Oct. 20, 2018 - The rivalry between the Concordia-Chicago Cougars and the Concordia Wisconsin Falcons has produced some unusual moments over the years. Add today's game at CUW's Tomasini Stadium to the list, as the 37th game in the series went to the host school. A 27 mile-per-hour wind blowing from the north end zone to the south was a significant player in today's game, and the Falcons used it to fashion a 24-point second quarter and take control of the game, eventually winning by a final score of 45-34.

The game started promisingly for the Cougars after the Falcons' opening drive resulted in a three-and-out. The Cougars' offense took over at their own 40 and picked up the game's initial first down on Griffin Beaudette's completion to Da'Nas Pinellas on a third-and-14. Tylor Martens' 18-yard run moved the ball in to the red zone and, moments later, Martens took a handoff at the five and ran it in for a 7-0 lead.

The early lead held for the next several minutes as Thaddous Daniel Jr. made a nicely-timed pass break-up on third down to end the Falcons' second drive. However, the Cougars were unable to take advantage, and the Falcons cashed in on their third drive. Aaron Nixon's pass to Josh Sanders in the final minute of the quarter tied the score at 7-7.

The strong north wind worked to the advantage of CUW in the second quarter. The Cougars' defense held on the Falcons' first foray into the south end of the field as some excellent pass coverage produced a break-up on a fourth-down pass. However, the Falcons' next possession saw them pull a rabbit out of a hat. Faced with a fourth down at the 25, the Cougars put a heavy pass rush on CUW quarterback Aaron Nixon, but Nixon lofted the ball to the back of the end zone where Isaiah Tennette was able to come down with it while staying in-bounds. The acrobatic catch gave the Falcons the lead for good at 14-7.

The remainder of the second quarter saw the Cougars unable to get out of their own end and the Falcons taking advantage of the short fields to add on to the lead. CUW scored touchdowns on drives of 43 and 31 yards before a field goal in the final minute made the halftime score Falcons 31, Cougars 7.

The early minutes of the second half saw both teams start tentatively while a brief snow flurry entered into the weather mix. Midway through the third, CUW took its largest lead of the day at 38-7 on Nixon's third touchdown pass of the day to cap a 39-yard drive.

While down by a large margin, the Cougars kept plugging away and produced some bright moments for the remainder of the contest. Jordan Sepulveda and Eric Hoff hooked up for a couple of completions to get things started. But it was freshman Eddie Hopkins that accelerated the drive even further. His runs of nine and 17 yards moved the ball deep into CUW territory, and he would score moments later on a three-yard run to make the score 38-14 after three quarters.

Concordia-Chicago was on the move again after a quick CUW three-and-out. This time, Sepulveda and Pinellas moved the chains on a couple of completions before Hopkins stepped up again. His 23-yard run got CUC into the red zone again and, after a touchdown pass on the next play was nullified by a holding penalty, Hopkins took the handoff and scored from 17 yards out to make it a 38-20 game (two-point pass failed).

The Falcons added their final points on a blocked punt recovery in the end zone, but the Cougars kept fighting until the end. A 65-yard drive resulted in CUC's next touchdown, highlighted by aerial strikes to Pinellas, Hoff and Robert Dominguez. A roughing the passer penalty moved the ball to the three, from where Hopkins scored his third touchdown of the day.

With 2:12 remaining, the Cougars reached the scoreboard one more time, thanks to evening things up in the blocked punt category. Pinned deep in their end, a CUW punt was blocked by Kenneth Woods and recovered by Pinellas at the eight. Two plays later from the six, Sepulveda found Hoff in the middle of the end zone. The same combo made good on a two-point conversion to make the final score Falcons 45, Cougars 34.
 
Concordia-Chicago actually outgained its rival in total offense, accumulating 355 yards to CUW's 323. The Cougars had a four-yard edge in rushing, 162 to 158, and a 193-165 advantage through the air. However, the Falcons came up with a pair of interceptions for the only turnovers of the game.

For CUC, Hopkins carried 12 times for 91 yards and the three touchdowns. Hoff was CUC's leading receiver with nine grabs for 107 yards while Pinellas had five for 51 yards. Defensively the Cougars' leading tacklers were Rodolfo Payan with 14 tackles (three solo), Gustavo Alba with 12 tackles (one solo) and Daniel Jr. with 11 (five solo).

The Cougars (1-6, 0-4 NACC) will return home next Saturday, Oct. 27 to host Rockford University. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.