Box Score | Listen to Archived Game
COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Concordia-Moorhead scored 14 points in the game's first 4:32 en route to a 24-14 win over Saint John's on Homecoming Saturday, Sept. 28, in Collegeville.
Concordia (4-0, 2-0 MIAC) quarterback Griffin Neal connected with Jon Baune for a 35-yard touchdown on the game's opening drive. Following an SJU three-and-out, Neal hit Mark Whiting for a 38-yard gain down to the Johnnies' one-yard line where Cooper Gauldin took it over from on the next play.
SJU (3-1, 1-1 MIAC) turned the ball over on downs inside the Cobbers' 36-yard line twice in the first half and threw a pair of interceptions, one on the Concordia four-yard line and another in the end zone, in the second half.
Senior quarterback Connor Bruns (Baltimore, Md./Loyola Blakefield) cut the Johnnies' deficit to 14-7 on a three-yard touchdown run with 7:19 left in the second quarter.
Senior safety Darryl Williams (Hawthorne, Calif./Verbum Dei) intercepted Neal on a long second-down pass, but the Johnnies went three-and-out from their own 32.
The Cobbers answered with a nine-play, 71-yard scoring drive that ended on a 26-yard touchdown pass from Neal to Brandon Zylstra. The Johnnies moved down to the Concordia 35, but totaled negative-one yard on four plays, turning the ball over on downs and ending the half.
SJU took the second-half kickoff and moved down to the Cobbers' 19-yard line, but Bruns' pass on third-and-eight was intercepted by Kenyon O'Brien on the four. Concordia took it from there and advanced down to a first-and-goal situation on nine plays to the SJU nine-yard line. The Johnnie defense held, forcing a 24-yard field goal from Benjamin Wagner that increased the visitors' lead to 24-7 with 3:48 left in the third.
Junior wide receiver Rob Voshell (Sartell, Minn./Sartell-St. Stephen) ended the scoring with a 17-yard touchdown pass from Bruns with 2:22 remaining in the game. A fumble recovery by Williams set up the score two plays earlier.
Bruns ended the day 23 of 48 passing for 242 yards. Sophomore running back Sam Sura (South St. Paul, Minn.) led the SJU ground game with 70 yards on 18 carries, and caught three passes for 52 yards. Sophomore wide receiver Josh Bungum (Paynesville, Minn.) caught 10 passes for 82 yards and Voshell finished with five receptions for 64 yards and a touchdown in his first game of the season. He broke his left ulna playing in the Minnesota Amateur State Baseball tournament Sept. 1.
Junior linebacker Andrew Rose (Stillwater, Minn.) led the Johnnie defense with 13 tackles (seven solo), including a tackle for loss. Senior Paul Plombon (Rice, Minn./Sartell-St. Stephen) and sophomore Blake Bellefeuille (Sartell, Minn./St. Cloud Cathedral) registered a quarterback sack each.
Neal gained 83 yards on 13 carries and had an efficient day in the pocket, going 15 of 23 passing for 186 yards and two touchdowns. Fullback Domenic Fraboni added 72 yards on 17 attempts.
First downs were even at 21, though Concordia held a 427-328 advantage in total offense (241-86 on the ground). SJU was six of 15 on third down, 0-for-2 on fourth down, and 2-for-4 in the red zone.
The Johnnies travel to face St. Olaf for a 1 p.m. game next Saturday, Oct. 5, at Manitou Field in Northfield.
Notes: Concordia has now won back-to-back games over SJU for the first time since 1980-81…the Johnnies have now lost four consecutive Homecoming games for the first time since 1953-56, John Gagliardi's first four Homecoming contests…the fourth Homecoming loss in that stretch was a 32-6 decision at the hands of Concordia…Bungum has a combined 22 catches for 186 yards in his last two games...the 22 receptions is the most by a Johnnie, in back-to-back games, since Blake Elliott's 22 catches for 208 yards in game Nos. 2 and 3 of the 2003 season (vs. Wisconsin-Eau Claire and at St. Olaf).
