Concordia 17, 
Briar Cliff 7
The Concordia University football team was able to notch its first victory of the season Saturday afternoon with a 17-7 defeat of the Briar Cliff Chargers at Bulldog Stadium in Seward, Neb.
The Bulldogs (1-2, 1-2 GPAC) got a spark on the opening offensive play as freshman running back Akeem Christian-Starks burst through the line for a 22 yard gain. The opening drive went deep into Charger territory before the Bulldogs settled for a 26-yard field goal by Curtis Miller.
The two offenses then struggled to move the ball for the remainder of the first quarter as Concordia held on to the 3-0 lead after the Bulldogs were able to block a 28-yard field goal attempt.
The Chargers (1-3, 1-2 GPAC) were able to get on the scoreboard in the second quarter after an interception by Charger linebacker Billy Mousel. After the turnover the Chargers drove the ball to the Bulldogs one-yard line and on fourth-and-goal Stavhn Leavy was able to squirt through the left side of the line for the touchdown. After a Kevin Johnson extra point the Chargers took a 7-3 lead.
The Bulldogs defense held strong throughout the remainder of the second quarter and they blocked yet another Charger field goal attempt. The half ended with Briar Cliff leading 7-3.
After the half, the two teams traded unsuccessful offensive drives before the Bulldog defense was able to earn a turnover on downs. Concordia offense, powered by Christian-Stark's rushing, marched down the field. Christian-Stark was able to cap off the seven-play, 80-yard drive with a 14-yard scamper to paydirt. After the extra point was made by Miller, the Bulldogs took the lead for good at 10-7.
The Bulldog defense continued to come up big after Concordia's touchdown. Briar Cliff's subsequent offensive drive lasted three plays and gained only two yards. The Concordia offense, taking over on its own 37-yard line, moved the ball 63 yards on 11 plays. The Bulldog field goal squad took the field, but Concordia was not going to settle for three points this time. Instead the Bulldog holder and backup quarterback, Darrin Macaluso, took the snap and darted into the end zone from six yards out to put the game out of reach.
The Bulldog defense was led by sophomore defensive back Grant Rolfsmeier who ended the day with 9.5 total tackles, including two tackles for a loss and a two pass breakups. Jim Landers also had a big day defensively for the Bulldogs with seven tackles and an interception. Concordia also took some steam out of the Chargers' high-powered passing attack. Last week against Hastings College the Chargers had thrown for 475 yards. Against the Bulldogs they were held to 263 yards passing.
The Bulldog offense was paced by Christian-Stark who had his first career 100-yard rushing day, going for 101 yards on 17 attempts. Kyle Schmidt ended the day completing 20-of-44 passes for 184 yards and had one interception.
The Bulldogs will hit the road next week as they travel to Sioux Falls, S.D., for a 1 p.m. meeting with the Cougars of the University of Sioux Falls.
Complete Box Score
