5 Rushing TDs Power Cobbers To MIAC-Opening Win

DULUTH, Minn. (9/23/23)---Like a car engine in the middle of January, it took the Cobbers a while to get warmed up in their MIAC opener at St. Scholastica.

Concordia, coming off their bye week, needed one full quarter before finding their top gear and speeding past the Saints. The Cobbers used a 24-point, second quarter to blister St. Scholastica 49-16.

The Cobbers were shut down on their first two drives of the game and trailed 3-0 after one quarter of play before they posted a 7-play, 71-yard drive to score the first TD of the contest and take control of the game.

THE 411: Concordia scored on three of their five possessions in the second quarter and added a defensive score to take a 28-3 at the halftime break. CC then scored on three straight possessions in the third and fourth quarters to put the game out of reach. The Saints would finish the scoring when they put up their only TD of the game at 4:56 of the final quarter.

The Cobbers used a balanced attack to open MIAC play with the victory. CC had 295 yards on the ground and 235 passing yards for 527 yards of total offense.

THE NEXT LEVEL: While the offense was effective in both the run and pass games, the defense came up with the most dramatic play of the game.  The Cobbers held a 21-3 lead in the second quarter when the Black Shirts forced a fumble and were able to return it for a TD. It's the second straight game that Concordia has scored a non-offensive touchdown.

The defense also stepped up on third down. The Black Shirts held the Saints to just 5-of-15 on third-down chances. The 33.3% success rate is the lowest of the season for an opponent of the Cobbers.

THE NEXT LEVEL 2.0: Concordia entered the game without a single rushing touchdown on the season. They left Duluth with five in their pocket. The Cobbers had five rushing TDs on the day, including one from starting quarterback Cooper Mattern and another from QB replacement Jersey Selzler.

THE NEXT LEVEL 3.0: Cobber junior kicker Damien Silus was 7-for-7 on extra points in the game and is now 13-for-14 on the year.    

BY THE NUMBERS: The 527 yards of total offense for Concordia is a season high and the most since CC put up 594 in week No.2 of last season in a win over Presentation.

The Cobbers held a 25-13 advantage in first downs. Both numbers are season bests for the Cobbers. Concordia went for a first down on a pair of fourth-down situations and succeeded on both. CC is now 4-for-5 on fourth-down plays in 2023.

INDIVIDUALLY SPEAKING: Mattern accounted for a pair of touchdowns. He connected with Dawson Schaffer for a 36-yard TD pass in the second quarter and then plowed his way over from 1-yard out for a rushing TD in the third quarter. Mattern finished the game 13-for-21 for a TD and an interception. He threw for 218 yards and had a team-high 94 rushing yards.

Selzler was 2-for-3 for 17 yards in his first collegiate action for the Cobbers.

Schaffer had four catches for 83 yards and has five TD receptions on the season. He has caught at least one TD in all three games.

The Cobbers had a pair of running backs account for 93 yards and three TDs. Colin Conteh had seven rushes for 79 yards and one score, while Zavier Carroll scored twice and had 14 rushing yards. It was the first touchdown of the year for both players and the first career score for Conteh.

Junior Surpris was the recipient of the Cobbers' forced fumble for a touchdown. He picked up the ball and found the end zone for his first career touchdown. He also had a pair of tackles on the day.

Stuart DeMerit had a team-high seven tackles and a pair of pass breakups. Senior linebacker Ty Moser picked off a pass and had five total tackles. Senior Collin Thompson had 1.5 tackles for a loss on the day and has 10.5 for the season, which leads the MIAC and is in the Top 10 of Division III.

UP NEXT: Concordia will host Carleton on Saturday, Sept. 30 at 1 p.m. The Knights are unbeaten on the year with a 3-0 overall record and 1-0 in conference play.