Game 5 Preview: #15/22 Concordia at #19/12 Bethel

GAME 3: #15/22 Concordia (4-0/2-0 MIAC) at #19/12 Bethel (2-1/2-0 MIAC)

 DATE: October 4, 2014
LOCATION: Arden Hills, Minn. (Royal Stadium)
GAME TIME: 1 p.m.
RADIO: 1660-AM in the F-M area

Live Video: Bethel Stretch Internet

Live Stats: Bethel Stretch Internet

Live Audio: MN Sports Network

Cobbers vs. Bethel Series History:
Series started: 1978
Cobbers lead overall series: 22-14-0
Series Synopsis: Bethel has won five straight in the series and seven of the last eight games played against the two teams. The only win for the Cobbers in that stretch came in 2008 Moorhead. Before those seven games, Concordia had claimed three of the previous four. The Royals hold a 9-4 advantage in the last 13 games in the series...the most points scored in a single game in the series came in 2007 when Bethel won 48-45 in triple overtime in one of the most exciting games ever played at "The Jake"...Concordia is 3-9 against BU in the last 12 games played in Arden Hills. Cobber head coach Terry Horan is 6-7 vs. Bethel.   
 

Cobber vs. Royal Complete Series History (pdf)

Cobber Football in the Fargo-Moorhead Media:

 Fargo Forum
-  On and off the field, Cobbers' Nelson can draw attention

WDAY-TV
- Back to Bethel

KVRR-TV
- Execution is Key for Cobber Football

50th Anniversary NAIA Championship Look Back: 1964 Game 4
This year will be a season-long celebration of the 50th anniversary of the 1964 NAIA National Championship Team. That team was honored with the Murray Warmath Legendary Team Award given out by the Minnesota Chapter of the National Football Foundation earlier this spring and we will be remembering the games and players from the '64 season all during 2014.  
 
The fourth game of the 1964 season (the '64 season started a week later than this year so we are going with the game closest to this week's date for this feature) was a road game at Minn-Duluth (yes, they were in the MIAC back in the day). The strange thing about the game is that it was played at night. The Cobbers had a couple of night games that year. Both teams entered the game unbeaten but only the Cobbers would emerge unscathed.

Here is the game report by Paul Sandager that appeared in the Concordian the next week:

Last Year: Bethel 45 at Concordia 22
Last year Concordia wasn't able to overcome seven turnovers and lost 45-22 to Bethel in Moorhead. The Royals raced to a 28-0 lead and never looked back in winning by 23 points.

Concordia fumbled on their first two possessions of the game and watched as the Royals got out to a 21-0 lead before the game was even 12 minutes old. Bethel tacked on a fourth score at the end of the second quarter before the Cobbers were able to drive 73 yards in 14 plays to get to within 28-7 at the half.

Concordia's woes continued on the opening kickoff of the second half. CC fumbled the kick to start the third quarter and fell behind 31-7 at the 11:20 mark of the third period.

The Cobbers recovered and scored towards the end of the third quarter before the Royals countered with their fifth TD of the day at the start of the fourth quarter.

Concordia cut the lead to 38-22 with 10:30 left in the game but could never come up with the big play to get closer than 16.

Despite the turnovers, the Cobbers still had 366 yards of total offense and picked up 23 first downs. CC's offense was balanced as they had 154 rushing yards on 36 carries and 171 passing yards on 28 attempts.

Stat Central:

- 2014 Concordia Statistics

- 2014 Bethel Statistics

- 2014 MIAC Statistics

- 2014 Concordia NCAA Team/Individual Rankings

- 2014 Bethel NCAA Team/Individual Rankings

Pick 6 - 6 Items To Help You Take It To The House:
1. Welcome to showdown Saturday! Saturday's game in Arden Hills is the marquee match-up in the MIAC and will be drawing a lot of media attention from around the state. The Concordia/Royal game is always a great college football contest and usually filled with a lot of drama. The last time the teams played at Bethel the game was decided on a unique turn of events in the final seconds of the fourth quarter.

Saturday's game should be no different as both teams are undefeated in conference play and both are ranked in the top 25 in both the major Division III polls.  

2. Concordia has been on the short end of the series in recent history. Bethel has won five straight against the Cobbers and seven of the last eight. Arden Hills has been a tough place to play for CC. Concordia is 3-9 in the last 12 games played at Bethel. 

