HIGHLIGHT: Kaden Thompson blocked punt return for TD
ORANGE CITY, Iowa – Down its starting quarterback and running back, Concordia University, Nebraska Football clung within one score in the fourth quarter before eventually succumbing to 21st-ranked Northwestern. The host Red Raiders celebrated their homecoming with a 38-24 victory on a sunny Saturday (Oct. 3) afternoon in Orange City, Iowa. Camden Jensen, Kaden Thompson and Adam Van Cleave each scored a touchdown for the Bulldogs.
Head Coach Patrick Daberkow’s squad has dropped back-to-back games to nationally ranked opponents and sits at 2-3 (2-3 GPAC) with two more road trips upcoming before a return to Bulldog Stadium on Halloween.
“I was proud of the guys stepping up,” Daberkow said. “On Monday, we thought we'd have some guys available who ultimately weren't able to play today. We had guys stepping in, including freshmen taking on roles they had never been in before. That's just what happens. We're in October, and this is where depth gets tested. I was really proud of Cam Jensen. I thought he prepared really well all week. The same goes for Dylan Mika and (offensive tackle) Ethan Olson.”
“Next man up’ was the theme on Saturday with quarterback Gideon Stark, running backs Carlos Collazo and Calvin Sassaman and left tackle Derek Campbell each sidelined by injuries. In response, quarterback Camden Jensen and running back Dylan Mika both made their first career starts. The dual-threat Jensen rushed for a seven-yard touchdown in the first quarter and later found star receiver Adam Van Cleave for six in the game’s closing seconds.
A junior from Grand Island, Neb., Jensen also engineered a 14-play, 86-yard drive that culminated with a 23-yard Peyton Atwood field goal at the 14:48 mark of the fourth quarter. Concordia trailed by just seven (24-17) at the time. However, the Red Raiders found a finishing punch as quarterback Colby Duncan and company marched for touchdown drives that covered 56 and 58 yards, respectively, pushing their lead to 38-17 with fewer than three minutes to play.
Early in the third quarter, Terry Sebek’s punt block resulted in the ball rolling towards the right sideline at midfield. Kaden Thompson scooped it up and raced to the end zone to pull the Bulldogs within 17-14 after they had trailed 17-7 at the half. Thompson entered the contest tied for the national lead with four interceptions this season.
Northwestern (4-2, 4-1 GPAC) managed to overcome the special teams touchdown and an interception plucked by Concordia linebacker Drake Trent. The Red Raiders made up for it by running 81 plays to the Bulldogs’ 54 while controlling time of possession (40:03 to 19:57). Duncan threw for 263 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 105 yards and two scores. Running back Josiah Heinz also went over the century mark as Northwestern accumulated 522 total yards.
Notably, Van Cleave became the sixth player in Bulldog Football history to eclipse 2,000 career receiving yards (currently at 2,025). Van Cleave made four grabs for 57 yards and a touchdown on Saturday. Meanwhile, Jensen completed 15-of-26 passes for 148 yards and a score while rushing for 54 yards and a touchdown. Mika (Aspen, Colo.) made the most of his eight carries, churning out 81 rushing yards. He also pulled in five catches for 22 yards. The offense finished with 286 total yards.
The Concordia defense was paced by 11 tackles from Trent. Additionally, Deegan Barnes added eight tackles and a sack and Will Potratz made 10 stops. Sebek and Luke Penrod (two pass breakups) were credited with 1.5 tackles for loss apiece.
On special teams, Atwood was perfect – 1-for-1 on field goals and 3-for-3 on PATs. Braxtyn Koch punted five times (41.4 average) with two attempts being downed inside the opposition’s 20.
Despite the result, there were positive takeaways. Said Daberkow, “I think it's obviously more difficult to defend when you can spread people out and then run your quarterback. We're excited about Cam. We think he can do some things. The offense looks a little different when Gideon’s not a part of it. You find some things that work and build from there. We mixed up our tempo this week because we felt that would give us the best chance, especially in the first half.
“I felt like we had positioned ourselves well going into the third quarter. The blocked punt for a touchdown was awesome, but it just wasn't enough today to beat a good team on the road. Congratulations to them because they've got a good team. You have to play really good football in October when your depth gets tested.”
The Bulldogs won the 2024 and 2025 meetings over Northwestern. Saturday’s contest marked the 49th all-time series clash between the two sides. The Red Raiders have moved into a three-way tie atop the GPAC standings along with Midland and Morningside.
Another road trip is coming up next Saturday (Oct. 10) when the Bulldogs will take on Dakota Wesleyan (3-3, 3-2 GPAC) in Mitchell, S.D. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m. CT. Concordia has won four of the past five matchups with the Tigers. In Saturday’s action, the Tigers fell at No. 7 Morningside, 56-20.