Game 7 Preview: Concordia at Augsburg

GAME 7: Concordia (4-2/3-1 MIAC) at Augsburg (2-5/2-3 MIAC)  
DATE: October 22, 2015
LOCATION: Minneapolis, Minn. (Edor Nelson Field)
GAME TIME: 1 p.m.
RADIO: WDAY 970-AM in the F-M area

Live Video: Augsburg Stretch GameDay

Live Stats: Augsburg Stretch GameDay

Live Audio: WDAY 970-AM 

Cobbers vs. Augsburg Series History:
Series started: 1926

Cobbers lead overall series: 58-13-2

Series Synopsis: Concordia has won six straight against Augsburg and 15 of the last 16 games played between the two teams. The lone Auggie win came in 2009 in a 27-20 overtime thriller in Moorhead...the Cobbers are 9-1 against the Auggies in the last 10 games played in Minneapolis...Concordia is averaging 40.0 points per game in the last 10 games against Augsburg. The only time they were held under 30 points came in the loss in 2009...the longest win streak for either team in the series is 16 games. CC won 16 straight from 1978-1993...the teams met in the NCAA playoffs in 1997 where Augsburg won 34-22 in a game played in the Fargo Dome...that game in the Fargo Dome was the first of five games played in a dome in the series. After the 1997 playoff game, Concordia and Augsburg played four straight times in the Metrodome in Minneapolis. The very first game played indoors between the two teams came in 1985 when CC blanked Augsburg 38-0 in the Metrodome. Concordia is 3-2 all-time vs. Augsburg in games played at the Metrodome...Cobber head coach Terry Horan is 14-1 vs. Augsburg.          

         
Cobber vs. Auggie Complete Series History (pdf)

Last Year: Augsburg 24 at Concordia 56
Last year Concordia broke open a 21-10 halftime lead by scoring on every one of its possessions in the second half and rolling to a 56-24 win over Augsburg in Moorhead. The Cobbers grabbed an early 14-0 lead at the end of the first quarter on a pair of touchdown runs. The Auggies then cut the lead to 14-10 with just over 2-minutes remaining in the second quarter. 

The Cobber offense then responded by scoring a touchdown on six straight possessions including the final drive of the first half as they went 62 yards in six plays to grab the 11-point lead at the break.

Augsburg scored on its very first possession of the third quarter. They took the kickoff and marched 72 yards in eight plays to trim the lead to 21-17. CC would then score two straight TDs before an Auggie touchdown pushed the score to 35-24 late in the third quarter. CC would then add seven points before the fourth quarter and then two more touchdowns in the fourth.

Augsburg held a 3-yard edge in total offense. The Auggies outgained the Cobbers 484-481. Augsbug had a balanced attack – passing for 261 yards and rushing for 223. Concordia did its damage on the ground – rushing for 347 yards. The Cobbers won the turnover battle as they picked up two fumbles and had an interception compared to only one fumble recovery for the Auggies.

Concordia running back Chad Johnson rushed for 133 yards on 17 carries and scored three TDs to lead the offense. Erik Bye made 11 tackles and had one sack while Hank Van Liew made the INT for CC.  

Cobber Football in the Fargo-Moorhead Media:

Fargo Forum
- Sensational siblings: Montonyes excelling for Cobbers and Dragons

Cobber SID
- Cobber Coaches' Show - Oct. 19

Stat Central:

- 2016 Concordia Statistics

- 2016 Augsburg Statistics

- 2016 MIAC Statistics

- 2016 Concordia NCAA Team/Individual Rankings

- 2016 Augsburg NCAA Team/Individual Rankings

Pick 6 - 6 Items To Help You Take It To The House:

