HASTINGS, Neb. – This Concordia University, Nebraska squad just isn’t capable of playing a normal football game, apparently. The Bulldogs overcame a rash of gaffes on a gusty Saturday (Oct. 18) afternoon in Hastings and squeaked by the host Broncos, 32-29. After surrendering the fourth-quarter lead on a punt block that went for a touchdown, Concordia scored the game’s deciding points when Gideon Stark lofted a 26-yard touchdown pass to Adam Van Cleave in the final minute.
Head Coach Patrick Daberkow’s squad shook off last week’s homecoming defeat in a bounce-back performance from the defense. The Bulldogs have improved to 5-1 while defeating Hastings for the sixth time in the past seven series meetings.
“Good feeling is an understatement,” said Daberkow when asked about the atmosphere in the postgame locker room, “These guys are crazy. Coaching this group is such a wild experience. I just love them so much and I’m so proud of them. In the biggest moments of this game, we did what we needed to do. We made the plays we needed to make. We had guys have some really bad plays today and then come back and keep swinging. We needed them to do that, and they did that. I’m just so proud of that.”
In the process of winning five of its first six games this season, Concordia has rarely made it easy on itself. At the 2:40 mark of the fourth quarter, Hastings turned a 26-21 deficit into a 29-26 lead when a blocked punt near the goal line resulted in a touchdown for Wyatt Ryan. With the game on the line, the Bulldogs turned to the do-it-all Columbus native Van Cleave. As part of the game-winning drive (11 plays, 75 yards), Van Cleave rushed six times for 30 yards and capped it by breaking free down the left sideline for a touchdown grab from Stark.
With the NAIA’s leading rusher (in terms of yards per game) Carlos Collazo sidelined by injury, Van Cleave worked overtime on Saturday. He finished with 13 receptions for 145 yards and two touchdowns and rushed 30 times for 110 yards and another score. Concordia used Van Cleave in the backfield and in his familiar spot in the slot. In the passing game, Stark went 29-for-55 for 306 yards and two touchdowns. The offense piled up 453 yards to the Broncos’ 252 (with a first down advantage of 30-15).
Though Hastings (3-4, 3-4 GPAC) struggled on the offensive end, it found creative ways to stay afloat. The Broncos’ first points came late in the first half when Sam Ahl jumped a Stark pass and raced 70 yards to the end zone for a pick six. Hastings also got the benefit of two 15-yard penalties on a punt return that set up a short, 37-yard touchdown drive in the third quarter. Hastings picked off Stark three times (once in the red zone), gained another turnover via a fumble recovery and held the Bulldogs to four field goal attempts.
Fortunately for Concordia, junior kicker Peyton Atwood was up to the task when called upon to cut through the winds on the great plains. Atwood connected on field goals from 34, 38, 20 and 37 yards, respectively, while improving to 10-for-11 this season on field goal tries. The Grand Island native also broke a school record on Saturday for career PATs, pushing his tally to 109 (previous record was 108 by Adam Meirose). In another key special teams play, Braxtyn Koch pinned Hastings at its own 3 with a 61-yard punt.
Not only did the Bulldogs persevere through their own mistakes, they managed through injuries that kept out not only Collazo, but also starting safety Luke Penrod. Then, early in the second quarter, dominant nose guard Carson Fehlhafer left the field and did not return. On the heels of last week’s homecoming shootout, the Concordia D rose to the occasion and Hastings to only 3.6 yards per play. Deegan Barnes, Daylon Henson and Grant Huss each made nine tackles on Saturday. In the final minute, linebacker Dylan Meyer came through with the game sealing interception. Treven Weddle, who stepped into the starting lineup, also emerged with a pick that thwarted a Bronco red zone drive.
The Bulldog defense contained a strong Hastings running game to 130 yards on 31 attempts. Dalton Armbruster paced the team with 62 yards on 11 carries. Henson and the secondary made for a tough day for Bronco quarterback Carson Kudlacek. He completed only 14-of-39 passes for 122 yards. Both quarterbacks had to battle through the elements.
Said Daberkow, “That’s about as windy as it gets in this conference. That’s saying a lot. Into the wind, game-winning drive when we needed it – didn’t want to kick a field goal and go into overtime. We just wanted to win that one in regulation. I thought Coach (Greg) Nelson did a great job calling plays and putting us in position. We did some unorthodox stuff that worked. With Carlos out and having Van Cleave at running back, I think the entire room played well today. We’re proud of our guys.
“Peyton Atwood – I can’t say enough flattering things about him. He’s just not a guy we worry about. He’s going to do his job. We have to get things shored up on that blocked PAT … It was fun to see some things that we practiced come to fruition. We’ve been through the ringer. These last three weeks have been some dogfights and some rollercoasters. I think they’re aging the head coach at a rate that’s probably not sustainable.”
The program road win streak of 10 dates back to the 2023 season. Concordia has amassed leads of at least 13 points in every game in 2025.
Next up will be a road trip that will send the Bulldogs to the home of the GPAC’s highest rated team, No. 4 Morningside (5-2, 5-1 GPAC). In Saturday’s action, the Mustangs were upset at Northwestern, 14-13, in a battle between perennial NAIA playoff qualifiers. Last year’s Concordia-Morningside meeting in Seward resulted in a 51-21 win for the Mustangs. Next Saturday’s game will kick off at 1 p.m. CT from Elwood Olsen Stadium.