Game 7 Preview: #23/21 Concordia at Augsburg

 GAME 7: #23/21 Concordia (5-1/3-1 MIAC) at Augsburg (2-3/1- 2 MIAC)

DATE: October 18, 2014
LOCATION: Minneapolis, Minn. (Edor Nelson Field)
GAME TIME: 1 p.m.
RADIO: 1660-AM in the F-M area

Live Video: Augsburg Stretch Internet GameDay

Live Stats: Augsburg Stretch Internet GameDay

Live Audio: MN Sports Network

Cobbers vs. Augsburg Series History:
Series started: 1926

Cobbers lead overall series: 56-13-2

Series Synopsis: Concordia has won four straight against Augsburg and 13 of the last 14 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 38.2 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 12-1 vs. Augsburg.
          

         
Cobber vs. Auggie Complete Series History (pdf)

50th Anniversary NAIA Championship Look Back: 1964 - Oct. 17 vs. Macalester
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.  
 
This week we highlight the game after Homecoming as the Cobber traveled to St. Paul to take on Macalester (the Scots were in the MIAC until 2001). Concordia handled Macalester with ease as the Scots entered the game winless on the year. The preview from the Concordian the week before used this line to describe Macalester's 1964 team. "The undermanned Scots have only 13 returning lettermen this season and rookie coach Bob Lord has been forced to go with a makeshift defense as the Macalester squad has been severely hampered by a depleted bench. 

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

"An awesome first-half display of offensive power propelled the unbeaten Concordia Cobbers to a smashing 45-8 victory over the winless Macalester Scots last Saturday in St. Paul. The one-sided tilt, which raised the Cobbers slate to 6-0 for the season, was never in doubt as Jake Christiansen's charges rolled up all their points in the first half as the Scots defense was no match for the brilliant offense surge.

Rangy end Paul Brynteson opened the fray by latching on to a 9-yard pass from Bob Nick to thrust the gridders into a 7-0 lead. Brynteson, who added three converts and a second touchdown, shared the scoring spotlight with fullback Dave Heide, who scored a brace of touchdowns, one on a 37-yard pass.

Lanky Doug Eckheart continued to use his heady defensive work by rambling 72-yards to paydirt on a punt return while Stu Barthlolomaus and Doug Perry added the final Concordia scores.

The lone Macalester score came late in the third quarter when quarterback Terry Nelson bolted over on a 2-yard run. Nelson, and individual standout in a losing cause, passed to end Gary Clements to round out the scoring for the afternoon.

For the second consecutive week the Cobbers' first team played half the game as Jake Christiansen inserted his reserves at will in preparation for the forthcoming crucial games. The Cobbers piled up 508 yards as quarterbacks Bob Nick, Paul Hoseth and Merle Hall connected on 13 of 18 passes while the backfield led by Heide, Perry and Jim Satter chalked up 338 yards.

Another key aspect of Concordia's triumph was the work of the pass defense which stifled numerous Macalester drives and picked off four wayward passes."            

Last Year: Augsburg 20 at Concordia 47
Concordia used 27 straight points in the first half and a near perfect passing day from quarterback Griffin Neal to beat Augsburg 47-20.

The catalyst behind Concordia's 27-point rally and eventual 27-point victory was Neal. He was 19-for-21 for 281 passing yards and had four TD tosses.

Neal completed passes to six different receivers and three CC players came away with at least one touchdown catch and five overall receptions. Brandon Zylstra caught a 47-yard TD pass at the start of the second quarter and finished with five catches for 86 yards. Mark Whiting started slow but then had five catches for 86 yards and hauled in a pair of TD strikes. Jon Baune was the third member of the five-catch trio. He caught a 26-yard TD pass in the fourth quarter and had 69 receiving yards.

In addition to his 281 yards through the air, Neal also ran the ball a game-high 19 times for 43 yards. He was a part of a Cobber ground game that ran the ball 39 times and gained 149 yards. Junior fullback Domenic Fraboni rambled 36 yards for a score in the second quarter and had a team-high 60 rushing yards.

The Cobber defense came up with many big plays in the game and limited the Auggies to just 20 points on the day. The CC "Blackshirt" defense also contained the Auggie offense to 380 total yards. Augsburg entered the game averaging 463.0 yards per game.

The biggest impact from the Cobber defense came in forcing turnovers. Concordia forced four turnovers on the day including three interceptions.

Nate Adams recorded his league-leading sixth sack of the season. Kenyon O' Brien, Tyler Hanson and Mitch Tauer had the three Concordia interceptions. Cobber linebacker Tyler Berling had a team-high 11 tackles on the day. He also forced a fumble and had a tackle for a loss. Erik Bye had eight total tackles and had one pass break up.

MIAC Play of the Week:
In the least surprising news of the week, Jon Baune, Griffin Neal and the Cobber offensive line have now made it five straight for MIAC Play of the Week honors. The trio hooked up for a very routine 36-yard TD pass in the first quarter to give CC a 7-0 lead.

It marks the fifth time in six weeks this season that Concordia trio has won the fans voting award. The Cobbers didn't have a chance to win it the week before as they didn't have a play nominated by the league office.

Concordia has owned the MIAC Play of the Week honors in the past two years. The Cobbers have claimed the MIAC POW award in 10 of the 14 weeks the feature has been awarded.

MIAC Play of the Week - Week 6

Stat Central:

- 2014 Concordia Statistics

- 2014 Augsburg Statistics

- 2014 MIAC Statistics

- 2014 Concordia NCAA Team/Individual Rankings

- 2014 Augsburg NCAA Team/Individual Rankings

Pick 6 - 6 Items To Help You Take It To The House:
1. The GameDay staff would like to alert the Augsburg scoreboard operator to have extra bulbs hand on Saturday. The Cobbers and Auggies are both averaging over 30 points per game this season and both have put up a 50-spot on the board in one game in 2014. On top of this year's scoring prowess, the teams have a history of lighting up the board when they get together. Last year the teams combined for 67 points. Since 2005, the teams have combined to score an average of 61.3 points per game when they meet.

2. In addition to seeing the scoreboard light up like a Christmas tree, fans can expect multiple opportunities to head to the concession stand and not miss a change of possession. Concordia and Augsburg are the top two teams in the MIAC in time of possession. The Cobbers are averaging 36:01 in time of possession per game and the Auggies are second with a 32:57 TOP mark. Concordia is still ranked in the top 5 in the nation in the category. CC is fourth in Division III with their 36:01 total. 

3. Saturday's game will be a battle of top-notch quarterbacks who have first names for last names. In addition to that similarity, both can beat you with their arms or legs. Concordia's Griffin Neal and Augsburg's Ayrton Scott have been their team's starting signal caller for three years. Both players lead their teams in passing AND rushing yardage. Neal is averaging 205.2 passing yards per game and 45.5 rushing yards per contest. Scott is averaging 249.6 passing yards and 149.0 rushing yards per game. Both players are also in the top 3 in the league when it comes to scoring touchdowns. 

3B. Neal continues to track down the school's all-time passing yardage record. He currently has 4,882 passing yards. He is now seven yards shy of Ethan Pole for the No.2 spot on the school's all-time passing yardage list. Neal needs 354 passing yards to break the school record held by Michael Dunham. In addition, he has 40 touchdown strikes and needs five more to surpass Ryan Hebrink who threw for 44 from 2000-03.

4. Keep your eyes down the field as well when the teams have the ball. Since both QB's are in the top 5 in the league in passing yardage it only figures that the game will also feature a pair of conference-best receivers. Concordia's Jon Baune and Augsburg's Joey Sonnefeld are both in the top 4 in the MIAC in receiving yards per game and receiving touchdowns. Baune is averaging 83.3 receiving yards per game and has caught six TD passes while Sonnefeld is at 82.6 and seven.  

5. Once again the game could be determined by our old friend the turnover. The Cobbers won the turnover battle last week against Carleton and claimed the victory. Two weeks ago they lost the turnover battle at Bethel and fell 27-17. The Cobbers have lost five MIAC games in the past three seasons and in four of those defeats have had more turnovers than their opponent. Last year CC won the turnover battle against the Auggies. The Cobbers came away with three interceptions and recovered one fumble while Augsburg was only able to gain one fumble recovery. 

6. Fans headed to Edor Nelson Field will be able to see the brand new video scoreboard. The scoreboard measures close to 20-feet-high by 40-feet-wide and includes a 13-foot-high, 22-foot-wide, high-definition video display. The scoreboard was dedicated on Aug. 18 at a ceremony to honor the 100th birthday of the field's namesake Edor Nelson.

Scouting the Auggies:
Augsburg heads into Saturday's game having lost two straight including a 45-27 defeat last week at St. Thomas. The Auggies started the year by falling to nationally ranked Wartburg and then beating Concordia University (Wis.) 55-45 in a wild offensive showcase.

It goes without saying that the strength of the Augsburg team is on offense where they have scored more than 30 points in three of their five games in 2014. They are currently third in the MIAC in offensive yards per game (441.0). They had 330 total yards against the Tommies last week and put up a season-high 682 against Concordia University.

The Augsburg offense is led by Ayrton Scott. Scott is a two-time All-MIAC First Team honoree and was named to the D3football.com All-West Region third team in 2012. He has 6,260 career passing yards and 2,542 rushing yards. Scott is currently 10th in Division III in total offense. He is averaging 341.1 yards of total offense this season.   

Scott has a talented crew of skill players to help carry the load. Senior Jerise Washington is right behind Scott in rushing yards per game at 91.6 He had 90 yards against UST and a season-high 178 against Concordia University. Wide receivers Joey Sonnenfeld and Hunter Friesen are in the top 5 in the league in receiving yards per game. Sonnenfeld has put togwether back-to-back 100-yard receiving games while Friesen caught a 92-yard TD pass against Carleton.  

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 - #6 Brandon Zylstra, Jr., WR
While Jon Baune has been scoring the TD's and picking up big yards this season, Brandon Zylstra has been slowly rounding into shape after suffering an offseason injury. He has had at least four catches in four consecutive and has had at least 40 yards of receiving in each game during that stretch. Look for the Auggies to roll a majority of their pass coverage to Baune on Saturday which could leave the door open for the return of Brandon Thrillstra. Last year Thrillstra had a 47-yard touchdown pass against the Auggies and wound up with a team-high 86 receiving yards.

Defense - #3 Mitch Tauer, Sr., S
We hope Mitch Tauer has a huge game on Saturday. We know that he is going to get a ton of action against the Auggie offense. The GameDay staff wanted to honor Tauer with the "What It Means To Be a Cobber" Play of the Year from last week's game against Carleton. The play occurred at the start of the third quarter. The Knights had the ball on their own 20-yard line in the first possession of the second half. Carleton QB Zach Creighton took off up the middle on a quarterback draw and sprinted through the middle of the Concordia defense and appeared to be on his way for a TD that would cut the lead to 20-14. Unfortunately for Creighton, Tauer had other ideas and sprinted 50 yards to track down Creighton at the CC 25-yard line. Tauer then tackled Creighton with one hand and punched then ball with the other. Tauer's strip tackle knocked the ball free where it rolled all the way down to the Concordia 1-yard line. Cobber senior captain Dan Berdan fell on the ball to give CC the ball and avert a second Knight score. CC went on to score on the ensuing drive to put the game out of reach.

Tauer's hustle, determination and heart is the GameDay staff Play of the Year so far. We hope he can carry that energy to Minneapolis and come away with a few more big plays.

Coach Horan Preview Interview: