Box Score Sept. 21, 2013 - For the first 30 minutes of Saturday's Concordia-Chicago football game, the Cougars held their own with the Bulldogs of Adrian College, the defending MIAA champions and NCAA III playoff team. However, as the young Cougars were reminded, turnovers are often the surest way to self-destruction. Concordia turned the ball over six times. most of which led directly to Adrian touchdowns. as a result, Adrian scored 41 second-half points to break open a close game and pull away to a 48-0 rout.
The first turnover came on the opening kickoff as the Cougars coughed up the return at their own 25. Adrian's first play from scrimmage produced a run by Dae'Von Robinson down to the two from where, two plays later, quarterback Aaron Tenney followed his blockers into the end zone for a 7-0 lead.
Concordia's defense held on Adrian's next couple of possessions and, early in the second quarter, a big play on defense put the Cougars in position to tie the game. On a third and six,
Mike Bailey (Spring Hill, FL/Central) sacked Tenney with the ball coming loose. Freshman
Abdias Corgelas (Fort Myers, FL/H.S.) recovered at the Bulldogs' 46. Moments later,
Acusio Bivona (Los Angeles, CA/Hamilton) hit
Mike Brown (Modesto, CA/Johansen) for 26 yards down to the Adrian 14. Another completion, this one to
J.C. Curry (Lincoln, AL/Pace) set up the Cougars with a fourth-and-one at the five-yard line. However, the Adrian defense rose to the challenge as they stuffed a Cougars' run up the middle for a loss of two yards to end what would be the visitors' biggest threat of the day.
The score remained 7-0 until early in the third quarter. An interception set up the Bulldogs at the Cougars' 20-yard line. The short four-play drive culminated in Tenney's second score of the game, a one-yard plunge behind center for a 14-0 lead.
Concordia was still in the chase midway through the quarter as
Pat Ugolini (Seneca, IL/H.S.) came up with the team's second takeaway on a fumble recovery. However, the Cougars were unable to move the ball and were forced to punt. A touchback had the Bulldogs pinned in their end but, on the first play of the drive, Damon Brown broke loose on an 80-yard run for the lightning-fast strike and the 21-0 lead.
Brown's run broke open the proverbial floodgates as the Bulldogs scored on an 11-yard pass on their next drive. Moments later, a 17-yard interception return by Deontae Bridgeman made it a 28-point quarter and a 35-0 lead. Adrian finished off the rout with two fourth-quarter touchdowns, one coming immediately following a Cougar fumble.
The final stats showed Concordia with 195 yards of offense. Quarterbacks Bivona,
Ryan Fischbach (South Elgin, IL/St. Charles North) and
Sean Liaromatis (Wilmington, IL/H.S.) were under heavy pressure all day and were a combined 12 of 29 for 126 yards.
Seve Loubriel (Niles, IL/Niles West) caught three passes for 33 yards.
Bailey led the CUC defense with 10 tackles, three of which went for a combined eight yards in losses.
Gilbert Reger (Phoenix, AZ/Cesar Chavez) added seven tackles, two for minus-yardage. The Cougars finished with three takeaways on fumbles,
Kevin Day (Baltimore, MD/Edmondson Westside) recovering the third.
Concordia (0-3) will have a bye week before beginning Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference play on Saturday, Oct. 5 when they host Rockford University for Homecoming.
