2005 - Football schedule/results
4-6 Overall, 4-6 GPAC
SEPTEMBER | |||
| Sept. 3 | University of Sioux Falls | Seward, Neb. | L 14-7 |
| Sept. 17 | Hastings College | Hastings, Neb. | W 31-17 |
| Sept. 24 | Briar Cliff University | Seward, Neb. | L 20-17 |
OCTOBER | |||
| Oct. 1 | Dana College | Blair, Neb. | L 17-14 |
| Oct. 8 | Midland Lutheran | Seward, Neb. | L 32-30 |
| Oct. 15 | Northwestern | Orange City, Iowa | L 33-28 |
| Oct. 22 | Morningside College | Seward, Neb. | L 44-7 |
| Oct. 29 | Doane College | Crete, Neb. | W 23-10 |
NOVEMBER | |||
| Nov. 5 | Nebraska Wesleyan | Seward, Neb. | W 28-14 |
| Nov. 12 | Dakota Wesleyan | Mitchell, S.D. | L 31-28 |
All Home Games in BOLD
Concordia picked to finish sixth in GPAC Poll
The Bulldogs were in familiar territory as the 2005 Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Preseason Coaches’ Poll as they were picked to finish sixth with 52 points, exactly where they finished in 2004. The poll was announced on Monday during the sixth annual GPAC football media day at CJ Callaways in Sioux Falls, S.D. The University of Sioux Falls topped the poll with 91 points. For video of each coaches’ comments, check out www.naiafootball.net.
The complete GPAC Poll is listed below:
1. University of Sioux Falls
2. Morningside College
3. Hastings College
4. Northwestern
5. Nebraska Wesleyan
6. Concordia University
7. Midland Lutheran
8. Briar Cliff
9. Dana
10. Doane
11. Dakota Wesleyan
Courtney Meyer, the Bulldog’s head coach, talked about his new staff as he took the podium during the press conference.
“This is a year where there has been change at Concordia,” said head coach Courtney Meyer. “We have two very competent individuals taking over the coordinator roles-Scott Hoffman as offensive coordinator and Steve Sirek as defensive coordinator.”
Coach Meyer also touched on some of the strengths and weaknesses of the Bulldogs for the upcoming season. The offensive backfield looks to be the strength of the Concordia attack, with five players who can contribute.
“We have some key individuals in place,” added Meyer. “But we are going to need some of the younger guys and newcomers to step to the plate and make plays.”
Perhaps the underlying factor in the entire season is how fast the new coaches and players can come together as a team during camp. The Bulldogs open the season against Sioux Falls at home on Sept. 3 at 7:00 p.m.
“I am very encouraged by the way our guys have responded to the coaching transition,” Meyer added. “It will be fun to see how everything pans out."
Bulldogs come up short against USF
3 SEP 2005
After three quarters of play the Bulldogs led the fifth ranked University of Sioux Falls Cougars 7-0 on Saturday night. But in the final frame the Cougars scored twice for a 14-7 win.
Reggie Corbin got the Bulldogs on the board in the second quarter on a 1-yard quarterback sneak. Freshman Michael Saalfeld tacked on the PAT. Corbin's plunge capped a six-play 23-yard drive. Concordia had the short field after Seth Clemmer recovered a wild snap that went over the head of Cougars QB Joe Wright.
On the ensuing possesion USF drove 65-yards to the Bulldogs 15 yardline. After the drive stalled, the Cougars set-up for a 32-yard field goal attempt. Chad Harmon broke through for the Bulldogs to block the kick. It was the first of three kicks that Harmon would block on the night. He also blocked a another field goal as time expired in the first half. After Sioux Falls scored at the 12:50 mark in the fourth quarter Harmon prevented the Cougars from taking the lead, blocking the PAT.
Sioux Falls took the lead for good on 2-yard run by Mike Dvoracek. The run capped a six-play drive, all on the ground, that started at the Concordia 42-yard line. The final points for USF came via a safety as Bulldog QB Jarett Beal lost his footing in the endzone with 26 seconds left. On the night Beal was 6-13 passing for 62. Zach Davis had three catches for 34 yards. Defensively Brett Mertens led the team with seven solo tackles and six assited tackles and two pass deflections. Dominique Weatherspoon also broke up two passes and had 7.5 tackles on the night.
The Bulldogs have a week off before traveling to Hastings to take on the Broncos on Sept. 17 at 7:00 p.m.
