ST. PAUL, Minn. - This Saturday marks a pair of program milestone as Concordia-St. Paul (5-4 NSIC, 3-2 South) hosts Southwest Minnesota State (3-6 NSIC, 1-4 South) at Sea Foam Stadium at noon.

The Golden Bears/Comets will play in their 500th college football game, shortly after honoring the inaugural 1969 team's 50 year anniversary early this season. Additionally, Concordia will play its 200th Northern Sun league game after moving from NAIA to NCAA Division II and the Northern Sun 20 years ago in the 1999-2000 academic year.

A win for the Golden Bears secures the program's 19th winning season overall, ninth in the Division II-era, fifth for head coach Shannon Currier and the first winning campaign since 2011.

Concordia concluded its road slate last week with a 21-20 loss in the final minute at Augustana, finishing the year 2-3 on the road. The Golden Bears will play the final two weeks at home, starting this Saturday when the team hosts Youth Day in conjunction with Youth 1st to honor MYAS and Big Lake Youth Football for their focus on sportsmanship.

Just over 24 hours from kickoff, the weather forecast showed a high of 40 degrees with light winds under 10 miles per hour from the west, with chance of precipitation increasing from 10 percent at noon to 65 percent at 3 p.m.

FOLLOW ONLINE
All Concordia football games, home and away, will be streamed online as part of the NSIC's league-wide agreement with Presto Sports (formerly Stretch Internet). All CSP football games can be viewed in Concordia's online video portal.
 
Home games will be produced by UltimateX Displays, complete with a 15-foot by 8-foot MAX XL LED screen in the stadium that will replicate the webcast production in the stadium including numerous replays.
 
The broadcast is complete with the play-by-play call from Dan Flanagan, the voice of the Golden Bears since 2008. The St. Paul native is a graduate of Fordham University in New York, where he studied broadcasting including working as the voice of multiple Rams sports teams including basketball and football.

Watch the games in HD on your home TV as well through NSIC app widely available on Apple TV, Roku, Amazon streaming devices and more! Simply search "NSIC" on your streaming device, games are available for all Northern Sun members including all sports that are streamed live on each campus.
 
Games can also be followed with live stats and by keeping track of the NSIC live scoreboard.

[ listen online ] An audio-only feed will be available via SMSU's radio broadcast on 105.1 FM KARL out of Marshall with play-by-play from Ryan Rohlik and sideline reporter Scott Monson.
 
COACH CURRIER SHOW ON CSP BEARS PODCAST
[ listen online ] The Coaches Show with Shannon Currier hosted by Wally Langfellow of Minnesota Score returns for a second season in 2019. The show airs in the MSP radio market on 1440 AM KYCR following the Minnesota high school football game of the week, typically on Friday night in the 9 p.m. hour of each week. The show is also distributed via the CSP Bears Podcast and is available on most podcast subscription services such as Apple iTunes, Spotify, Google Play Music, Stitcher, Tune-In and more.
 
This week's guests include a pair of seniors, wide receiver MJ Williams and defensive tackle Dylan Wood.
 
Subscribe to the CSP Bears Podcast, which will also return for a second year this fall. This year, the podcast will be co-hosted by CSP baseball alumni Andrew Shotwell and Alex LaPorte and will continue to tell the story of CSP athletics in an interesting and engaging way to help people get behind the scenes of various people associated with Concordia – including Comets and Golden Bears!

The first two podcasts of 2019-20 have been released, featuring athletics director Regan McAthie, followed by head esports coach Logan Hermes.

CSP MAKES FROGTOWN RADIO DEBUT IN ST PAUL
[ listen online ] Concordia continues to make a positive impression in the St. Paul community with local radio station WFNU (94.1 FM) starting a regular segment to air on Saturday mornings at 9:30 a.m. The first air time is set for September 21, but the station has started recording interviews for a podcast titled "Concordia-St. Paul Scoreboard" which is available on Spotify and Anchor. Follow WFNU Frogtown Radio's CSP connections at @ScoreboardCSP and @651SportsUpdate. 
 
DOWNLOAD THE CSP BEARS FAN APP
Also back for a second year is the CSP Bears fan app, provided by From Now On. The app features a customizable experience, users can select their favorite sports teams and select their affiliation (fan, student, alumni, etc) to receive tailored notifications. The app provides easy to follow live stats along with links to watch games live on their device. Keep up with the latest with the new 'news' feature which combines stories from cspbears.com with the social streams from CSP athletics.

