SEWARD, Neb. – Both teams are refreshed following a bye week. In the 25th all-time series meeting, Concordia University, Nebraska Football will take on sixth-ranked Morningside in Sioux City, Iowa, on Saturday. The Bulldogs will play their third straight road game as part of a stretch that included a 38-24 loss at No. 21 Northwestern and a 24-21 win at Dakota Wesleyan.
Head Coach Patrick Daberkow’s Bulldogs sit at 3-3 (3-3 GPAC) while Head Coach Steve Ryan’s Mustangs enter the week at 6-1 (5-1 GPAC) and in the midst of another race for a GPAC championship. Most recently, Morningside trounced Waldorf, 72-19, on Oct. 10. The Mustangs’ one loss occurred in the GPAC opener at Northwestern by a score of 43-35. Concordia will be tasked with attempting to contain a Morningside offense that ranks second nationally in total yards per game (561.4).
GAME INFO
Concordia (3-3, 3-3 GPAC) at No. 6 Morningside (6-1, 5-1 GPAC)
Saturday, Oct. 24 | 1 p.m.
Elwood Olsen Stadium | Sioux City, Iowa
Webcast: GPAC Network
Live Stats: Presto Stats
Radio: 104.9 Max Country
Commentators: Parker Cyza and Ross Wurdeman
Tickets: Morningside HomeTown Ticketing
STATISTICAL BREAKDOWN
Team Statistics
*2026 national rankings out of 96 NAIA football programs that have reported statistics this season.
Concordia
Offensive PPG: 35.8 (27th)
Defensive PPG: 29.8 (T-53rd)
Total Offense: 407.2 (29th)
Pass Offense: 249.3 (T-24th)
Rush Offense: 157.8 (41st)
Total Defense: 440.0 (76th)
Pass Defense: 248.3 (81st)
Rush Defense: 191.7 (68th)
Turnover +/-: +7
Morningside
Offensive PPG: 49.3 (4th)
Defensive PPG: 22.6 (26th)
Total Offense: 561.4 (2nd)
Pass Offense: 295.4 (8th)
Rush Offense: 266.0 (5th)
Total Defense: 322.0 (28th)
Pass Defense: 192.9 (38th)
Rush Defense: 129.1 (32nd)
Turnover +/-: +2
2026 INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Concordia
Head Coach: Patrick Daberkow (50-44, 10th season)
Passing: Gideon Stark – 84/145 (.579), 1,172 yards, 14 td, 1 int, 154.0 effic.
Rushing: Carlos Collazo – 74 rushes, 363 yards, 4.9 avg, 5 td
Receiving: Adam Van Cleave – 41 receptions, 523 yards, 12.8 avg, 6 td
Defense: Kaden Thompson – 40 tackles, 4 int, 4 pbu, 2.5 tfl, 1 TD return
Morningside
Head Coach: Steve Ryan (255-51, 25th season)
Passing: Tyler Smith – 106/139 (.763), 1,342 yards, 13 td, 2 int, 185.3 effic.
Rushing: Juven Hudson – 91 rushes, 636 yards, 7.0 avg, 7 td
Receiving: Drew Sellon – 59 receptions, 750 yards, 12.7 avg, 9 td
Defense: Jack Brickhouse – 54 tackles, 8 tfl, 2 sacks, 1 fr
2026 SCHEDULE/RESULTS
Concordia (3-3, 3-3 GPAC)
8/29 vs. Waldorf, W, 77-7
9/12 at Hastings, L, 27-38
9/19 vs. Mount Marty, W, 42-24
9/26 vs. (16) Dordt, L, 21-51
10/3 at (21) Northwestern, L, 24-38
10/10 at Dakota Wesleyan, W, 24-21
10/24 at (6) Morningside, 1 p.m.
10/31 vs. Doane, 1 p.m.
11/7 at Briar Cliff, 1 p.m.
11/14 vs. (18) Midland, 1 p.m. (Senior Day)
Morningside (6-1, 5-1 GPAC)
8/29 vs. (3) Benedictine, W, 35-28
9/5 vs. (24) Northwestern, L, 35-43
9/12 vs. Doane, W, 70-10
9/19 at (11) Dordt, W, 35-31
9/26 at Mount Marty, W, 42-7
10/3 vs. Dakota Wesleyan, W, 56-20
10/10 at Waldorf, W, 72-19
10/24 vs. Concordia, 1 p.m.
10/31 at (18) Midland, 1 p.m.
11/7 at Hastings, 1 p.m.
11/14 vs. Briar Cliff, 1 p.m.
In the rankings
Concordia rose as high as No. 17 last season in the official NAIA coaches’ polls before settling as a “receiving votes” team to end 2025. The Bulldogs also concluded 2024 at No. 18 in the poll. Concordia began the 2026 season listed in the “receiving votes” category of the poll. The Bulldogs have not received votes since their loss at Hastings on Sept. 12. Morningside landed at No. 6 in the NAIA coaches’ poll released on Monday (Oct. 19). The Mustangs have been top 25 regulars during the tenure of Steve Ryan.
Concordia
GPAC preseason: 4th
NAIA Performance Index: 46th
Morningside
GPAC preseason: 1st
NAIA Performance Index: 11th
Team 100
The 2026 season marks the 100th in the history of Concordia University, Nebraska Football. On record, the first official season was 1925 when Professor Walter Hellwege presided over the Concordia Teachers College gridiron squad as its first ever head coach. In the time since then, there have been three years without football, including 1926 and 1927 and 1943 (during World War II). In program history, Concordia has won conference championships in 1929, 1931, 1944, 1945, 1951, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1960, 1970, 1981 and 2001. The championship team of ’01 remains the lone NAIA playoff qualifier in program annals. In December 2016, Patrick Daberkow became the 10th head coach in program history.
Coach Daberkow + staff
Patrick Daberkow’s history at Concordia dates back to his first season as a Bulldog football player in 2003. This is Daberkow’s 19th season as part of the program’s staff – 10th as head coach. He served as defensive coordinator for seven years before being named head coach in December 2016. Daberkow assumed offensive play calling duties in 2022 before turning that role over to Greg Nelson, former Lincoln Lutheran head coach, in 2023. Meanwhile, his full-time staff includes Defensive Coordinator Corby Osten, Special Teams Coordinator Trent Laune, Assistant Coach Grady Koch (who specializes in coaching the offensive line, among other duties) and former Nebraska Wesleyan assistant Kevin Crume. The graduate assistants are Tanner Ingle and Grant Huss. Daberkow owns a career coaching record of 49-44. His 49 wins are the fourth most among all head coaches in program history. The top three are Courtney Meyer (70), Larry Oetting (63) and Herb Meyer (62).
Mika the ‘next man in’ at running back
Top running back Carlos Collazo has missed back-to-back games after surpassing 100 yards rushing in matchups with Mount Marty and Dordt. His absence paved the way for freshman Dylan Mika of Apsen, Colo., to start at Northwestern and at Dakota Wesleyan. Over those two outings, Mika carried the ball 28 times for 147 yards. The Aspen, Colo., native burst onto the scene in the season opener versus Waldorf when he took his first collegiate carry 75 yards for a touchdown. In four games this season, Mika has rushed for 299 yards and a touchdown on 41 attempts (7.3 per carry). In the win at Dakota Wesleyan, senior Calvin Sassaman rushed three times for 12 yards. Collazo will be the starter when healthy. In his career, Collazo has rushed for 1,510 yards on 259 carries (5.8 yards per rush) in 16 games. Collazo has crept up on the program’s all-time top 10 list for rushing yards. Current assistant coach Devin Zeigler sits at No. 10 with 1,800 yards. The Aurora High School product Collazo has rushed for 100 yards in six games in his collegiate career.
Collazo 100-yard rushing games
283 at Mount Marty, 2025
176 vs. Mount Marty, 2026
171 vs. Midland, 2025
124 vs. Waldorf, 2024
116 at Dakota Wesleyan, 2024
113 vs. Dordt, 2025
Jensen answers the call, Stark eyeing return
A junior out of Grand Island Northwest High School, quarterback Camden Jensen has seen his most extensive collegiate action over the past two outings, replacing the injured Gideon Stark. Over his first two career starts (at Northwestern and at DWU), Jensen has played turnover-free while throwing for three touchdowns and running for one. In his career with the Bulldogs, Jensen has appeared in seven games and has completed 53-of-91 (.582) passes for 371 yards (103.4 efficiency rating). A dual threat, Jensen has carried the ball 43 times for 196 yards and two scores in four games this season. The Bulldogs hope to soon get Stark back on the field. In his collegiate career, Stark has amassed career totals of 3,748 passing yards and 36 passing touchdowns. He’s completed 291-of-540 passes (.539) in 23 career games played. Stark is nearing the program’s top five all-time in passing yards – No. 5 on the list is Kurt Earl with 4,158 yards.
Most passing yards in program history, single game
465 – Gideon Stark vs. Hastings, 2026
458 – DJ McGarvie vs. Dordt, 2022
455 – Andrew Perea vs. Northwestern, 2018
413 – DJ McGarvie vs. Northwestern, 2023
Most passing TDs in program history, single game
8 – Gideon Stark vs. Waldorf, 2026
5 – DJ McGarvie vs. Briar Cliff, 2024
5 – Phil Seevers vs. Doane, 1988
4 – achieved by eight different QBs
Van Cleave continues climb up record books
No matter the quarterback, graduate student Adam Van Cleave remains the go-to target in the passing game. Van Cleave made 11 grabs for 76 yards and a touchdown in the win at Dakota Wesleyan. The Columbus Lakeview High School product pushed his season totals to 41 receptions for 523 yards and six touchdowns. Van Cleave is one of six pass catchers in school history to eclipse 2,000 career receiving yards (see list below). On the program’s all-time rankings, Van Cleave ranks third in receptions (176), fifth in receiving touchdowns (18) and fifth in receiving yards (2,101). Van Cleave recently moved past Max Country radio color commentator Ross Wurdeman (168 catches) on the career receptions list. The receiver room also features Jonny Puelz (23 catches for 307 yards and 5 TDs). Receiver Collin Fritton, who has missed the past three games, is another Bulldog hoping to return to the field before the end of the fall.
Most career receptions, program history
1. Korrell Koehlmoos (2018-22): 221
2. Austin Jablonski (2022-24): 203
3. Adam Van Cleave (2023-26): 176
4. Ross Wurdeman (1998-01): 168
5. Jared Garcia (2014-17): 161
Most career receiving yards, program history
1. Korrell Koehlmoos (2018-22): 2,894
2. Austin Jablonski (2022-24): 2,723
3. Jared Garcia (2014-17): 2,495
4. Ross Wurdeman (1998-01): 2,458
5. Adam Van Cleave (2023-26): 2,101
6. Clarence Woods (1984-88): 2,011
O-line returns to form
As part of an offense that has dealt with its share of injuries, All-GPAC left tackle Derek Campbell sat out the Waldorf and Northwestern games. Campbell returned to the starting lineup at Dakota Wesleyan. When everyone on the offensive line is healthy, the starting group includes Campbell, Layne Bugarske at left guard, Joshua Luehr at center, Carter Meier at right guard and Thomas Thomas at right tackle. The latter four have started all six games this season. When Campbell has been sidelined, Thomas has shifted to left tackle and Ethan Olson (two starts) has jumped in at right tackle. So far in 2026, the line has surrendered only seven sacks while paving the way for the run game to average 4.8 yards per carry. The Concordia o-line surrendered a grand total of seven sacks over the 2024 and 2025 seasons. The group is coached by Grady Koch, a former all-conference offensive lineman for the Bulldogs.
Mujkic spells Atwood
The latest addition to the injury list was Peyton Atwood, one of the most prolific kickers in school history. In his absence at Dakota Wesleyan, Admir Mujkic stepped in and went 3-for-3 on PATs while connecting for a 20-yard field goal. A Lincoln East High School product, Mujkic has handled kickoff duties throughout his Concordia career. Atwood holds the program standard for career PATs with 144 (out of 154 attempts). Atwood also owns the school record for longest field goal (50) and has converted 21-of-30 career field goal tries. The school record for career field goal makes remains in possession of Kenny Zoeller, who drilled 29 field goals in his career from 2009 through 2012. Zoeller was named an NAIA All-American as a senior. At punter, Braxtyn Koch has averaged 38.6 yards on 30 attempts (with eight punts downed inside the opposition’s 20). Braxtyn is the son of former Baltimore Ravens punter Sam Koch.
