SEWARD, Neb. – Fall camp and two-a-days are in the books for the 2019 Concordia University football team. The program’s annual public fall intrasquad serves as a reminder each year that the official start of a new season is near. With the countdown until the Doane game at 15 days, the Bulldogs treated a large preseason audience to some football underneath the lights on Friday (Aug. 23).
Nope, head coach Patrick Daberkow isn’t ready to name a starting quarterback just yet, but the offense appears much more capable of rattling off explosive plays in both the pass and run games. Concordia is looking like a team out to prove it has come a long way since the 2018 season ended.
“You want to come out (of fall camp) completely unscathed. For the most part we had a pretty healthy fall camp,” Daberkow said on Friday. “It was great competition. This is about as good of competition as we’ve had in any fall camp that I’ve been a part of.”
There are rarely Earth shattering takeaways that come out of an intrasquad, but the Bulldogs are certainly more dangerous offensively than they were this time a year ago. A young offensive line flush with sophomores in the two deep is coming of age while a receiving corps spearheaded by the likes of Art Anderson, Korrell Koehlmoos and Logan Kreizel has the ability to get behind the defense. You already know about Ryan Durdon, who should have more help in the backfield from up-and-comers such as Jonah Weyand.
About that quarterback spot … the man who won that position out of 2018 fall camp is also looking like one of the favorites again in 2019. That would be Jake Kemp, who missed most of the back half of last season due to injury. Blake Culbert has made big strides and freshman Wyatt Ehlers may be the most adept at running the football from the quarterback position.
“I’ve seen progression. We’re getting better,” Daberkow said of the offense. “I think it’s evident. We have a lot of guys who are battling for positions and we have a lot of guys competing really hard. I think it’s bringing the best out of everybody.”
It all starts up front in the eyes of Daberkow and many football coaches. Among the most experienced blockers are juniors Cole Baumgartner and Keegan Hornung. Some of the growing pains endured last fall have made for a stronger unit in 2019.
“They’re coming along really well,” Daberkow said. “The beauty of it is we’re healthy enough right now that we don’t have to thrust anybody into a starting role as a freshman or anything like that. They’re able to provide us some depth and we’re able to work on some development things with them. Our group one offensive line is a group we’re trying to keep healthy. If we can keep them healthy they’re going to be pretty good this year. We’re excited about them.”
Daberkow would obviously be happy to see his defense make similar strides after ranking 60th nationally in total yards allowed in 2018. That number may be a bit misleading considering the lack of help that unit got from an offense that went three-and-out far too many times. The linebacker unit is stout, although one of the starters is currently sidelined. The defensive backfield is the main area of focus in terms of improvement. Transfer Johnny Johnson should supply a big lift at safety.
And how about that kicking game? Things are looking up in that area. A year ago Concordia did not connect on its first field goal until the very last game. In Friday’s scrimmage, the football was consistently splitting the uprights. Four kickers are battling for time: Daniel Cantu, Jorre Luther, AJ Sharp and Jordan Spilinek. Daberkow is liking what he’s seeing. The fans in the stands he invited to the turf to kick field goals are not in consideration for the job. That sideshow did usher in one of the night’s most memorable moments when a young Bulldog fan was hoisted onto the shoulders of a player.
Even with a new school year set to begin on Monday, the Bulldogs must wait until Sept. 7 to kick off the season versus Doane. For now, Concordia isn’t zeroing in on any particular opponent.
“I think the focus has to stay on us,” Daberkow said. “Doane will be here eventually and we’ll be ready for them. We’ll be ready for them because we’ll be working on us.”
Despite an extended preseason, it’s safe to say that spirits are high. As Anderson tweeted recently, “Our team chemistry on 100 right now.”