MOORHEAD, Minn. (8/26/08)-- While the Cobber offense showed steady improvement throughout 2007, the Concordia defense was just plain steady throughout the entire year. Defensive coordinator Scott Lucier’s crew finished third in the league in total defense and were much improved against the pass. As in years past, the key for the Cobbers on defense will be speed and athletic ability. The defense will also have to find a pair of outside linebackers if they want to continue to be one of the top units in the MIAC.

The defense will have a strong defensive line who Horan says are “as talented a group as we have had” and a tough defensive backfield that should continue to grow because they will return four starters from a year ago. The one thing Concordia will have to improve on is their ability to hold the top-tier MIAC opponents off the board. Against the top three conference teams last year, the Cobbers gave up an average of 50.3 points per game. The CC defense will be strengthened by the return of eight returning starters. They will also be helped by a defensive backfield that has all been together for at least a year and has gone through the growing pain period.

The top defensive returners for the Cobbers will be Clinton Strother and Justin Hensch on the defensive line and Levi Pole and Xavier Carroll in the defensive backfield. All four players had solid seasons in helping the CC defense last year. Strother led the team in sacks with nine as Concordia finished second in the MIAC in that category. Pole helped the Cobbers finish tied for third in the league in interceptions as he picked off a team-leading four passes.