Concordia football falls 38-24 at No. 21 Northwestern
Concordia takes a timeout against Dordt (photo from previous game).
Photo: Kai Olbrich
By Christian Myers
Concordia football went head-to-head against the No. 21 Northwestern Red Raiders on Saturday, losing 38-24 in their second straight loss. The Bulldogs held their own through three quarters, but a two-touchdown fourth sealed the win for Northwestern.
A blocked punt by the Bulldogs early in the third brought them within a score at 17-14 to give them hope starting the second half. Junior Kaden Thompson got both the block and the 44-yard touchdown return.
The defense started off hot for Concordia. They limited the Red Raiders to seven points during the first quarter, and senior Drake Trent picked off the Raiders quarterback for his second interception of the year. The second quarter was fairly similar, though the Red Raiders took advantage of a nearly non-existent Concordia offense. After three offensive three-and-outs, Concordia’s defense could only do so much and allowed another 10 points in quarter two. 17 points overall.
The Bulldogs were only able to find the end zone one time in the first half, thanks to a drive by junior quarterback Camden Jensen. He himself ran the ball on four separate occasions, resulting in a Bulldog touchdown.
Trailing 17-7 going into the second half, the Bulldogs looked to erase the deficit and hold off the Raider offense. However, Northwestern began to find some holes in Concordia’s defense. 21 second-half points, 14 alone in the fourth quarter for the Red Raiders, made the chance of a comeback much more difficult. The offense did manage to put up 17 in the final two quarters, but by then the gap was too large.
Northwestern controlled the ball for a total of 40:03 minutes and limited Concordia’s offense to 286 total yards. Jensen, who was making his first career start, ended up with 148 passing yards, one rushing touchdown and one passing touchdown. Senior linebacker Deegan Barnes picked up another sack, which increased his season total to 3.5. The second most in both non-conference and conference play.
Concordia drops to 2-2 in conference play and 2-3 overall. They look to end their two-game skid as they face off against Dakota Wesleyan on Saturday, Oct. 10, in Mitchell, South Dakota.
