QB Jesse Nelson is sacked by Jamie Steffensmeier in 2006
Last weekend, the Concordia Cobbers lost a marathon heartbreaker to the Bethel Royals in triple overtime by a margin of 48-45. This Saturday, the task doesn’t get any easier for the Cobbers as they travel to Collegeville to take on our Johnnies. The last time Concordia traveled to SJU, they handed the Johnnies a 21-20 loss in 2004. In 2005 and 2006, the Johnnies squeaked out victories of 20-16 and 14-12 in Moorhead. If recent history is any indication, this Saturday will be exciting from the beginning of the Stiftungsfestivites until the final whistle blows in Clemens Stadium.
Offensively, the Cobbers are doing something that a Cobber team has not done in several years—throwing the ball. Versus Bethel, they only rushed for 112 yards, yet they passed for 271. Leading the air attack is left-handed junior quarterback Jesse Nelson, who has already thrown for 475 yards this season. He completed 20 of 29 passes for 241 yards against the Royals. In that game, he also threw two interceptions, so hopefully the Johnnies can take advantage of any miscues. Nelson has spread the ball out to a number of receivers. His top targets are senior Riley Sammon (14 catches), junior Nick Alton (11 catches), and sophomore Jake Krause (6 catches). A source told me that while Concordia has a good receiving corps, they are not great. Carrying the ball for the Cobbers are seniors Adam Swingdorf and Nick Reinisch along with junior Cory Johnson. Johnson is a speed back, Reinisch is mainly a blocker, and Swingdorf is their bruiser (6’2” 220 pounds), although I have heard that he may have been injured versus the Royals. A veteran offensive line composed of seniors Kris Peterson, All-MIAC Grant Weller, Zach Eidelbes, Luke Holt, and sophomore John Anderson clear the way for the Cobber backfield.
Defensively, the Cobbers gave up 252 rushing yards and 261 passing yards to the Royals, although on the season, their defense of the ground game has been quite a bit stingier than their pass defense. Leading the Cobbers in tackles and tackles-for-loss is senior linebacker Brennan Lewis. He joined in linebacking duties by senior Dave Moll and junior Isaac Berling. Juniors Clinton Strother, Mike Christensen, and sophomore Ryan McKay join senior Dustin Carlson, who is returning to action this fall after a battle with testicular cancer, on the defensive line. Carlson and Strother provide speed at the ends with McKay and Christensen playing in the middle. Sophomore Levi Pole paces the defensive backs with 3 interceptions on the season. He plays alongside juniors Levi DeVries, Tom Flynn, and senior Jason Jude.
As cliché as it may sound, records can be thrown out the window when the Cobbers and Johnnies meet. These two teams have long been poised at the top of the MIAC, and I expect a battle on Saturday. The Johnnies have shown some weakness against good passers, but if the defense can bottle up the Cobber running game early, I like our chances against their offense. We’ll need to execute a balanced offensive attack, eliminate mistakes (i.e. personal fouls and turnovers), and capitalize on any mistakes by the Cobbers.
Links
Cobber Roster
Cobber Season Statistics
Cobber/Royal Game Recap
