Bulldog Football Season Begins with Victory, Students Enjoy Sophomore Tailgate

Running back Ryan Durdon rushes with the ball. Photo by Laura Von Kampen.

By Jonah Lange

The Concordia football season kicked off Saturday, Sept. 8, with a home opener against Buena Vista University (Iowa), as well as the annual Sophomore Tailgate before the game.

The Sophomore Tailgate began with socializing, free food, and free t-shirts. There was even a drawing for students to win the day’s ultimate prize: a beanie baby. The event also included two tournament-style games of heads and tails; the last student still guessing correctly won the tournament and bragging rights.

Students at the tailgate also played “The Roommate Game,” which used trivia to test their familiarity with their roommates. Question topics included favorite superheroes and, as the game went along, a gap emerged between those who knew their roommates best and those who didn’t. The gathering ended with a rock, paper, scissors tournament, in which 16 students competed in best of three matches.

At the start of the game between the Bulldogs and the Beavers, both teams struggled offensively with only four first downs in the first quarter. Buena Vista tallied the first score of the game with an 80-yard touchdown reception late in the first quarter to take the lead.

The second quarter sparked the Bulldogs’ offense. A minute into the quarter, the Bulldogs scored on a six-yard pass from freshman Jake Kemp to sophomore Arthur Anderson. A missed extra point kept Concordia trailing 6-7 for the majority of the quarter. With seconds left on the clock before halftime, the Bulldogs took a 14-7 lead thanks to a touchdown and a two-point conversion, both via runs by senior Ryan Durdon.

As the third quarter began, both teams struggled to restart their offenses with each initial drive ending in a three-and-out. On Concordia’s second offensive drive, an interception led to a Buena Vista touchdown drive. Buena Vista scored another touchdown to take the 20-14 lead after three quarters.

After a missed field goal to start off the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs were able to tie the game at 20-20 with a touchdown. With less than one minute to go, the Bulldogs scored again to take the lead at 27-20. Buena Vista started piecing together a drive, but Concordia forced a fumble and recovered the ball to seal their opening game victory.

Looking forward, the Bulldogs will go on to face 0-2 University of Jamestown in North Dakota next Saturday, Sept. 15.