MOORHEAD, Minn. (8/24/06)-- Horan breaks down the wide receivers: “We have moved both of the receivers who started at the end of the season out of the spot to strengthen other spots. Eric Rodel will be the quarterback and Levi DeVries will open the year in the defensive backfield so we will have two new receivers when we open 2006. Having said that, I am very confident in the athletes who will be fighting for the position. We had several players make huge strides at the end of the year and will be ready to make an impact.”

Filling the wide receiver position will not be as difficult as last year when they were trying to fill the void of replacing two legitimate All-American candidates. Last year the Cobbers only threw an average of 16 times per game and had only one game all year when they passed for more than 200 yards. Rodel, the leading receiver in 2005, caught only 46 passes all season. The lack of an aerial threat in 2005 didn’t slow the potent Cobber offense as they finished third in the conference in total offense and averaged over 430 yards of total offense per game.

The leading candidates to see extended playing time are seniors Pete Lien and Ryan Emter, junior Riley Sammon and sophomore Nick Alton. Lien started the 2005 season as one of the top two wideouts but then slid into a slump midway through the year. Emter switched over from the defensive side of the ball in the middle of last season and has steadily progressed. He saw some action at the end of last year. He was the starting centerfielder for the Cobber baseball team in the spring and made several web gem catches in the field where he used his speed and athletic ability to take away balls headed for the gap. Sammon is the blue collar worker of the four. He is more of a possession receiver who excels in tight situations. Perhaps the player with the most potential is Alton. Alton broke onto the scene last year when he corralled an errant throw against UM-Morris and made one of the best catches of the season. He has the capability to give the Cobbers a go-to receiver who can catch anything thrown in his direction.

One of the unknown factors in the group of receivers is transfer Brett Bigalke. Bigalke transferred back to Concordia after spending last year at St. John’s. Bigalke originally played for the Cobbers in his freshman season but was slowed with an injury and made the decision to move closer to home and follow his family ties at St. John’s. Bigalke’s size gives him an edge as he tries to make an impact for the Cobber offense.