ST. PAUL, Minn. - Concordia-St. Paul (1-8 NSIC, 0-5 South) hosts Southwest Minnesota State (6-3 NSIC, 2-3 South) for senior day as the program honors 16 seniors and graduating underclassmen. The senior day ceremony will occur prior to kickoff, approximately 15 minutes before the game begins. Kickoff is scheduled for noon at Sea Foam Stadium.

SPOILER ROLE
The Golden Bears have an opportunity to remove SMSU from postseason contention this week as the Mustangs are vying for a potential bid to the Mineral Water Bowl which goes to the highest finishing NSIC team that does not make the playoffs.

The Mustangs are also clinging to playoff aspirations, ranked eighth in last week's NCAA Super Region 3 rankings with the top seven teams making the NCAA Division II Football Playoffs. Although SMSU took its third loss last week and dropped out of the latest top-10 rankings, the team could still rally back into contention for a bid.

Additionally, Concordia can saddle the Mustangs with a losing division record on the year.

ESPN COLLEGE GAMEDAY TO FEATURE HANK GOFF NOV 14
A project that has been in the works since August, an ESPN camera and audio crew was at the October 17 game against #1 Minnesota State at Sea Foam Stadium to gather footage of Hank Goff.

ESPN College GameDay will run a Veteran's Day feature segment on Saturday, November 14, the final day of the Division II regular season when the Golden Bears travel to Sioux Falls to face Augustana.

An ESPN producer along with veteran journalist Gene Wojciechowski were in St. Paul to collect interviews and day-to-day footage of Goff the week of October 26 for the piece.

ESPN has gravitated towards Goff's background as a top prep state champion recruit who started his career at FCS South Dakota State where he led the Jackrabbits in tackles for loss as a true freshman before leaving the program due to academic issues. Goff then enlisted in the Marines and was deployed to Afghanistan as a machine gunner. His story came full circle when adapting to his post-military life when he returned to college football with Concordia.

Goff is a returning All-NSIC South Division honorable mention performer and was tabbed by USA College Football as a Preseason All-America Second Team selection prior to 2015.

His story was first published by his uncle, Austin Murphy in Sports Illustrated with other media outlets including Fox Sports 1 and now ESPN College GameDay publicizing Goff's background which is punctuated by his military service and redemption on the college gridiron.

As a Golden Bear, Goff has made 57 tackles with 14.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks, also breaking up nine passes with a pair of interceptions. As a senior, Goff has faced constant double teams while opposing offenses have intentionally avoided his side of the line of scrimmage. He's still managed to tally 19 tackles, 6.0 for loss and a pair of sacks with three pass breakups.

His top game of 2015 came in week eight on the road, registering a career-high seven tackles, tying his career-high of 2.0 tackles for loss with a blocked PAT and a forced fumble.

NOTES ON THE 2015 HOME SCHEDULE
The Golden Bears look to play a six game home schedule for the first time since the 2010 Mineral Water Bowl season and just the second time since Sea Foam Stadium opened in 2009.

The team will welcome a pair of opponents who have never played at Sea Foam Stadium, MSU Moorhead in week two and Southwest Minnesota State in week 10.  Additionally, Sioux Falls (week nine) has only played at Sea Foam Stadium once (2013), while Bemidji State (week four) and Winona State (week five) have not appeared at Sea Foam Stadium since the 2010 Mineral Water Bowl season.

MEET THE 2015 TEAM CAPTAINS
Concordia head coach Ryan Williams has announced four captains for the 2015 season, junior Corey Cole (QB, Fillmore, Calif.) and senior Cole Parker (LT, Brookfield, Wis.) on offense and seniors Hank Goff (DL, Minnetonka, Minn.) and Jordan Nieuwsma (FS, Lakeville, Minn.) on defense.

SERIES NOTES: CONCORDIA 10, SMSU 8
The Golden Bears are coming off a 38-20 win over SMSU last year in Marshall, Minn. and have captured wins in four of the last six contests. Concordia is 2-3 at home against SMSU, with all five of those games played at Griffin Stadium as the Mustangs have never played at Sea Foam Stadium which opened in 2009. SMSU is the last team in the NSIC to play at Sea Foam Stadium. SMSU won the last meeting between the teams in St. Paul back in 2008, 38-28 at Griffin Stadium.

LAST MEETING, 2014: CONCORDIA 38, SMSU 20
Running back Tre Spears ran for 247 yards as the Golden Bears gashed SMSU for 345 yards on the day on the ground in the win at Schwan Regional Event Center on a windy day in Marshall.

Spears rushed 37 times and had a pair of first half rushing touchdowns and was just 11 yards shy of the single game school record. His 247 yards are the second most in a game in team history and he would finish the year as the NSIC's leading rusher.

Concordia's opening drive set the tone for the day, rushing the ball 11 times on a 13-play, 75-yard drive that took 8:07 off the clock punctuated by a 2-yard touchdown run by Spears.

The Golden Bears able to dominate the line of scrimmage in the first half, gaining 276 yards of total offense on 41 plays while holding SMSU to 70 yards on 16 plays although half of SMSU's yards came on a 35-yard touchdown pass. Concordia held a 24-7 halftime advantage as a result.

Darius Chapes added nine carries for 53 yards and a touchdown to Spears' big day. Ben Schramski completed 12-17 for 143 yards and a 40-yard second quarter touchdown pass to Cordell Smith. Smith had three catches for 62 yards while Jermaine Clemon had four catches for 47 yards.

SMSU running back Tyler Tonderum had 15 carries for 151 yards and a touchdown with a long run of 66 yards and Nathaniel Huot had four catches for 65 yards and a pair of scores. SMSU quarterback Charlie Kern was slowed by CSP's secondary to 10-23 passing for 117 yards with a pair of touchdowns and a pair of interceptions and was sacked three times.

Concordia's defense was led by Jordan Halverson and Josh Trifunov's eight tackles with Halverson adding a sack and an interception return for touchdown while Trifunov had a half sack.  Dion Roche had six tackles, two for loss and a sack along with a blocked kick.

On special teams, Tom Obarski played a key role throughout as he made a 41-yard field goal in the first half, had three of his seven punts pinned inside the 20 with a long of 53 and delivered six of his seven kickoffs for touchbacks.

LAST WEEK: SIOUX FALLS 49, CONCORDIA 0
The Golden Bears' streak of 74 games without being shutout was snapped by the 10th-ranked Cougars, who moved up two spots in the AFCA Division II Top-25 after the result.

It was the first time Concordia has been shutout at Sea Foam Stadium in 34 games in the stadium which opened in 2009.

In the loss, Concordia's defense came out with a strong start against one of the top offenses in the country, limiting the Cougars to a pair of 3-and-outs and tilting the field for a field position advantage early.

After Concordia punter Sam Maedke pinned the Cougars back to their own five yard line on USF's third drive of the game, the Cougars went 95 yards in two plays including an 84-yard touchdown to get the offense rolling.

Maedke had a big day for Concordia, tying the school record of 12 punts in a single game while becoming the first player to register at least 400 punting yards in a game with a record 469. He also set the single season punting yards record with 2,589. He had a long of 56 among his two 50-plus yard punts, averaged 39.1 yards for the game with four fair catches and three inside the 20.

The defense, which started strong, was led by linebacker David Reed's 3.5 tackles for loss as he registered six total tackles. Safety Dominic Nabak led the defense with 11 tackles while corner Jimmy Mireri had seven tackles and a pair of pass breakups.

Concordia had three running backs combine to carry 31 times for 75 yards as all three had at least seven rushes and 25 yards between Darius Chapes (12-33), Charles Arnold (12-27) and Alex Carr (7-25).

Return specialist Alquawn Vickers had 148 all-purpose yards on eight total touches as he returned five kicks for 113 yards and three punts for 35 yards. He leads Division II with 1,079 combined return yards and is 10th in the nation and leads the NSIC with 169.0 all-purpose yards per game.
 
HEAD COACH RYAN WILLIAMS
The Golden Bears are led by fifth year head coach Ryan Williams. Prior to being named head coach, Williams had served as offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach and recruiting coordinator for the previous six seasons at Concordia. He is a Wayzata, Minn. native and played collegiately as starting quarterback and team captain at former Division II-power North Dakota State from 1997-2000.

With a 19-34 career record, Williams is 2-2 against SMSU. He is 10-22 in his career in NSIC South Division play which includes a 4-3 third place finish in 2014, and he carries an 8-15 career record at Sea Foam Stadium.

NCAA Super Region 3 Region Rankings
Rk    Team    REG    D-II    LW
1    Northwest Mo. St. (M)    9-0    9-0    1
2    Humboldt St. (GN)    7-0    7-1    2
3    Henderson St. (GA)    8-1    8-1    4
4    Sioux Falls (N)    8-1    8-1    3
5    Emporia St. (M)    8-1    8-1    5
6    Minn. St. Mankato (N)    8-1    8-1    6
7    Augustana (N)    7-2    7-2    7
8    Central Mo. (M)    7-2    7-2    10
9    Arkansas Tech (GA)    7-2    7-2    NR
10.    Western Oregon (GN)    5-2    6-2    NR
Dropped Out: #8 SMSU & #9 UMD
N = NSIC | M = MIAA | GA = GAC | GN = GNAC

VICKERS AN ALL-PURPOSE ALL-STAR
Redshirt freshman Alquawn Vickers leads the league with 169.0 all-purpose yards per game which ranks 10th in the country.

He is the national leader with 1,079 combined return yards including two for touchdown (99, 91), and ranks third in the NSIC with a 26.6 kick return average (26th in DII).

He set the program's KR yards record for a single season in week eight and now has 36 returns for 958 yards. His 11.0 yards per punt return (11-121) also ranks third in the NSIC (33rd DII).

He's been one of the top receiving targets on the team as well, leading the team in receptions (34) and touchdowns (3) and second with 423 yards. He has a team high five total touchdowns.

His big play ability also leads the team as he has 18 plays of at least 25 yards including a 99-yard kickoff return for touchdown to earn NSIC Special Teams Player of the Week honors in week three in CSP's 28-13 win at Minot State. He also has kick returns of 91 for a score, 80, 44, 43 and 41 yards among his 12 returns of at least 25 yards.

