Nebraska Wesleyan 27, Concordia University 13 (view stats)
Nebraska Wesleyan used big plays to jump out to an early lead and earned a 27-13 win over Concordia on Saturday afternoon in Seward. The Prairie Wolves improved to 4-3 overall and 4-3 in the GPAC with the win. The Bulldogs slipped to 2-6 overall and 2-6 in the GPAC with the loss.
Kory Kahlandt, one of the top running backs in the conference, took charge in the first half to give Nebraska Wesleyan the early advantage. Kahlandt broke a 68-yard touchdown run to give the Prairie Wolves a 7-0 lead with just over 12 minutes remaining in the opening quarter.
Early in the second quarter, Kahlandt added a 16-yard touchdown run to give NWU a 14-0 lead. The Prairie Wolves needed just three plays to march 73 yards on the drive. Wesleyan threatened to score again just before halftime, but an interception by Concordia’s Preston Harris kept it a 14-0 game heading into halftime.
The Prairie Wolves took a 21-0 lead early in the third quarter. After a 54-yard punt return by Mike Millard, Kahlandt scored from 17 yards out for his third rushing touchdown of the game. Less than three minutes later, NWU quarterback Matt Hagge connected with Jerod Franck on a 77-yard touchdown pass to increase the Wesleyan lead to 27-0.
The Bulldogs finally got on the board late in the third quarter. Quarterback TJ Shirey orchestrated a 50-yard drive, and Shirey’s 4-yard touchdown run made the score 27-6. The score remained the same until late in the fourth quarter, when Concordia’s Kyle Schmidt connected with Zack Warner on a 17-yard touchdown pass to make the final score 27-13.
Nebraska Wesleyan totaled 422 yards of total offense in the game. The Prairie Wolves gained 212 yards through the air and 210 yards on the ground. Concordia had 278 yards of offense in the game with 193 through the air and just 85 on the ground. NWU had three turnovers compared to just one for Concordia, but the Bulldogs went just 2-of-17 on third-down conversion attempts in the contest.
Matt Hagge completed 8-of-21 passes for 212 yards with a touchdown and an interception for the Prairie Wolves. Kory Kahlandt carried the ball 22 times for 180 yards and three scores, while Jerod Franck caught two passes for 124 yards and one touchdown for Nebraska Wesleyan. Cameron Kolling had 11 total tackles and four tackles for loss to lead NWU defensively.
Kyle Schmidt completed 8-of-23 passes for 99 yards with a touchdown and an interception for Concordia. TJ Shirey completed 5-of-11 passes for 94 yards and added a rushing touchdown for the Bulldogs. Darius Smith rushed for 63 yards on 16 carries, and Akeem Christian caught two passes for 52 yards. Ben Klein had five total tackles and a forced fumble to lead the Concordia defense.
Concordia will travel to Dana College next weekend for a 1 p.m. contest against the Vikings.
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