Head coach: Patrick Daberkow (9-11, 3rd year)
2018 Record: 3-7 overall; 2-7 GPAC (T-8th)
Key Returners: WR Art Anderson; OL Cole Baumgartner; LB Riley Bilstein; RB Ryan Durdon; OL Keegan Hornung; DB Johnny Johnson; WR Korrell Koehlmoos; LB Lane Napier; DL Aaron Rudloff; LB Derek Tachovsky; LB Zac Walter.
Key Losses: WR Vince Beasley; LB Kordell Glause; OL Grady Koch; DL Parker Johnson.
2018 NAIA All-America: Lane Napier (AP first team; AFCA honorable mention).
2018 GPAC All-Conference: Lane Napier (first team); Ryan Durdon (second team); Kordell Glause (second team); Vince Beasley (honorable mention); Grady Koch (honorable mention); Derek Tachovsky (honorable mention); Zac Walter (honorable mention).
The Concordia football program is glad to have the 2018 season in the rearview mirror. Head coach Patrick Daberkow chuckles now about how many things that could have gone wrong, did go wrong. Some of the 2018 storylines centered upon a miniature senior class, a rash of key injuries, a quarterback carousel and a youthful roster that had to be thrown to the wolves. One of the byproducts was an offense that averaged 15.4 points per game.
The Bulldogs are moving on with a team that now has a much more experienced look to it. Seven starters return on both sides of the ball. Says Daberkow, “A lot can change. We anticipate that a lot will change from last year. For one, Coach (Reggie) Corbin has the keys to the car now. He and Coach (Grady) Koch have done a great job leading our offense through spring ball and I’m really excited about what they’re implementing on that side of the ball. We have an offensive group that believes in what we’re doing. We gained a lot of confidence from our offseason.”
The offense and the defense both have a major star to lean upon. Running back Ryan Durdon and linebacker Lane Napier are the current faces of the program. They help provide legitimacy to the hope inside the program that 2018 was simply a blip on the radar.
Offense
There’s no doubt that this area has to come a long way for the Bulldogs to rebound in 2019. Too often last fall, the offensive line broke down and the passing game sputtered. A combination of struggles led to star back Ryan Durdon seeing his average yards per carry fall from 5.5 in 2017 to 3.7 in 2018. Don’t let any number fool you, Durdon is one of the all-time best running backs in school history with the ability to hit the home run. He may even get a breather or two with the hopeful comeback of Jonah Weyand.
“He’s right up there,” Daberkow said of Durdon in comparison to the top backs he’s witnessed at Concordia. “(2019 Concordia Hall of Fame inductee) JaMaine Lewis is one of them. Alex Alvarez was a senior when I played as a freshman. We’ve had some really good backs over the years. I think when the dust settles, Ryan will be up there with the best.”
An obvious priority is for Daberkow and his staff to find stability at a quarterback position that has been somewhat of a revolving door in the days since Von Thomas graduated. Three different players started at least one game at quarterback last season and seven Bulldogs attempted a pass. The most prominent signal callers on the roster were Jake Kemp and Andrew Perea, who return in 2019. A starter may not be announced until game week approaches.
There is potential for the passing attack to make a jump simply because of the receiving talent. Rising up-and-comers in junior Art Anderson and sophomore Korrell Koehlmoos both caught at least 29 passes last season. Former Lincoln Lutheran standout Logan Kreizel and Seward High School product Brady Fitzke also possess plenty of ability. Kreizel and Fitzke will be returning from injuries suffered last season.
“We’ll have another battle at quarterback in fall camp. That position is wide open,” Daberkow said. “I think the skill positions are the strength of our offense. We expect that group to really perform well with guys like Art, Korrell, Lane (Castaneda), Garrett (Shardt) and Logan. There are a ton of guys who have already played some football who we expect to help us.”
One would need just about all 10 fingers to count everyone who started a game along the offensive line. If all goes according to plan, Concordia will have greater continuity up front. There are a lot of names that could be listed here. No one has a better nickname than Johnny “Pork Chop” Robinson, who took on the center role as a true freshman. Said Daberkow, “We have so much more returning experience at offensive line than we had a year ago. We have a really exciting group coming in. We’re making a lot of progress.”
As far as potential offensive tweaks, Durdon had this to say of Corbin’s scheme in the spring: “It was not too simple, but also not too complex. We learned the parts we needed to know for spring ball. The key is that no one is confused so that we can play fast. Everybody wanted to play fast, get better and prepare for next season and make sure it goes better than it did last year.”
