Another Thursday means it is time to release the weekly Cobber football preview. This week we take an in-depth look at Concordia’s game against Gustavus. The two teams will square off on Saturday, Oct. 1 at 1:30 p.m. The game was moved back 30 minutes to accommodate the Homecoming festivities at Gustavus.
Fans can follow the action on the web by going to the live broadcasts link at the bottom of the athletic website: Concordia vs St. Thomas Live Audio/Stats
Cobber Football Gameday Links
- Complete Cobber Gameday Preview (pdf)
- Gustavus Football Page
- Cobber Game Recap vs. St. Thomas
- Gustavus Game Recap vs. St. Olaf
- Cobber 2011 Season Stats
- Gustavus 2011 Season Stats
- Cobber NCAA Stats Team/Individual Rankings
- Gustavus NCAA Stats Team/Individual Rankings
- MIAC Standings and Stats
- MIAC Week 5 Preview
Cobber Head Coach Terry Horan Video Preview
Cobber Football Gameday Preview
Concordia College (2-2/0-2 MIAC)
at
Gustavus Adolphus College (0-3/0-1 MIAC)
October 1, 2011
Hollingsworth Stadium
St. Peter, Minn.
GAME TIME: 1:30 p.m.
RADIO: Live on 1660 AM in the F-M area with Larry Knutson doing the play-by-play and Chris Ohm adding the color commentary. Also live on the internet via the Concordia website at www.gocobbers.com.
SERIES: Gustavus leads 44-34-2
SERIES STARTED: 1920
SERIES SYNOPSIS: Although Concordia has won six of the last nine meetings between the two teams, the Gusties have won the past two games – both played in Moorhead. The road teams have won the last five games played between the two teams. The last team to win at home was Concordia back in 2005. Concordia has won the last four games played in St. Peter in a streak that dates back to 2000. Overall, the Cobbers are 13-25-1 at Gustavus. However, CC is 7-3 against GAC in the last 10 games played at Hollingsworth Stadium…head coach Terry Horan is 6-4 lifetime against Gustavus.
LAST YEAR: Last year Concordia scored on the opening drive of the game but then gave up 28 consecutive points and lost 38-14 in Moorhead in the annual Homecoming game. The big play of the game came at the end of the first half when CC fumbled a punt return and Gustavus was able to score the go-ahead TD after taking control of the ball on the Cobber 19-yard line. The other key point of the game was fourth down conversions. The Gusties were 5-for-7 on fourth down attempts and held the ball for an even 25:00 in their six scoring drives. Overall GAC had a 38:14-21:246 advantage in time of possession. Both teams earned 21 first downs and Gustavus had a 403-328 yard advantage in total offensive yards. Concordia rushed for only 57 yards in the game while GAC was able to gain 147 yards on the ground. Jeffrey Dubose rushed for 107 yards on 28 carries to lead Gustavus. CC was led by QB Michael Dunham who was 20-for-38 for 271 yards and 2 TD’s.
Gameday Kickoff
(What you need to know about Saturday’s Concordia/Gustavus match-up)
- Match-Up of the Day: CC Rush Offense vs. GAC Rush Defense For the second straight week the game might hinge upon the rushing game. The Cobber rush offense is second in the MIAC in overall games, averaging 213.8 yards per game. The Gustavus rush defense is last in the MIAC, allowing 197.3 yards per game. Both units are coming off below average performances. The CC offense gained only 52 yards on the ground against St. Thomas while the GAC defense gave up 296 rushing yards against St. Olaf.
- Today’s game is the 81st meeting between the two MIAC football programs.
- Gustavus holds a 44-34-2 lead in the series. The visiting team has won the last five games in the series.
Cobber Notes
- The Cobbers are now third in the MIAC in total offense. CC is one of three teams in the MIAC averaging over 400 offensive yards per game. Concordia is averaging 414.2 yards per game in their first four games this year.
- CC quarterback Michael Dunham is coming of a 300-yard-plus passing game against St. Thomas . He now needs 852 yards to break the school record for career passing yards set by Ethan Pole from 1995-98. His 535 career completions are 132 shy of Pole’s record of 667.
- Concordia junior fullback Brett Baune scored two more TD’s against St. Thomas last Saturday and now has eight on the season. That is second best in the MIAC and he is currently 13th in NCAA Division III in points per game.
- The Cobber defense continues to shine in the second half when it comes to allowing points. The Cobbers have given up only 34 points combined in the final two quarters of play and are outscoring their opponents 70-34 in the second half.
- Overall, Concordia is fifth in the MIAC in average points allowed (25.8 ppg) and third in rushing defense (116.5).
- Concordia leads the MIAC in first downs in 2001, averaging 21.5 per game. The Cobbers are also tops in fourth-down conversion (81.8%).
- The newly tagged “Black Shirt” defense is 11th in Division III in sacks – averaging 4.25 per game. They have had at least 3.0 sacks in three of the four games this year and last week had 2.0 vs. UST.
- Concordia is second in the MIAC in both time of possession and penalties. CC is averaging 33:05 in time of possession in their first four games and have committed only 15 penalties for 130 penalty yards.
Gustie Notes
- Gustavus is 0-3 on the season and coming off a 44-26 loss at St. Olaf last week. The Gusties gave up 28 points in the second half after trailing 16-14 at the half.
- The second half has given Gustavus trouble in their first three games. They have been outscored 46-19 in the final two quarters of play.
- Another area of concern for Gustavus is in turnover margin. The Gusties have only forced one miscue in their first three games of the year and have turned the ball over four times for a -3 turnover margin on the year.
- Gustavus is third in the MIAC in Red Zone offense. The good news is that they have converted on five of their eight chances inside the Red Zone. The bad news is that they are eighth out of nine teams in Red Zone chances.
- The Gusties are eighth in the league in both overall offense (256.7 ypg) and defense (373.3 ypg).
- Gustavus leads the MIAC in kickoff coverage. Kicker Tom Huepenbecker has two touchbacks on the year and the team is averaging 43.2 net yards per kickoff.
- Huepenbecker, who doubles as the team’s punter, is second in the MIAC in punt average. He is averaging 38.8 yards per kick in his first 13 punts of the year.
- Junior linebacker Alec Saunders is second in the MIAC in tackles per game (10.7).
