Box Score Oct. 4, 2014 - The Concordias of Chicago and Wisconsin renewed their old rivalry this afternoon with a game in the rain and cold of Mequon, WI. The Cougars were game to give the Falcons a battle after coming up short by six points in last year's high-scoring game. However, some key turnovers proved the biggest barrier to CUC achieving its goal, and they fell 47-20 at CUW's Tomasini Stadium.

The Cougars took the opening kickoff and marched down the field, helped by a 22-yard completion from Ryan Fischbach (South Elgin, IL/St. Charles North) to Elijah Walker (Hobart, IN/H.S.). Moments later, Fischbach broke loose on a 31-yard scramble down to the CUW three, and the Cougars were seemingly in business. However, an illegal formation penalty wiped out the big gainer, and CUC's drive would end without a score when Fischbach's pass on fourth down went incomplete.

The home team took over but gained just two yards on three plays, bringing up a punt situation. However, the Cougars coughed up the ball on the return, and the Falcons regained possession at the CUC 32. From there, the Falcons needed just five plays to score the first points of the game. Shay Klitzke got the call from three yards out, giving CUW a 7-0 lead with 8:21 to go in the first quarter.

Following the kickoff, the Cougars were pinned in their own zone. On third down, Fischbach was sacked and the ball came loose. The Falcons' Kevin Kern scooped up the ball and rumbled 10 yards into the end zone for a 14-0 lead.

The rest of the quarter was uneventful and, after the Falcons missed a field goal early in the second quarter, the Cougars got to work. Brent O'Halloran (Olivia, MN/BOLD) picked up a first down on a 12-yard run, and Fischbach connected on a 28-yard pass to Rashad Lofton (Detroit, MI/Romulus). A 15-yard scamper by Fischbach took the ball down to the one-yard line from where the quarterback called his own number again and plunged into the end zone. The Cougars were within 14-7 with 9:51 remaining in the half.

Later in the quarter, a punt put the Cougars deep in their own zone. On third down, a fierce pass rush saw Fischbach sacked by Uzziel McDermit for a safety. The ensuing free kick put the Falcons in position to score again, but the Cougars' defense rose to the occasion as Nick Hostetler (Bozeman, MT/H.S.) stopped CUW quarterback Austin Damaschke at the one-yard line.

Late in the half came the key sequence of the game. The Cougars were on the move following a Falcons' punt, and Fischbach hit Ryan Allison (Parkland, FL/Stoneman Douglas) on a 38-yard gain to the CUW nine. Three plays later, the Falcons intercepted in the end zone with the ball coming out to the 20. The hosts then turned around and drove 80 yards in five plays, sparked by pass plays of 39 and 30 yards. The touchdown came on a one-yard pass from Damaschke to Garrett Wenzelburger, and the 14-point swing made the halftime score CUW 23, CUC 7.

Buoyed by the shift of momentum, the Falcons came out for the second half and scored touchdowns on their first three possessions. CUW made the most out of some big yardage plays including a 27-yard reception by Wenzelburger and a 54-yard run by Klitzke.

The Cougars were turned away in the red zone late in the third quarter, but they would find the end zone again early in the fourth quarter. Freshman Jakari Cammon (Oak Park, IL/Oak Park-River Forest) broke loose on a 22-yard run down to the one, and he took the ball over on the next play to make the score CUW 47, CUC 13 (extra point missed).

The final scoring drive of the game went to the Cougars midway through the quarter. A 14-yard completion from Acusio Bivona (Los Angeles, CA/Hamilton) to Camron Enyart (Naples, FL/Golden Gate) and a 25-yard run by Cammon provided the biggest gains on the drive. Cammon would break the goal line again, this time from four yards out to complete the scoring.

The Cougars accumulated 352 yards of offense on the day. Fischbach passed for 183 yards on 15-31 and Bivona for 93 yards on 11-18. Allison caught seven passes for 91 yards. On the ground, Cammon recorded a net 67 yards on 13 carries, an average of just over five yards per carry.

Defensively, Hostetler and Tyson Burch (Cooper City, FL/H.S.) each made 11 total tackles and forced a fumble. Tim Bahr (Hartland, WI/Lake Country Lutheran) was credited with CUC's lone takeaway of the day, a fumble recovery in the second quarter.

Concordia-Chicago (0-3, 0-1 NACC) will welcome Lakeland College to River Forest next Saturday at 1:00 as part of CUC's Homecoming and Hall of Fame Weekend.