SEWARD, Neb. – Concordia University, Nebraska Football aspires to build upon last week’s win over Doane while focusing its attention on game No. 9 of the 2026 season. The final road trip of the campaign will have the Bulldogs headed to Sioux City, Iowa, for the 24th all-time meeting with Briar Cliff. Concordia won last year’s matchup by a score of 34-17 in Seward.
Head Coach Patrick Daberkow’s squad will be right back on the road after hosting its first home game in more than a month. The Bulldogs (4-4, 4-4 GPAC) turned a close first half into a runaway, toppling the rival Tigers, 45-17, behind the big-play passing of Gideon Stark and steady ground game sparked by Dylan Mika. Meanwhile, Briar Cliff is in the process of laying a foundation in year one of Head Coach Nathan Koziol’s tenure. The Chargers (1-8, 1-7 GPAC) were defeated at home, 21-14, this past week by Hastings.
GAME INFO
Concordia (4-4, 4-4 GPAC) at Briar Cliff (1-8, 1-7 GPAC)
Saturday, Nov. 7 | 1 p.m.
Memorial Field | Sioux City, Iowa
Webcast: GPAC Network
Live Stats: Presto Stats
Radio: 104.9 Max Country
Commentators: Parker Cyza and Ross Wurdeman
Tickets Info: Briar Cliff Website (also sold on site)
STATISTICAL BREAKDOWN
Team Statistics
*2026 national rankings out of 96 NAIA football programs that have reported statistics this season.
Concordia
Offensive PPG: 35.1 (31st)
Defensive PPG: 32.1 (58th)
Total Offense: 408.4 (34th)
Pass Offense: 255.9 (24th)
Rush Offense: 152.5 (38th)
Total Defense: 464.3 (83rd)
Pass Defense: 264.4 (84th)
Rush Defense: 199.9 (77th)
Turnover +/-: +5
Briar Cliff
Offensive PPG: 15.6 (84th)
Defensive PPG: 33.7 (64th)
Total Offense: 298.8 (72nd)
Pass Offense: 178.1 (70th)
Rush Offense: 120.7 (65th)
Total Defense: 366.7 (44th)
Pass Defense: 195.3 (T-37th)
Rush Defense: 171.3 (61st)
Turnover +/-: -8
2026 INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Concordia
Head Coach: Patrick Daberkow (51-45, 10th season)
Passing: Gideon Stark – 116/215 (.540), 1,723 yards, 19 td, 3 int, 146.1 effic.
Rushing: Dylan Mika – 75 rushes, 486 yards, 6.5 avg, 4 td
Receiving: Adam Van Cleave – 52 receptions, 684 yards, 13.2 avg, 8 td
Defense: Kaden Thompson – 59 tackles, 5.5 tfl, 4 int, 4 pbu, 1 TD return
Briar Cliff
Head Coach: Nathan Koziol (1-8, 1st season)
Passing: Brock Saya – 123/234 (.526), 1,475 yards, 10 td, 13 int, 108.5 effic.
Rushing: Chase Thomas – 108 rushes, 520 yards, 4.8 avg, 1 td
Receiving: Kymani Fleurme – 27 receptions, 388 yards, 14.4 avg, 5 td
Defense: Dayton Harrell – 45 tackles, 6 pbu, 3 int, 1 blocked kick
2026 SCHEDULE/RESULTS
Concordia (4-4, 4-4 GPAC)
8/29 vs. Waldorf, W, 77-7
9/12 at Hastings, L, 27-38
9/19 vs. Mount Marty, W, 42-24
9/26 vs. (16) Dordt, L, 21-51
10/3 at (21) Northwestern, L, 24-38
10/10 at Dakota Wesleyan, W, 24-21
10/24 at (6) Morningside, L, 21-61
10/31 vs. Doane, W, 45-17
11/7 at Briar Cliff, 1 p.m.
