#5 Morningside College 58, Concordia University 7 (view stats)
The No. 5 Morningside College football team cruised to an easy 58-7 win over Concordia on Saturday afternoon. The Mustangs improved to 6-0 overall and 6-0 in the GPAC with the win, while the Bulldogs dropped to 2-5 overall and 2-5 in the GPAC with the loss.
Morningside took advantage of some early Concordia miscues to jump out to a quick 14-0 lead in the first quarter. A blocked punt gave the Mustangs the ball at the Concordia 13-yard line. Morningside took a 7-0 lead on a 3-yard touchdown run by Jake Peterson with just under nine minutes remaining in the opening quarter.
Concordia’s offense couldn’t get anything going, and a short punt again gave Morningside tremendous field position. On the first play of the drive, Mustang quarterback Tim Richard connected with Beau Kildow on a 46-yard touchdown pass which gave Morningside a 14-0 lead.
Morningside put the game away with a 23-point second quarter. C.J. Gradoville hit a 28-yard field goal to give the Mustangs a 17-0 lead with just over 14 minutes remaining in the second period. The Mustangs picked off a Kyle Schmidt pass on Concordia’s next drive, and Joe Don Hunter’s 3-yard touchdown run gave Morningside a 23-0 lead with just over 13 minutes remaining in the first half.
After another Concordia turnover, Morningside marched 66 yards in 10 plays to take a 30-0 lead on Peterson’s second rushing touchdown of the day. The Mustangs scored again with just under three minutes remaining in the first half to take a 37-0 lead. Richard connected with Peterson on a 57-yard touchdown pass for Morningside.
Morningside’s Joe Don Hunter added two more rushing touchdowns in the third quarter to give the Mustangs a 52-0 lead. Morningside reserve quarterback John Sievert hit Joel Nixon on a 21-yard touchdown pass to give the Mustangs a 58-0 lead early in the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs got on the board with a 2-yard touchdown run by TJ Shirey late in the game for the final score of 58-7.
Morningside had 26 first downs compared to 16 for Concordia. The Mustangs were balanced offensively with 374 yards through the air and 201 yards on the ground. Concordia had 113 passing yards to go along with 92 rushing yards in the game. The Bulldogs had three turnovers compared to just one for the Mustangs.
Kyle Schmidt completed 13-of-24 passes for 68 yards and an interception. Schmidt also rushed for 55 yards on the day to lead the Concordia rushing attack. Jake Griedl caught a team-high five passes for 35 yards. Austin Freudenburg had a team-high eight tackles to lead the Bulldogs defensively. Daniel Crowe and Jerrod Fleming each added seven tackles, and Heath Broekemeier had an interception for Concordia in the loss.
Tim Richard completed 21-of-29 passes for 328 yards with two touchdowns and an interception for Morningside. Jake Peterson, the nation’s leading rusher, carried the ball 17 times for 118 yards and two scores and added a receiving touchdown for the Mustangs. Joe Don Hunter had 12 carries for 62 yards and three scores. Joel Nixon caught a game-high 10 passes for 169 yards and a score, and Beau Kildow caught seven passes for 95 yards and a touchdown for Morningside offensively. Ryan Klein had a game-high nine tackles with a fumble recovery to lead the Mustangs defensively. Justin Shideler added eight tackles and a fumble recovery, and Marshall Barney added an interception for Morningside.
Concordia will host Nebraska Wesleyan on Oct. 24. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Bulldog Stadium in Seward.