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MOORHEAD, Minn. – Concordia-Moorhead took advantage of three first-half turnovers, a total of five for the game, to build a 31-7 lead en route to a 31-21 win over Saint John's on Saturday, Sept. 22, in Moorhead.
The win is the first for the Cobbers (4-0, 2-0 MIAC) at home against SJU since Oct. 25, 1986 (17-14), which snapped a streak of eight consecutive wins for the Johnnies in Moorhead.
The Johnnies (2-2, 0-2 MIAC), who out-gained Concordia 370-347 in the game, are off to a 0-2 start in the MIAC for the first time since 1983. The Cobbers, however, rolled to a 251-26 advantage on the ground.
Matt Peterson galloped to a 67-yard gain on the Cobbers' first offensive play and Chris Gilson scored from one yard out, on fourth-and-goal, five plays later to put Concordia ahead 7-0 2:51 into the game.
Both teams exchanged punts before junior Connor Bruns (Baltimore, Md./Loyola Blakefield) hit junior Colin Moynihan (Edina, Minn.) for a 13-yard touchdown pass to tie it at 7-7 with 3:44 left in the opening quarter. The drive was highlighted by a 30-yard pass from Bruns to freshman Josh Bungum (Paynesville, Minn.) on second-and-10.
Concordia moved 63 yards down to the Johnnies' four-yard line, but SJU stuffed Brett Baune on three carries, forcing the Cobbers to settle for a 19-yard field goal from Benjamin Wagner.
The Cobbers intercepted Bruns at the SJU 49-yard line on the Johnnies' first play of the ensuing drive and capitalized with a seven-play, 49-yard scoring drive that ended on a one-yard plunge by Baune.
Another interception, this time on the SJU 34, once again gave Concordia prime field position. The SJU defense held the Cobbers to a three-and-out, but Brett Harmelink's punt pinned the Johnnies inside their two-yard line. SJU moved out to its own 10 but was forced to punt, giving the Cobbers another possession in Johnnie territory. All four of Concordia's drives in the second quarter started on the Johnnies' side of the 50.
A crucial quarterback sack by senior Taylor Dammermann (Spicer, Minn./New London-Spicer) on third-and-four forced another Concordia punt. Dammermann tied a school record with 21 tackles (eight solo) in the game.
Two plays later, senior Taylor Freetly (Kerkhoven, Minn./Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg) dropped what looked to be an incomplete pass, but the play was ruled a fumble. The call gave the Cobbers the football on the Johnnies' 15-yard line. Griffin Neal connected with Mark Whiting for a touchdown on the very next play to give the home team a 24-7 lead with 23 seconds left in the first half.
The Johnnies moved 27 yards down to the Cobbers' 39-yard line on two plays, but the clock continued to run despite the play resulting in a first down, in addition to frantic attempts by the SJU coaching staff to call its final timeout of the half. The play ended the second quarter instead of giving SJU one more play with two seconds left.
The Cobbers forced a punt to open the second half and marched 80 yards on 14 plays, burning 6:35 off the clock. The scoring drive ended on a six-yard run by Baune, who finished with 128 yards and two touchdowns on 32 carries (3.9 avg.).
Bruns left the game in the third quarter and did not return. His replacement, senior John Ries (Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata), threw an interception on his first pass attempt behind center. He led the Johnnies on a 54-yard drive the next time out before a holding penalty on the 16-yard line inevitably forced SJU to turn the ball over on downs.
Freshman Nick Martin (Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata) replaced Ries with six minutes left and came out firing. He connected with senior Max Forster (Minnetonka, Minn./Hopkins) for a 40-yard gain on the first play and ended the 92-yard scoring drive with a 20-yard touchdown pass to the familiar target six plays later.
Following a three-and-out by Concordia, Martin hit Forster for a 64-yard gain on first down and trimmed the Johnnies' deficit to 31-21 with a three-yard touchdown pass to Bungum. The catch was Bungum's first collegiate touchdown. Martin ended the six-minute flurry six of eight passing for 153 yards and two touchdowns, with another 17 yards on two carries. He also averaged 38.8 yards on four punts.
The Cobbers recovered both onside kick attempts to thwart SJU's comeback attempt.
Bruns finished 12 of 24 passing for 132 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Ries completed five of his 11 pass attempts for 59 yards, an interception and committed a fumble on a blind-sighted sack. Senior Stephen Johnson (Mahtomedi, Minn.) led SJU's meager running game (23 yards on 21 total carries) with 26 yards on 11 attempts.
Forster, the Johnnies' starting cornerback, recorded his first 100-yard receiving game with 144 yards on five catches. Freetly added six catches for 83 yards.
Freshman Trevor Warner (Murrieta, Calif./Vista Murrieta) and senior Bobby Fischer (Plymouth, Minn./Osseo) each recorded an interception of Neal in the end zone during the fourth quarter. The pick was Fischer's 10th of his career.
Peterson countered Baune's 126 yards with 99 of his own on six carries. Neal ended the afternoon seven of 13 passing for 96 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.
The Johnnies return home to host St. Olaf (3-1, 1-1 MIAC) for Homecoming next Saturday, Sept. 29. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Clemens Stadium in Collegeville.
Notes: The last time Concordia scored more than 30 points against SJU in Moorhead was nearly 52 years to the day: Sept. 24, 1960 (30-14)…Dammermann's 21 total tackles tied the school record set by Jamie Steffensmeier in the 30-28 loss to Wisconsin-Eau Claire on Sept. 4, 2004...the Cobbers were only 3-for-15 on third down, but converted both of their short-yardage fourth-down attempts.
