Thoroughbreds Survive Plainsmen 48-45 in Overtime

OMAHA - Nobody wanted to leave early on Sunday. The Louisville Thoroughbreds beat the Omaha Plainsmen 48-45 in overtime, the only game of the Week 11 season finale that needed extra time to settle.

The final was Thoroughbreds 48, Plainsmen 45 (OT). Louisville finished 8-3 and second in the East Conference. Omaha ended at 3-8, sixth in the East.

An Ellison day that was not enough

Omaha running back Lamar Ellison scored four rushing touchdowns, a huge total for any back. He did it on just 45 rushing yards, so his scores were short, close-range efforts rather than long runs. For the Plainsmen, it was a performance worth remembering, but it ended in a loss.

Quarterback Devin Young threw for 208 yards and 2 touchdowns, and wide receiver Andre Kerr caught passes for 56 yards. The Plainsmen's defense recorded 2 sacks.

"Lamar gave us everything," Omaha coach Walt Brannigan said. "Our guys fought for 60 minutes and then some. It is a hard one to take."

Jeffries keeps Louisville in it

Louisville quarterback Devin Jeffries answered Omaha's offense, throwing for 227 yards and 3 touchdowns. Wide receiver Quinn Wardell caught passes for 72 yards and a touchdown. Running back Andre Nolan added 75 rushing yards and a score.

The Thoroughbreds' defense was less visible. It finished with just 1 sack, and Omaha managed to score 45 points. But Louisville made enough plays when it counted.

"We did not play our cleanest game," Louisville coach Dina Rourke said. "But this team does not give in. We kept coming back, and I love that about them."

A game of swings

The score tells the story of a back-and-forth afternoon. Both offenses put up big numbers. In the end, regulation could not separate them, and overtime was needed.

The extra period went to Louisville. The Thoroughbreds got the win they wanted, and the Plainsmen were left to think about what might have been.

Neither quarterback committed to a conservative approach. Young and Jeffries both threw plenty and both found their targets. Louisville out-gained Omaha through the air, though only by a small margin: 227 passing yards to 208.

What it means

For Louisville, the win sealed second place in the East at 8-3, and a game like this shows they can win even when things are not perfect.

For Omaha, the result is a tough one. At 3-8, the Plainsmen finished at the bottom of the East standings. Games like this one, decided only in overtime, are the kind that coaches look back on when they think about a season.

Still, Brannigan found some positives. "We scored 45 points," he said. "If we do that every week, we will win a lot of games. We just have to find a way to finish."

Louisville will take the win and move on. Omaha will look at the tape and wonder how a four-touchdown day from Ellison did not end in a victory.