The Omaha Beef will be looking to improve on their 7-5 record and third in conference finish from last season. They have quite possibly the best defense in the league, though their offense is average at best. The team will be looking to make improvements, particularly on the offensive side, to take the next step towards playoff contention.
Omaha Beef Striving to Improve and Push for Playoffs
Quarterback Joshua Floyd will need another solid year statistically to push the Omaha Beef to championship hopes. Floyd was simply a scoring machine, driving the team with his 30 passing scores and 14 rushing. His yardage totals, however, were unimpressive. Floyd didn’t even reach 1500 yards passing. He did lead the team in rushing with 576 yards, which is one of the better rushing totals in the CIF. Because of his versatility, this offense runs through him. If he can push himself to a higher level and if the defense remains strong, this team’s future may be bright.
The team’s talent is obvious. They held their own against the best team in the league twice last season. The team in question, conference rival and reigning CIF champions Wichita Force, was 12-2. One of those losses came from the Beef.
In the contest where the Beef were bested, they lost by only six. If they can replicate whatever they did to keep this top team in check for the upcoming season, the Beef should win more games.
What They Need to Take the Next Step
This team has perhaps the best overall defense in the CIF, but the offense is somewhat lacking. The ranking on that side of the ball was eighth out of 12. If they hope to be playoff contenders, they need to model their offense after a team like the Amarillo Venom. The Venom’s quarterback, Nate Davis, aired it out for 3138 yards and 60 touchdowns. This high volume air attack allowed for them to have a receiver with over 1000 yards and 21 touchdowns in Raymond Johnson Jr.
If the Beef can acquire a similarly dominant receiver to pair with Joshua Floyd, they could see their lower level offense improve tremendously. Floyd threw for just 1483 yards, a number that needs to improve in 2017. If the quarterback can hit his stride and start airing it out more it could do wonders for this team.
They love to utilize Floyd in the run game as well, as evidenced by him leading in yardage and touchdowns in that category. This isn’t a bad thing, but the Beef need to let him stand in the pocket and throw the ball more. Their unimpressive air attack is the cause of them being ranked so low offensively and not winning as much as they should.
Defensively, the Beef have some nice things going for them. They ranked number one in CIF in total defense. They weren’t the top team in yardage allowed, but what they did best was keep teams from scoring. Nobody allowed less touchdowns than the Beef did. Their tough bend-don’t-break defensive brand gets the job done rather well, but their offense does not keep up. Unfortunately, in the CIF a high volume offense holds much more value than a stout defense.
