ST. PAUL, Minn. - Despite a competitive and high scoring first half, Concordia University wasn't able to keep up with second-ranked Minnesota Duluth in the second half, falling 70-24 on the fourth annual Day of Heroes in front of 3,503 at Sea Foam Stadium.

Concordia scored first on a 38-yard field goal by Tom Obarski (Burnsville, Minn. ) on their opening drive, and after a UMD touchdown on their opening drive, the Golden Bears reclaimed the lead with a Jason White (Davenport, Iowa) 1-yard touchdown plunge. White's touchdown capped an impressive 9-play, 75-yard drive spanning 4:13.

But the Bulldogs continued to keep the pressure on the Golden Bears, countering with back-to-back touchdowns to take a 21-10 lead that they would not relinquish.

Touchdowns would be the them of the evening for the visitors. UMD scored touchdowns on their first 10 possessions and only failed to do so on their final drive when the game was in-hand.

Concordia aimed to keep pace in the second quarter, as Tre Spears dashed in from 17-yards out. After another UMD touchdown, James Peterson (Blaine, Minn. ) found Nate Thienes (Lake Elmo, Minn. ) in the back of the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown late in the first half.

The touchdown from Peterson to Thienes cut the score to 28-24 with 1:27 to play.

That was too much time to leave for the Bulldogs, who methodically drove 75 yards on seven plays, scoring on a 5-yard pass in the red zone in a 41-second span.

The red zone score was also unstoppable tonight for the Bulldogs as they converted touchdowns on all eight trips inside Concordia's 20-yard line. They were also 9-of-11 on third downs.

That last touchdown before the half was pivotal, as it turned a 4-point game into an 11-point margin with the Bulldogs receiving after the break.

In the first half, Concordia used the big play to keep UMD on their heels defensively. They had six plays from scrimmage of 20-plus yards which led to 260 yards of total offense on just 28 plays. Peterson was 11-17 for 213 yards and a touchdown.

UMD rolled up 339 yards on 44 plays with 20 first downs, passing for 227 and rushing for 112.

The late second half touchdown momentum spilled over into the third quarter as the Bulldogs pulled ahead 42-24 by scoring on their opening drive of the second half.

The Concordia offense stalled, gaining just two first downs the rest of the way.

The Golden Bears had 30 yards of total offense in the second half while UMD continued to move the ball well.

For the game, Concordia had 290 yards on 50 plays with 10 first downs, while UMD had 675 yards on 82 plays and 37 first downs.

The Bulldogs rushed for 365 yards and were led by their quarterback Chase Vogler with 10 attempts for 100 yards and two touchdowns. Vogler also passed for three touchdowns and 296 yards as he completed 22-of-26.

Peterson finished the day 12-of-24 for 220 yards with a touchdown, and was sacked for the first time all season late in the third quarter. He completed passes to six different receivers led by Cordell Smith (Mequon, Wis. ) with three catches for 81 yards including a long of 50 on the opening drive that set up the Obarski field goal.

Dustin Christen (St. Cloud, Minn. ), Tre Mason (League City, Texas ), Jermaine Clemon (Racine, Wis. ) and White all had a reception longer than 20 yards including a 38-yarder to Mason and a 37-yarder to Clemon.

The run game accounted for 62 yards and two touchdowns for Concordia, led by White's 31 yards on seven attempts including his 1-yard score. Spears added eight carries for 26 yards and his 17-yard touchdown run.

The Bulldogs excelled at keeping the Concordia defense on the field, claiming nearly two-thirds of the game's 60-minutes of possession with 37:45.

Denzell Blackmon (Chicago, Ill. ) turned in a career-high with 14 tackles as did Jeremy Randle (Minneapolis, Minn. ) with 10. Jordan Halverson (Fridley, Minn. ) had his third-straight 10-plus tackle performance with 10 as well, adding 1.5 tackles for loss. Concordia had five total tackles for loss as a defense and Zach Moore (Chicago, Ill. ) had the team's only sack of the game, giving him four on the year.

Concordia returns to the road for their next two games, closing out non-divisional play at Northern State next Saturday before opening NSIC South Division play in two weeks at Minnesota State.

They return home on Saturday, October 6 for a noon kickoff on Homecoming at Sea Foam Stadium against Upper Iowa. Get tickets by registering online!