News: Beef defeat Flying Aces to run win streak to 16 games

The winning streak is now at 16, but the visiting Flying Aces from Enid, Oklahoma made the Beef work for it as Omaha scored with 53 seconds left in the game to break the 36-36 tie.  The Beef defense sacked and then intercepted Oklahoma quarterback Torrance Carr-Young to seal the game as the Beef won 42 to 36 at Liberty First Credit Union Arena as the Beef improved to 4-0 on the season.  The visitors won the statistical battle, but 11 penalties and two costly turnovers was too much to overcome as the Flying Aces fell to 0-4. Oklahoma out gained the Beef 190 yards to 189 yards.

Oklahoma got the scoring started with an 8-play drive which ended with a Zuri Davis 36-yard pass from Jamal Stanfield with 9:32 left in the first quarter. The Beef responded three plays later when Armstrong hit Troy Evans Jr from 18 yards and with Ryan Hibbets’ extra point kick the Beef lead 7-6.  However, Rashad Ridley returned the following kickoff 54 yards to put the Flying Aces back on top, 12-7.  On its next possession, Omaha, drove the ball down to the Oklahoma one yard line but was stopped twice and the Flying Aces took over on downs. Oklahoma then pushed its lead to 11 when a scrambling Stanfield hit Marcus Pierce Jr for a 10-yard touchdown.   

The Beef used another three-play drive as Jeff Mack rushed up the middle for a 5-yard touchdown and with Hibbets extra point Oklahoma’s lead was down to 4.  Hibbets kickoff pinned the Flying Aces at their five yardline and after a couple of offsides penalties Stanfield was sacked in the endzone by Rudy Ngougni for a safety and it was a two-point game with 5:28 remaining in the first half.  The Beef defense held, and the offense got the ball back and went down the field in six plays and Armstrong hit Troy Evans Jr for his second touchdown and the Beef had the lead back at 23-18 as the game went to halftime.

Omaha got the ball first in the third quarter and went down the field in four plays as Mack scored on a three-yard run.  Mack had a monster game as he carried the ball 19 times for 83 yards to go along with his two touchdowns. Oklahoma used an eight-play drive to cut the lead down to five when Zuri Davis caught a five-yard touchdown from Torrance Carr-Young. Carr-Young had to take over for Jamal Stanfield on the last drive in the first half as Stanfield was taken down by Camron Hunt as he threw a pass with 20 seconds left. Carr-Young finished the game 3 of 12 with two interceptions and two touchdowns.  Stanfield went 3 of 7 for 45 yards and two touchdowns before his injury.  Davis was the leading receiver for the Flying Aces as he hauled in two passes for 41 yards.

New Beef backup quarterback Taz Wilson came in on the last drive of the third quarter and hit Korrell Koehlmoos with a five-yard touchdown pass as the Beef pushed the lead back to 11.  Then Hibbets had a great kickoff as it bounced off the nets and Michael Byrd could not get it out of the endzone as Omaha scored a rouge.  Oklahoma responded with a four-yard rushing touchdown from Carr-Young and it was a six-point game again with 8:04 remaining.  On the Beef’s next possession, Wilson dropped the ball as he was attempting to pass, and it was recovered by the Flying Aces’ Arnell Anderson.  Oklahoma only needed one play to tie the game as Carr-Young hit Ridley for a 17-yard touchdown.

Omaha got the ball back with 2:55 remaining and used the Beef rushing game to get the ball to the Flying Aces 22 yardline before the one-minute warning. After a short run, Armstrong hit Evans Jr with a 22-yard pass and his third touchdown of the game, and the Beef would have the lead for good.  Armstrong didn’t have his normal game as he only ran the ball 3 times for 3 yards and went 4 of 8 passing for only 62 yards and three touchdowns. Evans Jr led all players with four catches for 69 yards.

The Flying Aces had one more shot, but Terrance Jackson picked off his second pass of the night and the Beef ran the clock out. Oklahoma saw both quarterbacks lead the team in rushing yards as Stanfield had 4 carries for 46 yards and Carr-Young had five carries for 42 yards as the Beef put heavy pressure on the quarterbacks.  Both quarterbacks were sacked by Rudy Ngougni and alongside Ponce Deleon lead the team with six tackles.  Antoine Brown Jr lead Oklahoma with 11 tackles.

OTHER NOTES:

Omaha will host Sioux City next Saturday for the 51^st meeting of the two teams.  Omaha leads the all-time series 26-24. The following week the two teams will travel to Sioux City for the 52^nd meeting. Omaha sits atop the standings at 4-0, while the Bandits are 3-1. The Carolina Cobras are third at 4-2.

2024 Omaha Beef Schedule (4-0)

Beef All-Time records vs. (As of 5/4/24)