Defense
You can’t talk about Concordia’s defense without first mentioning the linebackers. All of the starters in coordinator Corby Osten’s 3-4 unit are back, making for one of the most experienced linebacker crews in the nation. The headliner is junior Lane Napier, who led all NAIA players with 142 tackles and was named first team All-American by the Associated Press in 2018. Napier mans an inside backer spot next to senior Derek Tachovsky. Two more seniors align on the outside: Riley Bilstein and Zac Walter.
That group was at its best in the second half of the season finale when the Concordia defense held Doane to a grand total of 65 yards over the 30-minute stretch. Napier and another potentially nasty Bulldog D would love to extrapolate that kind of work out over a full slate. “We really feel like our linebacker group is one of the better ones out there,” Daberkow said. “We have guys who show up and work hard – no-nonsense group. They love physical football. Tough kids. We know what we have in a lot of those guys. There are guys sitting second on the depth chart that would have started for us almost every other year.”
In terms of the modern era, Napier’s prowess for finding the ball carrier is unprecedented among Bulldog defenders. His tackle count after just two seasons stands at 239. With two years to go, Napier is just 22 stops off of Michael Hedlund for the most tackles by a Concordia linebacker since the formation of the GPAC. A David City native, Napier would tell you that the tasks his linebacker teammates perform around him are just as important.
The continuity among the linebackers is another plus. “It helps a lot,” explained Walter. “Three of us have been playing together since JV ball our freshman year. We room together, we have a house together. That chemistry is unbreakable and it shows on the field. You know that you do your job, the guy behind you has his job and it’s just going to get done. We really rely heavily on each other.”
Not long ago a major strength with D’Mauria Martin and Tarence Roby roaming around, the defensive backfield is one of the bigger question marks on the team. It’s possible that the Bulldogs could end up filling the secondary with four new starters this fall. One particular name to watch is safety Johnny Johnson, a former signee of Indiana State University. Johnson missed almost all of 2018 due to injury. Every other spot appears up for grabs.
Up front, steady end Parker Johnson has graduated, but much of the two deep returns. The likes of Chase Hammons, Gary Nieuwkoop and Aaron Rudloff possess the most experience. Rudloff forced four fumbles last season. Kaleb Geiger, a former baseball standout, also could make an impact coming off an ACL tear last fall. Overall, there is room for improvement. Concordia would like to cut back on the 4.7 yards per carry it allowed in 2018.
“Our secondary is untested,” Daberkow said. “We have our most question marks at that position. To see the progress they made during the spring was encouraging. We’ve seen a lot of players step up as leaders. We need to keep Johnny Johnson healthy. We have moved wide receivers to safety. We’ve come a long way from a year ago.”
Special Teams
There was some good and some bad from a special teams perspective in 2018. For the most part, Concordia’s coverage units were stellar, with the exception of a 63-yard punt return for a touchdown surrendered in the season opener. Daberkow has no problem employing starters on special teams if that’s what it takes to maximize these units. The program has had success finding competent punters in recent years from its offensive/defensive two deep. If the workload is deemed manageable, Ryan Durdon can star as one of the nation’s best kick returners (averaged 33.7 yards on 11 returns last season).
Answers will be sought at kicker. The Bulldogs did not convert a successful field goal until the final game of 2018. They attempted only three field goals all season and went 15-for-19 on PAT attempts.
Overview
There’s obvious talent on the roster, but many key positions will be held down by players without track records. After finishing 3-7, Concordia will have to prove itself to those who witnessed its offensive frustrations a year ago. Daberkow knew his team needed to gain experience and it needed to be bigger and stronger. Just how far have the Bulldogs come since November 2018? The answers won’t be known with certainty until a new season kicks off in September.
“I’ve been here 16 years. I’ve never been around an offseason like we’ve had,” Daberkow said. “Just because of the seriousness that our guys showed. That 2018 season was a learning year. We learned a ton and we have challenged our players like never before. This group has worked hard to get to where we’re at. I’m excited because we have some talented players.”
For some added flavor, Concordia will open 2019 (Sept. 7) against rival Doane, the team it played in the 2018 finale. Not only that, the game will be at night (6 p.m.) inside Bulldog Stadium. “Getting out in that first game is always a little nerve wracking for a coach, but we’re going to be well-prepared,” Daberkow said.
Morningside, Northwestern and Dordt enter the season as the top three teams in the GPAC preseason poll. The Bulldogs will have to elevate their game to reach that level. “It’s a tough conference,” Walter said. “We seniors have played those teams three years now and we know what to expect. One thing that’s really key for us is communicating to the younger guys – don’t go into these games scared or frightened. Don’t be intimidated. Just play ball.”