Second-Half Point Streak Stops Cobbers At #11 Bethel

ARDEN HILLS, Minn. (10/15/22)---Concordia gave up 28 unanswered points in the second half and lost 45-7 at No.11-ranked Bethel.

The Cobbers cut the Royals' lead to 17-7 in the final minute of the opening half of play, but then Bethel posted 14 points in the third quarter and 14 more in the fourth to take the Skyline Division contest.

The story of the game was Bethel's ability to convert on third down – which kept their offense on the field for large chunks of time. The Royals were 10-for-13 in third-down situations which propelled them to 40:11 of total possession time. Bethel also had a 78-47 advantage in total offense plays.  

Bethel (5-1, 4-0 MIAC) was also able to find success through the air. The Royals were 35-for-40 in parring attempts and threw for 429 yards.

Concordia (3-3, 1-3 MIAC) rushed the ball 30 times and finished with 130 rushing yards. CC quarterback Cooper Mattern was 11-for-17 for 100 yards through the air.  

The Cobbers' best drive came at the end of the second quarter when they were able to go 75 yards in 11 plays and get into the end zone for the lone time on the day.

The big play on the drive was a 30-yard strike from Mattern to Jake Evans that moved the ball down to the 2-yard line, which allowed senior running back Peyton Mortenson to score on a 2-yard run, two plays later.

Mortenson finished the afternoon with 41 rushing yards on 11 carries. Mattern added another 34 rushing yards.

Joey Headrick caught a team-high five passes fort 24 yards.

Senior linebacker led the Cobber defense with 9.0 total tackles. Marshall King came up with the lone turnover for Concordia when he picked off a pass at the start of the third quarter. The interception was King's fourth of the season which is tied for second most in the MIAC. King also finished with 7.0 tackles. Mitchell Sullivan also had 7.0 tackles. Noble Scott added 6.0 tackles, 1.0 tackles for a loss and forced a fumble.

UP NEXT: The Cobbers will return home to host unbeaten Carleton on Saturday, Oct. 22 at 1 p.m. The Knights are 6-0 overall and 4-0 in league play.