SENIOR NOTES: J.HALVERSON & J.GRANT
Senior inside linebacker Jordan Halverson became the fifth player in program history to eclipse 300 career tackles with his 11 tackle performance at SCSU in the 2015 season opener. He broke the career tackles record with 12 tackles in week five against Winona State.  He also ranks eighth in team history in tackles for loss with 32.5.

In 2015, Halverson has 75 tackles (8.3/game) to rank eighth in the NSIC while leading the Golden Bear defense. Fellow senior inside linebacker Jahphet Grant ranks 22nd in the NSIC with 6.8 tackles per game (54 total) including an 18-tackle outburst against Bemidji State. Grant has two double-digit tackle games while Halverson has four.

SENIOR NOTES: J.MIRERI & J.NIEUWSMA
Senior cornerback Jimmy Mireri is etching his name into the Concordia record books as well. With a pass breakup in the opener at SCSU, Mireri became the sole record holder for career passes defended (INT + PBU) and now has 44. His 40 pass breakups is also a career record. He was able to breakup 14 passes each of the last two seasons, adding an interception in 2013 and three INT's in 2014.

In addition to his strong cover skills, Mireri is also a strong tackler and is able to make plays with the ball. He made 63 tackles each of the last two seasons including 41 and 45 solo stops, respectively. He has 213 career tackles, including 48 as a senior in 2015 with nine pass breakups in nine games.

Last year, Mireri also scored a pair of touchdowns as well, one via a 36-yard reception and the other on a 90-yard kickoff return.

Senior captain Jordan Nieuwsma has returned to the corner position down the stretch and has also started some games at safety this season. He's made 30 stops with 2.0 tackles for loss and seven pass breakups as a senior and has 91 career tackles, 6.0 for loss and 13 pass breakups.

SENIOR NOTES: JOSH TRIFUNOV
Senior outside linebacker Josh Trifunov has been one of Concordia's top tacklers over the last few years with 99 as a sophomore, 89 last year as a junior and is third on the 2015 team with 49 as a senior. He has 255 career tackles, ranking ninth in school history and just seven shy of eighth. He's also made 24.5 tackles for loss, 12.0 sacks and 11 pass deflections in his career.

In 2015, Trifunov ranks fourth in the Northern Sun and 30th in Division II with 7.0 sacks (0.8/game). He also ranks 20th in the NSIC with 8.0 tackles for loss (0.9/game) and 49th in the league with 5.4 tackles per game.

SENIOR NOTES: COREY COLE
Corey Cole entered each of the last two seasons as the team's opening day starting quarterback but suffered season ending injuries in the second week of 2014 and in the opening game of 2015. Cole has played parts of three games under center for the Golden Bears, passing for 306 yards and a touchdown and rushing for 179 yards (6.8 avg) and a touchdown in that limited time. Prior to making the conversion to quarterback, Cole spent two years as a receiver/returner, registering 22 catches for 264 yards and a touchdown and compiling 450 kick return yards (26.5 avg) and a 100 yard touchdown along with 86 punt return yards (6.1 avg).

SENIOR NOTES: CHARLES ARNOLD
Charles Arnold is one of three backs to get a start in Concordia's backfield and is third on the team with 121 rushing yards. He's led the team in rushing twice, going for three carries and 46 yards with a touchdown for his top performance in week four against Bemidji State.

SENIOR NOTES: CHRIS KRAKAU
Chris Krakau has been in the program since 2012, registering a career-high 20 tackles, two sacks and two fumbles recovered during the 2013 season. He had his breakout game with 10 tackles and two sacks at MSU Moorhead that season (9/28).

SENIOR NOTES: JAKE MUNKWITZ
Jake Munkwitz is a strong blocking tight end/h-back and has also played a role on special teams. In addition to his blocking prowess, Munkwitz has had four receptions while lining up in 29 career games.

SENIOR NOTES: B.MORRIS, C.PARKER & N.SCHMIDTKE
Brett Morris, Cole Parker and Nat Schmidtke have provided a veteran presence with a mean streak up front for Concordia. Morris was an All-NSIC South honorable mention and is a third year starter. Parker was an Academic All-America First Team selection last year and repeated on the Academic All-District Team this year and is a four year starter. Schmidtke was a DI player at Murray State before joining CSP where he's been a two year starter for the Golden Bears up front.

SENIOR DAY NOTES: ANTON BEDEAUX
Anton Bedeaux has played 20 games at tight end in two season, hauling in 15 catches for 127 yards with a career-high 3-32 against MSU Moorhead this year (9/12).

SENIOR DAY NOTES: NOAH JANKOWSKI
Concordia's starting long snapper, Noah Jankowski has played 41 games as a key specialist. He was the snapper for All-America kicker Tom Obarski for three years.

SENIOR DAY: GERARDO FIGUEROA
A two year transfer, Gerardo Figueroa played in nine games in his first year as a Golden Bear in 2014, making 10 tackles with one for loss at U-Mary (9/20). His playing time as a senior was cut short due to injury after playing in three games on Concordia's defensive line.