(Ann Arbor, MI) – Concordia football concluded their regular season against Indiana Wesleyan on a chilly Saturday afternoon. The Cardinals came in 7-2 overall while the Wildcats entered 6-3. Prior to the game, the Cardinals celebrated Senior Day and honored the team's senior members. After a 14-14 tie at halftime, CUAA pulled away in the second half to send their seniors out victorious with a 28-17 win.
Peter Morrison (JR/Fort Wayne, IN) threw for 164 yards and 2 touchdowns in the game. Omar Sinclair (SO/Norcross, GA) rushed for 65 yards and 2 touchdowns while also notching 39 receiving yards and a touchdown reception. Roderick Dailey (SR/Detroit, MI) led all receivers with 51 yards. Parker Graham (SO/Livonia, MI) had a balanced day with 64 rushing yards along with 35 receiving yards and a touchdown.
On defense, Reggie Thompson (SR/Chicago, IL) led the team with 11 total tackles. Alex Hinojosa (JR/Allen Park, MI), Prince Alex AyoOla (SR/Dearborn, MI) and Ryan Fish (JR/Allen Park, MI) tied for second with 7 tackles while Fish also added a fumble recovery.
The Cardinals won the opening toss and deferred to the second half. After forcing a three-and-out, Concordia special teams blocked a punt with Matt Osborne (SR/Hudson, MI) making the recovery at the Indiana Wesleyan 21-yard line. Omar Sinclair made a 12-yard power run and then caught a 9-yard touchdown pass on the left side of the endzone from Peter Morrison for an early lead.
On the ensuing kickoff, Hunter Maynard (JR/Plain City, OH) dropped the Wildcat returner at the 4-yard line. The CUAA defense forced another three-and-out and the Cardinals needed just one play to convert again. Peter Morrison fired a 35-yard touchdown pass to Parker Graham to put Concordia up 14-0.
The Cardinal defense forced a turnover on downs after stopping a 4th-and-1 at their own 40-yard line. However, Indiana Wesleyan broke the shutout with a 16-play, 85-yard scoring drive that spanned into the 2nd quarter and lasted for 9 minutes. With 33 seconds left the Wildcats scored again, tying the game. The score was knotted 14-14 at halftime.
Concordia started the 2nd half with the ball and scored on an 82-yard drive with 6 straight running plays. Parker Graham and Bobby Desantis (JR/Dearborn, MI) had runs of 21 and 31 yards respectively, and Omar Sinclair capped off the drive with a 7-yard touchdown run.
After a 16-play, 69-yard drive, Indiana Wesleyan tacked on a field goal with 47 seconds remaining in the quarter. The Cardinals led 21-17 after the 3rd.
CUAA extended their lead in the 4th quarter after a 10-play, 59-yard drive. Omar Sinclair punched in a 1-yard rushing touchdown for his third overall score on the day, giving Concordia a 28-17 advantage.
The Cardinal defense made another impact when Ryan Fish recovered a fumble to end a Wildcat drive. Concordia was able to run out the clock with a 14-play, 67-yard drive that took the remaining 7:50 off the scoreboard. CUAA celebrated the 28-17 win as time expired.
Concordia improves to 8-2 as their regular season concludes. The Cardinals will now await the result of the NAIA Selection Show to find out their postseason fate. The NAIA Football Championship Series Selection Show will air Sunday night at 7pm on the NAIA's Facebook page.
