Plainsmen Rebuild Around a Pass Rush and a Passing Game

The Omaha Plainsmen enter the season coming off a 3-8 year that left them fifth in the East. The offense scored just 176 points, and the defense allowed 260. Neither side of the ball got consistent results, but there are pieces worth building on.

Coach Walt Brannigan framed it as a matter of patience. "We are not going to fix everything at once," he said. "We are going to get better at the things we can control."

Line of defense

The clearest strength is on the defensive line. Defensive lineman Darius Gaines led the Plainsmen with eight sacks, which tied for the highest sack total among linemen in the league. He gave Omaha something it did not otherwise have, a player who could change a drive on his own.

"Darius makes everybody's job easier," Brannigan said. "Offenses have to account for him."

The challenge is getting more from the rest of the unit. Allowing 260 points means the pass rush alone was not enough, and the back end of the defense needs to tighten up.

Offense and its limits

Quarterback Devin Young threw for 2,536 yards but only 11 touchdowns. That ratio is the story of the Omaha offense. The Plainsmen moved the ball, but turning yards into points was a struggle.

Wide receiver Keenan Underwood led the receiving group with 679 yards and two touchdowns. Again, the yardage is fine, and the touchdown total is the issue. Running back Lamar Ellison gave the offense some balance with 625 rushing yards and six touchdowns, and his scoring numbers were stronger than those of the passing targets.

"We have to cash in," Brannigan said. "That is the simplest way to say it."

Where the improvement could come from

A team that wins three games has room to move in many directions, and the staff has identified a few areas to work on:

• Red zone efficiency, especially in the passing game
• Third-down defense, which put the pass rush in a position to succeed less often than it should
• Protecting Young so he can complete the downfield throws that lead to touchdowns

Omaha is not likely to leap to the top of the East. Louisville and several other teams set the pace in 2024, and the gap between them and the Plainsmen was large. But there is a difference between a team that is losing and a team that is losing and learning, and the staff believes the group is closer to the second.

The returning core at quarterback, receiver, running back and defensive line should give Omaha a better foundation than it had a year ago. If Gaines continues to terrorize quarterbacks and Young finds more touchdowns for Underwood and the other targets, the Plainsmen could pick up wins that did not exist last season.

It is a quiet kind of optimism, and it fits the team.