Hit heard 'round the West
Concordia-Moorhead cornerback Jordan Talge closed his eyes and hoped the collision he was about to endure wouldn’t send him to the hospital.
It didn’t, but the hit did set the defensive tone in a 28-14 victory over Wartburg that sent the Cobbers to the second round of the NCAA playoffs for the first time since 1986.
With 7 minutes, 26 seconds remaining in the first quarter and trailing 7-0, Wartburg quarterback Reed Hoskins connected on a short pass to Brandon Vinzant who immediately turned it up field along the visitor’s sideline. Talge immediately laid a vicious hit on Vinzant that sent him into a mid-air summersault.
“It was really one of those once-in-a-season-type opportunities when an opposing quarterback leads a receiver right into you,” Talge said following the game. “Big hits are always great rallying points for a defense.”
Talge’s monster hit rallied the troops as Chris Klabo intercepted Hoskins on the very next play. It was the first of two interceptions on the day for Concordia who forced Hoskins into 13-for-30 for 138 yards and one touchdown. Unable to get things going through the air Wartburg turned to their running game which had carried them most of the season. Second team All-IIAC running back Dan Hammes entered the game with a résumé that included more than 1,000 yards and 11 touchdowns on the season. On Saturday, the Cobber defense held him to 31 yards on 14 carries and no touchdowns. The Knights tallied their lowest rushing total on the season with 73 yards on 25 carries. The Concordia defense held the Knights to just 211 yards of total offense and seven points.
“They (the defensive line) are extremely fundamentally sound in run responsibilities and always do their job even if it doesn't mean making a tackle,” Talge said. “I think that was the real key on Saturday because it allowed our linebackers and safeties to fill hard and make sure tackles.”
Case in point: free safety Eric Preszler.
Wartburg had blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown and was gaining momentum as they rolled towards the end zone again with 6:52 to play. On first down and goal from the one, Hoskins handed off to running back Andy Parker who leaped for the end zone. He was met in midair by Preszler whose hit knocked the ball loose. He fell on the fumble and the kept the Knights from cutting the lead to one touchdown.
“We collided in the hole as he jumped for the end zone,” Preszler said about momentum killing hit. “I’ll have to look at the film to see exactly how the ball came loose, but I remember seeing it lying on the ground and then landing on it as we hit the ground.”
The nation’s 5th best defense had slammed the door shut on the playoff experienced Knights. It was their first loss in the first round of the playoffs in the last three years.
The Cobbers will take their defensive show inside the Fargodome this week when they battle Occidental in the second round.
Chances are the Tigers haven’t felt a Minnesota winter in a while and the only thing nastier than a Minnesota winter these days is the Concordia defense.
Buckle up.
GET to the GAME!!
Occidental at Concordia-Moorhead, 12:00 p.m. Fargodome, Fargo, N.D.: Two relatively similar teams from two radically different cities will meet in the Fargodome on Saturday with hopes of advancing to the NCAA playoff quarterfinals.
Occidental, from the smog-filled city of Los Angeles, disposed of Willamette 28-14 by methodically scoring one touchdown in each quarter and giving up just one touchdown on defense and another on a blocked punt return for a touchdown. Concordia, from the flat lands of Moorhead, won its first round match in identical fashion — 28-14, one touchdown allowed on defense and another on a blocked punt return.
While one game isn’t enough to declare these two teams equals, a closer look at their seasons suggests these are quite similar opponents. The Tigers have given 17.5 ppg through 10 games compared to Concordia at 11.1 ppg through 11 games. Occidental has been a high scoring team this year putting up 36 ppg compared to 33.5 for the Cobbers. The winning percentage of the Tigers opponents is .391 while the Cobbers opponents have a combined .421 winning percentage.
Individually, the Tigers are led by quarterback Andy Collins who is more of a threat to pass but can also run the ball relatively well. Including Collins, the Tigers have three other rushers with over 100 yards on the season.
The Cobbers are led by MIAC MVP quarterback Brian Schumacher who is an equal threat to run or pass. He leads the team in rushing and passing and has been the heart of a methodical offense that feeds off the defense.
While both these teams appear similar on paper, I still have a feeling the Cobbers will win by 17 points thanks to their stingy defense and their ability to not skip a beat when playing at the Fargodome. They blanked Menlo, from California, there two weeks ago 30-0.
UW-La Crosse at Linfield 12:00 p.m., Maxwell Field, McMinnville, Ore.: The title drive begins for Linfield on Saturday when they welcome the UW-La Crosse Eagles into the Cat Dome (the dome that isn’t really a dome) for a second round showdown. The Eagles are coming off one of the biggest fourth quarter comebacks in Division III history scoring 27 points in the final nine minutes to secure a 37-23 victory. If they wait that long against Linfield, they will definitely be in trouble.
Linfield, fresh off the bye, is one of the fastest teams in the Division III. Quarterback Brett Elliott has a fleet of speedster receivers and two solid running backs to spread the field. Linfield’s defense has been their only question mark all season but has gelled down the stretch. They enter the playoffs undefeated for the third straight year but this year there is no chance of meeting St. John's who has eliminated them the last two years. Even with St. John’s out of the playoffs, the Wildcats cannot get caught overlooking an opponent as the odds-on favorite for a spot in Salem. If they do, the team might not be St. John’s but the result could be similar.
In the battle of size (UW-L) versus speed (Linfield) I have to give it to the track team by 14 points.