Bulldogs defeat No. 21 Hastings
17 SEP 2005
Concordia picked up a 31-17 win over the Hastings College Broncos in front of 2100 people at Lloyd Wilson Field in Hastings, Neb., on Saturday night. The win evens the Bulldogs record to 1-1, while Hastings falls to 1-2.
The Bulldogs did most of their offensive damage through the air as they passed for 290 yards. Senior QB Reggie Corbin was 14 of 23 for 274 yards and had one interception. Two different Concordia receivers, Duffy Davis and Tim Gast, had over 100 yards.
Equally impressive was the defense of the Bulldogs. Concordia held the Broncos to three field goals in the first half, each after lengthy drives by Hastings.
The Bulldog defense came up big with 2:08 left in the first quarter, as Brett Mertens recovered a Bronco fumble at the Concordia 10-yard line.
Trailing 9-0, Cody Smith returned the Hastings kickoff 26-yards to the Concordia 34-yard line. The Bulldogs then went to work, putting together a 11-play, 66-yard drive that was capped by a 1-yard touchdown run by Corbin. During the drive Corbin complete two passes of over 20 yards; One each to Davis and Smith.
Trailing 9-7 at halftime, Concordia and Hastings traded punts to start the third quarter. On the next possession the Bulldogs drove 33 yards to the Broncos 14-yard line before being stopped on third down. Freshman Michael Saalfed then put Concordia on top,10-9, with a 31-yard field goal.
One Broncos first play after the kickoff Brett Mertens intercepted Broncos QB Casey Trambly's pass on the Bulldogs 40-yard line. Concordia's offense parlayed the good field position into six points four plays later as Cody Smith scampered into the end zone from 17 yards out. A 41-yard pass play to Davis set-up the touchdown. Saalfeld tacked on the PAT making it 17-9.
Hastings made things interesting, returning an interception 38-yards for a touchdown making it 17-15. The Broncos try for two and was successful, and tied the game up at 17.
Concordia took over with 8:05 remaining in the game after stopping the Broncos on a 4th-and-1 from their own 46-yard line. The Bulldogs crossed the goal-line seven plays and almost four minutes later on and 8-yard pass to Davis from Corbin.
After a quick three-and-out stand from the Bulldogs defense, the offense took over with 3:06 left in the game. Two plays and a penalty later Concordia was faced with a 3-and-13 from their own 13-yard line. Gast and Corbin then hooked up on a 70-yard pass play all the way to the Broncos 17-yard line. Jeff Neujahr carried three times to the 1-yard line, setting up Corbin's second rushing touchdown of the day on a quarterback sneak.
Nathan Blankenship recovered Trambly's fumble with 30 second left to seal the victory. Defensively, Jack Galusha had two sacks for 13 yards and four tackles for a loss. Jacob Bauer and Dominique Weatherspoon each notched six tackles on the evening.
The win was Head Coach Courtney Meyer's 100th collegiate victory. He is now 100-111-1 overall and 65-92-1 at Concordia University, Nebraska.
The Bulldogs are back at home this Saturday (Sept. 24) for a 1:00 p.m. kick-off against Briar Cliff.
Turnovers prove costly for Bulldogs
24 SEP 2005
For the second consecutive game the Bulldogs defense didn't allow an offensive touchdown. Unfortunately for Concordia, they had four turnovers, two of which Briar Cliff converted into touchdowns, as the Bulldogs lost 20-17 on Saturday. Statistically the Bulldogs dominated as they out gained Briar Cliff in total yardage, 318-113.
The Concordia defense picked up where it left off after last week's game, holding the Chargers to a field goal with 5:11 left in the first quarter. Briar Cliff started the drive with great field position as the Bulldogs were forced to punt out of their own end zone. The Chargers returned the ball to the Bulldogs 25 yard line.
On the next Bulldog possession freshman Jarett Beal came in at quarterback after Reggie Corbin was shaken up. On 3rd and 12 Beal's pass was intercepted by Josh Schaffert of BCU who returned it 39-yards to paydirt.
The Bulldogs pulled to within three on a 53-yard pass from Corbin to Tim Gast at the 12:31 mark of the second quarter. Gast broke a tackle just across the 40 yard line on his way to the end zone.
Michael Saalfeld came on to attempt a 47-yard field goal for the Bulldogs with 4:34 in the second quarter. With a stiff breeze at his back, Saalfeld had plenty of distance on the kick, but it sailed just right of the upright.
