AURORA, ILL. – The Concordia University Chicago football team hit the road for the first time in since opening weekend as they traveled to Aurora, Illinois for another Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) matchup. The Cougars would fall to the nationally ranked Spartans 72-6.

 
INSIDE THE BOX

• Colton Bosch (Coopersville, Mich.) passed for 110 yards on 14 completions including one touchdown.
• Joron Brown (St. Joseph, Mich.) led on the ground for the Cougars with 37 all-purpose yards.
• Devin Bledsoe (St. Charles, Mo.) picked received the lone touchdown for the Cougars off a 34 yard pass.
• Marvin Rushing (Detroit, Mich.) led defensively for the Cougars with 12 tackles.
• Adam Lambaz (Elgin, Ill.) forced one fumble on the day while picking up five tackles.
• Avery Hearn (Matteson, Ill.) picked up the lone sack for the Cougars, dropping the Spartans three yards from it.

HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST HALF
The Cougars kicked off to start the game and put the defense to work early. An incomplete pass paired with a one yard pass for the Spartans would bring up third and nine. Unable to pick up the first down, the Spartans would be forced to punt and give the Cougars a crack at offense. An early sack would put the Cougars at a harsh third and 11, but an incomplete pass would force the Cougars to punt right back. With the Spartans regaining possession, three quick snaps for a total gain of 29 yards would find the endzone and put the Cougars down 7-0 with under ten minutes to play in the first quarter. The Spartans would take advantage of a struggling Cougar offense and pick up right where they left off and put the Cougars down 14-0 at the end of the first quarter.
 
With the second quarter starting with the Spartans starting on the five yard line, they would find their way inside once again and extend their lead. Jaden Pointer (Chicago, Ill.) would return the kickoff for a promising 16 yard dash and start the Cougars on their own 21 yard line. Three consecutive short passes would give receptions to Manuel Mendoza (Ceres, Calif.) and Henry Jones IV (Atlanta, Ga.) and move give them a first down. A seven yard pass to Jones paired with a six yard rush from Brown would give the Cougars another first down as they slowly marched their way down the field. A 12 yard reception for Jayce Levy (Davenport, Iowa) would give the Cougars their third first down of this drive, but an interception would erase the progress the Cougars made.
 
After the Spartans extended their lead further, the Cougars would regain the ball at their own 43 yard line where they would get underway right away. A short left pass to Jones would move them to the 50 yard line where Bosch would drop a 22 yard pass into the hands of Brown for a first down as they inched closer to the redzone. A sack for a loss of seven yards would put them at the 34 yard line, but a pass deep down the middle to Bledsoe would pick up the Cougars lone points of the day after the missed PAT settled them at 28-6. The Spartans would only find the endzone one more time in the half and close the first 30 minutes of play with a score of 35-6.
 
SECOND HALF
The Cougars would start the second half with possession, but three downs only earned the three yards and they would be forced to punt. The Spartans would in turn score on their next three drives and extend their lead out by 50, while the Cougars remained stagnant.
 
As the Spartans extended their scoring streak into the fourth quarter, two touchdowns and a safety would round out the score 72-6 as the clock expired.
 
The Cougars will be back on the road next week as they head to Eureka, Illinois to take on Eureka College. Kickoff is set for 3:00pm. Coverage can be found at cucougars.com/coverage.