Cobber Football 2009 Training Camp Blog

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MOORHEAD, Minn. (8/27/09)-- There are many unknowns for the Concordia football team heading into the 2009 season but one thing is certain; the Cobbers will face all the trials, problems and challenges as a family. Head coach Terry Horan is stressing the theme of togetherness for 2009 as Concordia looks to once again be in the hunt for the MIAC championship. Last year the Cobbers were in the driver’s seat of the MIAC race with only three games left to play in the regular season. Unfortunately a pair of home losses cost Concordia the title and a chance to play in the national playoffs. The Cobbers finished in a tie for second place in the final league standings which was the fifth time in the past seven seasons that the team has finished in the top three of the conference.

The biggest obstacle for the Cobber family to overcome in 2009 will be on offense where the team graduated their three-year starting All-MIAC quarterback and the program’s all-time leading rusher. Those two positions accounted for over 80.0% of the team’s total offense in 2008. All told, the team graduated 3,499 of its 3,777 total offensive yards. Quarterback Jesse Nelson and four-time All-MIAC running back Cory Johnson also combined to be a part of 21 of the squad’s 31 touchdowns on the year. For a team that finished third in the league in total offense that will mean a complete overhaul to stay in touch with the latest trend of high-powered offensive units. Fortunately for Concordia their triple-threat option offense is more about principle and less about star players so finding the right players to fill the roles will be easier than having to completely start a whole new offense from the ground up.

The defense will also have to overcome several key losses. However, they will have several experienced linemen and defensive backs returning to help them return to their spot as the league’s top rush defense. Last year the Cobbers limited opponents to only 79.5 yards per game in conference play, almost 30 yards fewer than the next team. The team was second in overall defense and will return seven players from last year’s defensive unit that help MIAC foes to only 19.0 points per game.

The road back to the top three of the league could be determined very early in the season as Concordia will open conference play with defending champion St. John’s at home and then have to travel to perennial league power Bethel on week two and up-and-coming St. Thomas on the following Saturday . The Cobbers 2009 opener will be no picnic either as they will host Willamette on Sept. 5. The Bearcats beat Concordia 35-21 last year in Salem, Ore on their way to posting a perfect 10-0 record in the regular season and earning a trip to the NCAA postseason. Willamette is ranked eighth in the D3football.com preseason poll and returns 43 lettermen from last year’s Northwest Conference championship team. CC will play at Valley City State on Sept. 12 in their only other non-conference game of the season.

A Closer Look:
The Offense
Even though Concordia lost a major chunk of the offensive output from 2008, Horan is optimistic about this year’s possibilities. He understands that the offensive system will help carry the team through the first part of the season until the new players can get their feet wet and start to shine. The one thing that has Horan concerned has been the team’s penchant for turning the ball over multiple times in a single game. In the past five seasons the team has coughed the ball up at least two times in 35 of the team’s 54 games including eight of the ten games in 2008. To make matters worse, the Cobbers have turned the ball over at least five times in seven games during the five-year period while managing zero turnovers in only six games. The team’s turnover problem correlates directly to wins and losses as well. Concordia is 22-2 in the past five years when they have fewer turnovers than their opponent in a game while they are just 13-11 when they commit more miscues.

The lead story that everyone will be looking to hear about is the battle at quarterback. The Cobbers enter the year having a crew of five capable quarterbacks but only one has taken meaningful snaps in a varsity contest. Horan switched senior Andrew Larson back to the offensive side of the field after having played the past two-plus seasons as a starting defensive back. Larson competed for the starting quarterback position with Nelson as a sophomore and even led the team to a comeback win over MSU Moorhead in the season opener in 2007 when Nelson left the game due to leg cramps. Joining Larson in the fight for the starting position will be junior Kent Johnson and sophomore Mike Dunham. Both Johnson and Dunham have had success at the junior varsity level and will be looking to translate that to the big stage.

The running back situation might be more of a problem for Horan. Johnson amassed 3,425 yards in his career and gave the team a legitimate threat to break a long-gainer at any time in the game. He was a four-time All-MIAC player and scored 21 touchdowns in his career. The team also graduated fullback Nick Birchem who was third on the team in rushing in 2008 behind Johnson and Nelson. The top candidates to lead the Cobber ground game are Justin Brantner, Bo Jedinak, Craig Lachowitzer, Nick Paur and Ben SaariBovre. Also watch for sophomore Chris Gilson to make a splash in the running back pool as he makes the transition over from being a quarterback. Brantner has logged the most minutes on the field and rushed for 195 yards on 37 attempts last year. He has the same physical stature as Johnson and will be hoping to use the combination of power and speed to open up opposing defenses.

The good news on offense comes from the fact that the offensive line returns four of the five starters from last season. The star of the group is tackle John M. Anderson who is a two-time All-MIAC player and at 6-6, 310 has been drawing some attention from pro scouts.
tackle Darin Underhill, center Giles Henry and guard Josh Mitchell will be hoping to continue their ability to carve out huge holes for whomever lines up in the backfield.

The Defense
Once again Concordia will have a rock solid defense. Last year the Cobbers finished first in the MIAC in rushing defense and fourth in pass defense and were third in the conference in red zone defense. The Cobbers return three of their four starting defensive lineman, a pair of linebackers who saw extended action in 2008 and two of the four starting defensive backs. The strength of the unit will be up front where the Cobbers will be led by 2008 MIAC Most Valuable Lineman Travis Aufderheide. Aufderheide won the Mike Stam award in 2008 while leading the team in sacks this and finishing second in tackles for a loss. He had 4.5 sacks and 8.0 tackles for a loss in the team's 10 overall games. In conference play Aufderheide had 4.5 sacks and 7.0 tackles for a loss. He was fourth in the league in sacks and tied for seventh in tackles for a loss. He will be joined by defensive end Justin Hensch and nose guard Ryan McKay to give Concordia a strong push up front. For the first time in a few years the Cobbers will rely less on their speed and more on sheer strength to plug up the line.

Jed LaPlante and Jay Thoreson will anchor the linebacker corps for Scott Lucier’s defense. Thoreson started at the weak-side linebacker spot in 2008 and had 30 tackles on the year. LaPlante rotated through the strong-side linebacker position and will give CC an experienced group heading into the season.

The defensive backfield will miss Larson who switches over to offense and was a two-year starter. However, they will have a pair of very experienced backs to anchor the group and defend against the ever-growing emphasis on passing in the league. Senior Xavier Carroll earned All-MIAC All-Conference Second team honors last year and led the team in interceptions. His speed and athletic ability make him one of the top cover men in the MIAC. Fellow senior Levi Pole was named to the All-MIAC Honorable Mention Team last year and was fifth on the team in tackles with 45. Both players have started for the past two seasons and understand what it takes to win week in and week out in the MIAC.