Game 2 Preview: Concordia at Wis.-Eau Claire

GAME 2: Concordia (1-0) at Wis.-Eau Claire (0-1)
DATE: September 12, 2015
LOCATION: Eau Claire, Wis. (Carson Park)
GAME TIME: 6 p.m.
RADIO: 1660-AM in the F-M area
SERIES: Concordia leads 2-0
SERIES STARTED: 1980

Live Video: Wis.-Eau Claire Live Network

Live Stats: Cobber Primetime GameDay

Live Audio: MN Sports Network

    
Cobbers vs. Blugolds Series History: CC leads 2-0

Stat Central:

- 2015 Concordia Statistics

- 2015 Wis.-Eau Claire Statistics

Pick 6 - 6 Items To Help You Take It To The House:
1 - Speed Kills: The Cobbers won the field position battle last week. Freshman Marquez Henson returned punts and rattled off a 27-yard return in his first touch. Meanwhile, the gazelle himself, Brandon Zylstra, returned three kicks for an average of over 40 yards per return while taking the ball into opponents territory on all three returns.
2 - Magic Number to 100: Down to just two now. Head Coach Terry Horan needs just two to eclipse the mark of 100 wins in his coaching career. He currently owns a record of 98-47 at the helm of the Cobbers.
3 - Efficiency: Concordia racked up 395 yards of total offense in last weeks game, averaging nearly six yards per play.
4 - Border Success: Concordia is 16-1 all-time against North Dakota schools, 11-2 against schools from Iowa and 3-0 all-time against teams from Wisconsin. The Cobbers battled with the Pointers of Stevens Point in 1986, a game which the Cobbs won 24-15, along with the two contests with UWEC.
5 - Second Start for Grove: Look for a similar performance from junior quarterback Alex Grove on Saturday now that some of the first game jitters are out. Grove went 10-for-16 last Saturday after having attempted just 12 passes in the previous two seasons.
6 - Strong Safety, Literally: After recording 22 tackles total last season, junior Matt Ahrndt recorded a team high seven tackles in last Saturday's game, including one tackle for loss. Look for the Benson, MN product to play a large role in their defensive scheme week-to-week.. 

Scouting the Blugolds
Wis.-Eau Claire is coming off a 62-7 loss at home against St. Thomas. The game was closer than the lopsided final tally. Eau Claire held the ball for 33:17 but was done in by four turnovers. The two most costly miscues came at the start of the third quarter. The Blugolds took their opening possession of the second half all the way to the Tommie 11-yard line but then had a pass picked off in the end zone. The UST defender then weaved his way 107 yards for a touchdown. On the ensuing kickoff Eau Claire fumbled the ball on their own 19-yar line and seven plays later St. Thomas scored their second TD in a span of 2:32. 

Eau Claire amassed 240 yards of offense vs. St. Thomas which included 167 passing yards. The Blugolds had 37 rushing attempts for 73 yards.

The Blugolds used a pair of quarterbacks. JT Denhartog started the game and went 6-for-10 for 88 yards and threw the pick 6 in the end zone in the third quarter. Joel Newman then came on and went 8-for-9 for 79 yards and threw a touchdown pass. Running backs Gerald Childs and Jake Gorzek both rushed for 38 yards in the game.

Linebacker Erik Hulman was the leading tackler for Eau Claire last weekend. He finished with six solo tackles and seven total tackles.

Eau Claire was picked to finish seventh in the annual WIAC coaches' preseason poll. The Blugolds are coming off a 1-9 overall record in 2014. UWEC went 1-6 in the WIAC last year.

Eau Claire returns four players who were earned All-WIAC honors. Besides Hulman, offensive lineman Isiah Cage, wide receiver Matthew Knapp and linebacker Brandon Luedke also earned conference postseason honors. UWEC also have 37 returning letterwinners. Knapp had a team-high two touchdown receptions in 2014, and was third with 301 receiving yards while Luedke compiled 23 tackles and two quarterback sacks. Senior quarterback Joel Newman completed 54.6 percent of his passes for 1,024 yards and five touchdowns. In 2014, the Blugolds ranked 24th in NCAA Division III with a .600 fourth down conversion percentage.

Cobber SID Picks To Click:
Once again 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.

Offense - #6 Brandon Zylstra, Sr. WR   
We are looking for the return of Brandon "Thrill"stra on Saturday. Zylstra had a team-high six catches for 63 yards and one receiving TD last week. He is poised to have a big game as the Eau Claire gave up seven pass plays over 20 yards last week against St. Thomas. Zylstra's long reception last week went for 25 yards and we think he will have a long gainer against the Blugolds. Look for Zylstra to come up big on the YAC (yards after catch) statistic.

Defense - #9/49 Erik Bye & Levi Hintermeister, Sr., LB
The two-headed middle linebacking monster of Erik Bye and Levi Hintermeister will once again have to come up big if the Cobber defense is going to get off the field on a regular basis. The Blugolds return four starting offensive linemen which means the CC defensive line will have their hands full. It will be up to Bye and Hintermeister to shed blockers and then make tackles before the UWEC running backs can get to the next level.   

Coach Horan Preview Interview: