Game 7 Preview: Augsburg at Concordia

GAME 7: Augsburg (2-3/1-2 MIAC) at #21/19 Concordia (5-1/3-1 MIAC) 
DATE: October 17, 2015
LOCATION: Moorhead, Minn. (Jake Christiansen Stadium)
GAME TIME: 1 p.m.
RADIO: 1660-AM in the F-M area

Live Video: Cobber Primetime GameDay

Live Stats: Cobber Primetime GameDay

Live Audio: MN Sports Network

Cobbers vs. Augsburg Series History:
Series started: 1926

Cobbers lead overall series: 57-13-2

Series Synopsis: Concordia has won five straight against Augsburg and 14 of the last 15 games played between the two teams. The lone Auggie win came in 2009 in a 27-20 overtime thriller in Moorhead...the Cobbers are 8-2 against the Auggies in the last 10 games played in Moorhead...Concordia is averaging 39.2 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 13-1 vs. Augsburg.
          

         
Cobber vs. Auggie Complete Series History (pdf)

Cobber Football in the Fargo-Moorhead Media:

Fargo Forum
- Cobbers look to slow down a potent Augsburg offense

Fargo Forum
- Erickson provides a mature presence for the Cobbers defense 

Cobber SID
- One Tough Cobber Teammate

Last Year: Concordia 41 at Augsburg 21
Last year the Cobbers broke open a 14-14 tie at halftime by scoring 27 points in the second half and went on to beat Augsburg 41-21 in Minneapolis. Concordia wound up holding the ball for 19:23 of the 30 minutes in the second half and rushed for 328 yards in the final two quarters of play.

The Cobbers wound up with 378 rushing yards and 173 passing yards as they outgained the Auggies 551-366. Augsburg had 337 passing yards but only 29 rushing yards for the day.   

Stat Central:

- 2015 Concordia Statistics

- 2015 Augsburg Statistics

- 2015 MIAC Statistics

- 2015 Concordia NCAA Team/Individual Rankings

- 2015 Augsburg NCAA Team/Individual Rankings

Pick 6 - 6 Items To Help You Take It To The House:
1. Defense Wins Championships. The Cobbers have the fifth best offense in the conference, but defense is what is winning games. The "Black Shirt" platoon only allows 16.7 points per game, the second fewest in the MIAC. That mark is also 39th in the nation.
2. Stop the Run. Augsburg boasts the top rushing attack in the conference, the team averages 253.4 yards per game, which is also 26th in the country. The Cobbers give up 125.3 yards on the ground per contest, and will have to hold Auggie down in that range to keep the game in check.
3. Fast Starts. Concordia has set the tone early in their five wins this season. In all five victories in 2015 the Cobbers have scored on their first drive of the game. In four of the five wins Concordia has scored on at least three of their first five possessions of the game. The only game they didn't score on the very first drive of the game was in their loss to St. John's. The Cobbers have averaged 8.6 plays on their five opening possession scores of the year and have driven the ball an average of 69.0 yards on those drives. The biggest tone setter came against Bethel where they scored on a 9-play, 90-yard drive to open the game. The team outscores opposing teams 55-14 in the first quarter.   
4. He's LOOOOSE! Sophomore halfback Conor Gessell has made the most out of his reps this season. Gessell slipped out for the go ahead 38-yard touchdown scamper versus Bethel a few weeks ago. With the absence of Chad Johnson last week he rushed for 100 yards on 12 carries and a score. Gessell's 34-yard run in the final two minutes put the game on ice against Carleton. He averages 7.2 yards per carry and has been a big-play threat on the ground for Concordia.
5. 3rd/4th and Long. Concordia was perfect on 4th down until they missed their only attempt last week. The team is now 13-for-14 on fourth down conversions, a mark still good for third in the country. The Cobbers are also 40-for-76 (52.6%) on third down, a mark that is second in the conference and 11th in the nation.
6. Move the Chains. CC has gained the fifth fewest yards in the conference, but methodically moves the ball down the field. The team has the second most first downs in the MIAC and 17th most in the nation. This stat correlates with the fact the Cobbers have the highest time of possession (32:06) in the conference. 

Scouting the Auggies:
Augsburg heads into Saturday's game having lost two straight including a 55-6 defeat last week at home against nationally-ranked St. Thomas. The Auggies started the year by falling to nationally ranked Wartburg and then beating Concordia University (Wis.) 54-21.

Senior quarterback Ayrton Scott is a dual threat quarterback that is tough to slow down.  Scott averages 223.2 yards passing and another 116.2 yards on the ground. Those marks are second and third in the MIAC, respectively. He has been a starter as a freshman and has racked up the numbers against the Cobbers in his three games. Scott has passed for 1,003 yards with six touchdowns and has rushed for 166 yards. He has been turnover prone, with eight interceptions in the three contests.

Tyrell Martin is Augsburg's other big threat out of the backfield. The duo of Scott and Martin make up the most dangerous ground game in the conference, as the team amasses an average of 253.4 yards rushing per game.  Martin averages 100 yards rushing per game which is 5th in the MIAC. He was named the MIAC player of the week in late September following his 154 yard and two touchdown performance against Carleton. Martin has found the end zone eight times this season, also 5th in the conference.

Scott's favorite target on the perimeter is the tall and athletic senior wide receiver from Maple Grove, Joey Sonnenfeld. He made a big impact in last season's game, hauling in 10 passes for 186 yards and a touchdown. In 2013 Sonnenfeld reeled in eight passes for 134 yards for a two game average of nine catches for 160 yards against the Cobbers. He currently averages 125 yards receiving per game. Sonnenfeld was named to a pair of preseason All-American teams and last year he led the MIAC in almost every receiving category. Scott Bossard chips in with 40 yards receiving per game.

The offense has put up 36.6 points per game, but their defense has allowed 39.6 points and 443 yards of total offense. Both of those marks are second to last in the conference. Leading the charge on defense junior defensive back Matt Bowlin. He averages 7.6 tackles per contest. Second on the team in tackles is sophomore linebacker Raymond Carter. The Jordan, Minn. product has 37 total tackles for an average of 7.4 per game.

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 - #6 Brandon Zylstra and #89 Jon Baune
The duo has not put up outstanding numbers this season. The pair combined averages a little over 100 yards receiving but they receive lots of attention from opposing secondaries because of the big play threat they pose. This week the Cobbers face the worst secondary in the conference statistically, as the Auggies surrender 262.3 yards through the air per game.

Defense – The Nasty Boys
Once again we will go with the dominant force that is the Concordia linebacking corps. The Nast Boys consist of Austyn Raftevold, Levi Hintermeister, Derek Rachel and Erik Bye will have to cover the field sideline to sideline this week. With the dynamic duo of Scott and Martin in the backfield for Augsburg, the quartet has their work cut out for them in containing the potent Auggie offense. The four average 27 combined tackles per game, which is almost 40% of the team's total tackles.  

Coach Horan Preview Interview: