Inxperienced Opener

JAMESTOWN, N.D. (9/03/16)--– The Cobbers drive for five straight season opening wins against the Jimmies came to a screeching halt on Saturday afternoon as Jamestown shocked Concordia with a convincing 30-13 win. 

The Jimmies (1-1) racked up 383 yards of total offense with 244 of those coming through the air while the Cobbers had 262 total yards with just 86 passing yards. 

Jamestown marched into Cobber territory on their opening drive but a 43-yard field goal attempt was pushed wide right. The Jimmies got the ball back moments later and struck quickly. 

Dylan Klatt connected with Branden Edwards on back-to-back plays with the second reaching the end zone on a 35-yard touchdown strike that put the Jimmies up 7-0 with 4:43 to play in the first quarter. 

The Jimmies got the ball back with 13:06 on the clock in the second quarter and wasted little time finding the end zone. JaRiguez Collier snuck behind the Cobber secondary and Klatt rifled a 59-yard strike that found a diving Collier in the end zone to make it 14-0 Jamestown. 

Jason Montonye gave CC excellent field position on the ensuing kickoff as he put up a 34-yard return which gave the Cobbs great field position at their own 46-yard line. On the next play a spark of life came in the form of Michael Herzog. The Detroit Lakes product called his own number on an option to the right side and it was off to the races as there was 54 yards of open grass between him and the end zone. After a missed extra point, Concordia trailed Jamestown 14-6 with 11:42 to play in the half. 

The rest of the half would remain scoreless and Jamestown took their eight-point advantage into the break. 

The Jimmies put together a methodical drive to open the third quarter. Starting at their own 15-yard line they drove down to the Cobber 12-yard line and capped the 74-yard drive with a 29-yard field goal to make it 17-6. 

Concordia failed to capitalize on great field position near the end of the quarter. The Cobber defense managed to force a three-and-out at the Jimmie's own six-yard line and took over on the 36-yard line after a 30-yard punt. CC had a first-and-goal from the 10-yard line but could not punch it in and had to settle for a field goal try which was missed to the right. 

The Jimmies took over at the 20-yard line and put the game out of reach on the next two possessions. Keldrick Sullivan capped an 80-yard drive with a 5-yard push and then Concordia went three-and-out on the next drive. The Jimmies then finished off another drive with a one-yard score on a fourth-and-goal to make it 30-6. 

CC finished off the scoring late in the fourth quarter when Herzog found Montonye for an 11-yard touchdown catch. Unfortunately it was too little too late as time ran out with the scoreboard reading 30-13. 

Herzog finished by going 11-for-19 with 86 yards passing and the single TD strike. He also ran for team-high 79 yards on 10 carries.

Chad Johnson rushed nine times for 33 yards and Montoyne led the team in receiving with four catches. 

Hank Van Liew led the Cobber defense with 12 total tackles. Matt Ahrndt and Dallas Raftevold chipped in with nine tackles apiece. 

Not So Fun Fact – Concordia's loss to Jamestown was the first loss against the Jimmies in 90 years. In 1926 CC narrowly dropped a 14-13 decision against the Jimmies. The loss snaps a seven-game winning streak against UJ. 

What's next? The Cobbers will look to turn things around against Wis.-Eau Claire next Saturday. Last season Concordia handled the Blugolds 41-7 at Carson Park. Eau Claire opened the season against St. Thomas and lost 42-6.