Sept. 24, 2016 - The Concordia-Chicago Cougars hit the road for the first time this season, travelling to Watertown, WI to take on the Maranatha Baptist Sabercats. The Cougars used an old formula to defeat an old rival as the rushing game and a strong defensive game were keys in CUC's 42-10 victory.

The defense's effort was noteworthy coming off last week's game in which Hope College's rushing game was the major story. Things did not bode well today when Maranatha Baptist took the opening kickoff and scored on their third play from scrimmage, a 59-yard run around the right side by Frankie Martinez. But the Sabercats would muster just 116 more yards for the remainder of the game.

"Maranatha came out with a couple of new wrinkles that we had not seen on film, and they were able to capitalize," said CUC head coach Randy Awrey. "But I thought we did a great job in making adjustments beginning with the next series and shutting down what they were trying to accomplish."

The Cougars trailed for just a few minutes as they marched steadily down the field on their first possession. Quarterback Shane Virnala (Hacienda Heights, CA/Los Altos) connected on all four passes on the drive, three of them to Rashad Lofton (Detroit, MI/Romulus). The third came from five yards out with Lofton wide open in the corner of the end zone for the score. The extra point by Orlando Hayes (Hialeah, FL/Mater Academy) tied the game 7-7 with less than five minutes elapsed. 

Later in the quarter, a CUC turnover gave the home team a chance to regain the lead. However, the defense stonewalled the Sabercats on three plays, and the drive went scoreless on a missed field goal. The Cougars took over and needed just four plays to score. Lance Moise (Coral Springs, FL/Stoneman Douglas) provided the points, electrifying the crowd by breaking a couple of tackles and racing to the end zone with a 59-yard score.

Awrey said of his running back, who also scored on a 90-yard run in the Sept. 3 against Ripon, "Lance is off to a great start, and we're excited to see what he's capable of doing in just these first three games. He's already playing like one of the top freshman backs in the country."

The Cougars rapidly built on their momentum. A sack by freshman Alfonso Sosa (Pompano Beach, FL/Westminster Academy) effectively ended MBU's next possession, and CUC was ready to add to its lead. Virnala hit Ryan Allison (Parkland, FL/Stoneman Douglas) on a 26-yard gain to the 11, and Moise took a handoff on the next snap and plowed up the middle to the end zone for his second score and a 21-7 lead.

In the final minutes of the half, MBU's attempt to get back into the game was thwarted as Adeoluwa Olaniyan (Chicago, IL/St. Francis de Sales) dropped Martinez in the backfield for a loss of six yards. Using their timeouts judiciously, the Cougars forced the Sabercats to punt and got excellent field position on a 26-yard return by Allison. They needed just 34 seconds to cover the 56 yards as Virnala hit Lofton for 27 yards and Leroy Bridges (Chicago, IL/Perspectives) for 11. On a second down from the 18, Virnala threw to Moise on the right side, and Moise made his way to the end zone, taking a couple of tacklers with him the last few yards. The extra point by Hayes was good, giving Concordia-Chciago a 28-7 lead at the half.

Concordia-Chicago got the kickoff to start the third quarter, and they dispelled any remaining doubts about the game's outcome. Moise did the lion's share of the work, covering 54 of the 60 yards on the drive including the final 12 yards on a power run off-tackle. Five minutes into the half, CUC's lead was at 35-7.

Moise carried just two more times for seven yards before taking a seat on the sidelines with many of the other starters for the rest of the game. He carried 17 times for 179 yards (10.5 average) and the four touchdowns (three rushing).

The final 1 1/2 quarters saw all of the CUC players that made the trip get some playing time. Concordia's final score came on a 16-yard pass from Rob Granquist (Powers, MI/North Central) to freshman Brandon Kowalkowski (Kingsford, MI/H.S.). Defensive highlights over the latter part of the game included a 10-yard sack by Nico Powell (Brookfield, IL/Riverside-Brookfield) and a fumble recovery by Zak Ripp (Port St. Lucie, FL/Centennial).

The Cougars amassed 426 yards of total offense to the Sabercats' 180. CUC's yardage was split almost 50/50 with 217 yards rushing and 209 passing. Four CUC quarterbacks combined for 20 of 31 yards . The Sabercats totaled their 180 yards on 105 rushing and 75 passing (6-11).

Concordia-Chicago (2-1) will play its final non-conference game next Saturday, Oct. 1 when they travel to Trine University in Angola, IN. Kickoff time is at 1 p.m. (12 p.m. Chicago time).