Again the Bulldog defense forced three and out for the Chargers. The ensuing punt took a bounce as Zach Davis tried to field it and was scooped up by Dillion Turpin for Briar Cliff who rambled 28-yards for the touchdown, giving the Chargers a 17-7 lead.
In the third quarter Concordia pulled to within seven on a 26-yard Saalfeld field goal. The field goal capped an eight-play 51-yard drive by the Bulldogs.
After another stand by Concordia's defense, Corbin and company took over on their own 39 yard line. Sixteen plays, 59 yards and almost seven minutes later Philip Elder found the end zone on a two-yard blast over the right side to knot the game at 17 with 14:09 left to play.
The teams traded punts and turnovers in the final 14 minutes. With 9:23 remaining Brett Mertens intercepted a Briar Cliff pass on the 16 yard line of Concordia. On the very next play, under heavy pressure Beal's pass was picked off by Matt Mueller of the Chargers.
Briar Cliff couldn't covert the turnover into points, as their 25-yard field goal attempt hit the left upright, then the crossbar before falling short.
On third and eight from the Bulldogs 36 yard line the snap sailed by QB Reggie Corbin, who was in the shotgun and seemed surprised by the snap. Briar Cliff recovered the loose ball at the 14 yard line with 4:22 remaining. Concordia kept the Chargers out of the end zone, as they had it first and goal at the 4-yard line. With 58 seconds left in the game Tyler Griffith kicked what proved to be the winning 17-yard field goal.
Statistically for the Bulldogs Corbin finished the day with 186-yards on 13 of 30 passing. Corbin also led the rushing attack for Concordia with 34 yards, most of which came on scrambling opportunities. Gast caught three balls for 62 yards on the afternoon. Defensively, Ben Duetschman had six tackles. Jack Galusha had five tackles, including one quarterback sack.
The Bulldogs next opponent is Dana College, who lost 53-22 at the hands of Sioux Falls in their last outing. Kick off is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. in Blair, Neb., on Oct. 1.
High flying Vikings ground Bulldogs
1 OCT 2005
Senior running back Philip Elder ran for 122 yards and a pair of touchdowns but it wasn’t enough for the Concordia Bulldogs. For the second time in as many weeks the Bulldogs came up three points short, losing 17-14 to the Dana College Vikings in Blair, Neb.
The Bulldogs weren’t without their chances, as they had the ball with 42 seconds remaining on their own 44 yard line. But a Jarett Beal pass intended for Duffy Davis fell incomplete on fourth-and-twelve.
Concordia (1-3, 1-3 GPAC) had a solid day on the ground, gaining 220 yards, but turned the ball over three times and had a field goal blocked on homecoming for the Vikings.
The Bulldog offense came out of the gate hot, marching 71 yards on nine plays to take a 7-0 lead. All the yards on the drive came on the ground, including a 34-yard scamper by senior quarterback Reggie Corbin to the Dana three yard line. Elder got his first TD of the day going into the end zone from one yard out.
Dana, who had a big day offensively, countered with a 13-play, 80 yard drive on the next possession to tie the game at seven. On the game the Vikings gained 445 yards, 332 through the air, on 84 plays.
Corbin was intercepted for the first time in the second quarter by Trevor Ketelsen of the Vikings. Four plays later Dana took their first lead of the day as QB Tom Lensch ran in from 10 yards out. Lensch connected earlier in the drive with wide receiver Javon Bell on a 41 yard pass play. Bell finished the game with five receptions for 102 yards.
The Vikings put up their final points of the afternoon as time expired on the first half, a 21-yard field goal by Rick Ledeba. Once again it was a big play from the Lensch-Bell combination, this time a 34-yard hook-up down to the Concordia three with nine seconds left in the half.
Freshman kicker Michael Saalfeld had his 35-yard field goal blocked in the third quarter after the Bulldogs drove 57 yards to the Dana 17.
The Bulldog defense had their hands full, as Dana had great field position after a pair of Corbin INT’s, but kept the Vikings off the scoreboard. Jack Galusha led the way defensively with 10 total tackles and three pass break-ups. He also teamed up with Nathan Blankenship for a sack. Matt Baller also pressured the QB, getting two solo sacks.
Concordia pulled to within a field goal with just over 10 minutes remaining after Elder broke free for a 70-yard touchdown run.
Bulldogs on short end again
8 OCT 2005
In a game that saw three fake punts, the Bulldogs opened up a 14-0 lead in the first half before falling to Midland Lutheran 32-30 on Saturday afternoon at Bulldog Stadium.
Concordia have dropped three straight and are now 1-4 overall (1-4 GPAC) while Midland Lutheran evened their record to 3-3 overall (3-3 GPAC). The last three Bulldog losses have been by three points or less. On the season the Bulldog’s four losses have come by a combined 15 points.
“It’s frustrating,” said Head Coach Courtney Meyer. “We aren’t getting blown out, and are just a few plays away from having a much different record and that’s what we keep reminding the guys.”
Concordia bolted to a 14-0 lead, marching 58 yards in 13 plays for a touchdown on their first possession. Senior QB Reggie Corbin capped the drive with a one-yard plunge on fourth and goal. The Bulldog's next TD came after William Castro blocked a Midland Lutheran field goal attempt. Concordia took over on the Warrior 20 yard line. On a third and two play JaMaine Lewis was initially stood-up at the line of scrimmage, but broke a tackle and darted 48-yards down the sideline for the touchdown.
Lewis led the Bulldog backfield with 85 yards rushing on the day. Jeff Neujahr added 34 yards and a touchdown on seven carries as a host of Concordia running backs saw action in the game.
Taking over with great field possession after a short punt and a 10-yard return, Midland got on the board with 1:11 left in the first half on James Kiesling's three-yard run. On the PAT attempt the snap was low and the holder, Blake Fuchtman, had to scramble. He managed to complete a pass to Zac Gradoville for the two-point conversion, making it 14-8.
Freshman kicker Michael Saalfeld’s career best 42-yard field goal but the Bulldogs on top 17-8 three minutes into the third quarter. On the day Saalfeld was perfect on three PAT’s and the field goal.
The Warriors offense struck quick, scoring on a 62-yard touchdown pass from QB Casey Nuss to Fuchtman, 65 seconds after the Saalfeld field goal to cut the Concordia lead to two, 17-15.
Penalties proved to be costly for the Bulldogs the entire afternoon, as they were flagged nine times for 64 yards. On a third and eight play for the Warriors in the third quarter the Bulldogs were called for pass interference, giving Midland a first down. The Warriors took advantage, scoring a touchdown eight plays later to take the lead 22-17 after the PAT.
Bulldog linebacker Jack Galusa forced a fumble that was recovered by Jacob Bauer on the next Midland possession that gave Concordia prime field possession, taking over at the Warrior 31 yard line. Two plays later Neujahr found the corner on the near sideline, bolting into the end zone from 22 yards out. The Bulldogs opted to go for the two-point conversion, which failed as Corbin’s pass sailed over the head of the intended receiver, making the score 23-22.
In the fourth quarter Midland took the lead, 25-23 on a 36-yard Gradoville field goal. The Warriors had a chance to extend their lead, but missed a 39-yard field goal attempt wide left.
With momentum on their side the Bulldog offense went to work. Unable to generate a first down, Matt Egger came into to punt. Concordia went with the trick play, running a fake. Egger completed the pass to a wide open Corbin who had the first down. However, a Midland defender applied a solid hit to Corbin, jarring the ball free, and Brandon Mimick recoverd for the Warriors. Two plays later, Nuss hooked up with Fuchtman again, this time for a 33-yard touchdown making it 32-23.
After a holding penalty against the Bulldogs on the return they started deep in their own territory at the eight yard line. Tim Gast hauled in a 17-yard pass for a first down before Corbin was interecepted with 4:16 left in the game.
Defensively the Bulldogs forced a three and out for Midland. Cody Smith returned the ensuing punt 14-yards as Concordia took over at their own 29. Eight plays later, seven of which were passes, Corbin found Philip Elder open in the flat for a 3-yard touchdown toss. Saalfeld’s PAT made the score 32-30.
Concordia’s only chance was to recover the onside kick, which they did not, as they were out of timeouts.
Corbin finished the day 14 for 21 for 145 yards and one TD through the air. Freshman Michael Frary led the Bulldog receiving corps hauling in four balls for 55 yards. Duffy Davis also had four catches for 54 yards. In addition to his rushing yards, Lewis added 83 total yards on two kick returns. Defensively Bauer had 10.5 tackles on the day, six solo, and a fumble recovery. Galusha added 7.5 tackles and caused two fumbles, while Matt Baller had the only Bulldog sack on the day.
Concordia travels to Orange City, Iowa, next Saturday for a 1:00 p.m. battle with the Red Raiders of Northwestern.
Northwestern gets come from behind win
15 OCT 2005
For the second straight week the Bulldogs dominated early, but came up short in the end, losing to Northwestern 33-28. Concordia, now 1-5 overall (1-5 GPAC), will take on No. 3 Morningside at Bulldog Stadium Oct. 22. Kick off for the homecoming game is set for 1:30 p.m.
Concordia capitalized on Northwestern turnovers in the first quarter to jump out to a 14-0 lead. On Northwestern's first possession Nathan Blankenship picked off Red Raider QB Craig Hector’s pass and returned it 17 yards to the NW 38 yard line. Philip Elder opened the scoring eight plays later with 4:43 left in the first quarter on a two-yard run. It was Elder’s fourth touchdown of the season.
Bulldog defensive back Jim Landers forced a fumble on the ensuing Northwestern possession. The Red Raider defense held, forcing Concordia to punt. But two plays later the Red Raiders coughed up the football again and Jacob Bauer recovered on the NW 28 yard line. Concordia was unable to capitalize on the turnover, as they were stuffed at the goal line on fourth down.
After forcing a Red Raider punt the Bulldogs increased their lead to 14-0, getting another Elder touchdown with 7:41 left in the second quarter. JaMaine Lewis had 22 of the 33 yards in the scoring drive.
Northwestern wasted no time cutting into the Bulldog lead, as running back Keith Sietstra broke a 74-yard touchdown run to cut the lead to 14-7. The Red Raiders would tie the game just before the half on another big play, a 43-yard touchdown strike from Hector to Tyler Reichle.
Earlier in the week Head Coach Courtney Meyer noted that the Bulldogs needed to win the turnover battle. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs could do no better than even with NW in the turnover department as each team turned it over four times.
It was all Northwestern in the third quarter as they scored twice and racked up 156 yards of offense to take a 27-14 lead. Another Red Raider touchdown early in the fourth quarter made it 33-14. The Bulldogs would mount a comeback attempt, scoring 14 unconventional points in the fourth quarter.
Concordia closed the gap getting a safety with 7:51 remaining. The Bulldogs pulled to within nine on a two-yard touchdown pass by freshman QB Jarett Beal to Cody Smith. The extra point attempt was blocked. The TD was set up by a 43-yard pass play from Beal to Duffy Davis. Davis finished the day with 78 yard receiving.
The final score of the day for Concordia came with five seconds remaining as Brett Mertens returned a blocked punt 37-yards for a touchdown.
On the game Concordia had success through the air, outgaining NW 220-162. Beal finished the game 4 of 10 for 104 yards and a touchdown and an interception, while Reggie Corbin went 10 of 24 for 96 yards and an interception.
Lewis had 111 yards of total offense for the Dogs, 60 rushing, 48 returning kicks and three receiving. He averaged 4.6 yards per carry. Elder finished the day with two touchdowns to go along with 44 yards on the ground.
Defensively for Concordia Bauer notched 6.5 tackles and forced a fumble while Blankenship and Aaron Wisroth picked off Red Raider passes.
No. 3 Morningside passes way to victory over Bulldogs
22 OCT 2005
As if the clouds and rain were not enough, the third ranked Morningside Mustangs dampened the Bulldogs homecoming weekend even more, beating Concordia 44-7.
Mustang QB Craig Fobbe, the NAIA national passing and total offense leader, threw for 441 yards and five touchdowns, tying a Morningside record for TD passes in a game. The 441 yards passing was the second highest single-game total in Morningside history.
With the setback, Concordia falls to 1-6 overall (1-6 GPAC) with three games remaining in the 2005 campaign.
The Mustangs raised their record to 7-0 with their sixth scoring performance of 40 points or more this season.
It wasn't until the second quarter that Morningside got things rolling offensively. The Bulldogs and Mustangs played to a 0-0 tie after one quarter of action. Other than a 96-yard scoring drive late in the game fourth quarter, there weren't many positives for Concordia.
"We got beat by a superior football team today," said head coach Courtney Meyer. "Again, our guys played hard until the end, but they (Morningside) are a heck of a football team. You have to give them credit."
Morningside opened the scoring in the second quarter as Tyler Childress capped a 17-play, 92-yard scoring drive with a one-yard plunge into the end zone with 12:26 remaining in the half. The drive ate up 8:33 of clock, as the Mustangs controlled the ball for just over 21 minutes in the first half. Morningside went on to score on their next six offensive possessions, including three in the third quarter.
Trailing 24-0 at the half the Bulldogs managed only 56 total yards at the break, all coming on the ground.
A moderate rain that pelted the players for most of second half didn't seem to have any effect on the Mustang passing game, as they scored on their first three possessions of the second half. Trae Johnson and Damon Mothershead were thorns in the Bulldogs' sides all day long. Johnson finished with four receptions for 165 yard, including touchdown catches of 73, 37, and 47 yards. Mothershead caught seven passes for 143 yards.
Concordia got on the board as freshman quarterback Jarett Beal bolted into the end zone from seven yards out with a minute remaining in the game. Beal's touchdown run was part of a 11-play, 97-yard drive for the Bulldogs. Cody Smith had a 48-yard run during the scoring drive which saw all but 14 yard come on the ground.
The scoring drive was made possible by Brett Mertens who forced a Mustang fumble on the Concordia seven yard line that was recovered by defensive lineman Ben Deutschman. Mertens led the Bulldogs in tackles with seven, four solo. He also forced the fumble and had one pass break up. Jack Galusha also had seven tackles on the day and Jacob Bauer added 6.5 tackles.
JaMaine Lewis continued to have success returning kick offs, netting 62 yards on three attempts. Lewis also added 49 yards rushing. Smith finished the day with 55 yards, 48 coming on the big run in the scoring drive. The Bulldogs, who have struggled in the turnover department of late, had only one turnover in the game, a Beal interception in the third quarter.
Next up the Bulldogs will travel to Crete, Neb., to take on the Doane College Tigers on Oct. 29 at 1:00 p.m. Doane, 1-6 overall (1-6 GPAC), lost 39-0 last week against the University of Sioux Falls.
Lewis breaks century mark in win
29 OCT 2005
Sophomore running back JaMaine Lewis rushed for 131 yards and a touchdown and the Bulldog defense forced six punts as Concordia defeated Doane College, 23-10, Saturday afternoon at Simon Field in Crete, Neb.
This was the Bulldogs (2-6, 2-6 GPAC) third consecutive victory over the Tigers (1-7, 1-7 GPAC). Concordia has now won six of the last seven meetings between the two teams.
Senior Philip Elder opened the scoring for the Bulldogs, going into the end zone from three yards out to cap a seven play, 49-yard drive. Concordia had great field position thanks to a 25-yard Tiger punt after a three-and-out defensive stand by the Bulldogs. It was the first of six times that the Bulldogs would force the Tigers to punt after only three offensive plays.
Of Doane's 16 offensive possessions, only two ended in points. The Bulldog defense held on downs five times, had two interceptions and blocked a field goal in the game. In addition they allowed only 20 yards rushing and sacked the Tiger QBs four times.
Facing a 4th-and-13 from the Doane 43-yard line during their second possession of the game, the Bulldog coaching staff dug into their bag of tricks. They pulled out a fake punt and it worked to perfection. Brett Mertens found a wide open Jacob Bauer for 19 yards and a first down. Four plays later Concordia stretched its lead to 10-0, as freshman kicker Michael Saalfeld split the uprights on a 35-yard field goal.
The Bulldogs went back to work on offense after another failed fourth down conversion by the Tigers. Seven plays later senior quarterback Reggie Corbin hooked up with tight end Duffy Davis for a 52-yard touchdown to make it 17-0. Corbin finished the day with 118 yards on eight-of-13 passing attempts.
The Concordia defense came up big midway through the second quarter as Doane had the ball first-and-goal on the four yard line. The Bulldogs turned the Tigers away three straight plays before defensive lineman Seth Clemmer blocked the Tigers 21-yard field goal attempt.
Doane did manage to get on the scoreboard 41 seconds before the half ended as they parlayed a fumble by the Bulldogs Jermaine Johnson into a field goal to make it 17-3.
It looked as if the Bulldogs were going to add to their lead as they had the football first-and-goal from the nine. On the next play Jordan Crawford of Doane jarred the football free from Philip Elder and the Tigers recovered on the two yard line. Two plays later the Bulldogs returned the favor, as William Castro intercepted Bryan Dutcher's pass and returned it twelve yards to the Tiger 26.
