SIOUX CITY, Iowa – In a matchup between NAIA top 25 teams tied for second place in the GPAC standings, the offensive firepower of Morningside made the difference. An 81-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Adam Van Cleave supplied the day’s biggest highlight for Concordia University, Nebraska football, which fell, 59-21, at the hands of the 11th-ranked Mustangs. The do-it-all Van Cleave scored two of the Bulldogs’ three touchdowns.
Head Coach Patrick Daberkow’s 23rd-ranked squad (5-2, 5-2 GPAC) falls two games behind Dordt (7-0 GPAC) atop the league standings. In addition, the program’s 10-game road winning streak was snapped.
“As the head football coach, I wear this loss,” Daberkow said. “I ask our players to do that in film sessions. We’re all going to evaluate how we can do things better. We’ll do everything we can to not repeat our mistakes. I’m really proud of some guys who stepped into roles today who had not yet been in those roles. I thought they fought. Ultimately, we didn’t do what we needed to today. You have to play really flawless football, and we did not do that.”
Concordia had dug itself a 21-0 hole by the time it cracked the scoreboard. Following a passing touchdown by Morningside quarterback Zack Chevalier, the dynamic Van Cleave took the ensuing kickoff 81 yards for a house call. In the third quarter, Van Cleave capped a 38-yard touchdown drive with a one-yard plunge for his second score of the day. On the season, the reigning NAIA National Offensive Player of the Week has scored touchdowns via reception, rushing and kick return (nine total touchdowns in 2025).
However, the exploits of Van Cleave were not enough to overcome the prolific passing of Chevalier, who threw for 355 yards and five touchdowns. As part of a gaudy offensive day (606 total yards), the Mustangs also got 106 rushing yards and a touchdown from Jaylen Burch. Meanwhile, Drew Sellon (10 for 177) and Lennx Brown (10 for 96) were both on the receiving end of 10 Chevalier passes. Morningside added an exclamation point on defense with a 10-yard pick-six from Blake Belllamy late in the third quarter. It made the score 52-14 at the time.
The Concordia offense was limited to 247 yards and 15 first downs. Quarterback Gideon Stark fired a 54-yard touchdown pass to tight end Maddox Rickertsen just before the close of the third quarter. Stark wen 15-for-36 for 211 yards (three interceptions) through the air. The Mustangs stuffed the Bulldog running game to the tune of 33 yards on 24 attempts. Van Cleave posted 69 receiving yards (five catches) and 35 rushing yards. Dane Omel and Jonny Puelz collected three receptions apiece. Program all-time PAT leader Peyton Atwood drilled three more extra points.
Defensively, the Bulldogs were paced by the 14 tackles from linebacker Grant Huss. In the absence of First Team All-GPAC nose guard Carson Fehlhafer, Terry Sebek stepped in and posted two tackles for loss and a sack. Linebacker Deegan Barnes came up with an interception that led to Van Cleave’s rushing touchdown.
Morningside (6-2, 6-1 GPAC) played with urgency after its 14-13 upset loss last week at Northwestern. The Mustangs improved to 23-1 all-time versus Concordia. Morningside’s showdown with No. 7 Dordt will occur in mid-November.
The Bulldogs wished they still had the talents of Fehlhafer and running back Carlos Collazo in the lineup. Both were sidelined by injury. However, Daberkow did not make any mention of injuries in his postgame remarks. This was the first game all season in which Concordia did not enjoy a lead on the scoreboard.
Said Daberkow, “We will certainly learn lessons from this. We’re going to do the next right thing. I hate saying it because you don’t want to be in this situation. The reality is we’re 5-2. We’re a good football team. We have a lot of football left and we still have stuff to play for. We can’t lose sight of that. We’re going to keep focused on the positives while still dealing with the reality of the situation and things we’ve got to work on. I know it won’t be an effort problem.”
After two weeks on the road, the Bulldogs will be back at home next Saturday (Nov. 1) to host Briar Cliff (5-4, 4-4 GPAC). Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. CT from Bulldog Stadium. In this weekend’s action, the Chargers protected their home field with a 28-21 win over Doane. Concordia has won each of the past six meetings with Briar Cliff.