MOORHEAD, Minn. (8/29/08)-- The Cobbers return their starting kicker and punter from a year ago which will help the start of the new season. Junior kicker Carl Hauser set a school record for most extra points in a single season last year and has gone from a nervous freshman into a top conference kicker. Last year he was 7-for-9 on field goal attempts and went 4-for-4 from inside 30 yards. Each year he has gotten stronger and last season he connected on a career-high 39 yard field goal attempt. He also had the third best average kickoff in the conference and helped the Cobbers greatly improve in their kick coverage statistics.

David Williamson returns as the team’s No.1 punter. Last year Williamson averaged 31.2 yards per punt but showed flashes of being able to turn the ball over and deliver a booming punt. He had a season-high 55 yard punt against St. John’s and had several close to the 50-yard mark. He did not have a punt blocked all season and had seven punts downed inside the 20-yard line.

The two biggest causes for optimism on special teams is the experience of the skilled players with the kicking games and the much-improved kick coverage and kick return teams from 2007. The Cobbers return both the snapper and holder for the kicking game. Long and short snapper Brett Abrahamson and holder Jesse Nelson are three-year starters at their spots and give Concordia a claiming influence no matter what happens in the kicking games. Last year CC was third in the league in both kick and punt coverage and in the top six in punt and kick returns. This came after a 2006 season where the Cobbers were ranked last in the league in punt returns and seventh in kickoff returns. This upswing in special teams has helped Horan put more emphasis on special teams and he has now promoted a pair of assistant coaches to Co-Special Teams Coordinators this season.

Leading the charge for the CC kick return teams is senior Paul Shol. Shol had an exciting 2007 season where he ran a kick back for a touchdown against St. John’s and tied for the league lead in kick return average. He finished the conference season averaging 23.1 yards per return and his 90-yard scamper against the Johnnies was the longest in the conference all season.

Horan Says: “We are excited about our kicking game and it is always nice to have returning starters back in those spots. One of the brightest spots last season was our kick return game – we had several great returns last year and were one of the only teams in the league to run a kickoff back for a touchdown.”