RECORD SETTING CAMPAIGN
The 2019 Golden Bears have been rewriting the football record books, a notable achievement for a program in its 51st season:

• *Quarterback sacks, 14, vs MSU Moorhead
• Tackles for loss, 22, vs MSU Moorhead
• Fewest rushing yards allowed, game (-97), vs MSU Moorhead
• Career sacks record, 33.5, Chris Garrett
• Most FG made in game, 5, Danny Laudet, at St. Cloud State
• Most pts in game by PK, 15, Danny Laudet, at St. Cloud State
• Longest punt, 82 yards, Danny Laudet, at Wayne State
• Most TFL in game, 6.5, Chris Garrett, vs MSU Moorhead
• ^1st in career punt average, 39.71, Danny Laudet
• 2nd-most sacks in game, 5.0, Chris Garrett, vs MSU Moorhead
• 2nd-most tackles in game, 19, Gabe Nkumu, at Minot State
• 3rd-most tackles in game, 18, Jake Portz, at Upper Iowa
• 3rd-most TFL in career, 45.5, Chris Garrett
• 3rd-most FGM in season, 15, Danny Laudet

* - ties NCAA DII single-game record
^ - career/season averages subject to change

TEAM STATS IN THE NCAA TOP-50 RANKINGS (166 TEAMS)
6th - fewest penalty yards/game (41.6) - 2nd NSIC
6th - fumbles recovered (11) - 1st NSIC
7th - team sacks/game (3.56) - 2nd NSIC
20th - blocked punts (2) - 3rd NSIC
20th - fewest penalties/game (5.3) - 2nd NSIC
41st - fumbles lost (5) - 4th NSIC
43rd - red zone offense (.848) - 4th NSIC
43rd - team tackles for loss/game (7.3) - 5th NSIC
50th - kickoff return defense (18.1) - 9th NSIC

INDIVIDUAL QUICK HITTERS: NCAA TOP-100 RANKINGS
1st - Chris Garrett, forced fumbles/game (0.67) - 1st NSIC
3rd - Dalton Smerchek, fumble recoveries (3) - 1st NSIC
4th - Chris Garrett, sacks/game (1.22) - 2nd NSIC
4th - Danny Laudet, field goals made/game (1.67) - 1st NSIC
5th - Lorenzo Kendricks, punt return TDs (1) - 1st NSIC
6th - Chris Garrett, tackles for loss/game (1.9) - 1st NSIC
9th - Devin Flakes, blocked punts (2) - 1st NSIC
16th - Chris Garrett, fumble recoveries (2) - 4th NSIC
20th - Dalton Smerchek, forced fumbles/game (.33) - 3rd NSIC
29th - Jake Portz, total tackles/game (9.6) - 2nd NSIC
36th - Danny Laudet, punt average (40.4) - 4th NSIC
43rd - Danny Laudet, FG pct (.714) - 7th NSIC
51st - Danny Laudet, total points (66) - 5th NSIC
67th - Darios Crawley-Reid, rushing TDs (7) - 4th NSIC
68th - Jackson Dobbs, sacks/game (0.61) - 8th NSIC
74th - Maxon Hutton, completion pct (.563) - 5th NSIC
79th - Maxon Hutton, completions/game (14.3) - 8th NSIC
83rd - Jackson Dobbs, tackles for loss/game (1.2) - 9th NSIC
91st - Maxon Hutton, total offense/game (181.8) - 9th NSIC

SERIES HISTORY: CONCORDIA 12, SMSU 10
When Shannon Currier was named head coach prior to the 2000 season, the Golden Bears/Comets had posted an 0-3 record against SMSU, formerly known as Southwest State.

Currier put an end to the three game skid to start the series, beating the Mustangs four times in a row from 2000-03 to start a six game winning streak over SMSU.  

When he rejoined the program in 2016, CSP was bested 28-14 by SMSU in Marshall but has since rattled off back-to-back wins under Currier in 2017 and 2018 to give him a 6-1 record against the Mustangs.

Overall, SMSU has not led in the series since Currier started the six game winning streak but it was tied at 6-6 and again at 10-10.

In St. Paul, Concordia is 3-4 against SMSU and has only played the Mustangs twice at Sea Foam Stadium, splitting games in 2015 (L, 28-14) and 2017 (W, 37-20). Concordia's 37-20 win in 2017 snapped a three game home skid to SMSU and was the first home win over the Mustangs since 2004 (63-21), played at Griffin Stadium.

CSP and SMSU have also tangled four times on a neutral field - all at Metrodome in Minneapolis, where CSP is 3-1 against the Mustangs.

LAST MEETING, 2018: CONCORDIA 16, SMSU 10
Battling the cold, rainy conditions in Marshall in addition to the host Mustangs, Concordia was led by soon-to-be All-Americans Chris Garrett and Jonas Schenderlein in grinding out a road win.

Garrett had four sacks and Schenderlein made three field goals including a pair from 50-plus yards (53, 52). Schenderlein produced the 11th three field goal game in team history, the fourth time he had achieved it. Three FGM was a school record until 2019 when Danny Laudet made five at SCSU.

The win propelled head coach Shannon Currier to the program's career wins record with his 41st career victory, surpassing Mark Mauer (40-39, 2004-10).

The win was also CSP's second straight road victory, the first time the program had won back-to-back road games since 2014, and came after winning their previous road game at UMary to snap a 13-game road losing streak.

Garrett's four sack performance was part of a defensive effort that produced seven team sacks which contributed to SMSU rushing for 15 yards on 33 attempts. Concordia's defense also held SMSU to 0-of-4 on fourth down and 6-of-17 on third down.

