GREENVILLE, ILL. – The Concordia University Chicago Cougars kicked off the 2024 season on the road to take on Greenville University for their season opener for the second consecutive year. Despite some hearty runs, deep throws, and strong defense the Cougars would ultimately fall 54-23.
INSIDE THE BOX
- Colton Bosch (Coopersville, Mich.) led the Cougars in passing with 15 completions for a total of 194 yards and two touchdowns. With
- Joron Brown (St. Joseph, Mich.) led on the ground with 27 rushes for a gain of 156 yards with one touchdown. He averaged 5.6 yards per carry with his largest rush coming in at 57 yards.
- Jayce Levy (Davenport, Iowa) picked up a career-high six receptions on the day with one touchdown on 76 total receiving yards.
- Travon Thomas (Wauchula, Fla.) showed his seniority on the defensive end picking up five solo tackles and four assisted.
- Ryan Auer (Newark, Ohio) secured a 20-yard field goal and two PATs while averaging 37.8 yards on kickoffs.
- As a team, the Cougars picked up more first downs, pass completions, third down conversions, fourth down conversions, and field goals than the Panthers.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The game got underway on a sunny and 70 degree Saturday with the Cougars receiving the opening kickoff.
Devin Bledsoe (St. Charles, Mo.) fielded the ball at the 27-yard line, but the return gained no yards. With CUC's offense quickly getting to work Brown made a spectacular 57-yard rush to the Greenville 16-yard line on the first play of the day, setting up a promising drive. However, despite the strong start, the drive stalled as they encountered a series of setbacks. A penalty for offside on Greenville moved the ball to the 5-yard line, but the Cougars couldn't capitalize. Incomplete passes and solid defensive plays from Greenville resulted in a turnover on downs.
Greenville took over at their 5-yard line with 10:38 remaining. Their first drive was hampered by a loss and an incomplete pass thanks to lock down defense from
Marvin Rushing (Detroit, Mich.). After a muffed punt was recovered by the Panthers at the CUC 34-yard line, Greenville had another chance. With under five minutes to go in the quarter, a plunge into the end zone for the Panthers from the 1-yard line, would secure the game's first touchdown. With a successful extra point, the Panthers would jump ahead 7-0
.
CUC's response was marred by a false start penalty and a series of ineffective plays. They struggled to move the ball and were eventually forced to punt from their 27-yard line. The punt was returned to the 50-yard line, but a personal foul tacked on 15 yards and planted the ball on Greenville's 35-yard line.
With just over two minutes left, Greenville's offense took the field again, but the few small gains were setback by a tackle for loss from Thomas. The quarter ended with Greenville in possession of the ball at their own 47-yard line, still leading 7-0.
As the second quarter began, Greenville quickly gained momentum with a 20-yard rush to the just outside the red zone before an extensive rush for the Panthers would find the end zone and extend the lead to 14-0 over the Cougars. As CUC tried to mount a comeback they would find roadblocks such as a kickoff return that started them at their own 29-yard line. Despite some positive gains from Brown and Bosch, their drive stalled once again inside the Greenville 20-yard line. With the pressure mounting, the Cougar offense was forced to take a 20-yard field goal from Auer that would easily pass through the uprights, cutting their deficit down to 14-3.
Greenville responded to the field goal with another effective drive that would eventually turn to another Greenville touchdown. With the successful PAT, Greenville increased their lead to 21-3 with 5:53 remaining in the half.
After falling behind yet another touchdown, the Cougars showed their determination to close the gap. As they moved the ball efficiently, highlighted by runs from Brown and passes from Bosch, they would reach the Greenville 33-yard line. A 31-yard touchdown pass to Levy briefly stirred hopes of a comeback, but an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and a missed PAT stacked against the Cougars would keep the score at 21-9.
As the quarter wound down, Greenville's offense continued to press. With under a minute left, they managed to get a first down at the CUC 44-yard line, but with time running out the half would end with Greenville leading 21-9.
With Greenville receiving the kickoff to start the second half, an eventual fumble forced by the pressure from
Christopher Watson (St. Louis, Mo.) would give way for
Jordan Lacey (Belleville, Ill.) to recover the ball for CUC. The recovery was partially overshadowed by a personal foul penalty against the Panthers, which pushed the ball back to the Greenville 45-yard line, giving the Cougars a fresh set of downs.
CUC's offense took over with a renewed sense of urgency. Brown carried the ball effectively, pushing it to the Greenville 33-yard line. Despite a failed deep pass attempt to Levy and a brief loss of yards, Brown managed to punch it in from the one-yard line for a touchdown. After Auer's successful PAT it would bring the Cougars closer, only trailing 21-16.
On the kickoff after the touchdown, a personal foul on the Cougars would move the ball back to their own 20-yard line. Greenville would quickly advanced the ball with a 27-yard pass to set up yet another scoring opportunity, where the Panthers would extend to a 28-16 lead.
CUC, now trailing by 12 points, needed to respond swiftly. They began their drive at the 35-yard line, but their efforts were thwarted by a critical interception. Although Greenville started their drive with high hopes, it stalled after a few attempts and ultimately turned over on downs at the Concordia-Chicago 48-yard line.
The quarter continued with both teams struggling to find momentum. CUC's offense faltered with a series of incomplete passes and a crucial sack, which forced another turnover on downs. As the quarter neared its end, Greenville's defense remained steadfast, denying the Cougars any opportunities to advance.
As the fourth quarter kicked off, Greenville continued to showcase their playmaking ability and tacked on an 88-yard touchdown pass to extend Greenville's lead to 35-16. The kickoff following the touchdown was returned by Randle Bills for a modest 3-yard gain, setting up CUC's offense at their own 24-yard line.
With plenty of time remaining, the Cougar's offense took the field with Bosch, Brown and
Henry Jones IV (Atlanta, Ga.) ready to roll. A series of impressive passes and runs would lay foundation for Brown's 14-yard catch and a deep pass to Jones for 23 yards and put the Cougars in striking distance. Despite some setbacks with incomplete passes and a crucial sack, Bosch managed to find Bledsoe in the end zone for a 28-yard touchdown where Auer's extra point would cut the deficit to 35-23 and spark hope for a comeback.
Greenville answered immediately and broke free for a 56-yard touchdown run. The missed extra point dampened Greenville's momentum as they now led 41-23. The kickoff that followed was fair-caught by Levy at the 10-yard line, but CUC struggled to build any rhythm. As the Cougars attempted to regroup, their drive was marred by mistakes. An interception paired with Greenville's intense offense would result in another touchdown, pushing the lead to 47-23.
With time ticking away, the Cougars made one last effort to narrow the gap. They began a drive from their own 25-yard line with hopes of a miracle comeback. Bosch connected with
Wesley Jackson (Robinson, Ill.) for a 25-yard gain and Brown added a few more yards on the ground. However, the drive hit a wall with a series of incomplete passes and an unfortunate sack.
Greenville's defense held firm as the Cougars tried to push for another score. As the Cougars were unable to breach the Greenville end zone they would fall 54-23.
Despite this tough loss, the Cougars will bounce back with their home opener next week, September 14
th, as they gear up to take on Manchester University. Kickoff is set for 2:30 pm. Coverage for all things CUC Football can be found at cucougars.com/coverage.
