(Ann Arbor, MI) – Concordia football held their home opener on a chilly Saturday afternoon, playing in March for the first time in school history. The Cardinals entered ranked #13 in the NAIA Coaches top 25 poll, while the Knights came in ranked 2nd. CUAA took the lead just before halftime and held strong on defense in the second half, surviving two late field goal attempts to win 16-14.
Peter Morrison passed for 68 yards and 2 touchdowns. Jacob Miller recorded 58 rushing yards on 17 carries. Parker Graham had 26 receiving yards, a touchdown, and a 2-pt conversion while Luke Wilson added 16 yards and a touchdown.
On defense Aaron Rahn, Alex Hinojosa, and Conner Long tied for a team-high 9 tackles each. Ryan Fish finished with 8 tackles in the game.
Concordia kicked off to begin the game and the Cardinal defense came up with a stop on the opening series. After Marian stopped Concordia on the team's opening possession, the Knights struck first with a long 82-yard touchdown to open scoring. CUAA held Marian late in the quarter forcing a missed field goal and the team trailed 7-0 after the first quarter.
The Cardinals put together a promising drive in the second quarter with Jacob Miller making multiple power runs and pushing the pile forward. Peter Morrison used a "quick kick" punt on 4th down and Nolan Smith pinned the ball and Marian's offense at their 1-yard line. CUAA's defense capitalized as Mark Wilson and Casey Rauch were able to make a tackle in the backfield to force a safety.
On the ensuing punt after the safety, Mark Wilson broke a 59-yard return to give the offense solid field position. Peter Morrison eventually found Donovan Johnson over the middle on a slant route for a touchdown, and a 2-pt conversion catch by Parker Graham put the team up 10-7.
Marian countered with another deep touchdown pass to go back ahead 14-10. The Cardinals put together a scoring drive in the final minutes of the quarter with Peter Morrison finding Parker Graham in the back corner of the endzone. CUAA held a 16-14 lead at halftime. Coach Schumacher was pleased with how the offense finished the first half. "I thought our offense did a great job of finishing the first half which put us in a good position to be successful, said Schumacher.
The second half would be dominated by defense as both teams exchanged stops to begin the third quarter. Casey Rauch continued to have an outstanding day at punter, kicking two high punts that pinned the Marian offense at their own 2-yard line. Coach Schumacher credited the Cardinals defense and special teams. "Casey had a great day punting and the guys on special teams did an excellent job downing it inside the five multiple times," said Schumacher.
Casey Rauch added another punt to the Knights' 10-yard line as both defenses continued to hold strong. On a critical late Marian drive, Alex Hinojosa and Andrew Foerster combined for a sack. The Knights missed a field goal wide-right with 2:33 left to play, giving the ball back to Concordia.
The Cardinals looked to wind down the clock, but on third and-4 the Knights forced a crucial fumble giving the possession back to Marian with 1:31 to play. Collin Vaughn and Corbin Stefanski combined for a second-down sack and the CUAA defense again forced a field goal attempt.
The Knights eventually lined up for a 27-yard field goal with just under a minute remaining. Once again, the ball would be pushed wide right keeping Concordia in front. The Cardinals were able to kneel out the clock and secure the 16-14 victory as time expired.
"I am proud of our resilence. These guys played hard and for each other for all four quarters," said Schumacher.
Concordia will remain at home with another top-ten matchup against #9 Saint Francis (IN) next week. Kickoff is at 2pm.
