Season Opener Settled In Final Minutes

MOORHEAD, Minn. (9/07/24)---Concordia was locked in a 7-7 battle with Wis.-Eau Claire until the final minutes of the season opener until the Blugolds scored a pair of touchdowns in the final 2:05 to play to hand the Cobbers a 21-10 loss.

The game was deadlocked at 7-7 for the final minute of the second quarter and nearly the entire second half until Eau Claire recorded the deciding scores.

Concordia held the statistical edge in most of the offensive categories in the game. The Cobbers held a 329-222 advantage in total offense, a 23-12 edge in first downs and a 31:14-28:46 margin in time of possession.

The game came down to red zone chances, where CC got the ball inside the Blugolds 20-yard -line on a pair of occasions and scored one while Eau Claire pushed the ball inside the Cobber 20-yard-line three times and scored twice.

Concordia returning All-Conference quarterback Cooper Mattern led the offense. He was 23-for-41 for 241 yards and threw for the only Cobber score of the day. He also rushed the ball 15 times for 22 yards.

The defense, which held Eau Claire to 63 rushing yards, was led by junior Jaiden Musse, who had eight tackles, a pair of sacks and picked off a pass.  

Eau Claire opened the scoring on their opening drive of the first quarter. They went 62 yards in four plays and scored on a 31-yard pass reception.

It took Concordia until their fourth possession of the game to get the offense kicked into high gear. The Cobbers got the ball on their own 13-yard line with 6:12 left in the first half and proceeded to methodically move the ball up the field. They drew up nine pass plays and a trio of runs that moved the ball 87 yards and culminated in a Mattern to Owen Miller back-shoulder touchdown strike.

Concordia took its first lead of the game with 8:42 left in the final period of play. Mattern led CC down the field on a 40-yard drive which set up senior kicker Damien Silus for a 32-yard field goal attempt. Silus drilled the chance through the middle of the uprights to give the Cobbers a 10-7 lead.

Eau Claire posted the game-winning touchdown on the following drive when they went 54 yards in 12 plays and scored on a 1-yard run.

The Cobbers got the ball back with 2:04 to play and advanced the ball to their own 48-yard-line before facing a fourth-and-4 situation. Mattern's out-route pass was picked off after a Blugold defender knocked the Cobber receiver to the ground and the UWEC defensive back was able to go 54 yards for the touchdown.

Jordan Summers was the leading rusher for Concordia. He finished with 17 carries for 62 yards.

Miller picked up where his All-Conference Honorable Mention season left off last year as he caught eight passes for 66 yards and the one TD.

Stuart DeMerit finished with six tackles, while Lawrence Edouarzin had a pair of pass break-ups to go along with four tackles.

Junior Jacob Pipho came away with his first collegiate interception when he picked off a pass at the start of the third quarter.

Concordia will head west for their longest road trip of the season next weekend. The Cobbers will play in Tacoma, Wash. When they face Pacific Lutheran on Saturday, Sept. 14 at 3 p.m. (CDT).