Nov. 6, 2019 - The Concordia-Chicago football team will conclude their season's business on the road with two games, beginning with this Saturday's noon kickoff against Rockford University. After a disappointing home finale last week in which the Cougars lost 17-14 to Wisconsin Lutheran College on a last-minute field goal, CUC head coach Jason Aubry's team is expected to be chomping at the bit to return to the win column.

Since 2008, the Cougars (4-4, 2-3 NACC) have fared well overall against the Regents, taking seven of the 11 contests. However, the Cougars have dropped the last two at Sam Greeley Stadium in 2015 and 2017, and CUC will certainly expect a fight from a host Rockford team that is 1-7, 0-5 and coming off a loss to Concordia Wisconsin last Saturday. 

The Cougars will look to reignite their offense this week after back-to-back games of 15 and 14 points, although CUC did yeoman's work with the ground game against WLC. Lance Moise battled through a day of constant pounding but still managed to run for 145 yards in his three quarters of work. Tylor Martens also made his return to the lineup for the first time since Oct. 5 and added 90 yards, including a two-yard run that tied the game early in the fourth quarter. The Cougars' passing game was limited to 137 yards last week, leading Coach Aubry to say that "we expect to be able to move the ball effectively this week, but the bottom line is that everyone needs to execute." 

Whatever ways the Cougars attack the Regents, they will face a  Rockford defense that is capable of making the big plays. Despite giving up 41 points last week to CUW, Rockford forced six turnovers out of the Falcons, including a season-high four interceptions. Jermaine Johnson had two of the picks to go with seven tackles, and Garrick McGregor had an interception and 10 tackles. However, the player to watch on RU's defense is undoubtedly Jallen Bashford. The junior linebacker currently leads NCAA Division III with 114 tackles, an average of 14.3 per game. Bashford recorded 10 tackles last week , along with the fourth interception, and he had a big game against the Cougars last season with 17 tackles.

Rockford's offense has utilized three quarterbacks this season. Last week, it was Christian Mazurkiewicz under center, and he threw for 205 yards and three touchdowns, two of them to Kalan Miller. Like the Cougars' last two opponents, the Regents rely on the passing game for much of their offensive production; the quarterbacks have thrown for 1512 yards while the rushing game has produced 888 yards. Rockford's leading rusher is Lavar Johnson Jr. with 559 yards and a team-leading eight touchdowns.

On CUC's defensive side of the ball, safety John Correa had his best outing as a Cougar last week, recording a team-leading 10 tackles. He and Demetrius Rufus also combined for a highlight-reel interception, with Rufus breaking up a long WLC pass and Correa making a diving grab off the deflection. Caleb Casey was also very active in the secondary with seven tackles, while D-lineman Gustavo Alba was in on six tackles. "Our defense has done a fine job considering that we have some guys banged up and others that are playing different positions than where they started the season," says Aubry. 

Kickoff from Sam Greeley Stadium will be an hour earlier at 12 noon. Go to www.cucougars.com/coverage for links to the live video broadcast.