. Now the Caps know what it's like sitting on the other side of the shutout fence. It sure is better to give than receive.

Omaha started the night with three straight field goals by K Chace Long, and then ran off four straight touchdowns to build up a 37-0 halftime lead. In comparison, the Capitols had two fumbles, two missed field goals, and twice lost the ball on downs in the first half. Lincoln's woes on the night could be attributed to the one thing coaches fear most in indoor football: injuries. "We lost two centers in two weeks, we could only suit up three receivers for the game, and we were down to our second-string snapper," capsfan4life said after the game. "It wasn't pretty."

The Caps never had a prayer of making this one pretty, especially not with the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse in the defensive backfield for the Beef. DB's Justin Comstock, Charles Verdone, Dontae Jones, and newcomer Brian Riley held Caps QB Justin Coleman to just 7 of 27 in passing for only 48 yards on the night. It's also worth noting the Beef took a big gamble by bringing only four defensive backs to Lincoln for the game. "My hats off to the defense, they got us some turnovers and they just kept the pressure on," Buda commented after the game. "It's hard to single out one guy on defense, but I think Comstock might have gotten his foot in the door elsewhere."

Coach Buda was talking about Comstock's performance as a kick returner during the game. In the second quarter, Comstock took a 45-yard missed field goal by Lincoln back the distance for a touchdown. "I had just a tiny little gap, so I put my head down to try and sneak through there," Comstock said afterwards. " When I popped my head back up, the next guy that was going to tackle me was Richard Johnson from our team. He jumped out of the way, and I was gone from there." Coach Buda gave Comstock two more chances after that, and he finished the night with 125 yards on missed field goal returns. That's just about twice what Lincoln had for the night in total offense (69 yards). Comstock also led all tacklers on the night with 2 solo and 10 assisted for 7.0 total on the night. Justin also forced a fumble and had a fumble recovery for the game.

#22 for the Beef, DB Brian Riley, also forced a fumble and made a fumble recovery his first time in a Beef uniform. Riley also made a key knockdown of a Coleman pass in the end zone to preserve the shutout. With team rosters now frozen for the league, Coach Buda's decision to bring in Riley looks to be a definite winner. Riley adds even more depth to what is already one of the best defensive secondaries in the NIFL.

The Beef offense didn't have to do anything flashy against the Caps, just enough to get by. "I take my hat off to Kahil Jones for doing what we asked him to do," Buda said. "Don't make any big mistakes, take what they give you, and that's what he did." Jones was 9 of 16 for just 87 yards and one touchdown on the night, but he was never picked off, and he was never sacked, something that's more important than flashy numbers.

"I like to stay in the pocket, but if it gets too hot, I can get out of there in a real hurry," Jones joked after the game. ""My offensive line did a great job tonight, all the credit should go to them. We made our adjustments in the second quarter, and we rode it out from there." Jones also rushed for 18 yards on the night, once again proving how mobile he is.

RB James Johnson led the Beef ground attack against Lincoln. Johnson only rushed five times during the game, but he averaged a solid 4.0 per carry and had one touchdown on the night. Not to be outdone, co-RB LeAndre Moore got two touchdowns out of his ten carries for the game.

Charge!

Head Coach Chris Stein and the Wyoming Cavalry ride into town this Saturday for what has become an annual shootout with the Beef. The Beef have won all three games in the series, by an average of almost three touchdowns (64.6-43.0), and a lot of the faces are the same for the Casualties this season, but there's been a renewed sense of hope amongst Stein's boys from out West. Wyoming has put together some impressive victories this year, including a 62-54 win against the Tri-City Diesel, a 51-49 win against last year's Pacific Conference Champion Utah Warriors, and a thrilling 48-42 overtime win against the Billings Outlaws last week. Wyoming is looking to turn the corner on their season, and there's no better place for the Cavs to test the character of their team than one of the NIFL's strongest and most hostile home venues, the Slaughterhouse.

Casualties' quarterback #16 Matt Strand is quietly having his best year in the NIFL to date (101.59 rating, 169 completions on 297 attempts for 1516 yards and 35 touchdowns, 8 interceptions, 56.9% completion rate, averaging 189.5 yards a game). He's got a speedy trio of wide receivers in #24 Chris Swift, #4 Eric Nelson, and #2 Norm Thomas that account for over nine yards a catch and almost 140 yards of offense a game. The once-maligned Casualties offensive line has given up only eight sacks on the year, and now weighs in at over 300 pounds a man. On defense, the Cavs are led by #10, LB Cos Abercrombie (59 solo, 51 assisted, 84.5 total, 8 tackles for losses for –25 yards, 2 sacks for –10 yards). To give fans an idea of how many tackles Abercrombie has made for Wyoming this season, the next closest tackler on the team has only 33 total tackles on the year. Abercrombie and Donavon Laviness for the Beef have been battling back and forth all season long for the league lead in tackles.

Keys to the game:

1. It's no secret the Casualties want to pass the ball; they're the fifth-ranked passing offense in the NIFL. The trick is whether or not the Wyoming wide receivers can get open against one of the NIFL's best defensive backfields, and if Strand's rebuilt offensive line can hold off the Beef pass rush of Harris, Johnson, and Eakin.

2. Since they do throw a lot, the Cav ground game is almost an afterthought; their game-high number of rushing attempts on the season is just 12. But that doesn't mean the Cavs don't have quality running backs; #3 Anthony Simmons and #5 Thadd Variance have the ability to catch defensive lines napping. If the Beef d-line is getting pressure on the Cavs QB, look for a series of quick handoffs up the middle by Wyoming to slow the Beefense down a bit.

3. Simmons normally handles the kick return duties for Wyoming, but keep an eye out for #13, DB Greg Ortberg, on kickoff and missed field goal returns. Ortberg averages 32.5 yards per return on MFG, and 16.7 yards on kickoffs. He's a serious threat to break one loose at any given moment.

The game between the Beef and the Casualties will be broadcast on 1420 AM, as Jim Kelter, the voice of the Omaha Beef, brings you all the action live!

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.

LAST 2004 REGULAR SEASONHOME GAME PRE GAME PARTY & PEP RALLY SPONOSRED BY AUTO MART 150 - OMAHA FRIDAY, JUNE 11 – 8:00 to 10:00 PM GENERATIONS, 90th & FORT Street BUFFET $5.00 PER PERSON - INCLUDES FOOD & NON-ALC • HOLIC BEVERAGE • DJ MUSIC BEGINS AT 9:00 PM • FOR A NOMINAL DONATION TO THE HOPE CENTER, HAVE YOUR POLORID PICTURE TAKEN WITH YOUR FAVORITE BEEF PLAYER, PRIME DANCER, RUMP ROASTER OR SIR LOIN. • AUTO MART 150 DRAWING FOR 100 GALLONS IN GAS • OMAHA BEEF PRIZES • $1.00 DRAWS ALL NIGHT LONG

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 Beef office at 1907 Harney Street.

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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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