ST. PAUL, Minn. - This Saturday, the Concordia football team (6-3, 5-3 NSIC, 2-2 NSIC South) plays in their final home game of the 2010 season at Sea Foam Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. against Upper Iowa (2-7, 2-6 NSIC, 1-3 NSIC South) in an NSIC South Division showdown. It is senior day for the Golden Bears, with the 15 seniors on the team being honored pregame. With a forecast calling for 58 degrees and mostly sunny skies, conditions are ripe to support the squad in their final home contest of the year! For those who are unable to make it to the game, follow online as Dan Flanagan calls the play-by-play with CU alum Joey Lehman ('09) providing commentary in "Lehman's Terms."
With a strong 6-3 overall record and being tied for fourth in the NSIC standings with a 5-3 league record, Concordia is positioned well to earn a Mineral Water Bowl berth, which they've appeared in twice in school history (2003, 2005). They'll need to win this Saturday against an Upper Iowa squad that is coming off a 21-20 win over Wayne State last Saturday in Fayette. A win for the Peacocks puts them in a tie in the NSIC South Division with the Golden Bears.
While the Golden Bears are looking to keep the momentum of a strong season, they also may need a loss by Winona State in one of their final two games of the season, as the Warriors defeated Concordia 31-28 two weeks ago. Winona State hosts U-Mary this week and Wayne State next week, two teams capable of pulling an upset.
Bowl hopes aside, the Golden Bear football team has put together an impressive run as they are ranked third in the nation in fewest turnovers committed, with just eight miscues all season. They trail only #2 Abilene Christian (6 turnovers) and North Greenville (7 turnovers) and are tied with #8 Grand Valley State (8 turnovers). Taking care of the football has been a big part of the success of the team, and they have now gone four full games and 49 possessions without turning the ball over.
While the turnovers are easy to spot when a quarterback throws an interception or a ball carrier fumbles, it's not always that simple. The offensive stability and production has stemmed from the five men up front in the trenches. Concordia has been excellent at controlling the line of scrimmage, allowing their quarterbacks to make plays with their arm and feet, and allowing their skill position players to succeed in space. The offensive line is returning in entirety as well, starting four juniors (Tyler Hendrickson, Dean Bauers, Curtis Cole, Kyle McManus), a sophomore (Zack Sieber) and bringing a junior (Aaron Krason), sophomore (Andy Gibbs) and redshirt freshman (Steven Davis) off the bench.
Junior quarterback Spencer Ohm (Blooming Prairie, Minn.) is one of the top QB's in the league, ranking second in touchdown passes (18) and in fewest interceptions (5). He's the third ranked starting quarterback with a 154.18 rating in the NSIC, which is ranked 18th in Division II football. Ohm is just four touchdown strikes downfield shy of tying Mike Allen's 2001 single season record of 22.
The skill position players have benefited as well, with juniors Sam Campbell (Cary, Ill.) and Charles Gilbert (Jacksonville, Fla.) among the NSIC's top-10 in all-purpose yardage. Campbell is a dual threat running back with 1,000 all-purpose yards and is third in the NSIC in rushing with 714 yards. Gilbert is a top kick return threat, ranked second in the league at 27.1 yards per return (with an 84 yard KR TD) and is fourth in the NSIC in receiving yards with 676 along with eight receiving scores. Gilbert's nine total touchdowns leads Concordia and all nine TD's have gone for at least 23 yards.
Defensively, the Golden Bear secondary has clamped down in recent weeks, allowing just 134.0 yards per game passing over the last five weeks. And while the offense hasn't committed a single turnover over the last four games, the defense has forced seven turnovers during the same span (5 interceptions, 2 fumble recoveries). They lead the NSIC in sacks with 26 as well, keeping teams from beating them through the air.
Concordia's defensive strength plays well into this week's matchup as the Peacocks like to spread teams out, starting four wide receivers and using a short passing game to move the ball. UIU averages 6.7 yards per pass attempt and has scored 15 touchdowns via the air versus 10 on the ground. Ben Curran has completed 103-185 for 1,161 yards and eight touchdowns while throwing six interceptions. Jessie Hubbard is their top offensive threat with 49 catches for 477 yards and five touchdowns and he averages 30.2 yards per kickoff return (8 returns) including a 92 yard touchdown last week to put UIU ahead of Wayne State 21-20 in the third quarter. On the ground Sam Epsteen leads the team with 343 yards but the Peacocks employ a committee of backs as four players have rushed for at least 148 yards on the year.
Upper Iowa has the ability to move the ball and put points on the board, but they are also allowing 38.1 points per game including 430.7 yards of total offense allowed. Their pass defense has been exposed more than most, surrendering 245.3 per game through the air, but also 185.3 on the ground.
Playing in front of their home crowd, Concordia will once again look to control the ball, dominate the line of scrimmage and keep the upper hand against the Peacocks.
Last year, Concordia lost a 40-21 lead late in the game as the Peacocks rallied to tie the game at 43 late in the fourth quarter to force overtime. Concordia prevailed in two overtimes with a 57-56 win, as UIU kicker Jason Price missed his first career PAT in his 72nd kick before Sam Campbell punched in the game tying score with Steven King delivering the game winning PAT.
Last year's win over UIU moves Concordia to 4-0 all-time against Upper Iowa in a series that started in 2006.
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