Game 10 Preview: Gustavus at Concordia

GAME 10: Gustavus (6-2/4-2 MIAC) at Concordia (7-2/5-2 MIAC)

DATE: November 8, 2014
LOCATION: Moorhead, Minn. (Jake Christiansen Stadium)
GAME TIME: 1 p.m.
RADIO: 1660-AM in the F-M area

Live Video: Cobber Primetime GameDay

Live Stats: Cobber Primetime GameDay

Live Audio: MN Sports Network

Cobbers vs. Gusties Series History:

Series started: 1923

Gusties lead overall series: 44-37-2

Series Synopsis: Concordia has won nine of the last 12 meetings between the two teams. Last year's win by Concordia in Moorhead was the first time in eight games in the series that the home team prevailed. Gustavus had won three straight at "The Jake" before last year's game. Since 1990, the Cobbers hold a 9-3 edge over the Gusties in games played at The Jake...Gustavus has won three of the last four times the teams have played in Moorhead....the longest winning streak in the series is eight games. Gustavus won eight straight from 1946-53...there have only been two shutouts in the series since 1970. The teams traded blankings in 2005 and 2006. CC shutout GAC 30-0 in 2005 and then the Gusties returned the favor a year later by winning 7-0. Both shutouts came at "The Jake". The last six games in the series have been relatively high scoring. Since the 2006 shutout, the teams have combined to score an average of 48.8 points per game...Cobber head coach Terry Horan is 9-4 vs. Gustavus.
          

Cobber vs. Gustavus Complete Series History (pdf)

50th Anniversary NAIA Championship Look Back: 1964 - Regular Season Finale vs. Augsburg
This year will be a season-long celebration of the 50th anniversary of the 1964 NAIA National Championship Team. That team was honored with the Murray Warmath Legendary Team Award given out by the Minnesota Chapter of the National Football Foundation earlier this spring and we will be remembering the games and players from the '64 season all during 2014.  
 
This week we highlight the regular-season finale against Augsburg.

The final game of the regular season saw the Cobber hosting Augsburg. Concordia needed a win to secure its first MIAC championship since 1957 while the Auggies were having their best season ever under legendary coach Edor Nelson (Augsburg's football field is now named after Nelson who passed away earlier in the fall at the age of 100). The Cobbers were 8-0/6-0 MIAC heading into the final game of the regular season while the Auggies were 6-2/5-1 MIAC. The stage was set for a winner-take-all classic.     

Here is the game report by Paul Sandager that appeared in the Concordian the next week:

"An unforgettable thing happened to the Concordia Cobbers on their way to the MIAC football championship. The won it!

Unleashing a potent second-half flurry which sent the title aspiring Augsburg Auggies reeling, the Cobbers rolled to their first championship since 1957 by pasting Edor Nelson's Auggies 39-18 before a capacity throng of followers last Saturday. The dramatic triumph furnished the gridders with a glittering 7-0 league record and a 9-0 over-all mark with victories over Parsons and Moorhead State earlier in the season. For phlegmatic mentor Jake Christiansen, the win climaxed his first unbeaten season ever, a feat which has always seemed to elude him during his lengthy tenure at Concordia's helm.

The Cobbers struggled through some hectic moments, however, as the Auggies put up a gallant fight for almost three quarters before Concordia's dynamic one-two punch of Bob Nick and Dave Heide turned the tilt into a rout. Heide, the loop's leading scorer and ground gainer was simply phenomenal as he displayed the form which makes him one of the most dangerous runners her or for that matter anywhere as he slanted, smashed and rambled for a trio of touchdowns. Two of the rugged fullback's scores were of the sensational variety as he legged out runs of 52 yards and 43 yards to provide the margin of victory.

Nick, the lanky signal caller from Princeton, Minn., closed out his collegiate career in splendid style as he ran the well-oiled Concordia offense to perfection and continually came up with the big third-down play during the hectic first half. The daring field general hit end Bill Donley and halfback Stu Bartholomaus with aerial strikes and kept the Augsburg attack at bay with some prodigious punting. Defensive back Gary Gilbertson rounded out the aggressive scoring display by lugging an intercepted pass 38 yards to paydirt.

For the game Auggies, who finished in the runner-up slot to the Cobbers with a 5-2 slate, the scoring was also of the championship style as speedy Bob Slavik raced 68 yards for the opening score while Cal Peterson returned a kick-off 89 yards to keep the Minneapolis school in contention. Kinney Johnson slammed over on a one-yard run ramble for the other touchdown.

Concordia's youthful defense, under the excellent tutelage of Jim Christopherson, checked in with another bang-up performance as they picked off three wayward Augsburg passes, two of which ultimately resulted in touchdowns."               

Last Year: Gustavus 31 at Concordia 38
Last year Concordia needed to survive a last-second chance from Gustavus on the Cobber 14-yard line and came away with a 38-31 victory.

The end-game drama played out after Concordia had the ball at their own 24-yard line with 3-seconds left on the clock and facing a fourth-and-10 situation. Instead of punting the ball, the Cobbers elected to have quarterback Griffin Neal take the snap, run out the clock and then take a knee. Unfortunately Neal tripped as he pulled away from center and fell to the turf with 1-second left on the clock.

The Gusties had a chance to tie the game at the CC 14-yard-line. Concordia defensive end Nate Adams finished off the game by sacking Gustavus quarterback Mitch Hendricks as he tried to roll out of the pocket towards the sideline.

