Presented by Team Rehabilitation
(Detroit, MI) – Under the night lights of the Detroit city skyline, #15 Concordia traveled to NCAA Division II member Wayne State on Saturday. The game was hard-fought with both teams trading blows down to the final minute. Facing a 9-point deficit in the fourth quarter, the Cardinals clawed back behind a field goal from Dejai Robinson and a game-winning strike from Gavin Brooks to Seeger DeGayner. The victory makes the Cardinals 4-0 against NCAA Division II opponents since 2017.
Gavin Brooks threw for 271 yards with 2 touchdowns and led all rushers with 47 yards on the ground. Brandon Stewart ran for 33 yards with a touchdown. Seeger DeGayner led the receiving attack with 95 yards and a TD while Jordan Garcia tacked on 57 yards and a touchdown.
On defense, Colby Kohmescher led the team with 11 tackles. David Cagle and Marvitis Dupree tied for second with 7 tackles apiece. Andrew Wiemer and Casey Rauch recorded interceptions.
Concordia kicked off to Wayne State to begin the game. The Warriors drove into Cardinal territory but were held to a successful field goal attempt. Later in the quarter, Casey Rauch made an interception on Wayne State's next drive. Gavin Brooks capitalized by lofting a 31-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Garcia, giving CUAA a 7-3 lead after the first quarter.
Wayne State added a field goal in the second quarter and then later scored a touchdown to take a 13-7 lead. Concordia had an answer as Gavin Brooks led a 9-play, 75-yard scoring drive. Brandon Stewart ran to the left and scampered in for a 5-yard touchdown to retake the lead. However, Wayne State responded with a scoring drive in the last minute and held a 20-14 lead at halftime.
The third quarter saw both defenses hold strong with no more points on the board. After forcing a three-and-out on defense, the Cardinals drove deep into Wayne State territory with Brandon Stewart hurdling a defender. However, the Warriors narrowly stopped two straight Concordia runs at the 9-yard line to force a turnover on downs. Wayne State still led 20-14 after the third quarter.
The Warriors added a field goal to lead 23-14 with 11:44 to play. The Cardinal defense made a stop after a Wayne State interception and Dejai Robinson kicked a 34-yard field goal to pull the team within a score.
After an offside penalty on Wayne State negated an unsuccessful onside kick, Concordia elected to boot it deep and trust their defense. The Cardinals came up with a stop and forced a punt, getting the ball back with 1:48 remaining.
Gavin Brooks moved the team steadily downfield with completions by Jordan Garcia, Logan Hay, and brother Bailey Brooks. The play of the game saw Gavin Brooks roll out to his left and loft a 38-yard touchdown pass to Seeger DeGayner, tying the contest. The PAT by Dejai Robinson gave the Cardinals a 24-23 lead.
Concordia would made one final defensive stop to seal the victory, giving the team a big win and the chance to celebrate with fans that made the trip.
The Cardinals will travel to Lawrence Tech next Saturday night at 7pm.