Concordia capitalized on the field goal as Lewis found paydirt on a 20-yard scamper two plays later. Saalfeld's extra point attempt hit the upright and was no good, making it a 23-3 Bulldog advantage. Lewis averaged 6.2 yard per carry on the afternoon.
Doane would eventually add a touchdown in the fourth quarter to pull within thirteen, 23-10, but that would be as close as they would get. Concordia kept the ball out of the hands of the Tigers using a nine play, 44-yard drive that lasted 4:33. For the game the Bulldogs held an almost 13 minute advantage in time of possession, 36:03 to 23:50.
Elder, who finished the day with 73 yards on 17 carries, sealed the win with a 12-yard carry giving the Bulldogs a first down, allowing them to take a knee and run the clock out. Concordia finished the game with 381 yards of total offense (216 rushing, 165 passing).
Defensively, Dominique Weatherspoon led the way for Concordia with seven tackles, two pass breakups and a sack. Ben Deutschman, Jack Galusha and Patrick Daberkow also had sacks.
The Bulldogs host Nebraska Wesleyan next Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
Dogs pound Nebraska Wesleyan
5 NOV 2005
The Concordia football team scored three times in the first half and the hard hitting Bulldog defense was strong as they defeated in-state rival Nebraska Wesleyan, 28-14, Saturday afternoon in front of almost 1200 fans at Bulldog Stadium in Seward.
With the win the Bulldogs, winners of two straight, improve to 3-6 overall (3-6 GPAC) while Nebraska Wesleyan falls to 5-4 overall (5-4 GPAC). Concordia travels to Mitchell, S.D., next Saturday for the regular season finale against Dakota Wesleyan.
“Our offensive line got the job done today,” said Head Coach Courtney Meyer. “That is what I am probably what I most please about. Those guys stepped up and got the job done. And they did it without Mike Voss, a senior who is our o-line leader.”
Both sides of the ball made plays when they had to for the Bulldogs on Saturday. The defense had eight sacks for 55 yards, had two interceptions and recovered a fumble. Dominique Weatherspoon led the Bulldogs in tackles with nine, five solo, three of which came on special teams as he wrapped up the punt return man. He also teamed up with Seth Clemmer on a sack.
Offensively Concordia ran the ball right at NWU and had success doing it. They finished the game with 254 yards and four rushing touchdowns. JaMaine Lewis carried the load for the Bulldogs, netting 136 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 21 carries. It was the second straight game Lewis topped the 100-yard mark. Reggie Corbin, the Bulldogs QB, finished with a 40 yards and touchdown while Philip Elder had 33 yards on the afternoon. Also getting into the scoring act was Jermaine Johnson on a seven-yard TD run. Johnson finished with 32 yards and along with Elder had many key blocks in the game.
Concordia jumped out to a three touchdown advantage thanks in part to some timely turnovers and key special teams play. The first points of the day came after linebacker Jack Galusha intercepted NWU’s QB Zac Rabe at the Prairie Wolves 22 yard line. After an eight yard return the offense went to work from the 14 yard line. Three plays later Lewis scored his first touchdown of the day, a nine yard scamper with 7:08 remaining in the first quarter.
Two possessions later the Bulldogs just missed putting three points on the board as Michael Saalfeld’s 48-yard field goal attempt was long enough, but missed just left.
Duffy Davis, Concordia’s leading receiver, came up with a big play in the second quarter although it didn’t involve a pass at all. Davis blocked and recovered the punt of Wesleyan’s Blake Smith to give the Bulldogs great field possession at the NWU 25 yard line. Four plays later Johnson powered over the right side for seven yards and a touchdown, making it 14-0.
“Coach Hoffman called a great game,” said Meyer. “We probably could have passed more, but decided to stick with the ground game and it worked great.”
On the game the Bulldogs attempted only 10 passes, completing four for 51 yards, compared to 60 rushes.
Lewis scampered 33 yards down the far sideline for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage after the Bulldog defense stopped the Wolves on a fake punt. It looked as if Concordia would head into halftime with a 21-0 lead, but Nebraska Wesleyan scored with three seconds remaining on a 30-yard pass play. The Prairie Wolves’ Justin Florian came down with the pass after it was touched and tipped by at least two Bulldog defenders, making the score 21-7 at intermission.
The Bulldogs stretched their lead to 21 in the third quarter, marching 67 yards to paydirt. Corbin put the finishing touches on, going eight yards around the left side on an option play for the score. Nine of the 10 plays in the scoring drive were runs, including a 25-yard gain by Lewis. Wideout Matt Crider caught the lone pass on the drive for 13-yards.
