Bulldog Athletic Association Athletes of the Week: Due to the absence of the weekly BAAM meetings, Athletes of the Week will not be announced. When it is determined that BAAM meetings can resume, members will be notified.
News and notes:
Shooting Sports ends fall season with title at Hastings Invitational: The Concordia Shooting Sports program ended the fall season on a high note by capturing the Hastings Bronco Invitational title in action that took place over the weekend (Oct. 10-11). Head Coach Scott Moniot’s team also won championships this fall at the Midland Ice Out Invitational and the Prairie Circuit Fall Classic Championship. At last week’s Hastings Invite, Colten Uitermarkt and Sarah Schwacher and won high overall individual titles in leading the way for the Bulldogs. As a team, Concordia outshoot the competition in four of the five disciplines that were contested in Grand Island. The Bulldogs are scheduled to resume the 2020-21 season with the University of Missouri Tundra Shootout on Feb. 20-21, 2021. For a detailed recap of last week’s Hastings Invite, click HERE.
Volleyball seniors give thanks for opportunity in 2020: The five seniors on the Concordia Volleyball roster have been around to see the program go from 9-19 in 2017 to a national tournament appearance in 2019 and a 5-0 GPAC start in 2020. This group of Bulldogs is quite thankful for the opportunity they it has in front of it despite all of the protocols in place. As senior Kara Stark says, “If we focused on all the things out of our control, we’d be wasting this opportunity to actually play.” Concordia has not wasted this season. The 5-0 GPAC record (prior to last week’s loss at Northwestern) represents the program’s best start in conference play since 2000. For more thoughts from the senior class, click HERE.
Basketball schedules adjusted: Schedule adjustments for both basketball programs were announced last week. Head coaches Ben Limback and Drew Olson will put their squads up against 25-game regular seasons this winter. While the Concordia Invitational Tournament has been canceled for this season, the annual Cattle Classic has been preserved. The Cattle Classic will mark the first home appearances of 2020-21 for both Bulldog teams. Click the following links to view the updated schedules: Men’s Basketball | Women’s Basketball.
GPAC postpones conference tournaments for soccer, volleyball: The GPAC has postponed conference tournaments in the sports of men’s soccer, women’s soccer and volleyball. These GPAC championship events will now be played during the spring semester of 2021 with dates to be determined. The decision was made in order to allow for more time to complete the regular seasons in each of these sports. Schedule adjustments caused by the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated the adjustment. GPAC championships for cross country and golf were not affected by this change.
HomeTown Ticketing and Fan protocols for home events: Fans who plan to attend Concordia Athletics home events are advised to read through our protocols HERE. All fans are expected to self-screen and are required to wear masks while viewing contests in either Bulldog Stadium or Walz Arena. Non-family members are welcome to be present on our campus during these contests. Fans are also encouraged to order advance tickets through HomeTown Ticketing. By purchasing tickets online, fans are guaranteed entrance on game days. Concordia is allowing 75 percent capacity in outdoor venues and 50 percent capacity in indoor venues.
Bulldog Coaches Show airs every Thursday at 5:30 p.m. CT: The Bulldog Coaches Show is underway in its fifth year of existence. The show airs live for a half hour every Thursday beginning at 5:30 p.m. CT on KTMX-FM 104.9 Max Country. The weekly feature can also be heard live via 104.9 Max Country’s website or by downloading the Max Country app. Throughout the 2020-21 season, Bulldog football, men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball contests will be aired live on Max Country. Evan Jones serves as the host of the coaches’ show as well as the play-by-play voice for football and basketball. Frank Greene is in his sixth season calling Concordia volleyball.
Concordia Sports Network: Live webcasts for most home varsity contests can be accessed by visiting https://www.cune.edu/athletics/watch-bulldogs at game time. Beginning in 2019-20, Concordia Athletics partnered with PrestoSports for live video and statistical streaming. For more details on this change, click HERE. Check team schedules/results pages for webcast dates. Scrimmages, exhibitions and junior varsity events are not broadcasted.
