Game 1 Preview: Jamestown at Concordia

GAME 1: Univ. of Jamestown (0-1) at Concordia (0-0)
DATE: September 5, 2015
LOCATION: Moorhead, Minn. (Jake Christiansen Stadium)
GAME TIME: 1 p.m.
RADIO: 1660-AM in the F-M area
SERIES: Concordia leads 10-3
SERIES STARTED: 1920

    
Cobbers vs. Jimmies Series History: CC leads 10-3

Last Year:
Last year the Cobbers jumped out to a 23-0 lead late in the second quarter and rolled to a 40-13 victory at Jamestown. The Jimmies scored a touchdown in the final minute of the second quarter and then a second at the start of the fourth quarter when the score was 40-7.

The Cobber defense limited Jamestown to 56 rushing yards. The story of the game was the CC offense as it held the ball for over 35 minutes, ran 74 plays and racked up 515 yards of total offense.

Complete 2014 Game Recap 

Stat Central:

- 2014 Concordia Statistics

- 2014 Jamestown Statistics

Pick 6 - 6 Items To Help You Take It To The House:
1- First Career Start for Alex Grove
One could say Cobber football is in Grove's blood, being his father, Steve, was a great fullback at Concordia in the late eighties. Though Grove has only attempted 12 passes in his Cobber career, completing seven of them for 83 total yards and one touchdown, he has groomed to take over the position upon the departure of standout Griffin Neal for the past two seasons.
2- Dyanmic Duo
The Cobbers return two All-MIAC receivers in Jon Baune and Brandon Zylstra who combined for 77 catches, 985 yards and 11 touchdowns last season. Grove has a pair of big play threats on the outside that are poised for big senior seasons.
3 - Three More
Terry Horan took over for legendary coach Jim Christopherson 14 years ago and has guided the Cobbers to a 97-47 overall record during his tenure. Needing just three wins to reach 100 for his career, Horan is steadily climbing the Concordia football coaching records ladder. In Christopherson's 32 seasons he amassed a 218-101-7 record. Horan is on pace to break that mark midway through the 2035 season!
4- Season-Opening Success
Concordia enters the 2015 season having won four straight openers. The last time the Cobbers lost the first game of the year was back in 2010 at Dickinson State on a last-second tipped TD pass reception. Concordia is 10-4 in season openers under coach Terry Horan.
5- The Hogs Up Front
The Cobbers boast one of the top offensive lines in the conference that return four of five starters, losing Cody Peterson to graduation. Seniors Clay Bachmeier and Dave Brown are complimented on the line by juniors Alex Berg and Jon Asprey. Berg was an All-MIAC First Team selection last season. 
6 - Stout Defense
The defensive line will present new faces as junior and national qualifier Concordia wrestler Justice Davis gets the nod at defensive end for the Cobbs. Davis is in his first season with the Cobber football team. Sophomore Kirby Siewert will start at the other end position. Those two will try to fill the gap by All-MIAC standout Nate Adams who was lost to graduation. Concordia is loaded in their 3-4 defensive scheme with the return of Erik Bye, Levi Hintermeister and Derek Rachel at linebacker. Bye and Hintermeister were tackling machines for the Cobbers as they shared the team lead last season with 54 tackles apiece. All-MIAC performer Christian Erickson and Tyler Hansen look to shut down the outside at corner while Matt Ahrndt and Alex Sandahl provide a wealth of experience at safety. 

Scouting the Jimmies
Jamestown enters today's game 0-1 on the season. The Jimmies dropped their season opener 41-31 at home against Valley City State last weekend. In that game the Jimmies racked up 459 yards of total offense which included 371 passing yards.

Senior quarterback Beau Eriksson is a three-year starter and has 5,365 career passing yards. He has completed 446 total passes and has 47 career passing TD's. 

Defensively, the Jimmies will return eight starters. They are led by senior linebacker Jarelle Miller who earned second-team All-American honors and was named the NSAA Defensive MVP last season. Miller has 180 total tackles and 11 sacks in his first three seasons at UJ.

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 - #21 Chad Johnson, So. FB   
It would be easy to pick one of the two Cobber wideout playmakers but we are going with sophomore fullback Chad Johnson as our "Pick to Click" for Saturday. Concordia's offense is predicated on running the ball and Johnson will get many carries against the Jimmies. His size and speed will help him be able to break through the first line and get into the secondary. He has that breakaway capability of former MIAC Brett Baune. Johnson could have a big day in his first collegiate start.

Defense - #30 Christian Ericsson, Sr., DB
On the opposite side of the ball the Jamestown offense likes to air things out which will give the Cobber secondary a great opening-game test. Christian Erickson, who led Concordia in interceptions last season, will have plenty of opportunities to make plays from his spot at cornerback. Although he has a pair of new starting safeties in the defensive backfield, he should be able to have chances to add to his career interception total of five. 

Coach Horan Preview Interview: