(Ann Arbor, MI) The Cardinal Football Team hosted Taylor University Saturday. CUAA looked to bounce back after dropping their conference opener to Saint Francis University last week. Entering Saturday, the Cards owned a 2-3 overall record.
Concordia opened the scoring after starting a drive with 5:59 left in the first quarter. During the possession, Tyler Steele (JR/Garden City, MI) led the Cards 80 yards on 10 plays capped off by a Mike Blosser (FR/Flat Rock, MI) 7-yard run. Brayden Bennett (SO/Battle Creek, MI) added the extra point to give the Cardinals a 7-0 lead.
The Cardinal defense forced a three and out on the ensuing Taylor drive. However, the following Cardinal possession would not last long as the Taylor defense forced a turnover. The Trojans capitalized on the miscue and needed one play to find the end zone. After a successful point after attempt, the score was knotted up at 7.
Taylor would add to their lead on their next drive by way of a Wynn Coggin 26-yard field goal putting the score at 10-7.
The ensuing Cardinal possession would be stifled after three plays and result in a Danny Baum (SO/Brownstown, MI) punt.
The Trojan offense would find the end zone following the punt. This time Jonathan Keith found Shawn Lashbrook for 15 yards and a score. The point after made the score 17-7.
After a pair of possession changes, Taylor extended their lead to 23-7 after Keith connected with Lashbrook once again, this time for 31 yards.
CUAA answered right back with a score of their own. With 20 seconds left in the first half, Steele found Herman Mason (FR/Lansing, MI) for six. Bennett tacked on the extra point and Concordia closed the gap at 23-14.
Both teams would exchange field position twice to start the second half. With 8:49 on the clock, Senior Takari Johnson (SR/Lansing, MI) forced a Trojan fumble recovered by Nick Holshoe (SO/Allegan, MI).
The Cards took advantage of the opportunity when quarterback Beau Perry (JR/Anaheim Hills, CA) connected with Ashton Hundley (SO/Ypsilanti, MI) for 13 yards. Bennett once again added the extra point and pulled CUAA closer at 23-21.
The fourth quarter would bring on three more Taylor University touchdowns. Keith and Lashbrook teamed up for their third connection on the day to put the score at 30-21. After a Cardinal fumble, Lashbrook found the end zone again with a pass from Michael Miller. Miller tallied one more score on the day to cap off the Taylor victory at 43-21.
Concordia University fell to 2-4 overall, and 0-2 in the Mid-State Football Association League standings.
On the day Tyler Steele threw for 195 yards on 16 completions in 33 attempts. Perry contributed 36 yards on 4 completions in 13 attempts, and both quarterbacks added one touchdown. Austin Douglass (SO/Detroit, MI) hauled in six catches for 41 yards while Herman Mason collected 4 catches on 99 yards and one score. Ashton Hundley tallied 4 catches for 48 yards and one score on the day.
Defensively for the Cardinals Takari Johnson continued his dominate play with 20 total tackles. In addition, he added two sacks and forced one fumble. Nick Holshoe and Hunter Cox (SO/Laurel, MD) tallied 9 tackles on the day with Cox adding one sack.
Next week the Cardinals travel to Siena Heights University to take on the Saints with a start time of 1:00pm. The Cards will be back at home on the 1st of November to take on MSFA league opponent University of Saint Francis.
Be sure to stay up to date on all of Concordia University athletics by going on Twitter and following @CUAACardinals. You can also download the GoCards! app on your iOS or Andriod device.
Go Cards!