Golf
· The fall season has concluded for both the Concordia men’s and women’s golf teams. The men wrapped things up over the weekend at the annual Nebraska Intercollegiate. Ten Bulldogs competed in the tournament that featured 45 individuals and took place at Norfolk Country Club. Concordia’s two teams placed sixth and eighth, respectively, out of eight squads. Meanwhile, the women wrapped up the fall slate at the GPAC Championships on Oct. 5-6. They are currently in fourth place in the conference standings. For more on Bulldog Golf click here: Men | Women.
· The Concordia women still have hopes of placing has high as second in the GPAC. A third-place GPAC finisher last season, the Bulldogs carded a two-round conference score of 368-359–727, putting them behind Morningside (629), Jamestown (715) and Dakota Wesleyan (720). The higher team scores were a reflection of the challenge that Dakota Dunes Country Club presents. Concordia came into the week with a team average of 348.7 in the previous six rounds this fall. The team season low was a 337 shot in the second round of the Lila Frommelt Fall Classic.
· Sophomore (eligibility-wise) Kendra Placke had been on a tear this fall before shooting an uncharacteristically high score of 90 (+17) on the first day of the GPAC tournament. Placke then bounced back with a score of 82 on the second day and moved up a spot to 10th place (out of 60 golfers) on the individual leaderboard. Placke is a two-time All-GPAC honoree who can compete with the best in the conference when she’s right. She will enter the spring season 18 strokes behind the GPAC leader – Maria Zorilla (79-75–154) of Morningside.
· Andrea Peterson also took a solid step forward on day two of the GPAC tournament and is currently in 12th place (93-86–179). All Bulldogs other than Placke are shooting for their first career all-conference placements (top 15 are automatic). The final three spots in the conference lineup were held down by Logan Eschliman (93-96–189; T-23rd), Emily Jensen (92-97–189; T-23rd) and Lauren Havlat (110-95–205; 50th). Havlat, Peterson and Placke each had prior conference tournament experience while Eschliman and Jensen made their debuts on this particular stage.
· Placke continues to own the team scoring average lead at 80.5 (eight fall rounds). The next best have been Peterson (87.7), Havlat (92.4), Eschliman (92.9) and Jensen (95.1). Placke has two tournament wins this season while Peterson and Havlat both own one top-10 finish. Placke has carded four rounds in the 70s while Peterson turned in a 79 at the Frommelt Classic in what was her career low. As a team, the Bulldogs have shot 350 or lower four times. The team average now stands at 352.4.
· The fall season for the men included five tournaments with each one featuring two rounds. Concordia will hope for improvement next spring after its ‘A’ team shot a two-round score of 313-329–642 at the Nebraska Intercollegiate. The event included teams from five different Nebraska institutions. Bellevue won the tournament and was followed by Nebraska Wesleyan and Doane in the top three.
· It was an encouraging finish to the fall for Drew D’Ercole, who put together a solid two days (74-75–149) in Norfolk and placed eighth on the individual leaderboard. The 74 he shot on day one was just one stroke off a career low. D’Ercole has shot a 75 or lower in five of 10 rounds this fall. He’s placed inside the top 10 of two tournaments and leads the squad with an 18-hole scoring average of 78.4
· Jacob Woodmancy hadn’t been playing in the team’s top five this fall, but he enjoyed a nice run at the Nebraska Intercollegiate with his score of 79-76–155 (18th place). In terms of season average, Concordia’s top five this fall has been D’Ercole (78.4), Ivan Yabut (80.4), Jayden Neal (81.9), Nate Auffet (83.7) and Woodmancy/Jack Williams (both at 84.3). The team average stands at 323.9 heading into the spring.
· Spring 2021 schedules will be announced in the near future. Locations (but not specific dates) are set for the spring 2021 GPAC Championships. The men will be at Dakota Dunes Country Club in Dakota Dunes, S.D., while the women will be at Bent Tree Golf Club in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
Men’s Soccer
· It was a quick turnaround to begin this week as the Bulldogs took off on Monday morning for a matinee with Mount Marty. Two days earlier, Concordia earned a 4-1 win over Jamestown. At the time, it pushed the Bulldog win streak to six. On Monday, the Bulldogs settled for a 2-2 draw at Mount Marty despite holding a late one-goal lead. Thirteenth-year Head Coach Jason Weides’ squad has moved to 6-1-1 overall and to 4-0-1 in conference play. For more information on Concordia Men’s Soccer, click HERE.
· While the win streak may have been interrupted, the Bulldogs still have a seven-game unbeaten streak intact. The 6-1-1 overall record is reminiscent of the start Concordia got out to in 2019 when it opened up at 9-1-1 over the season’s first 11 games. The ’19 team also was an identical 4-0-1 in the conference after five GPAC outings. As it stands, the Bulldogs are one of five GPAC teams without a conference defeat. The others are Briar Cliff (5-0), Hastings (4-0), Midland (1-0) and Morningside (1-0).
· Freshman center back Iker Casanova earned some well-deserved recognition when he was named the GPAC Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 6. A key piece in the back line, Casanova also provided a jolt on the attacking end in the win over Jamestown. The native of Mexico City put away a pair of goals via corner kicks (off the foot of Carlos Orquiz) to help stake Concordia to a 3-0 halftime lead. Casanova and the Bulldogs have limited four-straight opponents to fewer than 10 shots apiece.
· Orquiz and Ryan Wokutch also got into the scoring column versus Jamestown. Orquiz’s day included a goal and two assists. Meanwhile, Wokutch moved his season goal count to three. Two new offensive contributors then emerged at Mount Marty. Matt Schultz found the back of the net for the first time in his career while Yessine Bessaies converted a penalty kick. Schultz became the team’s ninth unique goal scorer this season.
· With an average of three goals scored per game, the Bulldogs rank third among GPAC teams in that particular category – behind Hastings (4.25) and Briar Cliff (3.57). Moises Jacobo and Garrett Perry were kept off the board over the past few days, but they continue to share the GPAC goal scoring lead with five goals apiece. Briar Cliff’s Marcus Horwood has also found the back of the net five times. Jacobo and Perry also rank inside the top 20 nationally in goals scored.
· Mount Marty was the first opponent since Bellevue (3-1 Concordia loss) in the season opener to put more than one goal on the board. During the active seven-game unbeaten streak, the Bulldogs have outscored their foes by a combined total of 22-5. Concordia has hit a team season high goal count of four on four separate occasions. Jacobo and Perry have both turned in one hat trick apiece in 2020. On the other end, the Bulldogs have shut out three opponents.
· Concordia feels good about its goalkeeper situation with freshman Federico Andrea Simonetti holding down that spot. The native of Crema, Italy, owns an impressive goals against average of 0.58 – to go along with a save percentage of .852. Santiago Esparza and Callum Goldsmith have also seen action at keeper this season. Andrew Simonetti owned a perfect 6-0 record prior to Monday’s draw. The group of keepers has goalkeeper coach Jack Bennett to learn from. Bennett was an all-conference keeper during his time as a Bulldog player.
· Concordia will have time for some rest before returning to action on Saturday when it will host Hastings (4-0, 4-0 GPAC) at 3:30 p.m. CT. The battles with the Broncos have been intense. The two programs played each other in three-straight GPAC tournament title games from 2015 through 2017. After placing in a tie for third in the GPAC regular-season standings in 2019, Hastings made a run all the way to the national championship game.
Volleyball
· Originally, the Bulldogs were scheduled to be at home twice last week. However, the matchup versus Doane (scheduled for Oct. 7) was postponed until Oct. 29. That means Concordia took on Northwestern (Oct. 10) in its only outing of the week. A wealth of attack errors played a large role in the first loss of the season for the Bulldogs, who fell, 21-25, 21-25, 25-20, 22-25, at the hands of the defending GPAC champion Red Raiders. Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad is now 5-1 on the season. For more information on Concordia Volleyball, click HERE.
· Prior to playing Northwestern, the Bulldogs had been idle since their straight-sets victory at Dordt on Oct. 2. That type of layoff has not been unusual this 2020 season. Since Concordia opened the campaign at Midland on Sept. 9, it has gone a week or more between matches three times. It played just four times during the month of September. The situation has been somewhat similar for the Red Raiders, who went nearly three weeks between matches in September. If things go as planned, this will be a much busier week for the Bulldogs.
· Northwestern is the type of team Concordia will have to figure out how to beat if it wants to accomplish one of its ultimate goals of winning the GPAC regular-season title. The program last defeated the Red Raiders in the 2015 GPAC tournament quarterfinals (Northwestern has won six meetings in a row since then). However, this may have been just a blip. The Bulldogs have made history this season by winning at Dordt for the first time in the GPAC era and by starting out 5-0 in the GPAC for the first time since 2000.
· One focus this week may be on improving the efficiency of the attack. Over the first three matches of the season, Concordia posted respective hitting percentages of .248, .424 and .222. Their percentages over the past three matches have dropped to .198, .170 and .076. The below .100 figure turned in versus Northwestern was largely due to a season high 37 attack errors. Nationally, the Bulldogs still rank highly – 11th in kills per set (13.6) and 23rd in hitting percentage (.206).
· Sophomore middle Kalee Wiltfong helped keep the attack afloat versus Northwestern with 18 kills on 40 swings (six errors). That kill total was just one off the career high she posted last year against Dakota Wesleyan. Freshman Gabi Nordaker has garnered plenty of attention (rightfully so with an NAIA National Player of the Week award), but Wiltfong is also a strong offensive weapon. Four Bulldogs have 50 or more kills this season: Nordaker (56), Arleigh Costello (54), Kara Stark (51) and Wiltfong (50).
· Of course any national rankings have to be taken with a grain of salt right now. As of now, 126 of 222 NAIA volleyball programs have played at least one match this season. However, it’s interesting to note that Massey Ratings had last week’s Concordia-Northwestern contest as a matchup between the Nos. 1 and 2 teams in all of the NAIA. It should be noted that Massey Ratings does factor teams that have not yet played into the ranking. There will not be an official NAIA national volleyball poll until Nov. 18.
· The early GPAC standings are certainly a reflection of the times. At one end of the spectrum, Mount Marty has played just two GPAC matches. At the other end, Dordt has played 10 conference contests. Based on the early returns, the top three squads in the GPAC may be the same top three as 2019. Jamestown (6-0 GPAC), Concordia (5-1) and Northwestern (4-1) currently sit at the top of the standings.
· This week will go a long ways towards deciding whether the Bulldogs have what it takes to compete for a GPAC title. Concordia will host Mount Marty (5-6, 0-2 GPAC) for two matches today (Oct. 13), 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. CT, inside Walz Arena. The Bulldogs will then head north for the weekend and play at Jamestown (8-0, 6-0 GPAC) at 7:30 p.m. on Friday before heading to Dakota Wesleyan (7-5, 4-5 GPAC) for a 5 p.m. first serve on Saturday.
Women’s Soccer
· Somewhat rare in 2020, Concordia had the opportunity to play twice in one week. The Bulldogs suffered a 3-0 loss at Morningside on Oct. 7 in a game that was more competitive than the final score would indicate. Three days later, Concordia returned home and came from behind for a 2-1 overtime victory over Jamestown. Head Coach Thomas Goines’ squad has moved to 4-3 overall and to 4-2 within the GPAC. Based on points alone, the Bulldogs are tied for second in the conference. For more information on Concordia Women’s Soccer, click HERE.
· In terms of goal scoring, it had been a difficult start to the month of October. To begin GPAC play, the Bulldogs recorded three-straight shutout wins: 12-0 over Mount Marty, 1-0 over Dordt and 2-0 over Northwestern. Then the well dried up in back-to-back shutout defeats: 1-0 to Dakota Wesleyan and 3-0 at Morningside. In the rebound triumph over Jamestown, it was better late than never. Concordia waited until the 86th minute to find the equalizer.
· The move to push Mikeila Martinez forward in the formation paid off. The native of Fairfield, Calif., put away the aforementioned game-tying goal after being played a cross into the box by Sydney Ross. Martinez then played the role of hero by turning an indirect free kick into a highlight reel golden goal in overtime (program’s first golden goal since Michaela Twito in the 2019 regular-season finale). The junior midfielder now has four goals on the season. Over her freshman and sophomore seasons combined, Martinez had two goals in 39 games.
· The result marked the first time that the Bulldogs have beaten Jamestown since the Jimmies became a member of the GPAC starting in 2018. The two sides tied, 1-1, in 2018 before Jamestown then beat Concordia twice in 2019. That final matchup occurred in the quarterfinals of the 2019 GPAC tournament. The Bulldogs and Jimmies did meet up in 2013 as nonconference combatants with the result being a 3-2 Concordia win in Seward. The Bulldogs are 2-3-1 all-time against Jamestown.
· Perhaps Martinez will be the goal scorer that the Bulldogs have lacked since they graduated the likes of Maria Deeter and Lauren Martin following the 2018 season. Over seven games this season, Concordia has found the back of the net 17 times (12 of those at Mount Marty). Eleven Bulldogs have scored at least one goal with Martinez’s four goals representing the team lead. Concordia would undoubtedly be in a better position if not for the absence of two-time first team all-conference performer Tori Cera. The Las Vegas native (14 career goals) has not played yet in 2020.
· There are some things to be ironed out from a defensive standpoint. Momentary lapses cost the Bulldogs at Morningside and similar situations arose in the first half versus Jamestown. A mistake in the back led to the lone Jimmie goal. Concordia also very nearly went down 2-0 after allowing penetration into the box shortly after a corner kick. Fortunately, Aliyah Aldama cleared a certain goal off the line to prevent going down two goals in the first half. The Bulldogs are surrendering an average of 0.86 goals per game (third fewest in the GPAC).
· Goalkeeper Lindsey Carley is certainly an asset at times when things do break down. Among goalkeepers in program history, Carley owns Concordia all-time rankings of second in games played (61), second in minutes played (5,602), second in shutouts (19), second in goals against average (0.96), second in save percentage (.806) and third in saves (250). Chrissy Lind (2013-16) ranks No. 1 in each of those categories.
· The Bulldogs also hope to play twice this week. They are slated to be at College of Saint Mary (1-2-1, 1-2-1 GPAC) for a 3 p.m. CT kickoff on Wednesday. Then on Saturday, Concordia will renew its rivalry with Hastings (4-1, 2-1 GPAC) in a matchup set to kick off at 1 p.m. The Bulldogs and Broncos met in the 2014, 2017 and 2018 GPAC championship games. Hastings was a national tournament qualifier last season.
Cross Country
· Meet No. 4 of the 2020 season transpired on Oct. 3 as the Bulldogs took to the trail at Adams Nature Preserve in North Sioux City, S.D., for the Briar Cliff Invitational. They had last week off from competition. In the team races at the BCU Invite, Concordia placed second out of 13 on the women’s side and sixth out of 14 on the men’s side. In terms of sheer number of teams and runners, this was the largest meet of the season for Concordia. Fifth-year Head Coach Matt Beisel had also previously traveled his squads to Sioux Center, Iowa, Hastings, Neb., and Crete, Neb., for competition. For more on Bulldog Cross Country, click HERE.
· The NAIA had not released any official national ratings for any fall sports until recently when the first set of cross country rankings were unveiled. Prior to the release of the national rankings, the NAIA posted official conference polls that showed Concordia at No. 3 on the women’s side and at No. 4 on the men’s side. In the national poll, the women appeared five spots outside of the top 25 (30th overall) in the “receiving votes” category. Meanwhile, the men did not garner any votes. As GPAC leaders, Dordt (No. 6) and Morningside (No. 18) were ranked on the women’s side and Dordt (No. 12) was ranked on the men’s side.
· The Bulldog women will have a strong case for being included in the top 25 next time the ranking comes out on Oct. 29. With a youthful top three at Briar Cliff (sophomore-freshman-freshman), Concordia defeated Morningside and placed behind only Dordt. The Concordia women have not placed lower than third at any meet this season – third at the Dordt Sunflower Open, second at the Bronco Stampede, first at the Dean White Invite and second at the Briar Cliff Invite.
· The men’s team also boosted its standing within the GPAC by beating out Northwestern (which had been rated third in the conference poll) at the Briar Cliff Invite. That means the Bulldogs are looking up at only Dordt (second place at Briar Cliff) and Doane (fourth place) among GPAC rivals. The Concordia men celebrated a meet title at the Bronco Stampede, where they topped Doane (second place).
· It appears the women’s team could get a significant boost from freshman Rylee Haecker of Davenport, Neb. She surprised even Beisel at the Briar Cliff Invite in what was her first career college meet. Haecker’s main focus has been on preparing for track season, but she entered the Briar Cliff Invite and finished with a fine 5k time of 18:43.22 (22nd overall out of 155 runners) and was second on the team behind only Kylahn Heritage (18:32.60) and just ahead of teammate Grace Reiman (18:44.35).
· Heritage picked up GPAC Runner of the Week honors after the Dean White Invite. It was the first such award in the career of Heritage, a native of Nampa, Idaho. Three Bulldogs garnered the weekly honor in 2019: Rebekah Hinrichs, Amie Martin and Bailie Vanarsdall. Heritage has been the team’s top runner at each of the three meets she’s competed at this season. Her time of 18:32.60 in North Sioux City was only two seconds off her personal best of 18:30.48 achieved at the 2019 GPAC Championships.
· The men have been led at all four meets by sophomore Camden Sesna, who seems poised to make a push for the first all-conference placement of his young college career. Sesna’s 8k times this season have come in at 26:34.84, 26:19.15, 27:38.02 and 26:04.63, respectively. At the 2019 GPAC Championships, it took a time of just under 26 minutes to place inside the top 15 of the individual leaderboard. The remainder of Concordia’s top five at Briar Cliff featured senior Jordan Lorenz (26:28.82; 52nd), freshman Calvin Rohde (26:42.01; 60th), sophomore Antonio Blaine (27:00.88; 68th) and sophomore Owen Dawson (27:26.91; 80th).
· The Bulldogs are in the midst of a three-week training period leading up to their next meet: the Mount Marty Invite on Saturday, Oct. 24. It will take place at Fox Run Golf Course in Yankton, S.D. That will mark the final meet prior to the GPAC Championships on Nov. 7. As announced late in the summer, the NAIA national meet has been postponed until April 9, 2021.
Football
· Just two days prior to game day, the scheduled matchup pitting Concordia at Dakota Wesleyan for Oct. 10 was postponed and rescheduled for Nov. 21. That means that the Bulldogs hold at 4-0 on the season. Fourth-year Head Coach Patrick Daberkow’s squad has defeated Doane, Hastings, Briar Cliff and Jamestown for the program’s first 4-0 start since 2013. Concordia had played each of its first four conference games as scheduled until last week. For more on Bulldog Football, click HERE.
· Unfortunately there have been no official NAIA top 25 polls this season. That’s in part due to the fact that only 47 of the 95 NAIA football programs have begun their 2020-21 seasons. It seems likely that Concordia would be a nationally-ranked team by now had there been the usual weekly polls. In Massey Ratings, the Bulldogs moved up to No. 25 a couple of weeks ago (now No. 30). They also received mention at No. 22 in the rankings released last week by @NAIAFBALL on Twitter (account is not affiliated with the NAIA National Office).
· The offense is clearly vastly improved, but the defense deserves a considerable amount of credit for its dominance through four weeks. Additionally, Concordia has been without All-American linebacker Lane Napier for the past two games. The Bulldogs picked up the slack nicely in holding Briar Cliff to 171 total yards and Jamestown to 265 total yards. Three of the first four Concordia opponents have failed to crack double-digits in the scoring column. Over the past two games, the Bulldogs have allowed only two scoring drives (Briar Cliff touchdown and Jamestown field goal).
· As one would expect, the defensive national rankings reflect this team’s dominance. Among all NAIA squads, Concordia ranks first in sacks (17), fifth in scoring defense (11.8), eighth in pass efficiency defense (100.0), eighth in total defense (253.3), 10th in pass defense (157.0) and 11th in rushing defense (96.3). Of the first four opponents, Hastings had the most offensive success in putting up 371 yards and 28 points. However, the Bulldog defense came up with a crucial stop to begin overtime in what concluded with a 34-28 victory.
· Okay, let’s talk about that offense. With Jonah Weyand out versus Jamestown, the passing game clicked. Redshirt junior quarterback Blake Culbert was able to spread the ball around and rack up 361 passing yards for the second highest single-game total in program history (behind only Andrew Perea’s 455 yards in 2018). Culbert tossed three touchdown passes, each to different receivers. He also found the likes of Korrell Koehlmoos, Cayden Beran, Cole Schaedel and Garrett Schardt for five or more receptions apiece. Beran, Schaedel and Koehlmoos each caught a touchdown pass.
· The passing game is working because Concordia poses more of a threat to run the ball this season. With Weyand out, freshman Lyle Whitney made his first career start at running back and ran 24 times for 86 bruising yards. Whitney has led the team in rushing in back-to-back weeks and has 200 rushing yards and a touchdown on the season. The Bulldogs hope to have Weyand back soon. Despite sitting out versus Jamestown and having a postponement, Weyand is still No. 5 in the NAIA in total rushing yards with 384. Improvement up front has been key to the big increase in rushing yardage production.
· Koehlmoos currently ranks No. 8 nationally in receiving yards with 345. The junior from Pilger, Neb., is the team’s biggest deep play threat while averaging 21.6 yards per catch. He’s had three-straight 100-yard receiving games: 104 versus Hastings, 104 at Briar Cliff and 113 versus Jamestown. Beran tops the team in receptions with 19 (for 199 yards and a touchdown). Ten Bulldogs have caught at least one pass this season.
· Concordia was bound to commit a turnover at some point. It’s first turnover of the season came when Culbert was stripped and the ball was recovered by the Jimmies. The Bulldogs also lost a fumble on special teams. However, Culbert still has yet to throw an interception in 129 pass attempts. His big day against Jamestown helped him move up to No. 2 nationally in passing yards with 920. He ranks 22nd in the NAIA in pass efficiency (125.4).
Getting to 5-0 will be a major task as Concordia hits the road to play at Northwestern (2-1 GPAC) on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. CT from Orange City, Iowa. The Red Raiders were also idle this past week. They own wins over Dakota Wesleyan, 50-16, and Dordt, 48-40. The loss came in the opener at Morningside by a 45-31 final score. Northwestern has won each of the last three meetings with the Bulldogs. Concordia last defeated the Red Raiders in 2016, 9-7.