And one other thing ...
"We wanted to show people we were a good football team," said Cobber defensive end Lance Larson.
The Cobbers did all that and more while beating St. Thomas 28-7 in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play. The unbeaten Cobbers now stand alone atop the MIAC.
"Even though we are undefeated, we didn’t think we were getting the credit we deserved," said Larson, a junior who collected four of the Cobbers’ 11 quarterback sacks against the Tommies. "Around the league and in the local media, we weren’t getting much credit. That kind of stuff motivates us."
The Tommies paid the price for the Cobbers’ added incentive. Concordia piled up 444 yards of total offense to St. Thomas’ 268 and controlled the ball for over 35 minutes.
The Cobbers gained 268 yards on the ground despite losing senior running back Dan Steinbeisser to a knee injury before halftime. Steinbeisser, who came in as the MIAC’s leading rusher, never returned and may be lost for the season, according to Cobbers coach Jim Christopherson.
Steinbeisser’s replacement, freshman Marcus Ludtke, led all rushers with 95 yards on 14 carries. Len Crouse, another Cobber freshman, ran 23 times for 90 yards and a touchdown.
"(Ludtke and Crouse) don’t play like freshmen," said Concordia junior quarterback Ethan Pole, who threw a pair of touchdown passes to Tory Langemo and ran for another. "We didn’t alter our plan at all with (Steinbeisser) out. (Ludtke and Crouse) did a great job."
Defensively, the Cobbers stymied one of the MIAC’s most powerful offenses. St. Thomas quarterback Greg Kaiser, second in the MIAC in total offense coming in, spent much of the game on his back and tight end Ryan Collins caught only two passes for 30 yards – none in the second half.
In addition to Larson’s sacks, tackle Jeff Gronner and end Jon Jasken each had three and end Ryan Albrecht had one.
"We aren’t greatly talented on defense," Christopherson said. "We are an educated group. We study the films a lot. Our defensive line did a great job ... not only sacking Kaiser, but containing him in the pocket, as well."
The Cobbers, despite facing a 25-mph wind in the first quarter, controlled play in the scoreless period, running 28 plays to the Tommies’ 8.
Early in the second quarter, Concordia safety Chad Bertram drilled St. Thomas running back John Seidl and forced a fumble at the Tommies’ 23. Cornerback Jared Ziebarth recovered for the Cobbers and three plays later Pole hit Langemo for a 9-yard touchdown pass.
The Cobbers made it 14-0 on their next possession when Crouse capped a five-play, 46-yard drive with a 6-yard run up the gut.
Trailing 14-0 and facing the wind in the third quarter, St. Thomas caught a much-needed break late in the quarter when Crouse fumbled at the Cobbers’ 21.
Two plays later Kaiser found Mark Warder for a 16-yard scoring pass to cut the Cobbers’ lead to 14-7.
The Cobbers, with the wind still at their backs, needed only three plays to restore their two-score lead. Pole capped the quick drive with a 53-yard touchdown pass to Langemo, who hauled in Pole’s bomb near the 15 yard line and stumbled forward into the end zone.
"I think that every team respects us," said Concordia offensive tackle Noah Caron. "But they don’t respect our passing game. And that pass to Tory was really the key."
Pole later sealed things with a nifty 38-yard touchdown run. At least a half-dozen Tommies had a shot a Pole, but missed.
"We just did what we do best," Caron added. "In the first half we ran up the middle a lot. When they were watching the middle in the second half, we went outside. Nothing complicated, really."
But worthy of respect.