HASTINGS, Neb. – Head coach Patrick Daberkow had been waiting and hoping for this type of breakout performance, but who could have seen this coming? In Saturday (Sept. 21)’s matchup at Hastings, the Concordia University football team dominated in all phases while stunning a Bronco squad that had received votes in this week’s NAIA national poll. Concordia outgained Hastings, 443-186, and put a pounding on the home team, 44-0.
The final score represented the largest point margin in 52 all-time meetings between the Bulldogs and Broncos. It was quite a way for Concordia (1-2, 1-1 GPAC) to shake off the frustrations that boiled over from two losses in which it led in the fourth quarter.
“It’s a lot of fun when you can put it together for 60 minutes,” Daberkow said. “We talked all week about not even looking at the scoreboard all day. Let’s just take one play at a time. We’re two plays away from being 3-0, but we’re not. To get this win today was so big. Our defense has been lights out all three games this season. We probably should have more to show for it, but they never once pointed the finger. I love those guys and the approach they take to being teammates.”
Where do you start? The offense was explosive and the defense was smothering. Hastings (2-1, 1-1 GPAC) got burned all day by sophomore receiver Cayden Beran. The Hutto, Texas, native snagged 10 pass receptions for 193 yards and two touchdowns. His second score was a back breaker that pushed the Bulldog lead to 30-0 just before halftime. Quarterback Jake Kemp fired both touchdown tosses to Beran and plunged into the end zone from one yard out to cap the day’s scoring.
There were no painful flashbacks to last week’s 27-24 loss that saw Concordia fritter away a 24-0 halftime lead. The Bulldogs left no doubt with the help of a 31-yard touchdown run by Ryan Durdon with 5:01 left in the third quarter. It was Durdon’s most productive day so far this season. He finished with 87 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 20 carries.
And the defense? It was ferocious. It tightened up what had been a leaky pass defense last week and forced three turnovers. Broncos passers were a combined 6-for-30 for 81 yards and two interceptions. They were terrorized by Concordia’s vaunted linebacker crew. Backers Derek Tachovsky and Zac Walter both picked off a pass. Tachovsky added three tackles for loss, two sacks, a fumble recovery and a pass breakup to his stat line. Lane Napier led the Bulldogs with eight tackles.
Concordia needed to improve its red zone efficiency and it did on Saturday. The Bulldogs scored points on all five red zone trips while Hastings did not reach the red zone even once.
“We finished drives and finished plays,” Daberkow said. “And to be able to do it on the road against a conference rival is very rewarding. It’s a lot of fun when it comes together. Our players really responded. It’s a reflection of the leadership in the locker room from our players. This group of seniors have been through a lot of football and had some tough losses. It’s fun to see them be able to celebrate a big win like this.”
Kemp completed 21-of-33 passes for 309 yards and three total touchdowns (two passing, one running). It now appears that Kemp is the unquestioned starting quarterback. Freshman Wyatt Ehlers saw playing time in relief of Kemp. Korrell Koehlmoos caught six passes for 46 yards.
Beran just might be the new star receiver. He had exactly zero catches to his name prior to the start of this season.
“Came out of a nowhere is the reflection of a lot of 6 a.m. workouts and a lot of grinding in the summer,” Daberkow said in response to a question posed by Concordia football play-by-play voice Tyler Cavalli. “It takes a lot of that stuff to come out of nowhere. Cayden is definitely working his tale off, just like the rest of our team.”
Hastings had won two games by comfortable margins (40-22 over Panhandle State and 38-21 over Jamestown) to begin the season. The Broncos had not lost at home to the Bulldogs since 2005. There wasn’t a lot for Hastings to hang its hat on in the aftermath of this one. Not only was the passing game shut down, the Broncos averaged only 3.0 yards per rush and committed nine penalties for 72 yards.
After two weeks on the road, Concordia will return home next Saturday (Sept. 28) to host Briar Cliff (3-1, 2-0 GPAC) in a clash set to kick off at 1 p.m. CT from Bulldog Stadium. The Bulldogs have mostly dominated the series, but the Chargers protected their home turf last season with a 23-14 victory over Concordia.