11/14 vs. (18) Midland, 1 p.m. (Senior Day)
Briar Cliff (1-8, 1-7 GPAC)
8/29 vs. Mayville State, L, 22-29
9/5 at Mount Marty, L, 35-49
9/12 vs. Midland, L, 7-35
9/19 at Dakota Wesleyan, L, 3-37
10/3 vs. Waldorf, W, 38-7
10/10 vs. (20) Northwestern, L, 0-52
10/17 at (14) Dordt, L, 3-49
10/24 at Doane, L, 18-24 (OT)
10/31 vs. Hastings, L, 14-21
11/7 vs. Concordia, 1 p.m.
11/14 at (5) Morningside, 1 p.m.
In the rankings
Concordia rose as high as No. 17 last season in the official NAIA coaches’ polls before settling as a “receiving votes” team to end 2025. The Bulldogs also concluded 2024 at No. 18 in the poll. Concordia began the 2026 season listed in the “receiving votes” category of the poll. The Bulldogs have not received votes since their loss at Hastings on Sept. 12.
Concordia
GPAC preseason: 4th
NAIA Performance Index: 45th
Briar Cliff
GPAC preseason: 8th
NAIA Performance Index: 87th
Team 100
The 2026 season marks the 100th in the history of Concordia University, Nebraska Football. On record, the first official season was 1925 when Professor Walter Hellwege presided over the Concordia Teachers College gridiron squad as its first ever head coach. In the time since then, there have been three years without football, including 1926 and 1927 and 1943 (during World War II). In program history, Concordia has won conference championships in 1929, 1931, 1944, 1945, 1951, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1960, 1970, 1981 and 2001. The championship team of ’01 remains the lone NAIA playoff qualifier in program annals. In December 2016, Patrick Daberkow became the 10th head coach in program history.
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 19th season as part of the program’s staff – 10th 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, Assistant Coach Grady Koch (who specializes in coaching the offensive line, among other duties) and former Nebraska Wesleyan assistant Kevin Crume. The graduate assistants are Tanner Ingle and Grant Huss. Daberkow owns a career coaching record of 51-45. His 51 wins are the fourth most among all head coaches in program history. The top three are Courtney Meyer (70), Larry Oetting (63) and Herb Meyer (62).
Mika carries the mail
A freshman from Aspen, Colo., Dylan Mika has emerged as one of the best stories this season for Concordia Football. Mika took on the bulk of the team’s carries during the month of October as returning Second Team All-GPAC running back Carlos Collazo sat out the Northwestern, Dakota Wesleyan and Doane games. Mika responded this past week with his best performance yet, carrying the ball 19 times for a career-high 152 yards and two touchdowns in the win over Doane. Mika also topped the century mark in the season opener versus Waldorf when his first college carry went for a 75-yard touchdown. On the year, Mika has rushed for 486 yards and four touchdowns on 75 attempts for an average of 6.5 yards per carry. Collazo’s status is in doubt for the final two games. In his career, Collazo has rushed for 1,555 yards on 267 carries (5.8 yards per rush) in 17 games. The Aurora High School product has rushed for 100 yards six times in his collegiate career. The Bulldog backfield also includes Tyler Douglass and Calvin Sassaman.
Stark leads big-play passing attack
Explosive plays in the passing game helped widen the spread last week between Concordia and Doane. In making his 16th career start at quarterback, Gideon Stark threw touchdown passes last week (in order) of 38 yards to Adam Van Cleave, 20 yards to Jonny Puelz, 55 yards to Van Cleave and 19 yards to Puelz. Stark’s 14 completions went for 273 yards (an average of 19.5 yards per completion). On the year, Stark has completed 116-of-215 (.540) passes for 1,723 yards to go with a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 19-to-3. Stark missed the games at Northwestern and Dakota Wesleyan. Junior Camden Jensen stepped in at quarterback in his absence. In his collegiate career, Stark has amassed career totals of 4,299 passing yards and 41 passing touchdowns. He’s completed 323-of-610 passes (.530) in 25 career games played. In last week’s game, Stark leapfrogged Kurt Earl for fifth place on the program’s all-time career passing yards list (see below). Stark also became the fifth signal caller in school history to throw for 40 touchdowns in a career.
Most passing yards in program history, career
1. DJ McGarvie (2021-24): 9,045
2. Jarrod Pimentel (1998-01): 6,435
3. Von Thomas (2011-14): 5,662
4. Rod Giesselmann (1967-70): 5,519
5. Gideon Stark (2022-26): 4,299
6. Kurt Earl (2001-04): 4,158
Van Cleave, Puelz star as receiver tandem
Gideon Stark has the benefit of throwing to one of the GPAC’s top receiving tandems in Adam Van Cleave and Jonny Puelz. In last week’s win over Doane, Van Cleave snared six receptions for 119 yards and two touchdowns while Puelz made four catches for 84 yards and two scores. On the conference leaderboard, Van Cleave and Puelz rank eighth and 11th, respectively in receiving yards this season. Both standouts have found the end zone eight times this season. Van Cleave currently owns program all-time rankings of third in receptions (187), fifth in receiving yards (2,262) and fifth in receiving touchdowns (20). In 19 career games as a Bulldog, Puelz has pulled in 68 receptions for 1,168 yards and 17 touchdowns. The depth of the room grew last week as Collin Fritton returned from injury. Fritton missed the previous four games. He was named the GPAC Special Teams Player of the Week on Sept. 21, following his 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the win over Mount Marty.
Most career receptions, program history
1. Korrell Koehlmoos (2018-22): 221
2. Austin Jablonski (2022-24): 203
3. Adam Van Cleave (2023-26): 187
4. Ross Wurdeman (1998-01): 168
5. Jared Garcia (2014-17): 161
Most career receiving yards, program history
1. Korrell Koehlmoos (2018-22): 2,894
2. Austin Jablonski (2022-24): 2,723
3. Jared Garcia (2014-17): 2,495
4. Ross Wurdeman (1998-01): 2,458
5. Adam Van Cleave (2023-26): 2,262
6. Clarence Woods (1984-88): 2,011
O-line helps pave way for continued offensive success
From a statistical perspective, the offensive line enjoyed one of its top games in last week’s win over Doane. The starters were left tackle Derek Campbell, left guard Layne Bugarske, center Joshua Luehr, right guard Carter Meier and right tackle Ethan Olson. In addition, Jackson Jenkins saw extensive action. Concordia averaged 8.2 yards per play versus Doane. The line played a major role in Gideon Stark throwing for 273 yards (no sacks) and Dylan Mika running for 152 yards. Through the first eight games, Bugarske, Luehr and Meier have started every game. Meanwhile, Thomas Thomas and Campbell have made six starts and Olson has started four times. Thomas has been sidelined for each of the past two games. As an offense, the Bulldogs are on their way to averaging more than 30 points per game for the fourth straight season: 30.3 in 2023, 38.5 in 2024, 34.8 in 2025 and 35.1 in 2026.
Offensive line starts in 2026
Layne Bugarske – 8 (all at LG)
Joshua Luehr – 8 (all at C)
Carter Meier – 8 (all at RG)
Thomas Thomas – 6 (4 at RT; 2 at LT)
Derek Campbell – 6 (all at LT)
Ethan Olson – 4 (all at RT)
Mujkic takes on placekicking duties
One of the most prolific kickers in school history, Peyton Atwood has been sidelined for each of the past three games. In his absence, Admir Mujkic has gone 12-for-12 on PATs while connecting on both field goal tries. A Lincoln East High School product, Mujkic has handled kickoff duties throughout his Concordia career. Atwood holds the program standard for career PATs with 144 (out of 154 attempts). Atwood also owns the school record for longest field goal (50) and has converted 21-of-30 career field goal tries. The school record for career field goal makes remains in possession of Kenny Zoeller, who drilled 29 field goals in his career from 2009 through 2012. Zoeller was named an NAIA All-American as a senior. At punter, Braxtyn Koch has averaged 38.1 yards on 39 attempts (with 10 downed inside the opposition’s 20). Braxtyn is the son of former Baltimore Ravens punter Sam Koch.
Longest field goals in Concordia history, on record
50 – Petyon Atwood (2025)
47 – Kenny Zoeller (2011)
46 – Jess Boyd (2001)
46 – John Dumar (1980)
Experienced D-Line
At the line of scrimmage, the likes of defensive linemen AJ Frazey (Seward, Neb.), Terry Sebek (Hampton, Neb.) and Nicolas Steuter (Lincoln, Neb.) have been constants. Both Frazey and Sebek are in their second seasons as starters. In his career, the Seward High School product Frazey has totaled 74 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, five sacks, five pass breakups and a forced fumble. Meanwhile, Sebek has tallied 58 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks and two fumble recoveries in his college career. The Pius X alum Steuter joined the starting group this season as a sophomore. The two deep on the defensive line also includes Sean Meints, Brock Ostdeik and Josh Ringler. As a freshman, Tanner Schroder has cracked the rotation.
Next man up
New faces emerged in the secondary last week. As one of three safeties in the team’s 3-3-5 scheme, senior Gabe Schmidt made a start in place of Treven Weddle. At corner, sophomore Trey Whalen saw his most extensive action last week. He paced the team with 10 tackles in the win over Doane. The mainstays have been Luke Penrod and Kaden Thompson. The Lincoln Christian alum Penrod filled the stat sheet versus Doanw with eight tackles, three pass breakups and a forced fumble. The starting corners for the majority of the season have been Jett Farwell and Will Potratz.
Around the league
From a standings perspective, the most significant game in the GPAC occurred in Fremont, Neb., last week as No. 5 Morningside defeated Midland, 40-24. It was a matchup between two sides with GPAC championship and NAIA playoff aspirations. Elsewhere in the GPAC, Hastings got past Briar Cliff, 21-14, Dordt pummeled Waldorf, 80-14, and Northwestern routed Dakota Wesleyan, 38-3. With two weeks remaining in the regular season, three GPAC teams have just one conference loss: Northwestern (8-1), Dordt (7-1) and Morningside (7-1). Dordt and Northwestern are scheduled to meet in Orange City, Iowa, on Nov. 14. In addition to Concordia traveling to Briar Cliff, this week’s slate includes Midland at Doane, Morningside at Hastings, Dordt at Dakota Wesleyan and Mount Marty at Waldorf.
Series vs. Briar Cliff
The series between Concordia and Briar Cliff dates back to 2003 when the Chargers played their inaugural football season. The Bulldogs are 20-3 all-time versus Briar Cliff. Concordia won 11-straight in the series from 2007 through 2017 until the Chargers snapped the string in 2018 with a 23-14 victory. Since that setback, the Bulldogs have won each of the past seven meetings, including three in particularly decisive fashion – 61-21 in 2021 (Seward), 45-10 in 2022 (Sioux City) and 63-13 in 2024 (Sioux City). Concordia won the 2025 matchup by three scores, triumphing by a final of 34-17 in Seward. The standout offensively was running back Calvin Sassaman, who carried the ball 29 times for 152 yards and a touchdown. Then senior Max Bartels made seven receptions for 89 yards. The Bulldog offense racked up 420 total yards to the Chargers’ 394.
Scouting Briar Cliff
The program underwent an offseason coaching change as Shane LaDage resigned following five seasons leading Briar Cliff. In his place, Nathan Koziol took the reins of the Chargers. Briar Cliff finished 6-5 (5-5 GPAC) last season and enters this week at 1-8 (1-7 GPAC). The team’s lone win came by a 38-7 score over Waldorf on Oct. 3. The Chargers lean upon an experienced quarterback in Brock Saya, who has appeared in 34 games with Briar Cliff. Over his career, he’s amassed 6,361 passing yards and 47 passing touchdowns. The roster includes 2025 GPAC All-Conference award winners in offensive lineman Zak Rachow (first team), defensive back Dayton Harrell (second team) and receiver Kymani Fleurme (honorable mention). A senior, Fleurme has totaled 128 receptions for 1,762 yards and 14 touchdowns in his career. The defense has been solid in limiting opponents to 366.7 total yards per game. The team’s six wins last season equaled a program record.