1. Old-Fashioned Football – Concordia's 264.5 rushing yards per game is tops in the MIAC. The Cobbers' ground game has been their bread and butter all season and their rushing attack is 15th in the nation. CC hums to the tune of 5.51 yards per carry.
2. Opposite Ends of the Spectrum – Meanwhile, the aerial attack is last in the conference. Concordia throws for 68.3 yards per contest. They are the only team in the MIAC who averages below 100 throwing yards per game with the next lowest team being Augsburg (185.7 yards per game). The 68.3 yards per contest is ranked 240th of 244 teams in Division-III.
3. Field Goals, Schmield Goals - For the sixth straight game this season the Cobbers didn't connect on a field goal last week against Hamline. It also marked the fourth straight game that CC has not even attempted a 3-point try. Concordia is the only team in the MIAC that hasn't made a field goal this year and are one of only 20 teams in Division III that hasn't made a field goal.
4. Protect the Pocket – The Cobbers front five is still one of the best in Division-III. They have only surrendered four sacks this season which is 11th in the country. Michael Herzog averages just 13 passing attempts per game but he runs the triple-option which exposes him in the backfield often making the stat highly impressive.
5. Turnover Margins – Concordia has only turned the ball over seven times (five fumbles, two interceptions) this season which is tied with St. Thomas for first in the league and is good for 30th in Division-III. Concordia has put the ball on the turf 11 times but has only lost it five times. The national leaders have just two turnovers through the first seven weeks.
6. Six or More – That's how many yards Chad Johnson and Jason Montonye get on average per carry. The duo runs at a clip of 6.5 yards and 6.8 yards per rushing attempt.

Scouting the Auggies:
Augsburg enters Saturday with a 2-3 MIAC record and a 2-5 overall mark.

The Auggies have been dealt the task of replacing athletic multi-dimensional quarterback Ayrton Scott who had a string of good games against Concordia.

Scott's replacement this year is freshman Quentin Lake. He is the fourth quarterback to take game snaps for Augsburg this season and made his first career start last week at St. Olaf. He tossed for 303 yards and a pair of scores on 25-of-34 passing in the 27-9 win.

Getting the bulk of the carries will be junior halfback Tiras Bolton. The Omaha, Neb. native for 207 yards on 61 carries with a pair of touchdowns thus far. Anastacio VandenBosch-Romo also gets touches for the Auggies as the third-down back.

Nick Heenie has been the top target for Augsburg quarterback quartet this season. The sophomore has caught 36 balls for 400 yards and one score this season. Raymond Guyton and Nahjai Brown are also productive receivers for the Auggies. Guyton has reeled in 20 passes for 182 yards and a pair of scores while Brown has caught 15 passes for 156 yards and two touchdowns.

Sophomore inside linebacker Lorenzo Hernandez leads the team in tackles. He has 64 tackles, 23 of them unassisted, so far this season. Khoa Ngyuen and Derek Glynn are the other Auggies with 40 or more takedowns as Ngyuen, a defensive tackle, has 45 and Glynn, the other inside backer, has 40.

One of the areas where Augsburg has excelled this year is on special teams. The Auggies are second in the MIAC in kick return yardage and kicker Tyler Hanson hasn't missed an extra point all season. He is 14-for-14 on PATs and is 4-for-6 o field goal attempts. His four made 3-pointers are good for second in the MIAC. He has the longest field goal in the MIAC this year after connecting on a 45-yarder against Gustavus.

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 – #4 RB Jason Montonye – Montonye is a dual threat for the Cobbers. He can hurt opposing defenses rushing the ball and can also help out Concordia with his special teams play. Montonye had 78 rushing yards on 14 carries with two touchdowns last week against Hamline. The speedster averages 114.5 all-purpose yards per game and owns the longest kick return in the MIAC this year (60 yards at Gustavus).

Defense - #33 DB Treyton Austvold – The sophomore from New London-Spicer had a career-high five unassisted tackles last week against the Pipers. The 5'8" defensive back is fifth on the team with 23 total tackles this season (15 of the solo) and has shown significant improvements as his role expands each week.

Cobber Coaches' Show: