SEWARD, Neb. – Homecoming week has arrived on the Concordia University, Nebraska campus. An action-packed week will culminate with the 17th-ranked and undefeated Bulldogs hosting rival Midland on homecoming Saturday. Head Coach Patrick Daberkow’s squad remained unbeaten this past week thanks to an off-your-rocker 52-43 road win over Mount Marty. Concordia carries a 4-0 record into the 73rd all-time meeting with the Warriors.
Daberkow’s Bulldogs have gone unscathed while up against the likes of Doane, Dakota Wesleyan, Waldorf and Mount Marty. On the other hand, Midland is coming off a bye week, which followed back-to-back losses that came at the hands of No. 4 Morningside and Doane. Head Coach Jeff Jamrog’s squad stands at 2-3 overall (2-2 GPAC) with a nonconference loss to NCAA Division II University of Mary. The Warriors will aim to spoil homecoming and avenge last season’s 45-13 drubbing to Concordia.
GAME INFO – Homecoming
No. 17 Concordia (4-0, 4-0 GPAC) vs. Midland (2-3, 2-2 GPAC)
Saturday, Oct. 11 | 1 p.m.
Bulldog Stadium | Seward, Neb.
Webcast: GPAC Network
Live Stats: PrestoStats
Radio: 104.9 Max Country
Commentators: Parker Cyza and Ross Wurdeman
Tickets: HomeTown Ticketing (also sold on site)
STATISTICAL BREAKDOWN
Team Statistics
*2025 national rankings out of 97 NAIA football programs in parentheses
Concordia
Offensive PPG: 42.0 (13th)
Defensive PPG: 18.0 (18th)
Total Offense: 427.3 (21st)
Pass Offense: 256.6 (25th)
Rush Offense: 170.8 (29th)
Total Defense: 307.5 (21st)
Pass Defense: 240.5 (T-62nd)
Rush Defense: 67.0 (7th)
Turnover +/-: +4
Midland
Offensive PPG: 30.8 (T-36th)
Defensive PPG: 22.2 (28th)
Total Offense: 339.8 (51st)
Pass Offense: 218.4 (46th)
Rush Offense: 121.4 (57th)
Total Defense: 337.6 (T-31st)
Pass Defense: 233.8 (57th)
Rush Defense: 103.8 (25th)
Turnover +/-: +7
2025 INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Concordia
Head Coach: Patrick Daberkow (44-38, 8th season)
Passing: Gideon Stark – 69/121 (.570), 980 yards, 11 td, 5 int, 146.8 effic.
Rushing: Carlos Collazo – 72 rushes, 420 yards, 5.8 avg, 5 td
Receiving: Adam Van Cleave – 23 receptions, 323 yards, 14.0 avg, 3 td
Defense: Carson Fehlhafer – 23 tackles, 12 tfl’s, 6.5 sacks, 3 blocked kicks
Midland
Head Coach: Jeff Jamrog (59-40, 10th season)
Passing: Brodey Johnson – 41/75 (.547), 590 yards, 7 td, 0 int, 151.5 effic.
Rushing: Tyson Denkert – 85 rushes, 312 yards, 3.7 avg, 2 td
Receiving: Tae Marks – 12 receptions, 257 yards, 21.4 avg, 3 td
Defense: Beau Lacroix – 20 tackles, 7.5 tfl’s, 5 sacks, 1 int, 1 pbu, 1 ff, 1 blocked kick
2025 SCHEDULE/RESULTS
Concordia (4-0, 4-0 GPAC)
9/6 vs. Doane, W, 35-7
9/13 vs. Dakota Wesleyan, W, 27-22
9/27 at Waldorf, W, 54-0
10/4 at Mount Marty, W, 52-43
10/11 vs. Midland (Homecoming), 1 p.m.
10/18 at Hastings, 1 p.m.
10/25 at (4) Morningside, 1 p.m.
11/1 vs. Briar Cliff, 1 p.m.
11/8 at (11) Dordt, 1 p.m.
11/15 vs. Northwestern (Senior Day), 1 p.m.
Midland (2-3, 2-2 GPAC)
8/28 at Mary (NCAA D2), L, 22-28
9/6 at Hastings, W, 24-9
9/13 vs. Waldorf, W, 53-0
9/20 at (4) Morningside, L, 37-55
9/27 vs. Doane, L, 18-19
10/11 at (17) Concordia, 1 p.m.
10/18 vs. Briar Cliff, 1 p.m.
10/25 at (11) Dordt, 1 p.m.
11/1 vs. Northwestern, 1 p.m.
11/8 at Dakota Wesleyan, 1 p.m.
11/15 vs. Mount Marty, 1 p.m.
In the rankings
Concordia was tagged with a preseason national ranking for the first time since 2002. The Bulldogs checked in at No. 21 in the NAIA preseason coaches’ poll announced on Aug. 25. In the latest poll unveiled on Monday (Oct. 6), Concordia moved up two spots to No. 17, marking the ninth straight NAIA coaches’ poll it has been included in. Meanwhile, Midland most recently appeared in the NAIA top 25 in 2022 when it spent the majority of the season ranked. The Warriors rose as high as No. 14 in ’22.
Concordia
GPAC preseason: 4th
Current Massey Ratings: 13th
Midland
GPAC preseason: 5th
Current Massey Ratings: 33rd
Homecoming on the Concordia campus
It's homecoming week on the Concordia campus. The schedule of events for the week can be found HERE. One of the major highlights will be Friday’s Concordia Athletics Hall of Fame banquet. Two former Bulldog Football contributors will be inducted: Coach Courtney Meyer ’65 and the program’s first ever 1,000-yard rusher, Randy Pospishil ’73. The other inductees will be Sarah Kortze ’14 (cross country/track), Philly Lammers ’20 (women’s basketball) and the 2014-15 men’s track & field team.
Last time out
It was as weird of a game as Head Coach Patrick Daberkow can remember. Ultimately, Concordia emerged from Yankton, S.D., with a 52-43 win. To use basketball terminology, it was a game of runs. The Bulldogs led 31-7 in the third quarter before Mount Marty scored the next 28 points to take a 35-31 lead. Concordia then put up the next 21 points to seal the victory. Running back Carlos Collazo added the exclamation point when he rushed for a 29-yard touchdown with 1:39 remaining. That carry pushed Collazo to 283 rushing yards for the game, setting a new school record. Additionally, Gideon Stark threw for 160 yards and accumulated four total touchdowns (three passing and one rushing). Two of his scoring tosses went to Jonny Puelz and one went to Max Bartels. Incredibly, All-American Daylon Henson scored on a botched punt snap for the second-straight week. The Bulldogs won despite the Lancers running 105 offensive plays (74 pass attempts).
Collazo sets new single game standard
A 2025 Concordia Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, Randy Pospishil held a piece of the single game rushing record since 1972. His 266-yard performance versus Dana that season bested the previous standard (at the time) of 224 by Bob Voelker in 1962. Then in 2017, Ryan Durdon equaled Pospishil’s record with 266 yards in a scorching of Midland. The record now belongs to Carlos Collazo, who piled up 283 yards on 39 carries in the win at Mount Marty. He did it by paper-cutting the Lancers (long of 31) with separate rushes of 20, 31, 21, 23 and 29 yards. The final attempt that went 29 yards for a touchdown with 1:39 left in the game pushed Collazo past Durdon and Pospishil. Below is a listing of the top five rushing performances in school history.
The rebuilt offensive line deserves a shoutout for helping pave the way for Collazo. All five starters were backups last season. The starting group includes Derek Campbell at left tackle, Kadence Velde at left guard, Brevin Damrow at center, Seth Moore at right guard and Jeremiah Vasquez at right tackle. Concordia has yet to allow a sack this season and has surrendered only 13 tackles for loss through four games.
Most rushing yards, single game, program history
1. Carlos Collazo – 283 vs. Mount Marty (2025)
2. Ryan Durdon – 266 vs. Midland (2017)
2. Randy Posphishil – 266 vs. Dana (1972)
4. JaMaine Lewis – 261 vs. Dakota Wesleyan (2007)
5. Ryan Durdon – 250 vs. Buena Vista (2018)
Win streak ranks as second longest active in NAIA football
The program win streak has stretched to nine following the triumph at Mount Marty. Only one NAIA football program can boast a longer active streak: defending national champion Grand View University (Iowa) with 19 straight victories. The current streak for the Bulldogs represents the longest for the program since the 2000 and 2001 teams combined for nine victories in a row. The school record of 14 consecutive wins spanned the 1944 and 1945 seasons when Concordia and its opponents played six-man football due to low roster numbers caused by World War II. The current Bulldogs also own an impressive nine-game road win streak.
Coach Daberkow + staff
Patrick Daberkow’s history at Concordia dates back to his first season as a Bulldog football player in 2003. This is Daberkow’s 18th season as part of the program’s staff – ninth as head coach. He served as defensive coordinator for seven years before being named head coach in December 2016. Daberkow assumed offensive play calling duties in 2022 before turning that role over to Greg Nelson, former Lincoln Lutheran head coach, in 2023. Meanwhile, his full-time staff includes Defensive Coordinator Corby Osten, Special Teams Coordinator Trent Laune and Assistant Coach Grady Koch (who specializes in coaching the offensive line, among other duties). Former Nebraska Wesleyan assistant Kevin Crume is in his third season at Concordia. The graduate assistants are Devin Zeigler and Tanner Ingle. Daberkow owns a career coaching record of 44-38. His 44 wins are for the fourth most among all head coaches in program history. The top three are Courtney Meyer (70), Larry Oetting (63) and Herb Meyer (62).
Stark ranks among NAIA’s top quarterbacks
Gideon Stark has stepped in nicely in his first season as a starter. After a slow start for the passing game at Mount Marty, Stark found a groove. He ran for a six-yard touchdown (first career rushing touchdown) and threw touchdown passes of five yards to Max Bartels and 14 and 38 yards to Jonny Puelz. Among GPAC quarterbacks, Stark ranks third in both passing yards per game (245.0) and touchdown passes (11). On the season, he has completed 69-of-121 attempts for 980 yards and 11 touchdowns (against five interceptions). Stark has thrown for multiple touchdowns in all four games this season. In 13 career collegiate games, the 6-foof-6 gun slinger has tossed for 1,217 yards and 12 touchdowns with a 58.3 completion percentage (88-for-151). Stark’s first career touchdown pass came versus Doane as a sophomore in 2023.
Productive receiver core
Three clear go-to targets have emerged in the passing game. Not surprisingly, returning Second Team All-GPAC receiver Adam Van Cleave has been targeted most. He tops the Bulldogs in receptions (23) and receiving yards (323) in three games (missed the Dakota Wesleyan game). A former Nebraska Wesleyan men’s basketball player, Jonny Puelz has made 13 grabs (for 250 yards) with six of them going for touchdowns. He’s averaging 19.2 yards per catch. In addition, Max Bartels has broken out as a senior and has snagged 17 receptions for 184 yards and two touchdowns. Either Bartels, Puelz or Van Cleave has been on the receiving end of all 11 Gideon Stark touchdown passes.
Concordia’s Paul Bunyan
Well-earned attention came Carson Fehlhafer’s way following his monstrous performance in the win over Dakota Wesleyan. He was tabbed GPAC Defensive Player of the Week and NAIA National Defensive Player of the Week. The 6-foot-4, 325-pound nose guard filled the stat sheet with 13 tackles, seven tackles for loss, four sacks and two blocked kicks. Fehlhafer was also named a national player of the week after the 2024 win at No. 2 Northwestern. A Utica native, Fehlhafer came away from week two leading all NAIA players in tackles for loss and sacks. Fehlhafer has pushed his season totals to 12 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks. He blocked a PAT last week at Mount Marty for his third blocked kick this season. Fehlhafer and company have stuffed the opposition in the run game to the tune of only 67.0 yards per game on the ground.
Atwood shines as placekicker
A new standard for longest field goal in program history was set in the win at Waldorf. At the 12:05 mark of the third quarter, Grand Island, Neb., native Peyton Atwood drilled a 50-yard field goal. That field goal broke the previous school record of a 47-yard field goal made by All-American kicker Kenny Zoeller in 2011. Below is a listing of the longest field goals in the Concordia record books. On the season, Atwood is 5-for-6 on field goals and 20-for-20 on extra points for a total of 35 points. He was named GPAC Special Teams Player of the Week on Sept. 29. Atwood could eventually break the school career record for PATs. His 100 PATs are eight shy of the record owned by Adam Meirose, who played from 2012 through 2015.
Longest field goals in Concordia history, on record
50 – Petyon Atwood (2025)
47 – Kenny Zoeller (2011)
46 – Jess Boyd (2001)
46 – John Dumar (1980)
Defensive superlatives
All-American safety Daylon Henson is always looking to score when he gets his hands on the ball. The Pearland, Texas, native returned an interception 35 yards for a touchdown in last season’s win at Briar Cliff. In each of the past two weeks, Henson has recovered a botched punt snap for a touchdown. He recovered the ball in the end zone at Waldorf and last week scooped up the fumbled snap and took it 19 yards for a score. So far this season, Henson has tallied 21 tackles, five stops for loss, two sacks, six pass breakups, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. Up front, Fehlhafer anchors the defensive line. Linebacker Dylan Meyer made an immense impact last week as he produced 4.5 tackles for loss (10 on the season). Jacob Rolen also picked off a pass, setting up a touchdown. The team leader in tackles is steady senior Grant Huss with 44.
Owning the state
Concordia pulverized its in-state opponents in 2024. It won by scores of 45-10 over Doane, 42-6 over Hastings and 45-13 over Midland. That success carried over in the 2025 season opener. Dating back to the end of 2023, the Bulldogs have won five-straight contests versus their Nebraska GPAC rivals. Under Daberkow, Concordia swept in-state foes in both 2021 and 2024.
Around the league
A full slate of five league games played out on Oct. 4. An upset occurred in Orange City, Iowa, where No. 22 Northwestern was defeated by Hastings, 10-9, on its homecoming. Elsewhere around the league, No. 13 Dordt pummeled Briar Cliff, 51-0, Dakota Wesleyan routed Doane, 33-7, and No. 4 Morningside trounced Waldorf, 69-6. The results mean that Concordia remains tied with Dordt and Morningside for first place in the GPAC standings. All three teams are 4-0 in conference play. The next three teams in the standings all have two league losses: Briar Cliff (3-2), Midland (2-2) and Mount Marty (2-2).
Series vs. Midland
The series with Midland is one of the oldest rivalries in program history. The two sides first met in 1944 in what was six-man football at the time due to man power needs of World War II. The result that year was a 40-0 Concordia victory. The Bulldogs and Warriors did not play each other again until 1952. Then in 1957, they began playing annually all the way up to the present day (with the exception of 2020 due to a COVID no contest). Midland leads the all-time series, 39-32-1. Following Concordia’s six-game series win streak from 2012 through 2017, the Warriors won four of the next five matchups. Then in 2024, the Bulldogs rolled Midland, 45-13, in Fremont, capping an 8-2 season. Concordia put up 31 points in the third quarter in the lopsided affair. Mark Arp ran for two scores, Austin Jablonski caught and rushed for a touchdown and the defense picked off three passes. In the most recent Concordia-Midland meeting in Seward (2023), the Warriors emerged with a 39-37 double overtime victory.
Scouting Midland
Midland had a bye week to stew on its 19-18 home loss to Doane that took place on Sept. 27. The Warriors slumped to 2-3 overall (2-2 GPAC) while being outgained by the Tigers, 377-269. Midland kicker Payden Alexander missed a would-be game-winning field goal try from 56 yards out as time expired. A week earlier, the Warriors were within 10 points (41-31) of No. 4 Morningside in the fourth quarter before falling by a 55-37 final score. Under Head Coach Jeff Jamrog, Midland entered 2025 having experienced nine-straight winning seasons (2016 through the present). The high watermark during that stretch was an 8-3 campaign in 2022. The most accomplished player on the current roster is senior running back Tyson Denkert, who was named an NAIA Third Team All-American last season. Denkert has piled up 4,778 all-purpose yards in his standout career at Midland. Other returning All-GPAC players are receiver Tim Brown (second team), defensive back Brandon Lance (second team) and linebacker Jay Ballard (honorable mention). Defensive lineman Beau Lacroix has been a playmaker while tallying 7.5 tackles for loss and five sacks through the first five games. The Warriors will be looking to avenge last season’s blowout loss to Concordia.