Sept. 17, 2016 - The Concordia-Chicago Cougars hosted Hope College this afternoon, looking to follow up a strong winning performance two weeks ago with another solid outing on the home field. However, the Flying Dutchmen had other ideas as they rushed for 518 yards behind three 100-yard rushers and powered past the Cougars by a final score of 57-28.

Brandan Campbell set the tone for the afternoon on the opening drive as he carried five times for 46 yards. The drive stalled at the nine-yard line on an incomplete pass, one of only nine that Hope threw all day, and Darren Ford came on to boot a 26-yard field goal and give the visitors an early 3-0 lead.

The Cougars struggled on their first drive, turning the ball over on a fumble. However, that turnover did not prove costly as Hope's second possession ended on downs at the CUC 31-yard line. Concordia-Chicago then took over and marched 69 yards for a score. Shane Virnala (Hacienda Heights, CA/Los Altos) converted a key third-and-19 as he hit Rashad Lofton (Detroit, MI/Romulus) for a gain of 35 yards. The Cougars eventually gained a first down at the 22 from where Virnala hit Corey Dooley (Dallas, TX/South Grand Prairie) in the right corner of the end zone despite interference from the defense. The extra point by Orlando Hayes (Hialeah, FL/Mater Academy) gave CUC its only lead of the day at 7-3.

Hope did not trail for long, however. Quarterback Bruce Schroeder hit Kurtis Slenk for 11 yards on a third-and-six. Three plays later, it was Campbell that took the handoff on a third down and got loose for a 41-yarder into the end zone. Hope led 10-7 in the final minute of the first quarter.

Penalties were a problem for the Cougars on Saturday, and a key one on the next possession negated a 39-yard completion to Ryan Allison (Parkland, FL/Stoneman Douglas) down to the 10-yard line. Instead, the Cougars would eventually be forced to punt, and an interference on the fair catch improved the visitors' field position. Schroeder ran for 30 yards on the first play of the drive, and Hope competed the six-play, 69-yard drive, all on the ground, with a 17-yard scramble by Schroeder for a 17-7 lead.

The Cougars charged right back, getting a few big runs of their own - an 18-yard gain by Aaron Gaines (Los Angeles, CA/Washington Prep) and a 15-yard keeper up the middle by Virnala. The Cougars' quarterback would go to the air for the touchdown, however, as he hit a wide-open Lofton for six. The extra point made the score Hope 17, CUC 14, and it appeared as if both teams were off to the races for the rest of the day.

Hope continued to amass yardage on the ground as they marched downfield again despite starting the drive on the nine-yard line following a penalty on the kick return. Mike Miklusicak was the playmaker on this drive, rushing for gains of 23 and 27 yards on consecutive plays. However, it was Campbell that put the points on the board with a run from one yard out. The extra point was blocked by Tim Bahr (Hartland, WI/Lake Country Lutheran), leaving the score at 23-14. 

Concordia-Chicago looked for another answer to a Hope score, but pass rush pressure resulted in an interception on CUC's first drive, and the Flying Dutchmen set up shop at the Cougars' 15. They needed just three plays to cash in for a score as Schroeder ran for an 11-yard score. Hope attempted a two-point conversion this time, but they were unsuccessful as the score remained at 29-14. The Cougars then put the final points of the first half on the board, sparked by a 50-yard kick return by Lofton. Virnala completed passes of 14 yards to Allison and 16 yards to Dooley. But it was Lofton that hauled in the touchdown from 14 yards out, his second TD reception of the half, to put the Cougars within 29-20 at the break.

The third quarter proved to be a momentum changer as the Cougars put together two good drives of 58 and 73 yards, only to come away without any points. The opening drive of the half saw some quality running from Lance Moise (Coral Springs, FL/Stoneman Douglas) as he carried seven times for 36 yards. Moise picked up a first down at the five, but the Cougars were denied on the next three plays. Opting for a field goal, the kick hit the right upright and bounced away. Hope turned it around and drove 80 yards for the score, Miklusicak scoring on a 38-yard run around the right side. Undaunted, CUC went on the attack again as Virnala hit Lofton for a 52-yard gain before Lofton was chased out of bounds at the five. The Cougars were stopped at the two, and another field goal attempt was unsuccessful as this one went wide left. Hope duplicated their previous feat of an 80-yard touchdown drive, this one coming from Schroeder's three-yard run, and the Flying Dutchmen led 43-20 early in the fourth quarter.

Miklusicak scored his second touchdown of the day midway through the fourth on a seven-yard run to cap off a short scorng drive. But the Cougars answered with their final scoring drive of the day, started by Vornala's 24-yard completion to Leroy Bridges (Chicago, IL/Perspectives). Five plays later, it was Virnala to Allison from 16 yards out for the six points. The Cougars went for two points on the conversion and made good when Virnala, scrambling left, shoveled the ball to an open Lofton. 

The final score of the day came on an eight-play drive, all running plays. Campbell scored his third TD on a three-yard run. The Cougars had the final possession with Rob Granquist (Powers, MI/North Central) leading the team and completing all five of his passes for 62 yards, including two to Ryan Bloomfield (Topeka, KS/Girard) for 31 yards. However, time ran out on the Cougars as they had reached the 16-yard line.

The final stat sheet showed Hope with an incredible 518 net yards rushing on 68 attempts, compared to just 35 passing yards (Schroeder 5-8) for a total of 553 yards total offense. Campbell led the way with 185 yards on 27 carries, followed by Miklusicak's 178 yards on 19 carries and Schroeder's 156 on 21 carries.

Virnala threw for 323 yards on 22-30 and four touchdowns. Lofton sparkled with eight catches for 166 yards and also 158 yards on five kick returns. Concordia-Chicago finished with 451 yards of total offense on 385 passing and 66 rushing.

Defensively, A.J. Seidler (West Chicago, IL/H.S.) recorded eight solo tackles and four tackle assists, followed by Bahr with four solos and six assists. 

The Cougars (1-1) will go on the road for the first time in 2016 next Saturday when they travel to Watertown, WI and a 1:00 kickoff against Maranatha Baptist University.