MITCHELL, S.D. – Unseasonable warmth and strong wind gusts enveloped Joe Quintal Field on a sunny Saturday (Oct. 10) in Mitchell, S.D. Concordia University, Nebraska Football overcame an early deficit with the help of a critical second-quarter fourth-down defensive stop and a pick-six from defensive back Jett Farwell. The Bulldogs used a plus-two turnover margin in pulling off the 24-21 road win. The Tigers made a late push with a touchdown in the final minutes, but their ensuing onside kick was unsuccessful.
Head Coach Patrick Daberkow’s squad shrugged off back-to-back losses to ranked opponents and improved to 3-3 (3-3 GPAC). The result also marked Daberkow’s 50th career win as head coach. In recent weeks, the depth of the roster has been tested.
“I thought that getting a win on the road in October against a good Dakota Wesleyan team was something I’ll take any way I can get it,” Daberkow said. “I could probably do without all the drama, but I’m certainly happy with the outcome. You watch that game and think, ‘Man, we could have put that away about 18 different times.’ We want to do better at taking advantage of those opportunities, but I was happy to get the win.”
With several key offensive skill players sidelined, Coach Corby Osten’s defensive unit rose to the occasion in Mitchell. The game-changing play was made by the Pawnee City, Neb., native Farwell, who plucked an interception deep down field and then raced 79 yards for a touchdown at the 10:16 mark of the third quarter. The house call broke what was a 14-14 tie at the time. Senior safety Luke Penrod also intercepted a Jed Jensen pass in the fourth quarter.
Additionally, the defense came through with a pivotal fourth-down stop in the second quarter. Having driven the ball 38 yards to the Bulldog 42, DWU was stuffed on a fourth and two as Deegan Barnes and Brock Ostdiek met running back Jayden Acosta in the backfield for a two-yard loss. Quarterback Camden Jensen and the Concordia offense then marched 56 yards on nine plays to tie the score at 14 apiece. The drive culminated with A Jensen touchdown pass to tight end Maddox Rickertsen from six yards out.
The final Bulldog scoring drive of the contest featured the rushing attack led by Jensen and running back Dylan Mika. A freshman out of Aspen, Colo., Mika kick-started a 14-play, 71-yard advancement with a 17-yard surge. Concordia reached the two-yard-line before opting for a 20-yard Admir Mujkic field goal that made the score 24-14 with 3:12 left in the third quarter.
In the final quarter, the Tiger offense went punt, interception and punt before a glimmer of hope came in the final stages. Jed Jensen fired a 61-yard touchdown pass to Steven Christion, pulling DWU within three points with 1:06 left. However, the onside kick went out of bounds, allowing the Bulldogs to milk the remaining clock.
The Concordia offense did just enough while totaling 267 yards. Jensen and company were turnover free. In making his second career start, the Grand Island native Jensen completed 20-of-35 passes for 140 yards and two touchdowns, including one that went to Adam Van Cleave (18th career receiving TD). Jensen also ran 17 times for 47 yards. Mika led the backfield with 18 carries for 66 yards. Van Cleave snagged 11 receptions for 76 yards and ran his career reception total to 176 (third most in program history).
Ball security was a key to Saturday’s victory. Said Daberkow, “Turnovers were the difference in this game. When you can go on the road and get a win without turning the ball over, you’ll take it. If you had asked me Friday, when we were driving up here, whether I would take that scenario, I would have felt good about it. We still have to develop that killer instinct. Maybe we’re just pups in some of these spots, but hopefully we can come out of the bye week healthier than we went into it. We’ve got to treat our bodies right, get the right amount of sleep and nutrition, and hopefully get some guys back, too.”
Linebacker Dylan Meyer led the defense with seven tackles, including two for loss. The defense racked up six sacks and 12 tackles for loss. Up front, AJ Frazey enjoyed a fine day as he registered three stops in the backfield and two sacks. Penrod added a sack and a half to his stat line. On the other side, DWU failed to muster a sack and had only one stop in the backfield.
It was a busier day than hoped for Braxtyn Koch, who punted eight times for an average of 37.4 yards per attempt (with one downed inside the opposition’s 20). With Peyton Atwood out, Mujkic nailed all three PAT attempts in addition to his short field goal.
Currently in the middle of his 10th season as head coach, Daberkow moved his career record to 50-44. He ranks No. 4 on the program’s all-time wins list behind past head coaches in Courtney Meyer (70), Larry Oetting (63) and Herb Meyer (62). This is Daberkow’s 19th season on the Concordia coaching staff.
The Bulldogs were again without skill players in quarterback Gideon Stark, running back Carlos Collazo and receiver Collin Fritton (in addition to others who were out due to injury). Daberkow is optimistic that each of those players will return over the final four games of this season.
Dakota Wesleyan (3-4, 3-3 GPAC) has dropped three in a row within conference play. The Tigers struggled through the air on Saturday as Jensen went 10-for-27 with two picks while being sacked six times. Jensen led his side in rushing with 95 yards on 14 attempts. DWU amassed 326 total yards and held the ball for 30:26 in time of possession.
The Bulldogs will take advantage of a bye this coming week before returning to action on Saturday, Oct. 24 for a road trip to No. 7 Morningside (6-1, 5-1 GPAC), located in Sioux City, Iowa. Kickoff from Elwood Olsen Stadium is set for 1 p.m. CT. In Saturday’s action, the Mustangs blew out Waldorf, 72-19.