3. Concordia has lived by the motto "score early and hang on to the ball often" in 2014. The Cobbers have received the opening kickoff in all four games this year and has scored on all four opening drives. CC has then kept the ball for over 35 minutes in all four games. Concordia is third in Division III in average time of possession (37:24) this season. That mark is also sixth best in all of NCAA FBS, FCS, Division II and Division III combined.

3B. The ability to score early has been a trademark for the Cobbers the past three seasons. CC has scored on the first two possessions in 20 of its past 24 games. Concordia is 19-1 in those 20 games when they score on either the first or second possession. Of the four times the Cobbers haven't scored on their first or second possession in the past three years, two have come against Bethel.   

4. Saturday's game will feature two of the top quarterbacks in the MIAC. Cobber senior signal caller Griffin Neal and Royal QB Eric Peterson both have the ability to take over a game and beat teams with their arm or legs. Neal is third in the MIAC in completion percentage, passing yards and passing yards per game and tied for fourth in scoring. He is also second on the team in rushing. Peterson was named the league's Most Valuable Player last season and is currently third in the league in passing touchdowns. He leads an offense that is averaging over 30 points per game.
 
5. One of the keys on Saturday could be the ability for the Cobber offense to keep the chains moving and rack up first downs against the Royals defense and their ability to stop teams from getting first downs. Concordia is ranked fourth in Division III in total first downs on the year. CC has 109 first downs in their first four games of the season. The Bethel defense has only allowed 35 first downs this year and ranks ninth in the nation in that statistical category.  
6. While the offenses grab the spotlight for both teams, the defensive side of the ball is where both teams put up impressive numbers. The two squads are both ranked in the top 10 in Division III in rushing defense. Concordia is fifth in the nation, allowing a mere 53.8 rushing yards per game, while the Royals are eighth at 65.7.

Both defenses have also excelled at not giving up points in two quarters of the game. Concordia is the master at the book-end periods, allowing just 12 points in the first and fourth quarters of their four games this year. Bethel has shut down teams in the first half of their three games in 2014. The Royals have given up just three points in the first half of play this year.

Scouting the Royals:
Bethel won the MIAC regular-season championship last season and was picked to repeat in the annual preseason coaches' poll. The Royals advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA playoffs in 2013 where they were beaten by North Central.

Bethel returns seven players on each side of the ball from last year's title team. The biggest returnee from a year ago is quarterback Eric Peterson who earned MIAC MVP honors in 2013. Also returning on the offensive side of the ball to give the Royals a potent 1-2 punch is senior running back Brandon Marquardt who is a two-time All-MIAC honoree.

The defense lost standout linebacker Seth Mathis who was a two-time AFCA and D3football.com All-American as well as a three-time MIAC All-Conference performer. He led the team in tackles and interceptions in 2013. The Bethel defense has plenty of fire power of their own as they return senior safety Josh Treimer who earned MIAC postseason honors the past two seasons. Landon Mathis, Set's younger brother, currently leads the team in tackles and tackles for a loss.      

Cobber SID Picks To Click:
This year we are adding a new feature to the GameDay preview. 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.

So far this season we haven't been "clicking" on all cylinders and it has been more of a "Pick to Click" jinx. Despite of our past track record, we will continue to give the fans an insight on who we think will have a big game.

Offense - The Offensive Line - The Hogs
We are going to go with a group of players who rarely gets any recognition but continues to be the heart and soul of the Cobber offense which is ranked third in the nation in time of possession. The Cobber "Hogs" will have to be on top of their game on Saturday in order to keep the Bethel defensive line and linebacking corps from stopping the run. Probably the biggest key in the game will be the Hogs' ability to give CC quarterback Griffin Neal time to throw the ball. If Neal has time to throw the ball and pick out wideout targets Jon Baune and Brandon Zylstra then the CC offense will be a very tough two-headed monster.   

Defense - #97 Carl Nelson, Sr., NG
The Cobber player with the biggest lower body on the team will be a huge factor in stopping the Bethel running game on Saturday. Nelson's ability to occupy two blockers which frees linemates Nate Adams and Nick Leen, as well as the CC linebacking crew, to make plays will be a key in holding the Royals at bay. Concordia's front 7 held St. John's vaunted running attack to under 100 rushing yards two weeks ago and they will be called upon to put forth the same effort on Saturday.   

Coach Horan Preview Interview: