Game 10 Preview: Concordia At Gustavus

GAME 10: #24/23 Concordia (7-2/5-2 MIAC) at Gustavus (6-2/4-2 MIAC) 

DATE: November 7, 2015
LOCATION: St. Peter, Minn. (Hollingsworth Field)
GAME TIME: 1 p.m.
RADIO: 1660-AM in the F-M area

Live Video: Gustvaus Stretch GameDay

Live Stats: Gustavus GameDay

Live Audio: MN Sports Network

Cobbers vs. Gustavus Series History:

Series started: 1923

Gusties lead overall series: 44-37-2

Series Synopsis: Concordia has won four straight and 10 of the last 13 meetings between the two teams. Last year's win by Concordia in Moorhead was the second time in nine games in the series that the home team prevailed. Gustavus had won three straight at "The Jake" before the game in 2013...the longest winning streak in the series is eight games. Gustavus won eight straight from 1946-53...there have only been two shutouts in the series since 1970. The teams traded blankings in 2005 and 2006. CC shutout GAC 30-0 in 2005 and then the Gusties returned the favor a year later by winning 7-0. Both shutouts came at "The Jake". The last six games in the series have been relatively high scoring. Since the 2006 shutout, the teams have combined to score an average of 48.8 points per game...Cobber head coach Terry Horan is 10-4 vs. Gustavus.

Cobber vs. Gustavus Complete Series History (pdf)

Last Year: Gustavus 26 at Concordia 35
Last year the Cobbers came up with five interceptions, scored 28 consecutive points in the first and second quarters and survived a fourth-quarter comeback to beat Gustavus 35-26 in Moorhead.

Concordia gave up the first seven points of the game after the Gustavus defense came up with a huge stop on the opening possession of the game on a fourth-and-one situation. Instead of folding up shop and being blown away by one of the top ranked passing offenses in the nation, the Cobbers buckled down and rattled off 28 straight points to take a commanding 28-7 halftime lead.

The biggest stat differences of the day came in turnovers and time of possession. THe Cobbers were a plus-3 in turnovers and then held the ball for 34:31 to keep the Gustie defense off the field.

When Gustavus did have the ball, the Cobber defense came up with eight straight stops from the first quarter until the third period. The biggest play on defense during that time came when Christian Erickson stepped in front of a pass, made the interception and then raced 30 yards for the "pick six".

Gustavus held a 464-391 edge in offensive yards. The Cobbers had 251 rushing yards while the Gusties threw the ball 54 times. 

Griffin Neal rushed for two TD's while Brandon Zylstra and Cooper Gauldin both caught scoring strikes for CC.  

Cobber Football in the Fargo-Moorhead Media:

Fargo Forum
- Cobbers look to bounce back at Gustavus to end regular season

Stat Central:

- 2015 Concordia Statistics

- 2015 Gustavus Statistics

- 2015 MIAC Statistics

- 2015 Concordia NCAA Team/Individual Rankings

- 2015 Gustavus NCAA Team/Individual Rankings

Pick 6 - 6 Items To Help You Take It To The House:
1. Aerial Attack. Gustavus runs the spread and airs it out. The team averages 329 yards per game, which is tops in the MIAC and 10th in the nation.
2. Red Zone Efficiency. Concordia's red zone offense and defense ranks amongst the top 25 in the country. The Cobbers score on 87% of their red zone trips and opposing teams only score 61% of the time.
3. Wild Finishes. The past two years in Moorhead have featured crazy endings. Coming down to the last minute, Concordia has narrowly edged the Gusties 35-26 and 37-30 in the previous two seasons.
4. 3rd and Long. The Cobbers have been excellent on third down this season, converting on half of their attempts. Though that mark is good for 11th in the nation, Gustavus is the top team in the country on third down conversions. The Gusties have converted on 68-of-110 (62%) of their third down tries this season.
5. Blitz Inc. The tandem of Erik Bye and Levi Hintermeister have been rock solid all season long. They rank 5th and 7th, respectively, in the MIAC in tackles and average nearly 17 tackles per game between the two. The duo accounts for over 22% of the team's total tackles.
6. Moss and Carter's Final Go-Around. In what is likely to be the final game for the Cobbers this season, the team will bode farewell to 22 seniors. The Concordia offense will also say goodbye to perhaps the most dynamic duo of receiver's the school has ever had. Brandon Zylstra and Jon Baune will suit up in a Cobber uniform for one final time. They average a combined 115 yards receiving per game and have nine receiving touchdowns. They haven't posted the anticipated statistics, but opposing defenses have done their part in taking away the perimeter threats.

Scouting the Gusties:
Gustavus enters the game at 6-2 overall and 4-2 in MIAC play. After handily taking care of Crown (Minn.) and Lake Forest in non-conference play, the Gusties won their first four MIAC games and came into a highly anticipated week 7 matchup with St. John's with an undefeated mark of 6-0. The Johnnies dealt Gustavus their first loss 49-27 followed by another loss at the hands of Bethel 33-24 last week. Having lost two in a row, the team will end their season with games against Concordia and St. Thomas.

The Gusties boast one of the best passing attacks in the country. The signal caller for Gustavus is senior Mitch Hendricks. The 5-10 Bemidji native leads the conference in both passing yards (2,513) and touchdowns (28). Averaging 314 yards passing per contest, Hendricks is ranked in the top ten in several statistical categories across the nation. He is in the top ten in passing efficiency (170.8, 10th), passing yards (9th), passing touchdowns (4th), points responsible for (6th) and passing yards per game. 

Hendricks has been a statistical juggernaut against Concordia. Last season he threw for 296 yards on 28-of-54 passing with three touchdowns. In 2013 he threw for another 258 yards with a score. Hendricks has been turnover prone against the Cobbers, as he has thrown six interceptions in the two games.

On the perimeter for the Gusties is a dynamic duo in brothers Matt Boyce and Gabe Boyce. Gabe is a D-II transfer who started his career at Concordia St. Paul in the Twin Cities. He has caught 58 passes for 543 yards and six scores this season.

Matt Boyce is Hendricks' favorite target. He leads the MIAC in both total yards (1,058) and touchdown receptions (14). Matt averages 132.3 yards receiving per contest and is second in the conference with 61 receptions on the season. He is third in both receiving yards per game and receiving touchdowns in the country as well as fourth in overall receiving yards in D-III.

The Boyce brothers had a breakout game against the Cobbers last season. Matt caught six passes for 91 yards, including a dazzling 32-yard touchdown catch while Gabe hauled in 10 passes for 86 yards with a pair of scores. 

Taking the bulk of the carries for the Gusties is a pair of sophomore tailbacks in Karim Ortiz and Daivon Poole. Ortiz averages 58 yards on the ground per game while Poole runs for 51 yards a game along with nine touchdowns this season. Poole's nine rushing scores is 5th in the MIAC. He has had four multi-touchdown games this season, scoring twice three times. Poole found the endzone three times against Hamline in mid-September.

Leading the charge for a Gustie defense that allows 27.5 points per game is sophomore linebacker Kysten Zierke. The Blue Earth, Minn. product averages eight tackles per game. Senior linebacker Kyle Krzmarzick chips in with 6.4 takedowns per contest.

NOTABLE STATS:
- The Gusties are first in the country in third down conversion percentage and 17th in fourth down conversion percentage (67%).
- Racking up 496.4 yards per game, the Gustavus offense gains the second most yards in the MIAC and 17th most per game in the nation.
- When Gustavus finds it's way into opposing team's redzones they generally come away with points. Boasting the 12th best redzone offense in D-III, Gustavus scores on 89% of their red zone opportunities.

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 – Sophomore Running Backs
The Gustie defense surrenders nearly 200 yards on the ground per game. Look for Chad Johnson, Jason Montonye and Conor Gessell to have big days on the ground.

Defense – LB #9 Erik Bye
Bye has been a premier linebacker in the MIAC all season long. Averaging 8.6 tackles per game, Bye has been the heart and soul of the Cobber Black Shirts in 2015. The Moorhead native is 5th in the MIAC in total tackles and will be looking to have a big game in his final game donning maroon and gold. 

Coach Horan Preview Interview: