(Ann Arbor, MI) – Concordia football will begin the 2020 campaign by traveling to rival Siena Heights this Saturday at noon to open the year. The #13-ranked Cardinals are set to begin an uncommon football season, playing in the spring for the first time in school history due to the COVID-19 pandemic. CUAA has won the last 5 games in the series and the team will look to extend their streak.
This will be the third straight year that both teams are ranked in the top 25 and the first ever year that the schools meet in their season opener. Concordia leads the all-time series 5-3 dating back to 2012.
Game Details
Statistical Breakdown
* (all statistics from fall 2019 season)
Siena Heights at a glance
Siena Heights enters the game ranked #22 overall. The Saints finished 7-3 overall last season with a 3-3 record in the MSFA Mideast division. Siena Heights ranked #3 in the NAIA last year in defensive PPG, only allowing an average of 12.1 points per game on the year. Matt Kohn will be entering his 5th year at the helm of the program.
Preseason Polls
Concordia checked in at #13 in the NAIA Football FirstDown Playbook Top 25 preseason poll. This is the third year in a row the Cardinals start the year ranked in the top 25. Fellow MSFA Mideast division members Marian (#2), Saint Francis Ind. (#9), and Siena Heights (#22) were also ranked. MSFA Midwest division members Saint Xavier (#14), Roosevelt (#20) and Olivet Nazarene (#25) also received rankings.
In the MSFA Mideast Preseason Coaches Poll, the Cardinals were picked to finish 3rd in the division with 26 points overall. Marian checked in at #1 with 36 points (6 first-place votes) while Saint Francis Ind. was #2 with 29 points (1 first-place vote).
Season Preview
Listen to Head Coach Josh Schumacher preview the season on WTKA The Ticket with Sam Webb and Ira Weintraub
Other MSFA Games
MSFA Mideast
Indiana Wesleyan @ Lawrence Tech – 12:00pm - CANCELED
Taylor @ #2 Marian – 1:05pm
MSFA Midwest
Missouri Baptist @ #25 Olivet Nazarene – 12:00pm
Saint Francis (ILL) @ #20 Roosevelt – 4:00pm