Longest field goals in Concordia history, on record
50 – Petyon Atwood (2025)
47 – Kenny Zoeller (2011)
46 – Jess Boyd (2001)
46 – John Dumar (1980)
Defense stands tall
Sophomore corner Jett Farwell was tabbed the GPAC Defensive Player of the Week after the win at Dakota Wesleyan. The performance was one of the best this season by the Concordia defense, which limited the Tigers to 326 total yards and got an interception apiece from Farwell and safety Luke Penrod. Farwell made the game-changing play when he picked off a pass and raced 79 yards for a pick-six that gave the Bulldogs a 21-14 lead at the 10:16 mark of the third quarter. It was also a fine day for Concordia’s front six (3-3-5 alignment), which piled up 11 tackles for loss, including six sacks. The sacks were credited to AJ Frazey (2.0), Penrod (1.5), Dylan Meyer (1.0), Nicolas Steuter (1.0) and Drake Trent (0.5). Frazey and Meyer forced a fumble apiece (both recovered by DWU).
Scoring defense + special teams
Concordia has scored three touchdowns this season on defense/special teams. In order, the non-offensive touchdowns came via Collin Fritton’s 90-yard kickoff return versus Mount Marty, Kaden Thompson’s 51-yard blocked punt return at Northwestern and Jett Farwell’s 79-yard interception return at Dakota Wesleyan. Additionally, the Bulldogs nearly had a defensive touchdown versus Mount Marty. On the Lancer’s first play from scrimmage, linebacker Tanner Frahm intercepted a pass and returned the ball 23 yards to the Mount Marty three-yard-line. Over six games, Concordia has forced 13 turnovers (10 interceptions and three fumble recoveries) and boasts a plus-seven turnover margin. Kaden Thompson ranks in a tie for sixth nationally with four interceptions this season.
Around the league
Concordia, Morningside and Waldorf each had byes last week. In the four league games that took place on Oct. 17, No. 19 Midland won at Mount Marty, 31-18, Dakota Wesleyan earned a 20-13 road victory over Hastings, No. 20 Northwestern routed Doane, 45-17, and No. 14 Dordt blew out Briar Cliff, 49-3. Some headlines were made by Northwestern kicker Gianna Bennett, who became the all-time leading scorer for a women’s college football player. Atop the current GPAC standings sit four teams with one league loss apiece: Northwestern (6-1), Dordt (5-1), Midland (5-1) and Morningside (5-1). In addition to Concordia playing at Morningside, this week’s slate features Northwestern at Waldorf, Briar Cliff at Doane, Hastings at Midland and Dordt at Mount Marty.
Series vs. Morningside
It's been one-sided as Morningside is 23-1 all-time versus Concordia. That one win for the Bulldogs came in 2003 by a 34-19 score in Seward. Courtney Meyer was the Bulldogs’ head coach at the time. The Mustangs’ series dominance continued in 2025 when they won, 59-21, in Sioux City. Morningside owned a 606-247 advantage in total yards and was plus-three in turnover margin. Then Mustang quarterback Zack Chevalier threw for 355 yards and five touchdowns. In leading Concordia’s efforts, Adam Van Cleave rushed for a touchdown and returned a kickoff 81 yards for a score.
Scouting Morningside
Morningside is aiming to extend an active streak of 22 consecutive appearances in the NAIA playoffs. During that stretch, the Mustangs have won at least eight games every season. Under the highly accomplished Steve Ryan, Morningside has celebrated three NAIA national championships and 15 GPAC championships. A hallmark of the powerhouse Mustang program has been prolific offense. The 2026 team has continued that success and is averaging 49.3 points and 561.4 yards per game behind quarterback Tyler Smith. His objective is to get the ball to receiver Drew Sellon, the 2025 GPAC Offensive Player of the Year. Sellon is one of four 2025 first or second team All-GPAC players who remain on the roster. The others are running back/returner Juven Hudson, defensive back Cade Harriman and defensive lineman Cale Pittenger. Hudson has seized the RB1 role and has rushed for 636 yards and seven touchdowns. On the defensive side, linebacker Jack Brickhouse has amassed team-highs of 54 tackles and eight stops for loss. Defensive back Victor Atupra ranks in a tie for second nationally with five interceptions and has blocked two kicks. Morningside opened this season with a 35-28 home win over then third-ranked Benedictine College (Kan.). Since falling at the hands of Northwestern, 43-35, on Sept. 5, the Mustangs have won five in a row with the highlight being a 35-31 road victory over then 11th-ranked Dordt. Morningside is positioned for another potential playoff berth.