Concordia football’s ground game dismantles the Chargers, 34-17
The opposing football teams line up at the center yard line to begin a play.
Photo credit: Kai Olbrich
By Ransom Watts
Concordia football leaned on its offensive line this weekend to rush its way to victory. The Bulldogs got the win by a large 34-17 margin thanks in part to an aggressive offensive line that was able to dismantle Briar Cliff’s defense.
The Bulldogs ran away with an early lead in the first quarter, leading Briar Cliff 10-0 going into the second. Concordia’s first touchdown came at nine minutes left in the first quarter, where on fourth and goal, senior Adam Vann Cleave rushed the football from the one-yard line into the Chargers’ endzone.
Into the second, both the Bulldog’s and the Charger’s defense kept the opposing team at bay. But after a 24-yard drive nine minutes into the second quarter, senior Blake Mosenteen of Concordia intercepted the ball at Concordia’s 27-yard line. The Bulldogs made it halfway down the field after the turnover but were unable to continue the drive to the red zone after a failed fourth-down attempt.
After another failed drive by the Chargers, Concordia was once again close and capitalized on a drive attempt that put them at first and goal, where junior Tyler Douglass put the Bulldogs ahead with a five-yard rushing touchdown. After a successful extra point, the Bulldogs led 17-0.
The only offense that the Chargers managed to put together by halftime was a field goal that put the score at 17-3.
After halftime, the third quarter proved to be slower than the first half, with very little score change. A field goal attempt by Peyton Atwood early in the third made the score 20-3, Concordia.
With the deficit shortened by Briar Cliff’s first touchdown, the Bulldogs went back on the drive where senior Gideon Stark and junior Clavin Sassaman brought the ball into the endzone with six rushing plays that combined for a total of 58 yards and put the Bulldogs ahead 27-10.
With eight minutes left in the game, Sassaman and Stark were once more put onto the offensive, where they combined for a total of 81 yards through 14 plays.
With the score at 34-10, Briar Cliff was successful in their last big drive of the game and brought the football to the Bulldog’s endzone. The Chargers were awarded the seven points, but with time dwindling down, it was clear Concordia would come out the victor.
The greatest success story for the Bulldogs on Saturday was certainly their ability to run the ball down the field. Concordia had more rushing first downs than passing as a team by a narrow margin of 14-13 but were able to gain about a yard more on average rushing than by passing across all plays. Total Rushing yards for the Bulldogs similarly left total passing yards in the dust, 233-187.
Sassaman led the rest of the offense in rushing yards by a long shot with a total of 152, well over half of the team’s total. Adam Van Cleave came in behind him for Concordia with a total of 50 yards.
With the regular season winding down and the playoffs looming in the distance, Concordia football couldn’t be happier with another win that puts their record now at 6-2. Next week, the Bulldogs face the 8-0 Dordt Defenders to hopefully deliver them their first loss.
