Streak Stoppers - 2011 Preview
MOORHEAD, Minn. (8/29/11)-- The 2011 Cobbers will be looking to play the role of streak stoppers. For a program that is used to competing for the MIAC championship, the string of two consecutive fourth-place finishes hasn't set very well. As CC head coach Terry Horan enters his 11th season at the helm, he will once again have to figure out a way to avoid early-season losing skids that force the Cobbers to run off extended winning streaks at the end of the year just to get back to the .500 level. Concordia has posted a combined mark of 1-7 in their first four conference games of the past two seasons. The good news is that Horan has done a great job of keeping the Cobbers "on task" and they have ended the year by going 6-2 in their final four games in 2009 and 2010.
The schedule makers have once again put Concordia up against a wall to start the year as they open MIAC play by hosting perennial league power St. John's on Sept. 17 and then defending conference champion St. Thomas on Sept. 24. If the Cobbers are to make a run at their first top 2 finish since 2005, they will need to knock off at least one of the preseason nationally ranked teams.
The preview numbers look pretty impressive for the Cobber offense as they return nine starters from last year's team that averaged 367.7 total yards and 25.0 points per game. Unfortunately those numbers are heavy on the "skilled" positions and slightly less impressive for the offensive line.
Concordia returns five of their six starting backfield members from a year ago. Two-year starting quarterback Michael Dunham (Sr., Willmar, Minn.) returns after a record-setting season in 2010. Dunham set the school record for passing yards, completions and attempts in a single season and needs only 1,650 more passing yards to eclipse the school's all-time career passing mark.
Making things even brighter for the CC offense is that Dunham's two favorite targets from last year are back in camp. Bronson Shepherd (Sr., Brainerd, Minn.) and Mike Starke (Jr., Annandale, Minn.) both return after breakout seasons in 2010. Shepherd was named to the MIAC All-Conference Second Team and led the team in receptions, yards and TD's. Starke caught at least one pass in all 10 games and finished the year with 35 receptions. CC also returns their top two leading rushers in Trent Johnson (So., Moorhead, Minn.) and fullback Brett Baune (Fargo, N.D./Fargo South). Johnson rushed for 411 yards last year while Baune led the team in rushing touchdowns.
The defense will see the biggest changes as first-year defensive coordinator Kyle Bakken inherits a crew that allowed an average of 369.2 yards and 25.3 points per game. The biggest area for improvement will come on pass defense where CC was ranked eighth in the MIAC and allowed almost 250 passing yards per game. To make matters even tougher, the Cobbers lost their lone First Team All-Conference selection, safety Zach Debeltz, to graduation.
Concordia will have to replace seven starters on defense. One of the bright spots for the newly crowned Cobber "Black Shirts" will be the return of linebacker Matt Moenkedick (Jr., Verndale, Minn.), who played in only five games in 2010 due to an injury, and 2010 sack leader Reed Hefta (Jr., Falkirk, N.D./Underwood HS). Moenkedick had 25 tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss and 1.0 sacks in his short stint last year while Hefta came away with a league-best 8.0 QB takedowns. Overall CC lost their top two tacklers from 2010 but return linebacker Josh Herzog (Sr., Detroit Lakes, Minn.) who was third on the team in tackles with 52 tackles and defensive back Brent Rysdahl (Jr., Marshall, Minn.) who had 37 tackles.
The defensive backfield will have a mixture of youth and experience. Joining Rysdahl will be senior Tyler Spiczka (Sauk Rapids, Minn.), junior Seth Lage (Pelican Rapids, Minn.) and sophomore Bryce Hentges (Sauk Centre, Minn.). All three saw extended time at the end of last season and with Spiczka being the most experienced – having played in nine games in 2010.
The special teams units will also feature the "something experienced, something new" theme. Kicker Porfirio Diaz (Sr., Pelican Rapids, Minn.) returns for a second season. Diaz was 29-for-32 on extra points and 3-for-7 on field goal attempts. A year of experience will help Diaz acclimate from the very start of the season. The Cobbers will have to replace punter Alex Jensen who was lost to graduation. The frontrunner for the position is sophomore Brett Harmelink (Moorhead, Minn.). Harmelink has shown impressive leg strength in the early part of the preseason.
The Cobbers open the 2011 by hosting NAIA foe Dickinson State. The Blue Hawks beat CC on a last-minute touchdown and are currently ranked No.7 in the NAIA preseason national poll. After their home tilt against DSU, Concordia will travel to Storm Lake, Iowa to take on Buena Vista. The Beavers were 3-7 last season and were selected sixth in the annual IIAC preseason coaches' poll.
Complete 2011 MIAC Football Preview
2011 MIAC Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. St. Thomas (6) - 62
2. Bethel (2) - 56
3. Saint John's (1) - 53
4. St. Olaf - 40
5. Concordia - 36
6. Gustavus - 30
7. Augsburg - 21
8. Carleton - 15
9. Hamline - 11