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Picture courtesy of the Gustavus Sports Information Office
Picture courtesy of the Gustavus Sports Information Office

Game 4 Preview: Concordia at Gustavus

GAME 4: Concordia (2-1/1-0 MIAC) at Gustavus (6-2/0-1 MIAC) 

DATE: October 1, 2016
LOCATION: St. Peter, Minn. (Hollingsworth Field)
GAME TIME: 1 p.m.
RADIO: WDAY 970-AM in the F-M area

Live VideoGustvaus Stretch GameDay

Live Stats: Gustavus GameDay

Live Audio: WDAY 970-AM


Cobbers vs. Gustavus Series History:

Series started: 1923

Gusties lead overall series: 44-38-2

Series Synopsis: Concordia had won four straight games between the teams before last year's dramatic last-minute comeback victory by Gustavus...the Cobbers have won 10 of the last 14 meetings between the two teams. Last year's win by the Gusties in St. Peter was only the third time in 10 games in the series that the home team prevailed...Concordia has scored at least 29 points in five straight games against Gustavus...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 10-5 vs. Gustavus.

Last 10 Meetings
Year Score
2005 Gustavus 0 at Concordia 30
2006 Gustavus 7 at Concordia 0
2007 Concordia 34 at Gustavus 24
2008 Concordia 27 at Gustavus 21
2009 Gustavus 20 at Concordia 19
2010 Gustavus 38 at Concordia 14
2011 Concordia 37 at Gustavus 20
2012 Concordia 29 at Gustavus 10
2013 Gustavus 31 at Concordia 38
2014 Gustavus 26 at Concordia 35
2015 Concordia 34 at Gustavus 41


Cobber vs. Gustavus Complete Series History
 (pdf)


Last Year: Concordia 34 at Gustavus 41
Last year the Gustavus erased a 34-27 lead in the final 30 seconds of the fourth quarter to post a dramatic 41-34 victory. The teams were deadlocked at 21-21 at halftime and then the Cobbers took a 34-27 lead on a Chad Johnson 11-yard run with 2:09 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Gusties were able to drive the ball 63 yards and score a touchdown with 29-seconds remaining in the game to push the score to 34-33. Instead of kicking the extra point, the Gustavus coaching staff elected to go for the win with a 2-point PAT. The pass attempt failed and it looked like CC would hold on for the one-point victory. Unfortunately for the Cobbers the ensuing on-side kick was recovered by Gustavus. The Gusties then scored three plays later on a 33-yard passing strike with 14 ticks left on the clock.

Both teams racked up big chunks of offense. Gustavus held a slim 448-437 edge in total offensive yards. The Cobbers rolled up 201 yards on the ground while the Gusties amassed 363 passing yards.

Jason Montoyne and Chad Johnson led the CC ground game. Montoyne finished with a game-high 90 rushing yards on seven carries and Johnson had 16 attempts for 78 yards. Quarterback Michael Herzog was 17-for-22 for 236 yards and two touchdowns. Senior wide receiver Brandon Zylstra caught 10 passes for 115 yards and had a pair of TD catches.         


Cobber Football in the Fargo-Moorhead Media:

Cobber Media

- Cobber Coaches' Show - Sept. 27


- Cobber Football Coaches Show - Sept. 20
 


Stat Central:

2016 Concordia Statistics

2016 Gustavus Statistics

2016 MIAC Statistics

2016 Concordia NCAA Team/Individual Rankings

2016 Gustavus NCAA Team/Individual Rankings


Pick 6 - 6 Items To Help You Take It To The House:
1. Bye Week Woes Concordia has struggled in games played after bye weeks during Terry Horan's tenure. The Cobbers are 2-4 following a bye week in the middle of the season. CC has dropped two straight post-bye games (2011-2012) and has not won following a bye week since 2010.
2. Multi-Dimensional – Michael Herzog has yet to hit the century mark through the air this season but the quarterback is racking up some yards on the ground. He is fourth in the MIAC in rushing yards per game as he averages 67.3 yards on the ground per game.
3. Low-Scoring Affairs – The Cobbers haven't found the end zone often as they have only scored nine touchdowns this season. That mark is second to last in the MIAC behind Carleton. Their 19.7 points per game average is third lowest in the league but the defense has been stout – giving up just 16.7 points per contest which is second best in the conference.
4. Smart Football – Horan's bunch has committed the fewest penalties in the league with just 16. CC has a league low 47.7 penalty yards a game.
5. Ground and Pound – It's no secret that the Cobbers' are going to run the football. They've racked up an average of 234.7 yards on the ground per game which is 32nd in the country.
6. 3rd and Long – The Concordia offense has managed to keep drives alive better than any other team in the conference. On third down the Cobbers have a conversion rate of 47% (20-for-43) through the first three games. Because of the team's ability to convert and extend drives they have held the ball for an average of 32:28 per game.


Scouting the Gusties:
Replacing Mitch Hendricks under center for the Gusties has been a challenge through the first three games. Hendricks owns the Gustavus record book as he is the front-runner in most passing statistical categories in the program's history.

The Gusties started Michael Veldman under center for the first two games but he was injured in their week two 24-21 win over Wis.-River Falls. True freshman Christian Haffner stepped in and led the team to a 35-13 win over Augsburg in week three before the team dropped a 42-40 decision to Hamline last week in a game that featured 998 yards of total offense.

In his two starts Haffner has thrown for 385 yards and five scores. Backing up the Tennessee native is sophomore Sam Archer who has seen limited action with the quarterback juggling.

Junior Karim Ortiz lines up behind Haffner. Ortiz leads the conference in rushing yards per MIAC game at 128.3 and averages 103.4 yards on the ground in all games. Due to injuries Jamison Beulke, a receiver who has caught nine balls for 155 yards and a pair of scores, is slotted in at second on the depth chart at halfback. Beulke will be a threat out of the backfield as he averages 17.2 yards per reception.

Gustavus likes to sling the ball around but the loss of Matt and Gabe Boyce at wideout has been tough for the Gusties to overcome. Haffner's favorite perimeter target is 5-8 slot receiver Hunter Johnson. The Cannon Falls, Minn. product has snagged 24 balls for 345 yards and three scores.

The team's leading tacklers are sophomore corner Jordan Kahlow (23 tackles) and senior inside linebacker Zack Martinez (20 tackles). Martinez leads a stout rush defense that allows just 79.8 rushing yards per game.


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 – The Hogs - Concordia's starting offensive line will have to dictate the game on Saturday. The Cobbers boast the MIAC's top rushing attack (234.7) rushing yards per game but the Gusties rush defense is second in the MIAC and 27th in the nation. For Chad Johnson, Jason Montonye, Herzog and co. to get rolling the line will need to control what happens inside the hashmarks.

Defense – The Raptors – The linebacking corps for the Cobbers is referred to as "The Raptors" as they are taught to swarm to the ball much like the Jurassic creature they obtained the nickname from would have. Dallas Raftevold, Hank Van Liew, Alex Berg, Cody Fox and Sean-Paul Guilford will need to team up to slow down the downhill running style of Ortiz. Though Raftevold is listed as a defensive back on the depth chart the junior is the team's leading tackler and acts as a walk-up safety and will be active in the box.


Cobber Coaches' Show Post-Bethel - Sept. 20, 2016: