2024 NAIA Football National Qualifiers
SEWARD, Neb. – Despite putting together a postseason worthy résumé, the Concordia University, Nebraska Football team was not selected to play in the 2024 NAIA Football Championship Series. The NAIA announced the 20 qualifiers for postseason play on Sunday (Nov. 17) evening via a live selection show. The lone two qualifiers from the GPAC were conference champion Morningside and at-large choice Northwestern.
Head Coach Patrick Daberkow’s squad officially ends the 2024 season at 8-2. The eight victories were the most for the program since 2001, the same year of Concordia’s most recent playoff berth. The ’24 Bulldogs closed the regular season on Saturday with a 45-13 blowout of Midland. In final NAIA coaches’ poll of the regular season, the Bulldogs landed at No. 17, a highwater mark during Daberkow’s eight seasons as head coach.
Below are notes on the Concordia Football team at the close of the 2024 season.
Team Statistics
*2024 national rankings out of 97 NAIA football programs in parentheses
Concordia
Offensive PPG: 38.5 (20th)
Defensive PPG: 18.4 (19th)
Total Offense: 469.7 (12th)
Pass Offense: 257.8 (19th)
Rush Offense: 211.9 (14th)
Total Defense: 349.0 (52nd)
Pass Defense: 239.9 (83rd)
Rush Defense: 109.1 (21st)
Turnover +/-: +7
2024 INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Concordia
Head Coach: Patrick Daberkow (40-38, 8th season)
Passing: DJ McGarvie – 192/319 (.602), 2,366 yards, 28 td, 11 int, 144.6 effic.
Rushing: Mark Arp – 239 rushes, 1,1195 yards, 5.0 avg, 13 td; 20 receptions for 141 yards
Receiving: Austin Jablonski – 76 receptions, 1,106 yards, 14.6 avg, 10 td
Defense: Grant Huss – 87 tackles, 5.5 tfl’s, 3 int, 3 pbu, 2.5 sacks
2024 SCHEDULE/RESULTS
Concordia (8-2, 8-2 GPAC)
8/31 vs. Waldorf, W, 45-7
9/7 vs. (10) Morningside, L, 21-51
9/14 at Dakota Wesleyan, W, 42-7
9/21 at Briar Cliff, W, 63-13
9/28 vs. (9) Dordt, L, 22-33 (homecoming)
10/5 at (2) Northwestern, W, 29-17
10/19 at Doane, W, 45-10
10/26 vs. Mount Marty, W, 31-27
11/2 vs. Hastings, W, 42-6
11/16 at Midland, W, 45-13
2024 finale
The first half was a slugfest as Midland took a 13-7 lead to the break in Fremont. The third quarter was a different story. The Bulldogs outscored the Warriors, 31-0, in that 15-minute stretch that included an interception apiece from Will Potratz and Devon Polley. After opening the third quarter with a 28-yard field goal by Peyton Atwood, Concordia continued its splurge with a 35-yard touchdown pass from DJ McGarvie to Austin Jablonski, a Mark Arp three-yard touchdown rush, a McGarvie 53-yard touchdown pass to John Goodwin and an Arp two-yard touchdown rush. For good measure, Jablonski added a 34-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs’ 21-0 advantage in points off turnovers proved to be instrumental in the lopsided score. The 45-13 loss for Midland (6-5, 5-5 GPAC) represented its largest margin of defeat this season. Arp finished with 97 rushing yards and two touchdowns while McGarvie completed 11-of-14 passes for 167 yards and two scores. It was another fine day for safety Daylon Henson, who collected six tackles, an interception, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and three pass breakups. Grant Huss and Kyle Sterup came away with 10 tackles apiece. Concordia won in Fremont for the first time since 2015.
Playoff resume
When Coach Daberkow’s squad polished off Saturday’s win at Midland, it believed it had done enough to earn one of the seven at-large berths into the NAIA postseason. Below are the metrics that put Concordia under consideration for an at-large selection.
· 8-2 record (T-2nd place in GPAC).
· NAIA strength of schedule: 22nd (Massey Ratings)
· Win at No. 2 Northwestern, 29-17.
· Two losses came to NAIA top 10 foes: No. 10 Morningside and No. 9 Dordt.
· Outscored opponents, 385-184.
· Out-sacked opponents, 28-4.
· Outrushed opponents, 211.9 to 109.1.
· 1,000-yard rusher (Mark Arp) / 1,000-yard receiver (Austin Jablonski) / 9,000-yard career passer (DJ McGarvie).
· 5-0 road record.
· Play in the NAIA’s best conference: the GPAC is 22-6 in the playoffs versus nonconference opponents over the past five years.
8-2 or better after 10 games, GPAC era
2024 – 8-2 (7-2 GPAC)
2001 – 9-1 (7-1 GPAC)
6-2 or better after eight games, GPAC era
2024 – 6-2 (6-2 GPAC)
2013 – 6-2 (4-2 GPAC)
2001 – 8-0 (7-0 GPAC)
McGarvie hits 9,000-yard passing milestone in 36th career start
DJ McGarvie made his 36th career start in the win at Midland. He enjoyed an efficient 11-for-14 passing day in Fremont and eclipsed 9,000 passing yards for his career. The accomplished McGarvie owns program career records for passing yards (9,045), passing touchdowns (82), completions (761) and pass attempts (1,318) and holds school single season standards for passing yards (2,642 in 2023), passing touchdowns (28 in 2024), completions (229 in 2022) and pass attempts (388 in 2022). His 458 passing yards versus Dordt in 2022 represent a school record for a single game. In addition to his 82 career touchdown passes, the Lincoln North Star High School alum has run for nine scores. While leading the GPAC in passing yards per game (264.2) in 2023, McGarvie became the first Bulldog quarterback in the GPAC era (2000-present) to be named either first or second team all-conference. By season, McGarvie has turned in touchdown-to-interception ratios of 19-7 in 2021, 18-6 in 2022, 17-10 in 2023 and 28-11 in 2024. Among GPAC quarterbacks in 2024, McGarvie ranks second in touchdown passes (28), second in passing yards (2,366), third in passer efficiency (144.6) and fourth in completion percentage (.602).
Concordia all-time passing yards leaders
1. DJ McGarvie – 9,045
2. Jarrod Pimentel – 6,435
3. Von Thomas – 5,662
4. Rod Giesselmann – 5,519
5. Kurt Earl – 4,158
Concordia all-time passing touchdowns leaders
1. DJ McGarvie – 82
2. Von Thomas – 49
2. Jarrod Pimentel – 49
4. Rod Giesselmann – 47
5. Kurt Earl – 37
Jablonski reaches 200 career receptions
All-American receiver Austin Jablonski achieved another milestone in the win at Midland as he surpassed 200 career catches. He is just the second player in program history to hit that mark. In three season as a Bulldog, Jablonski piled up 203 receptions, 2,723 receiving yards and 21 receiving touchdowns in 30 games. On the program’s all-time lists, the Lincoln Pius X High School alum ranks second in receptions, second in receiving yards and fourth in receiving touchdowns. In addition, Jablonski has racked up 459 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns in addition to four passing touchdowns throughout his Concordia career. While Jablonski grabs headlines, McGarvie also threw to reliable targets such as Adam Van Cleave, Daylan Russell and John Goodwin. Van Cleave totaled 57 catches for 652 yards and six touchdowns in 2024. Meanwhile, Russell caught six touchdowns and Goodwin hauled in four touchdown receptions as a potent tight end duo. The receiver group also featured Max Bartels and Thomas Meadough.
Concordia all-time reception leaders
1. Korrell Koehlmoos – 221
2. Austin Jablonski – 203
3. Ross Wurdeman – 168
3. Jared Garcia – 161
5. Eric Pralle – 147
Concordia all-time receiving yards leaders
1. Korrell Koehlmoos – 2,894
2. Austin Jablonski – 2,723
3. Jared Garcia – 2,495
4. Ross Wurdeman – 2,458
5. Clarence Woods – 2,011
Arp equals school record for rushing touchdowns in a season
Senior running back Mark Arp was a workhorse once again as he carried the ball 25 times for 97 yards and two touchdowns in the win at Midland. The two scores gave him 13 rushing touchdowns on the season, equaling a program record set by Cleve Wester in 1984. Wester went on to play three games for the Detroit Lions in 1987 as an NFL replacement player. On the season, Arp rushed for 1,195 yards, a figure that ranks as the third highest in a single season in program history. Arp also ranks seventh on the program’s all-time career rushing list with 2,037 yards. Arp and No. 2 back Carlos Collazo (seven rushing touchdowns) combined for 20 rushing touchdowns in 2024. Running lanes have been created for Arp and Collazo by a veteran offensive line. The same five players have started up front for nine of the 10 games: Cohen Carpenter and Blake Schlegel at the tackles, Tyler Walford and Christian Schlepp at the guard spots and Jackson Anderson at center. In the win at Doane, Brevin Damrow stepped in and made the start at center for Anderson (under the weather). The group surrendered only four sacks all season and held its opponents without a sack in 12 of the past 15 games dating back to last season. Concordia outnumbered its foes in sacks, 28-4, for the season and outrushed them, on average, 211.9 to 109.1.
Concordia 1,000-yard rushers, single season
1. JaMaine Lewis – 1,265 (2007)
2. Ryan Durdon – 1,247 (2017)
3. Mark Arp – 1,195 (2024)
4. Cleve Wester – 1,114 (1984)
5. Randy Posphishil – 1,085 (1972)
6. Bryce Collins – 1,016 (2014)
7. Jeff Towns – 1,002 (1979)
Offense breaks program records for scoring, total yardage
McGarvie and the offense put up more than 40 points in six of this season’s 10 games with a high of 63 coming at Briar Cliff (a GPAC conference game record for the program). The 2024 team’s final averages of 38.5 points and 469.7 yards per game broke school records. The previous standards for a single season were 35.9 points (1951) and 412.0 yards (2023). The 670 total yards at Doane also represented a new program GPAC era record, eclipsing the 641 yards Concordia totaled in this season’s win at Dakota Wesleyan.
Defensive standouts
Several Bulldogs on the defensive side of the ball will be candidates for GPAC All-Conference awards. The defense ranked in the top 20 nationally for scoring defense while led by a strong group up front that includes Kyle Sterup (69 tackles, 15.5 tfl’s, 5 sacks), Devon Polley (42 tackles, 16.5 tfl’s, 5 sacks) and Carson Fehlhafer (39 tackles, 6 tfl’s and 6 sacks). At linebacker, Grant Huss topped the team in tackles with 87 to go along with 5.5 tackles for loss and three interceptions. Two-time All-GPAC linebacker Michael Grindey surpassed 250 career tackles in 2024 and registered 67 tackles this season. At safety, Daylon Henson is tied for the GPAC lead with six interceptions. Henson also tallied 55 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, seven pass breakups, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. Three other Bulldogs notched at least 50 tackles this season: Nick Leader (54), Luke Penrod (52) and Will Potratz (51).
Atwood sets new standard for PATs
A sophomore out of Grand Island Northwest High School, Peyton Atwood has been steady in handling placekicking duties. Thanks to going 6-for-6 on PATs at Midland, Atwood broke the program record for PATs in a single season with 44. The previous school record had been held by Adam Meirose, who made 40 extra points in 2014. Atwood totaled 56 points (third on the team) this season while going 4-for-4 on field goals and 44-for-47 on PATs. In his college career, Atwood is 8-for-11 on field goals and 80-for-87 on PATs. The kicking game for Concordia also includes punter Braxtyn Koch (37.7 punting average) and Admir Mujkic (63 kickoffs). Koch is the son of former Baltimore Ravens NFL punter Sam Koch.
Poll position
Concordia had to earn respect throughout the fall. It began the 2024 campaign under the radar after finishing 2023 with a 5-5 record. The Bulldogs began receiving votes nationally after the 29-17 win at No. 2 Northwestern on Oct. 5. Concordia remained in the receiving votes category for four-straight weeks before finally cracking the top 25 at No. 23 on Nov. 4. Daberkow’s squad then jumped to No. 20 on Nov. 11 and bumped up to No. 17 on Nov. 17.
Concordia’s 2024 NAIA Rankings
Oct. 7 – RV
Oct. 14 – RV
Oct. 21 – RV
Oct. 28 – RV
Nov. 4 – 23rd
Nov. 11 – 20th
Nov. 17 – 17th
Around the league
Despite the GPAC being known nationally as one of the NAIA’s top conferences, the league earned only one at-large bid into the postseason. Morningside qualified automatically as the GPAC champion while Northwestern was chosen for an at-large qualifier. Both Morningside (No. 6 seed) and Northwestern (No. 11 seed) will have byes in the NAIA Football Championship Series first round. The bubbles burst on Sunday for both Concordia and Dordt, two hopeful at-large candidates. Based on the final NAIA coaches’ poll, Southwestern College out of the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference was awarded the second to last at-large spot. Southwestern was ranked behind three teams that did not qualify for the playoffs: No. 16 Southeastern University (Fla.), No. 17 Concordia and No. 18 Dordt. It should be noted that the national selection committee evaluates criteria beyond the NAIA coaches’ poll.