October 7, 20197 yr The #5 Concordia Cardinals bested conference rival #19 Siena Heights Saints 10-7 in a defensive struggle that went down to the wire. This game featured all the emotion you could want in a football game. The two teams traded punts throughout the first quarter. The first score did not come until the 9:34 mark of the 2nd Quarter when Siena Heights put together an eight-play drive that ended with a 22-yard pass to the RB for a TD. Siena held a 7-0 lead at the half. There were 8 punts and two off-setting INTs in the first half. Concordia received the kick at the start of the 3rd Quarter and put together a 9-play 56-yard drive. It ended on an unsuccessful field goal attempt that went wide left from 35 yards out. The rest of the third quarter was a punting contest for field position. On Concordia’s first possession of the 4th Quarter, they took over in Siena Heights territory after a short punt by the Saints. The Cardinals worked their way down to the Saints 23 where W. Mast made good on a 40 yard field goal cutting the Siena Heights lead to 7-3. The Saints could not get any traction on their next possession and had to punt. The Concordia Cardinals started on their own 16 yard-line and mounted a 17 play drive beginning with 10:38 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Cardinals ate up the clock as they worked their way down the field. On 3rd and 7 at the Saints 23 Peter Morrison completed a pass to Rod Dailey for 4 yards. After a roughing the passer call, the Cards set up at the 9-yard line with first and goal to go. Netting only 1 yard on two plays, the Cardinals call a timeout. On 3rd and Goal Morrison completes a pass to his RB for 7 yards and call their last timeout with 4 minutes remaining in the game. Parker Graham comes in the game at QB for Concordia. The play call is a QB keeper and he loses three yards on the play. However, the tackle was aided by grabbing the facemask of the QB. There was little doubt as to the foul because the helmet came completely off. This gave Concordia a first and goal at the 1-yard line. On first down, CUAA is called for a false start. Now the ball is back at the 6. On the next play Sienna Heights’ DB, Trenton Morrow, got a sack driving the Cards back to the 18-yard line. Concordia’s QB was intercepted in the endzone on the next play and the Saints took possession at their own 20-yard line and possession of a 7-3 lead with under 3 minutes to play. The air went out of Cardinal stadium as that appeared to be their last chance to score. The Saints probably only needed a 1st down to win. However, they started their possession with an unsportsmanlike conduct call putting them in a hole to begin this very important series. After a net gain of only 7 yards on three straight rushes, the Saints were forced to punt on 4th down. With a 45-yard punt and no return the Cardinals took over at their 38-yard line and only 56 seconds remaining in the game. Two completions to Clay Coltson separated by two incompletions set up the Cardinals for a first down at the Saints 27. A false start on first down moved CUAA back to the 32-yard line. QB Morrison threw three straight incompletions to set up 4th and 15 at the 32 with 18 seconds remaining in the game. CUAA comes out with one receiver split left, three out to the right and a RB in the backfield with the QB. At the snap, the receiver who was lined wide right on the numbers sprinted downfield and angled in toward the hashmarks. He stopped and cut back outside. Peter Morrison threw the ball, the DB broke on the ball that just whizzed by his outstretched fingers and into the hands of Concordia’s Clay Coltson who gathered it in, avoided one tackler and beat the next defender into the endzone for the TD. The home crowd went crazy in celebration of a sensational 32 yard TD for the go ahead score with only 9 seconds remaining in the game. Sienna Heights was unable to move the ball and in four seconds following the kick-off, the game was over with CUAA claiming the 10-7 victory in a huge conference game between ranked opponents. Concordia travels to Ft. Wayne next week to take on the #3 St Francis Cougars. Click on the link to see how close the winning reception came to being knocked down:
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