ST. PAUL, Minn. - In a game that featured 1,093 yards of total offense and 101 total points, it was visiting #23rd-ranked Minnesota Duluth (2-1) that scored last and ultimately escaped Sea Foam Stadium with a 52-49 victory over Concordia-St. Paul (2-1) on Saturday evening. The win for UMD is the 500th in program history.

The Golden Bears close out NSIC North Division play next Saturday with a 1 p.m. kickoff at Northern State (1-2).

The two starting quarterbacks in tonight's game accounted for 719 yards of total offense and eight touchdowns.

Concordia junior quarterback Ron Johnson accounted for five touchdowns, completing 16-32 for 252 yards and three scores and rushed for 70 yards on 10 attempts with two more touchdowns. He led an offense that played turnover free football for the second time in three games for a unit that has turned the ball over just once all season.

He connected with freshman receiver Marcus Gustaveson seven times for 115 yards and two touchdowns, and the duo also forced four defensive pass interference pentalties in the game.



UMD senior quarterback Drew Bauer also had a big night as a dual threat, completing 21-31 for 246 yards and two touchdowns while rushing 19 times for 151 yards and another. Bauer completed 15 of his first 16 passes, with the lone incompletion on his first attempt on a deflected wide receiver screen that was intercepted and returned for a touchdown by senior corner Jonathan Johnson.

The Jonathan Johnson pick-six gave Concordia a 14-0 lead just over three minutes into the game as Johnson found Gustaveson for a 14-yard touchdown on the opening drive to cap a 7-play, 77-yard drive to start the contest. The pair had three connections for 60 yards on that drive alone.

Jonathan Johnson ended up with six tackles, the 34-yard interception return and another pass break-up, giving him five on the year.

Bauer's 151 yards on the ground keyed a Bulldog rushing attack that compiled 332 yards on 51 attempts (6.5 avg) with five rushing touchdowns. Concordia was also strong on the ground with 186 yards on 25 attempts as senior Darius Chapes had 75 yards on eight carries for a 9.4 average and a long of 39.

Concordia led throughout the entire first half, heading into the break ahead 35-27 as the first 30 minutes of football consisted of 32 first downs and 638 yards of offense between the teams leading to 62 total points.

UMD turned the tide in the third quarter by scoring 17 consecutive points to claim a two-score (9-point) lead, 44-35. The third quarter was a decisive point in the game as UMD continued to move the ball as it did in the first half when it compiled 19 first downs and 330 yards of offense. But Concordia hit its only offensive drought of the night during that same stretch, going three-and-out resulting in a pair of punts on its first two possessions of the second half.

Trailing by nine late in the third, Concordia's offense began rolling again as Gustaveson hauled in a 20-yard touchdown from Johnson with 45 seconds to play late in the quarter, completing a 6-play, 72-yard drive in two minutes of clock.

While UMD was able to move the ball effectively throughout the night, Concordia's defense made massive stops when it counted the most, holding the Bulldogs on downs early in the fourth quarter and forcing a punt on the next possession in a pair of drives that resulted in just nine plays for 28 yards for UMD.

The Golden Bears used the second of the two stops as a springboard to reclaim the lead when Johnson executed an excellent play action, rolling to his right to find daylight for a 31-yard scamper into the end zone wiht 6:28 to play to give CSP a 49-44 lead.

The 5-play, 70-yard scoring drive included the fourth UMD pass interference call attempting to defend Gustaveson.

UMD responded by returning the ensuing kickoff 54 yards (Beau Bofferding) to the CSP 35 yard line, starting a possession in scoring position with 6:20 to play. The Bulldogs used seven running plays on their 8-play, 35-yard drive with a three yard touchdown run by Darren Walker followed by a two-point conversion pass for a 52-49 lead with 2:03 to play.

Walker had 113 rushing yards on 20 carries with two touchdowns and had a pair of catches for 21 yards and another score.

Kickoff returns were a big source of yards for UMD in the second half with 149 yards on three returns (49.7 avg). Bofferding had a big night as a result with 322 all-purpose yards, 182 coming on five kickoff returns while adding four catches for 80 yards and a touchdown and seven rushes for 60 yards and a touchdown. He had a 40 yard long run, a long of 52 through the air and a long of 70 on kickoff returns.

The Golden Bears still had plenty of time in a game that featured over 1,000 yards of offense. Concordia started on its own 19 yard line, out of timeouts and trailing by three and armed with a kicker (Jonas Schenderlein) who made a 52-yard field goal last Saturday at Minnesota Crookston.

Johnson connected on a pair of passes to start the drive, first to Gustaveson for 13 yards at the sideline followed by a 38-yard strike to freshman Gabe Steed, his first career catch to put Concordia in Schenderlein range at the 32-yard line with plenty of time remaining.

But a pair of penalties and sacks backed Concordia up near midfield facing a 4th and 29. On CSP's final play, Johnson connected with Gustaveson for seven yards, and he quickly pitched to Alquawn Vickers who picked up eight yards to the UMD 34. Vickers attempted another pitch as CSP had to get to the UMD 22 for the first down, but the shovel attempt misfired as UMD recovered to provide a wild finish to an exciting contest.

Vickers led CSP with 132 all-purpose yards, rushing for 12 yards, hauling in four catches for 41 yards and compiling 79 kickoff return yards. He also completed a pass for a 73-yard touchdown to junior Elias Arlington on a double-pass late in the second quarter for a 35-27 lead.

Arlington had 91 yards on three catches in the game.

While Concordia's defense came up big, stopping UMD on two of its three fourth down attempts, Concordia's offense came up with two clutch fourth down plays in the game - both in the first quarter starting with a 4th and goal from the 1-yard line on a play fake, Johnson connected with tight end Matt Bjork in traffic in the end zone for a 21-7 lead.

Late in the first quarter on 4th and 6 from the CSP 45, Chapes took a direct snap on a fake punt 39 yards for a first down. The drive resulted in a touchdown and a 28-14 lead early in the second quarter.

The Golden Bear defense was led by senior linebacker Sam Johnson who registered 14 tackles including a key fourth down stop on a solo tackle in the open field a yard shy of the first down at the CSP 20 yard line, thwarting a UMD scoring chance.

Defensive backs Dominic Nabak and Jamie Fore each added nine tackles, combining for three pass breakups.

Concordia's lone sack came from redshirt freshman defensive end Kelly Pierce to shut down a 3rd and 6 in the Concordia red zone to limit UMD to the only field goal of the game in the third quarter which made it 35-30 Concordia early in the third quarter.