UST-Concordia Football Preview

September 15, 2000
Sat. Sept. 16, 2000
MIAC Football
Concordia Cobbers (0-1, 0-0) at St. Thomas Tommies (0-1, 0-0)

Welcome to MIAC football on the St. Thomas campus as the Tommies of St. Thomas (0-1 overall, 0-0 MIAC) and the Cobbers of Concordia-Moorhead (0-1, 0-0) open the conference season.

UST will try to continue its magic vs Concordia -- it went 7-2 vs. the Cobbers in the 1990s, although most games were close.

Concordia lost its non-conference opener to rival Moorhead State 21-20 in a game completed Sept. 4. The Cobbers drove 98 yards in the final minutes to score a TD that pulled them within one point with 1:00 to play. The Cobbers chose to go for a two-point play instead of a PAT kick that likely would have meant overtime. A Cobber receiver had a shot at a potential winning catch, but bobbled the ball and it fell incomplete.

The Toms debuted last Saturday at Bemidji State and lost 32-9 to a Beaver team (2-0) playing its second game. The Toms had four drives inside the BSU 15-yard-line yield
just three points as they fell behind 19-3 at halftime and later 32-3. Nick Ambrasas' late 24-yard run was the Toms' lone TD.

A prime storyline today is Concordia's experience vs. the Toms' youth. The Cobbers have a junior or senior at 21 of their 22 starting positions. Meanwhile, St. Thomas starts seven sophomores on offense and three sophomores and one freshman on defense. The Toms also start a freshman punter.

Next Saturday, UST plays at Carleton and Concordia hosts Macalester. The Toms play St. John's here Sept. 30.

--THE COACHES -- UST's Don Roney is 14-7 in his third seasons as head coach. Roney previously was a 12-year UST assistant coach and head coach at North Hennepin CC from 1985-88... Cobber coach Jim Christopherson is 214-96-7 in 32 seasons.
--THE SERIES -- Concordia leads 32-25 all-time, but the Toms have won seven of the last nine meetings.
--LAST SEASON -- UST broke open a close game with two key interceptions in the final quarter and posted a 22-7 win in the Fargodome. In the defensive struggle, UST outgained the Cobbers 245-205. Cobber RB Len Crouse ran one yard for the game's first TD, but UST's Jon Learn caught a 16-yard TD pass in the second quarter to tie the score 7-7. QB Greg Kaiser ran one yard on 4th-and-goal to put UST ahead 15-10, and Steve Nolander's 35-yard interception for a TD iced the win. Kaiser completed 13-of-17 passes for 131 yards.
--UST NOTES -- UST rushed for 207 yards but was outgained 540-339 in the 32-9 loss at Bemidji State. UST was hurt by 12 penalties for 98 yards... In his first college start, soph QB Alex Jadin was 11-of-26 passing for 131 yards... Marcus Ludtke rushed 17 times for 79 yards; Jake Barkley rushed 15 times for 62 yards; and Jadin ran nine times for 35 yards... Mike Westland caught four passes for 48 yards and Andrew Hilliard had one catch for 38 yards... Josh Brand added a 27-yard field goal... Andy Kaiser had two sacks among his nine tackles; Joe Fritze had a pass interception in his UST debut; Marshall Clamons had a fumble recovery. Freshman Kyle Davenport averaged 42.2 yards on five punts... In the 1999 season opener vs. Bemidji State, the Toms allowed 502 yards in a 24-14 loss. UST went on to lead MIAC defenses in fewest yards allowed.
--COBBER NOTES -- The Cobbers have lost three in a row dating back to 1999 -- all decided in the final 10:00... UST (22) was the lone MIAC team to score more than 15 points on the Cobbers in 1999... Cobber senior WR Adam Strainer caught seven passes for 109 yards in the 21-20 loss to Moorhead State, including a 53-yard TD pass. One of the MIAC's best all-around athletes, Strainer took sixth nationally in the 2000 NCAA Division III decathlon... Cobber senior DE Mark Hankel already has 23 career sacks in 21 career games with the Cobbers. He was team MVP last season... In one of the MIAC's remarkable comebacks, Cobber senior QB Jeff Hertel, missed the 1998 season after surgery to remove blood clots near his brain... The Cobbers' 21-20 loss to Moorhead State compares well to a 44-7 defeat to the Dragons in the 1999 opener.

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