(Ann Arbor, MI) – Concordia football held their home opener on Saturday afternoon when they hosted Saint Francis (IL) in an MSFA crossover match. The #6-ranked Cardinals entered 2-0 while the Fighting Saints came in with a 1-2 record. CUAA turned in a strong defensive effort combined with an efficient offense, claiming a 30-7 win.
Peter Morrison (JR/Fort Wayne, IN) received the start at quarterback, throwing for 241 yards and 2 touchdowns in the game. Keirell Jackson (SO/Westwego, LA) led the team with 116 rushing yards in the contest. Roderick Dailey (SR/Detroit, MI) led all receivers with 87 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, Hunter Maynard (JR/Plain City, OH) led the Cardinals with 8 total tackles. Prince Alex AyoOla (SR/Dearborn, MI) and Reggie Thompson (SR/Chicago, IL) came in second with 7 tackles. Amaan Payne (SR/Holt, MI) and DaJuan Thomas each recorded an interception in the contest. Special teams was effective in their efforts with Omar Sinclair returning the second half kickoff for a touchdown.
After kickoff was delayed for over an hour due to a lightning delay, Concordia kicked off to Saint Francis to begin the game. The Cardinal defense forced a three-and-out and Peter Morrison quickly led a 3-play, 51-yard scoring drive. Keirell Jackson broke a 24-yard run, Clay Coltson (SR/Hastings, MI) caught a 19-yard pass down the sideline, and Jackson punched in a 2-yard rushing touchdown to put CUAA up 7-0.
The Concordia defense made a big stand when Amaan Payne came up with an interception in the endzone, ending an 87-yard drive by the Fighting Saints which spanned 15 plays and nearly 8 minutes. The Cardinals capitalized when Peter Morrison led an 11-play, 93-yard drive for the team's second touchdown. CUAA picked up 3 first downs on the drive, and Morrison eventually rolled to his left and found Omar Sinclair (SO/Norcross, GA) for a 13-yard touchdown. Concordia led 13-0 at halftime.
The Cardinals made an impact on special teams to begin the 3rd quarter when Omar Sinclair broke a 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Concordia's defense continued to hold strong, forcing a three-and-out, and the offense was able to capitalize with a 7-play, 63-yard scoring drive. Peter Morrison fired a 22-yard pass to Roderick Dailey for a touchdown, giving the Cardinals a commanding 26-0 lead.
DaJuan Thomas made Concordia's second interception of the day later in the 3rd quarter. In the 4th quarter the Cardinals added 3 more points when Wyatt Mast (JR/Delton, MI) tacked on a 35-yard field goal. Saint Francis was able to break the shutout late in the game, but the Cardinals secured a 30-7 victory as time expired.
Head Coach Joshua Schumacher was pleased with the team's effort today. "The team took a step forward today," said Schumacher. "Despite the weather delay, I thought we came out ready to go which allowed us to get off to a good start. Our special teams came up with some big punts (4 inside the 20) to help us control the field position and the kickoff return for a touchdown to start the second half game helped us keep our momentum going."
Concordia moves to 3-0 on the season after the win. The Cardinals will head back on the road next week in a significant MSFA crossover matchup against #5-ranked Saint Xavier. Kickoff is set for 2pm.
