FB: Rally falls short against Mustangs

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Morningside College jumped out to an early lead that proved to be too much for the Bulldogs to overcome as the Mustangs defeated Concordia University, Nebraska, 21-14 on Saturday afternoon at Bulldog Stadium in Seward, Neb.

Concordia (2-3, 2-3 GPAC) trailed 21-0 at the half but came up with a solid performance from the defense in the second half, holding the Mustangs (3-2, 3-2 GPAC) scoreless. The Concordia rally fell short as the Bulldogs finished with just 170 yards of total offense on the afternoon.

Morningside wasted little time getting on the scoreboard as Junior QB Ian Gilworth hooked up with wide receiver Antuan Bloom on the second play from scrimmage for a 75-yard TD pass. Bloom did most of the damage, using his speed to break free down the sideline on the wide receiver screen. C.J. Gradoville added the PAT.

On a windy day, the first quarter featured six kicks, four punts and a pair of field goal attempts by the two squads. Concordia's 44-yard field goal attempt by Michael Saalfeld was blocked, while a 40-yard attempt by Gradoville for Morningside came up short going into the wind.

After taking over on downs in the second quarter the Mustangs put together a six play, 64-yard drive to take a 14-0 lead. The drive was capped by Tyler Childress who went into the endzone from a yard out.

The Concordia defense came up with their first takeaway of the afternoon with 5:21 left in the half as Jeremy Walrath intercepted a Gilworth pass that was tipped. The Bulldogs got a pair of nice runs from JaMaine Lewis on the ensuing drive before it stalled and they were force to punt into the wind.

On the ensuing drive Morningside Gilworth hooked up with Bloom for his second touchdown of the day with 51 seconds left in the half, making it 21-0.

Concordia responded in the second half, blocking a Morningside punt on their first possession. Senior free safety Brett Mertens came up with the block which game Concordia great field position at the Mustang 20-yard line.

Six plays later Bulldog QB Christian Spaulding threaded the needle to Bryant Schweers who held on for the TD despite getting hit hard on the play. Saalfeld added the PAT.

Morningside put together a 14 play drive on the next possession but were forced to punt. Peter Olsen's kick pinned the Bulldogs inside the 10 yard line at the nine. After a false start and a rush by Lewis the Bulldogs were faced with a third and ten with the wind at their back and just seconds remaining in the third quarter.

Concordia opted to punt on third down to take advantage of the wind. The third down punt worked beautifully as Saalfeld's end-over-end punt sailed and then bounced for a total of 83-yards.

The punt set a new GPAC record, bettering the previous mark of 75-yards. Ironically, it wasn't the only 83-yard punt of the day in the conference, as the Doane punter also booted a kick the same distance.

Mertens continued to come up with big plays, intercepting Gilworth two plays later, returning it 30 yards to the Mustang six yard line.

On the ensuing drive the Bulldogs had four first and goal opportunities thanks to a handful of Morningside penalties. On fourth and goal Spaulding's pass to Tariq Smith was broken up, but a roughing the passer penalty gave the Bulldogs new life. Then, on third and goal from the 16, the Bulldogs were penalized for holding earlier; Morningside was called for a personal foul facemask, giving Concordia another opportunity.

On the next play Spaulding's pass was picked off by Aaron Klein of the Mustangs, who was called for pass interference, which by rule put the ball at the three yard line and gave the Bulldogs another first and goal situation. Two plays later Lewis went in for the touchdown, pulling the Bulldogs within seven, 21-14.

The Concordia defense came up with another turnover on the next possession, as Mertens grabbed his second interception of the day, returning this one 26 yards to the Morningside 49.
The Bulldogs marched as far as the Mustang 25-yard line before turning the ball over on downs, as a pass intended for Jeff Neujahr fell incomplete on fourth and seven.

Concordia did get the ball back with 62 seconds remaining, but a pass by Spaulding bounced off of the intended receiver and was pick off with 49 seconds left, sealing the Bulldogs fate.
For the game, Morningside had had 423 yards of total offense (122 rush, 301 pass). Of those yards, 297 came in the first half. Gilworth went 18 of 30 for 301 yards, two TD's and three interceptions.

For the Bulldogs, Spaulding completed 11 of 23 passes for 77 yards, one TD and one interception. Lewis accounted for 94 yards rushing on 21 carries and also hauled in three passes for 17 yards. As a team Concordia finished with 170 yards of total offense.

Mertens was the standout player for the Bulldog defense, coming up with a pair of interceptions and blocked punt to go along with 2.5 tackles on the day. Senior linebacker Trent Laune led Concordia in tackles with 7.5, including one for a loss and a pass break up. David Fowler and Nathan Hannemann each added 5.5 tackles. James McCoy, Jr., finished with 2.5 tackles for loss.

Concordia travels to Crete, Neb., on Oct. 6 to take on the Tigers of Doane College. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.

Posted by Sports Information on 10/1/2007 10:40:00 AM

FB: Rally falls short against Mustangs

FB: Rally falls short against Mustangs

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