Johnson & Berg Earn MIAC Honors

MOORHEAD, Minn. (10/03/16)---A 190-yard rushing effort and a career defensive game earned conference recognition as junior running back Chad Johnson and sophomore linebacker Alex Berg were named MIAC Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week.

Johnson had a career-high 190 rushing yards and tied a career high for rushing touchdowns with four while Berg had a career-high 16 tackles in helping the Cobbers post a 46-21 win on the road at Gustavus.

Both players earn the conference honor for the first time in their careers and join defensive back Juwan Easley as this year's Cobber MIAC Athlete of the Week award winners.

Johnson and Berg both contributed to dominant efforts on their side of the ball. Johnson was a part of a Cobber offense that rushed for 400 yards and seven touchdowns on a defense that hadn't allowed more than 195 yards in a single game this season. Concordia's offensive point total was also the most allowed by the Gusties this season. Berg's career game helped the Cobbers hold the Gusties to a season-low 66 rushing yards. In addition, Gustavus junior running back Karim Ortiz – who leads the MIAC in rushing – was held to a season-low 45 yards after he amassed 180 yards against Augsburg and 155 vs. Hamline.

Johnson's 190 rushing yards is the most by any player in the MIAC this season. His four rushing touchdowns are the second most by a player in the conference. He finished the game with 21 carries and averaged 9.0 yards per carry.

With the help from his career game, Johnson is now third in the MIAC in rushing with a 72.5 yards per game average. He is also second in rushing touchdowns with six.

Berg's 16 tackles are the most by a Cobber player this season. He also contributed 1.5 sacks and 2.0 tackles for a loss in the 25-point victory. His tackles for a loss came at key moments in the game and dropped the Gustie offense for a combined loss of 10 yards.

Berg now has a team-best 37 total tackles and 15 solo tackles on the season. He is currently fourth in the MIAC in tackles per game (9.3).  

Concordia will be looking to take its offensive and defensive efforts to the next level when they host No.4-ranked St. Thomas on Saturday, Oct. 8 at 1 p.m. as part of the annual Homecoming celebration.