The Mustangs were led by quarterback Blake Gimbel, who completed 32-of-46 for 353 yards and a TD. Including the seven sacks, Gimbel and the Mustangs ran 53 passing plays. Gimbel topped 10,000 career yards in the game for SMSU.

Concordia quarterbacks Dom McKinzy and Maxon Hutton combined for 10-of-23 passing for 165 yards. Hutton threw a TD and had 7-34 rushing while McKinzy had 116 passing yards.

Wide receiver MJ Williams had a 100-yard day, with five catches for 105 yards and a long of 44.

CSP rushed for 116 yards led by Lajuan Preston's 50 yards on 10 carries and a long of 21. Preston came through when it counted, rushing six times for 53 yards in the fourth quarter after being held for -3 yards on four attempts in the first three.

While Andy Aune had a team-high 11 tackles from the linebacker position, Garrett was joined by three defensive line teammates: Jackson Dobbs, Kelly Pierce and Dylan Wood who each contributed a sack up front.

The secondary was led by safety Dez Bassett's seven tackles and two pass breakups, adding three kick returns for 108 yards and a long of 55.

LAST WEEK: AUGUSTANA 21, CONCORDIA 20
For the second straight week, Concordia football was involved in a 1-point game, this time falling in the final minute on the road at Augustana 21-20 in CSP's final road game of 2019 at Kirkeby-Over Stadium in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

The Golden Bears actually trailed 14-3 in the first half, but an 8-yard touchdown pass from Jared Olsgaard to Marcus Gustaveson that was set-up by a 36-yard connection from Olsgaard to Jabril Clewis sent CSP into half down by four, 14-10.

In the second half, CSP's defense took over. Between Augustana's second touchdown to go ahead 14-3 early in the second quarter and their game winning score late in the fourth quarter, Concordia held the Vikings to just 60 yards on 29 plays on nine possessions including six punts, two fumbles and a kneel down at half.

In the third quarter specifically, CSP held Augie to one yard on 15 plays with three punts and two fumbles on five possessions.

The dominant defensive effort allowed freshman Darios Crawley-Reid to break free for a go-ahead 27-yard rushing touchdown with 6:45 to play in the third quarter, and a Danny Laudet field goal early in the fourth quarter put Concordia ahead 20-14 with 14:45 to play.

With just under five and a half minutes to play in the game, Laudet launched a 45 yard punt with Augustana returning to its own 27 yard line trailing by six points with 5:20 to go.

At that time, Augustana had rushed for just 20 yards on 21 carries throughout the game. After three passes for 47 yards surrounding an 8-yard run put the Vikings into the red zone with a 1st and 10 from the CSP 18 yard line, they started pounding on the ground. They ran the ball seven straight times, executing a 4th-and-1 from the CSP 9-yard line with just over a minute to play, and scored on a 3rd-and-goal from the CSP 2-yard line with 52 seconds left.

Crawley-Reid finished with his second career and second consecutive 100-yard rushing game on just 11 carries (11-102) along with his team leading seventh rushing and eighth overall TD.

Laudet had two field goals, from 31 and 35 yards and added a strong punting effort with a 45.5 average. He's now converted 15 field goals on the year, third most in school history and three shy of the single season record.

The defensive dominance was sparked by senior Jackson Dobbs, who produced six tackles, 3.0 TFLs, 2.0 sacks and a forced fumble.

In the final tally, CSP carried a +10 advantage in total offense with 330 yards to Augie's 320, aided by a 168 to 46 rushing advantage.

CSP also won the turnover margin, 3-to-2 with Concordia's second turnover coming on a desperation pass as time expired.

NOTES ABOUT THE MUSTANGS
The Mustangs enter Sea Foam Stadium with a 3-1 road record on the season but have dropped two in a row at home and are now 1-4 in NSIC South Division play. SMSU's only road loss was a 19-13 overtime defeat in week two at Wayne State, winning three in a row on the road at Upper Iowa (35-28), Minot State (21-17) and St. Cloud State (42-38).

The matchup pits SMSU at a Golden Bear squad that is 3-1 at home. While SMSU has had six of its nine games decided by seven points or less, Concordia has had seven of its nine decided by seven or less.

The Mustangs are led by senior receiver Daniel Davis who is second in the country with 8.0 receptions per game and seventh in receiving yards (945), adding 10 TDs. He's had 2,058 career receiving yards in just 20 games.

Quarterback Boyer Bouman leads the league with 223.6 passing yards per game. He's one of three to start at QB this year and has 1,565 yards, 12 TDs and 4 INTs in seven starts.

Senior Max Simmons compliments the offense on the ground with 2,305 career rushing yards and 10 career 100-yard games. He has 413 yards and a 4.6 average as a senior.

Defensively, linebacker Onte Burns leads the league with 89 tackles (9.9/game). Davaeon Johnson adds 72 tackles and a pair of INTs with five pass breakups.

On special teams, Skyler Crew has made 4-of-6 FG and is 2-of-2 from 40-plus yards, converting from 40 and 43 in week 2 at Wayne State. Since week 2, he's attempted just two FG, going 1-for-1. He has not attempted an FG the past three games.