(Ann Arbor, MI) – The Concordia football team returned to Cardinal Stadium on Saturday afternoon hosting first year program Madonna. After moving up to No. 6 in the NAIA coaches poll, the Cardinals aimed to remain perfect on the season (4-0) while the Crusaders came in 0-2 on the year. CUAA exploded for 21 points in the first three minutes of the game and overpowered Madonna in a 61-17 victory.
Brady Rader threw for 100 yards and 2 touchdowns while Gavin Brooks went 12-21 for 99 passing yards. Dorian Edmond led the rushing attack with 56 yards and a touchdown. Jacob Miller added 54 yards on the ground and a rush TD while James Carpenter added 47 rush yards and 2 touchdowns. Parker Graham was the leading receiver with 60 yards and a touchdown. Nolan Smith added 47 receiving yards and caught a touchdown pass as well.
On defense, Casey Rauch led the team with 7 tackles. Andrew Wierner finished second with 6 tackles while Hunter Maynard chipped in 5 tackles.
Concordia received the opening kickoff and wasted no time breaking a big play. Seeger DeGayner found a seam and broke a 90-yard kickoff return touchdown. CUAA special teams made an impact on the ensuing kickoff when DeGayner recovered a fumble to give the ball back to the Cardinals. Brady Rader, making his first career start at quarterback, rolled to his left and found Nolan Smith for a 5-yard touchdown.
The Concordia defense forced a three-and-out on Madonna's next series. The offense needed just one play to score as Brady Rader fired a deep pass behind the defense to Parker Graham for a 45-yard touchdown and a 21-0 lead.
Madonna used a 54-yard pass to move into the redzone, but a combined sack from Andrew Foerster and Hunter Maynard pushed the Crusaders back. A 35-yard field goal attempt was no good and the Cardinals continued to maintain their shutout.
Concordia's offense put together a 10-play, 80-yard scoring drive that took 4:15 off the clock. Steady runs from Keviontae Brown helped to push the team down the field and Dorian Edmond eventually broke a 16-yard run for a 28-0 advantage.
The Cardinals scored one more time in the 1st quarter when Jacob Miller made three powerful runs in a row with the third going for a 10-yard touchdown. CUAA special teams came up with a play in the 2nd quarter to block a field goal and keep Madonna scoreless.
Concordia added to their lead late in the 2nd quarter when a 3-yard touchdown run by James Carpenter capped off a 7-play, 68-yard drive. Luis Gomez tacked on a 25-yard field goal as time expired in the half and CUAA led 45-0 at halftime.
Madonna began the second half with the ball and drove for a field goal on their opening possession to break the shutout. The Cardinals countered with a 12-play, 50-yard drive that culminated in a 29-yard field goal by Luis Gomez.
The Crusaders drove for a touchdown on their next possession to trim the CUAA lead to 48-10. On the ensuing series Madonna's defense came up with an interception, but James Williams was able to recover a fumble to give the ball back to Concordia. Gavin Brooks led the Cardinals down the field at quarterback with 4 pass completions and James Carpenter punched in a 4-yard rushing touchdown.
After Concordia forced a turnover on downs, Nick Semke came in at quarterback and made multiple power runs to move the offense downfield. Jake Mlynarek finished the drive with a 2-yard rushing touchdown to make it a 61-10 lead. The Crusaders would add a touchdown in the final minutes of the quarter, but CUAA claimed a 61-17 victory as time expired.
No. 6 Concordia moves to 5-0 and will head on the road to face Indiana Wesleyan next week. Kickoff is at 1pm.
