MOORHEAD, Minn. (10/25/14)—Concordia senior quarterback Griffin Neal broke the school record for career passing yards as he helped the Cobbers roll past Hamline 42-7 which sets the table for a late-season key conference match-up.
Neal needed 181 passing yards to break the school record 5,235 yards set by Michael Dunham from 2008-11. He became the school's official passing king late in the second quarter when he connected on a 22-yard pass to Cooper Gauldin. Neal would then go on to add 91 more passing yards and now has 5,327 career passing yards.
Neal's record-setting day was the catalyst behind the Cobbers' seventh overall win of the season and fifth victory in conference play. Nationally-ranked Concordia has now won three straight games and is 7-1 in all games and 5-1 in league play. The seven overall wins are the most by any team in the MIAC. The Cobbers have two games remaining in the regular season and will face nationally-ranked St. Thomas next week.
Neal also tied another school career passing record and was one yard shy of breaking the record. He entered the day three passing touchdowns shy of the career passing touchdown mark of 44 set by Ryan Hebrink from 2000-03. Neal connected on two scoring strikes in a span of 3:38 at the end of the first quarter and start of the second quarter. He found junior wide receiver Brandon Zylstra on both TD passes. The first strike was on a 3-yard slant pass at the 53-second mark of the first quarter and then the two combined on a 50-yard "go" route at 11:55 of the second quarter.
Neal fell one yard short of breaking both career passing marks on the same play when his pass to Gauldin was stopped at the 1-yard line.
Neal and the Concordia offense combined to put up 516 total offensive yards against Hamline. It marks the second straight week that CC has had over 500 offensive yards in a game and the seventh time in eight games they have amassed at least 440 yards of total offense.
Media Recaps
Fargo Forum Recap: No.20 Concordia defeats Hamline in MIAC football
WDAY-TV: Cobbers Win Big Over Hamline
KVRR-TV: Concordia vs. Hamline Football
The Cobbers had 218 yards of rushing and 298 passing yards against the Pipers. CC also held the ball for 32:18 marking the eighth straight game this season they have had more time of possession than their opponent.
Concordia also stuck to their winning formula of scoring on the very first drive of the day. Before the crowd was even in their seats, senior fullback Alex McLean plowed over from 1-yard out to give Concordia a 7-0 lead just 2:51 into the contest. It was the sixth time in 2014 that the Cobbers scored on their opening possession of the game and fifth time they have found the end zone on the first drive.
Concordia would go on to score on four of their six possessions in the first half and sprinted to a 29-0 lead at halftime. The Cobbers would score on two of their first three drives in the second half to push the score to 42-0.
McLean led the Cobber rushing game for the second straight game. He had 76 yards on eight carries and scored two touchdowns to bring his season total to eight. He now leads the team with 48 points. His second scoring run was an "Earl Campbell" special as he plowed over five Hamline defenders in a span of four yards to complete the 13-yard scoring run.
Domenic Fraboni and Alex Grove completed the score sheet for Concordia. Fraboni plunged over from 1-yard out after Neal's record-setting pass completion to Gauldin and Grove scampered across from two yards out at the start of the fourth quarter.
Neal finished the game 17-for-23 for 272 yards and the two TD's. He also had 38 rushing yards.
Senior wide receiver Bruce Shields Jr. caught a game-high five passes and had 63 receiving yards. The five catches is a career high for Shields.
Zylstra had four catches and a game-high 88 receiving yards.
Cobber Football Highlights vs. Hamline - Oct. 25
The Cobber "Black Shirt" defense held the Hamline offense to only 213 offensive yards through three quarters of play. That total included only 64 rushing yards. The Pipers finished with 339 total offensive yards on the day.
Concordia held Piper running back Austin Duncan to only 66 yards on 14 carries. That is his lowest total of the season and fewest rushing yards since the third game of last season.
The Cobbers also came away with an interception which marks the third straight game the "no fly zone" secondary has recorded at least one "pick. Christian Erickson jumped in front of a Hamline pass down the right sideline in the second quarter to earn his team-leading third interception of the year. He is now tied for the league lead in that category.
Dan Berdan led Concordia with six tackles on the day. Senior All-American Nate Adams had another sack and now has 4.5 sacks on the season. He now leads the MIAC in sacks and has had at least one sack in three of the last four games.
Concordia will now face St. Thomas in a game which will have huge postseason, and conference championship, implications. The Cobbers will square off against the Tommies in St. Paul on Saturday, Nov. 1 at 1:10 p.m.
Griffin Neal Postgame Interview