Defensive back Brett Mertens, who finished the day with four pass break ups, picked off a Wesleyan pass and returned it 22-yards to the Concordia 49 yard line with 4:14 remaining in the game. From that point the offense drove to the NWU 15 yard line on 10 plays, all rushes, picking up to first downs and eating up 4:01 of clock in the process to seal the victory.
Overall Concordia out gained the Prairie Wolves, 305-266. While the Bulldogs were 9 of 18 on its 3rd down plays, NWU was just 3 of 17 on its 3rd down plays.
“It was just a great win. While we will not be able to finish with a winning record if we finish strong that will be big,” Meyer added. “Anytime you can beat Hastings, Doane and Nebraska Wesleyan in the same year that’s a good thing.”
Huge first half propels Bulldogs to win
12 NOV 2005
The Bulldogs used a huge first half to defeat the Dakota Wesleyan Tigers on Saturday 31-28. All of Concordia’s points came in the first half as they bolted to a 31-7 lead at halftime.
It was the third consecutive win for the Bulldogs who finish the season 4-6 overall (4-6 GPAC). Dakota Wesleyan ends the year 1-9 overall (1-9 GPAC).
On their first possession the Bulldogs needed only three plays to find the endzone as Reggie Corbin hooked up with Duffy Davis on a 44-yard pass play to open the scoring. The PAT was no good. The three-play 48-yard drive was set up by a 43-yard kick off return by Cody Smith.
Michael Saalfeld pushed the Concordia lead to 9-0 on a 44-yard field goal attempt on the Dogs next possession. It was the first of two Saalfeld field goals on the day, as he also split the uprights from 21-yards out in the second quarter.
Dakota Wesleyan was faced with a fourth and four from their own 19 yard line when Jack Galusha blocked the punt of DWU’s Justin Harris. Eight plays later, all rushing, Corbin went into the endzone on fourth and goal from the one to make it 15-0. Saalfeld added the extra point to make it a 16-0 Bulldog lead.
Midway through the second quarter Concordia was forced to punt. The punt turned out well for the Bulldogs as the Tiger’s return man fumbled the punt which was recovered by Trent Laune of Concordia at the Wesleyan 20 yard line. JaMaine Lewis went into the endzone from 10-yards out four plays later. Saalfeld’s PAT attempt was blocked making it a 25-0 advantage for the Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs finished their first half scoring barrage on a 37-yard pass play from Corbin to Smith. The PAT was no good. Smith finished the day with 140-yards of total offense, 103 coming in the return game.
The second half was all Tigers, as they scored 21 unanswered points. The Bulldogs were able to hang on for the victory due in part to the fact that they did not turn the ball over against Dakota Wesleyan. Overall the Tigers out gained the Bulldogs 325-237 in total yardage.
Corbin, a senior, had a solid final performance for the Bulldogs completing 13 of 24 passes for 194 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He also added a touchdown on the ground.
Players earn GPAC honors
The Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) has released the 2005 all-conference football selections. Twelve different Bulldogs have been honored: three second-team and nine honorable mention.
Offensive lineman Michael Voss (Wood River, Neb.), linebacker Jack Galusha (Fairmont, Neb.) and defensive back Dominique Weatherspoon (Pineland, Texas) all garnered sec¬ond-team accolades.
Voss, a senior, anchored the offensive line for the Bulldogs. He helped Concordia accu¬mulate almost 3000 yards of total offense in 2005. “Michael was definitely the leader of our offensive line,” said Head Coach Courtney Meyer. “He was consistent and graded out well all season up front.”
Galusha, a junior, had 59 tackles on the year. More impressive is the type of tackles and plays that he made. He forced four fumbles, had four pass break ups, one interception and sacked opposing QB’s six times. He also had 11 tackles for a loss. In the final game of the season he also added a blocked punt to his resume.
Weatherspoon, a junior, had 60 tackles on the year, eight of them for a loss. He also broke up seven passes and sacked the quarterback 3.5 times. Some of his most impressive work came on special team where he served as a gunner on the punt cover team, consistently dropping the return man for nearly no return.
Nine different Bulldogs earned honorable mention status: Philip Elder, JaMaine Lewis, Seth Clemmer, Matt Baller, Jacob Bauer, Matt Egger, Duffy Davis, Tim Gast and Matt Haack.