Stat Central:

- 2014 Concordia Statistics

- 2014 Gustavus Statistics

- 2014 MIAC Statistics

- 2014 Concordia NCAA Team/Individual Rankings

- 2014 Gustavus NCAA Team/Individual Rankings

Pick 6 - 6 Items To Help You Take It To The House:
1. Fans attending the game in Moorhead on Saturday might be witnesses to history for the second straight home game. Two weeks after senior quarterback Griffin Neal broke the program record for most career passing yards, Concordia has a chance to post the first back-to-back-to-back eight-win seasons. The Cobbers have never had three consecutive seasons with at least eight wins in the previous 96 years of the football program. CC was close during the 2004 & 2005 NCAA playoff teams but they only had seven wins in 2003 and four wins in 2006.   

2. The game against the Gusties is also the annual Senior Celebration Day. This year's 19 seniors did not lose a non-conference game and have an impressive overall winning percentage of 74.3 %. In addition, they have won 67.7% of their MIAC games and have not finished out of the top 5 in the final league standings.

3. Concordia fell out of the top 25 in the national rankings for the first time all season but are still locked in the top 10 in Division III in several statistical categories. The Cobbers moved up one spot and are now ranked second in time of possession. CC is averaging 35:45 in TOP and trails only Elmhurst who is averaging 36:18. With another big day of holding onto the ball Concordia could wind up leading the nation. The Cobbers are also in the top 10 in fourth down conversion percentage (3rd  - 80.0%), total first downs made (5th – 135) and fewest tackles for a loss per game (9th – 3.56).  

4. The game on Saturday features a statistical oddity this late in the season. Concordia is undefeated at home this year while the Gusties haven't lost on the road. The Cobbers are 4-0 at The Jake this season and Gustavus is 3-0 in contests away from St. Peter. The Cobbers are outscoring their opponents by a combined margin of 158-31 at home and haven't allowed more than 14 points in any game. The Gusties are outscoring their opponents by a combined margin of 134-69 on the road and have not been held under 37 points – something's gotta give! 

5. Both teams have been second quarter and then first-half teams this season. The Cobbers' best scoring quarter has been the second where they are outscoring their opponents 108-59. CC holds a 168-78 advantage in the first half of games but then drops slightly to 144-69 in the third and fourth quarters. Like the Cobbers, the Gusties best period is the second where they hold a 107-45 scoring advantage. They are outscoring their foes 186-72 in the opening half of play and then drop to 132-92 in the second half. 

6. This week will be the last time we can throw a "Wagner Watch" into the preview. Concordia senior kicker Ben Wagner has been a mainstay of the CC special teams for three years. Wagner will leave the program with several school records. He connected on 78 consecutive extra point attempts over the course of 2012 and 2013 to shatter the program record for most consecutive extra points made. He has made 118 of his 121 career PAT's which gives him a school record 97.5% conversion percentage. He will also go down as the school's all-time leader in field goal percentage. He has made 18 of his 24 (75.0%) field goal tries during his three-plus seasons. In addition to his record-setting performances in consecutive extra points, career point after percentage and field goal percentage, Ben is also second on the school's record list in career extra points made and extra point attempted as well as third for total points by a kicker. 

Scouting the Gusties:
Gustavus heads into the game on Saturday having lost two straight. That two-game slide came after the Gusties started the season by winning their first six games of the year. Gustavus has been propelled by its offense in 2014. The Gusties scored 40 or more points in their first four games of the season.

Gustavus enters the game with the fourth best passing offense in the nation. The Gusties are averaging 358.8 passing yards per game and had a ridiculous 504 passing yards against Augsburg.

Junior quarterback Mitch Hendricks has been torching defense all season long and is ranked second in the nation in passing TD's (31) and third in passing yards (2,809). His favorite target is Matt Boyce who leads the nation in receiving TD's (15) and seventh in receiving yards (988). Matt's brother Gabriel is fourth in the nation in receptions per game (9.0). The Boyce Brothers are the top WR tandem in the MIAC. Oh, and a third Boyce brother (Anthony) is fourth on the team in tackles.

Cobber SID Picks To Click:
This year we are adding a new feature to the GameDay preview. We will choose one offensive player and one defensive player who we think will have a chance to have a big game on Saturday. It will give the fans a chance to watch the "key" players on either side of the ball. It will hopefully give an insight into what the keys to success might be.

So far this season we haven't been "clicking" on all cylinders and it has been more of a "Pick to Click" jinx. Despite of our past track record, we will continue to give the fans an insight on who we think will have a big game.

Offense - #2 Zach Southwick, Sr., RB
With all the Cobber weapons this season, the most unheralded and unheard of has been senior running back Zach Southwick. Southwick is finally somewhat healthy and that has led his the most productive season of his career. Southwick is in the top 5 of Concordia in rushing, receiving and points scored. He has rushed for over 50 yards in three of his last four games and has a chance to finish his career on a high note as the Gusties have been more susceptible to the run than the pass.   

Defense - #30 Christian Erickson, Sr., CB
Christian Erickson leads the team interceptions this season and is among the league leaders in that category. He is going to have a chance to add to his season total of three on Saturday because Gustavus will be putting the ball in the air more often than the Gustavus SID appears on billboards in the Twin Cities. The Gusties enter the game averaging 41.1 pass attempts per game. This means that the Cobber "No Fly" secondary will be on red alert and have a chance to come away with their best afternoon of the season.  

Coach Horan Preview Interview: