SEWARD, Neb. – Following a home loss to No. 16 Dordt, the Bulldogs will go head-to-head with another ranked opponent. Concordia University, Nebraska Football begins a string of three straight road games with a trip to nationally ranked Northwestern on Saturday. The 49th all-time series meeting is scheduled to kick off at 1:30 p.m. CT from De Valois Stadium in Orange City, Iowa. Head Coach Patrick Daberkow’s program has won back-to-back matchups over the Red Raiders.
Head Coach Matt McCarty’s team got back into the win column last week as it triumphed at Hastings, 33-26 behind playmaking quarterback Colby Duncan. Northwestern will carry a 3-2 overall record (3-1 GPAC) into Saturday’s contest. The Red Raiders possess a signature win having toppled No. 7 Morningside on the road. The losses came at the hands of NCAA Division I FCS Western Illinois University and Midland.
GAME INFO
Concordia (2-2, 2-2 GPAC) at No. 21 Northwestern (3-2, 3-1 GPAC)
Saturday, Oct. 3 | 1:30 p.m.
De Valois Stadium | Orange City, Iowa
Webcast: GPAC Network
Live Stats: Sidearm Stats
Radio: 104.9 Max Country
Commentators: Parker Cyza and Ross Wurdeman
Tickets: Northwestern Ticketing (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: 41.8 (13th)
Defensive PPG: 30.0 (T-47th)
Total Offense: 472.0 (14th)
Pass Offense: 301.8 (11th)
Rush Offense: 170.3 (36th)
Total Defense: 448.0 (75th)
Pass Defense: 266.8 (81st)
Rush Defense: 181.3 (61st)
Turnover +/-: +4
Northwestern
Offensive PPG: 28.2 (47th)
Defensive PPG: 37.4 (68th)
Total Offense: 384.8 (37th)
Pass Offense: 264.8 (T-20th)
Rush Offense: 120.0 (60th)
Total Defense: 439.8 (70th)
Pass Defense: 251.2 (73rd)
Rush Defense: 188.6 (65th)
Turnover +/-: +2
2026 INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Concordia
Head Coach: Patrick Daberkow (49-43, 10th season)
Passing: Gideon Stark – 84/145 (.579), 1,172 yards, 14 td, 1 int, 154.0 effic.
Rushing: Carlos Collazo – 74 rushes, 363 yards, 4.9 avg, 5 td
Receiving: Adam Van Cleave – 26 receptions, 390 yards, 15.0 avg, 4 td
Defense: Kaden Thompson – 31 tackles, 4 int, 4 pbu, 2.5 tfl
Northwestern
Head Coach: Matt McCarty (99-28, 11th season)
Passing: Colby Duncan – 100/171 (.585), 1,305 yards, 13 td, 4 int, 143.0 effic.
Rushing: Colby Duncan – 97 rushes, 342 yards, 3.5 avg, 5 td
Receiving: Caleb Moore – 26 receptions, 475 yards, 18.3 avg, 4 td
Defense: Kylar Fritz – 30 tackles, 2 int, 3 pbu, 1 fr, 1 blocked kick
2026 SCHEDULE/RESULTS
Concordia (2-2, 2-2 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, 1:30 p.m.
10/10 at Dakota Wesleyan, 1:30 p.m.
10/24 at Morningside, 1 p.m.
10/31 vs. Doane, 1 p.m.
11/7 at Briar Cliff, 1 p.m.
11/14 vs. (16) Midland, 1 p.m. (Senior Day)
Northwestern (3-2, 3-1 GPAC)
8/27 at Western Illinois, L, 14-65
9/5 at (7) Morningside, W, 43-35
9/12 vs. Mount Marty, W, 35-33
9/19 vs. Midland, L, 16-28
9/26 at Hastings, W, 33-26
10/3 vs. Concordia, 1:30 p.m.
10/10 at Briar Cliff, 1 p.m.
10/17 vs. Doane, 1 p.m.
10/24 at Waldorf, 1 p.m.
10/31 at Dakota Wesleyan, 1 p.m.
11/14 vs. (17) Dordt, 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. Northwestern moved up one spot to No. 21 in the NAIA coaches’ poll announced on Sept. 28.
Concordia
GPAC preseason: 4th
Massey Ratings: 32nd
Northwestern
GPAC preseason: 3rd
Massey Ratings: 14th
Against the top 25
Concordia will take its shot at another top 25 foe after last week’s 51-21 loss handed out by 16th-ranked Dordt. The Bulldogs closed within 21-14 late in the first half before the Defenders took control behind quarterback Noah Strickfaden. Concordia’s one ranked victory in 2025 occurred against then No. 19 Northwestern, 21-17, in the season finale. The Bulldogs dropped games last season against No. 6 Dordt and No. 11 Morningside. In 2024, Concordia defeated a Red Raider squad that was ranked No. 2 when the two sides met in Orange City in early October. The final score was 29-17.
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 49-43. His 49 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).
Collazo turns in back-to-back 100-yard rushing performances
Standout running back Carlos Collazo is still less than 12 months removed from the ACL tear he endured in the middle of the 2025 season at Midland. The 5-foot-10, 203-pound back has rounded into form with back-to-back 100-yard rushing performances. Collazo carried the ball 28 times for 176 yards and two touchdowns versus Mount Marty before toting the rock 19 times for 113 yards and a touchdown versus Dordt. His 19-yard touchdown run against the Defenders marked the 20th of his career. Among GPAC players, Collazo ranks second to Hastings’ Kaiden Merryman in rushing yards per game at 90.8. In his career, Collazo has rushed for 1,510 yards on 259 carries (5.8 yards per rush) in 16 games. Collazo is creeping up on the program’s all-time top 10 for rushing yards. Current assistant coach Devin Zeigler sits at No. 10 with 1,800 yards. The Aurora High School product Collazo has rushed for 100 yards in six games in his collegiate career.
Collazo 100-yard rushing games
283 at Mount Marty, 2025
176 vs. Mount Marty, 2026
171 vs. Midland, 2025
124 vs. Waldorf, 2024
116 at Dakota Wesleyan, 2024
113 vs. Dordt, 2025
Stark nears top five of school passing yards list
The pace has slowed for quarterback Gideon Stark over the past two weeks. However, he continues to rank second among GPAC signal callers for passing yards per game (293.0). Stark broke school single game records in back-to-back games to begin this season as he threw for eight touchdowns versus Waldorf and then struck for 465 passing yards in the loss at Hastings. Now with 14 career starts under his belt, Stark has amassed career totals of 3,748 passing yards and 36 passing touchdowns. He’s completed 291-of-540 passes (.539) in 23 career games played. Stark is nearing the program’s top five all-time in passing yards – No. 5 on the list is Kurt Earl with 4,158 yards. Gideon continues a long line of family members to have attended Concordia as student-athletes, joining his father Paul (football), mother Kim (volleyball) and extended family, Ken Robbins (football), Nathan Robbins (football) and Stephen Robbins (football). In addition, Gideon’s older sisters, Kara and Shelby, both played volleyball at Concordia. Current freshman Tayden Robbins is a cousin.
Most passing yards in program history, single game
465 – Gideon Stark vs. Hastings, 2026
458 – DJ McGarvie vs. Dordt, 2022
455 – Andrew Perea vs. Northwestern, 2018
413 – DJ McGarvie vs. Northwestern, 2023
Most passing TDs in program history, single game
8 – Gideon Stark vs. Waldorf, 2026
5 – DJ McGarvie vs. Briar Cliff, 2024
5 – Phil Seevers vs. Doane, 1988
4 – achieved by eight different QBs
Van Cleave adds juice to passing game
A graduate student, receiver Adam Van Cleave is a well-established playmaker. The Columbus native missed the homecoming win over Mount Marty (injury) before returning to the lineup last week. Van Cleave reeled in nine catches for 142 yards and a touchdown. His score covered 75 yards on a deep ball from Gideon Stark. Van Cleave is on the edge of a milestone as he currently sits at 1,968 career receiving yards. The do-it-all Van Cleave has piled up 3,484 all-purpose yards in 24 career collegiate games. By category, Van Cleave has totaled 1,968 yards in receiving, 1,045 in kick returns, 314 in rushing and 157 in punt returns. On the program’s all-time lists, Van Cleave ranks fourth in receptions (161), sixth in receiving touchdowns (16) and seventh in receiving yards. Concordia’s receiver room also features Jonny Puelz (21 for 281, 5 TDs) and Collin Fritton (16 for 250, 1 TD). Fritton was sidelined last week versus Dordt.
O-line settles on starting five
Concordia appears to have settled on its starting group on the offensive line. For the third game in a row, the first five included left tackle Derek Campbell, left guard Layne Bugarske, center Joshua Luehr, right guard Carter Meier and right tackle Thomas Thomas. Ethan Olson started game one when Campbell was sidelined (versus Waldorf). A graduate student from Geneva, Ill., Campbell is the lone returning starter up front. After surrendering four sacks in the loss at Hastings, the Bulldogs tightened things back up and did not allow a sack versus Mount Marty or Dordt. The Concordia o-line surrendered a grand total of seven sacks over the 2024 and 2025 seasons. The group is coached by Grady Koch, a former all-conference offensive lineman for the Bulldogs.
The specialists
The Bulldogs returned their kicker (Peyton Atwood), punter (Braxtyn Koch), long snapper (Max Wurdeman) and holder (Braylen Muhle), in addition to the game breaking kick returner Adam Van Cleave. Atwood, Koch and Wurdeman were each named Second Team All-GPAC honorees in 2025. Atwood owns school records for career PATs (141) and longest field goal (50). So far this season, Atwood is 20-for-21 on PATs and 0-for-2 on field goals. Atwood has converted 20-of-29 field goal tries in his career. At punter, Braxtyn Koch is in his third season at the position. He has averaged 37.5 yards on 117 career punts. Koch is the son of former Baltimore Ravens punter Sam Koch (a Seward native).
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
It was a busy afternoon this past Saturday for a Concordia defense that spent 39:20 in game time on the field. Three Bulldogs collected double-digit tackle totals versus Dordt: Jett Farwell (11), Deegan Barnes (10) and Kaden Thompson (10). A junior from North Platte, Neb., Thompson continues to share the NAIA national lead with four interceptions this season (two picks apiece in the wins over Waldorf and Mount Marty). On the year, seven Concordia defenders have tallied at least 24 tackles: Treven Weddle (31), Thompson (31), Farwell (29), Dylan Meyer (28), Will Potratz (27), Drake Trent (26) and Barnes (24). Among current players, Barnes owns the most career tackles with 165 in 30 collegiate games.
Turnover margin
The Bulldogs will take a plus-four turnover margin into Saturday’s game at Northwestern. Led by safety Kaden Thompson, Concordia ranks in a tie for ninth nationally with seven interceptions this season. Five of the picks came in the win over Mount Marty. An interception apiece has also been secured by Tanner Frahm, Luke Penrod and Drake Trent (in addition to Thompson’s four INTs). A forced fumble has been notched by Deegan Barnes, Terry Sebek and Trent with a recovery each made by Barnes, Penrod and Sebek. On the other side of the ball, Concordia has committed six turnovers (five on fumbles).
Around the league
The closest GPAC contest last week took place in Hastings, where Northwestern came away with a 33-26 win. Elsewhere, lopsided wins were earned by Midland over Dakota Wesleyan, 49-0, Morningside over Mount Marty, 42-7, and Doane over Waldorf, 35-7. Following last week’s results, Midland stands alone atop the GPAC standings at 4-0 in league play. There are four teams with one conference loss: Dakota Wesleyan (3-1), Morningside (3-1), Northwestern (3-1) and Dordt (2-1). Based on the standings and NAIA rankings, the marquee matchup this Saturday will be Dordt at Midland. In addition, Morningside hosts Dakota Wesleyan.
Series vs. Northwestern
Northwestern has had the upper hand, winning 32 of the first 48 meetings with Concordia in a series that began in 1960 (the first year of football at Northwestern). However, the series has swung the other way the past two years. The Bulldogs earned a signature win in 2024 when they traveled to Orange City and knocked off the then second-ranked Red Raiders, 29-17, in a contest that included four interceptions from the Concordia defense and three sacks from All-American nose guard Carson Fehlhafer. A year ago, the Bulldogs ended the 2025 season on a high note, holding off Northwestern by a 21-17 score inside Bulldog Stadium. Adam Van Cleave rushed for 115 yards and a touchdown and linebacker Dylan Meyer collected four sacks. Prior to 2024, Northwestern had won seven straight matchups with Concordia.
Scouting Northwestern
Northwestern is nationally recognized as a powerhouse program. In his first 10 seasons leading the program, Head Coach Matt McCarty’s Red Raiders have qualified for the NAIA playoffs eight times, reached the national championship game three times and celebrated an NAIA national championship victory in 2022. Northwestern is eying a return to the national stage after missing out in 2025. The conversation about the current team starts with quarterback Colby Duncan, who has thrown for 1,305 yards and 13 touchdowns and is by far the Red Raiders’ leading rusher with 342 yards. Duncan was named the NAIA National Offensive Player of the Week after his side’s 43-35 win at Morningside. In that contest, Duncan threw for 239 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 188 yards and four scores. Duncan has 23 collegiate games of experience to lean upon. On the other side of the ball, Northwestern has been leakier than usual against the run. Opposing teams are averaging 5.6 yards per rush and 188.6 rushing yards per game. The Red Raiders graduated GPAC Defensive Player of the Year Trystin Voss from last year’s roster. The headlining returner is First Team All-GPAC defensive back Kylar Fritz. The defense also features 2025 second team all-conference honorees in linebacker Jackson Smythe and defensive back Jordan Carter. The ’26 squad is used to playing tight games having won by a single possession over the likes of Morningside, Mount Marty and Hastings. The losses occurred against Western Illinois University and Midland (now a top 25 ranked team).