ST. PAUL, Minn. - On a cold, rainy, Friday afternoon, the Concordia-St. Paul football team (2-4, 1-4 NSIC) boarded its bus to embark on the longest road trip they'll face in the Northern Sun, heading to Minot State (0-6, 0-6 NSIC) for a 1 p.m. kickoff at Herb Parker Stadium on Saturday in the western half of the state of North Dakota near the Canadian border.

WEATHER OUTLOOK
While the Golden Bears leave St. Paul in a cold rain, they'll reach a dry Minot, North Dakota where temperatures are expected to range from 48-50 between 1 and 4 p.m. on Saturday with a high of 51, and unseasonably light winds between 4-6mph and little-to-no chance of rain.

WATCH ONLINE – NSIC NETWORK
All Golden Bear NSIC football games will be available to watch online, free of charge, powered by the NSIC Network, and supported by BlueFrame Technology.
 
Visit nsicnetwork.com/cspbears on a laptop or desktop computer, download the NSIC Network app on your mobile device or watch on your supported OTT provider such as Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Android TV. Search "NSIC Network" and download the app for the league's full sport and team lineups. NSIC NETWORK FAQ
 
DOWNLOAD THE APP
Fans can download the CSP Bears fan app, free of charge and available in the App Store or on Google Play. The app contains rosters, schedules, scores, stats, news, social media and more! Customize your options to get notifications to your favorite teams, as well. Search "CSP Bears" in the app store to stay up-to-date on Golden Bear athletics.
 
LISTEN TO THE COACHES SHOW
The Coaches Show with Shannon Currier is back on the Twin Cities airwaves for a fourth season, once again hosted by Wally Langfellow of Minnesota Score. The show airs following the Minnesota high school football game of the week, typically on Friday evenings in the 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. hour on KYCR 1440 AM radio, available in the Twin Cities metro area.
 
The show typically features two segments with Coach Currier along with a segment with Langfellow joined by a pair of student-athletes.This week's podcast guests are St. Paul natives, junior linebacker Abe Schwinn and sophomore defensive end Drake Teal.
 
For fans who miss the show or are outside of the radio station's Twin Cities reach, the entire show is accessible via the CSP Bears Podcast, available in Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and Google Play Music. It will typically be uploaded late Friday night (after the initial air time) or Saturday morning prior to the game. Search 'CSP Bears' into your favorite podcast provider!
 
CAPTAINS
CSP head coach Shannon Currier and the Golden Bear coaching staff have continued the program's tradition of selecting rotating weekly game captains for the fifth season in a row. Captains are selected by the coaching staff based on performance on the field and off, as a leader in practice and in day-to-day activities.
 
This week's game captains sophomore linebacker Richard Wauer (6x), junior defensive tackle Koffi Gbekle (3x), junior running back Jaylin Richardson (2x), and senior left tackle Jake Edwards.

SERIES HISTORY: CSP 7, MINOT 3
In a series that opened in 2008, the Golden Bears hold a 7-3 all-time record entering the 11th contest between the clubs. The series began prior to Minot State's entry into the Division II and NSIC ranks, with the teams meeting four times annually in non-conference play from 2008 to 2011, with CSP capturing wins in three of the four.

While the series took a nap in 2012, it reopened in 2013 for Northern Sun competition, with CSP winning the first three league meetings from 2013 to 2017. Minot State picked up back-to-back wins in 2019 and 2021 in Minot before the Golden Bears secured a 19-11 win last year at Sea Foam Stadium as CSP holds a 4-2 record in league play against the Beavers.

The longest road trip Concordia faces in Northern Sun play, CSP holds a 2-3 record all-time at Herb Parker Stadium, all three losses being one-score margins: 24-21 in 2009, 38-31 in 2019, and 28-20 in 2021. CSP hasn't won at Minot State since a 28-13 triumph in 2015, although the teams met only every-other year from 2011 to 2021, with the 2022 contest being the first even year meeting since 2010.

Head coach Shannon Currier holds a 2-2 record against Minot State, winning 24-10 in 2017 and 19-11 in 2022 at Sea Foam Stadium, bookending the two road losses in 2019 and 2021.

LAST MEETING: CSP 19, MINOT STATE 11
Troy Ellison produced his second-straight 100-yard receiving day and had two touchdowns and Conner Cordts completed three touchdown passes as CSP secured a win on a cold, windy senior day to snap a 19-game losing streak and 9-game home losing streak. The win for CSP also started Minot State's current 7-game losing streak.

Ellison had six catches for 113 yards, and his 72-yard touchdown with 5:44 to play in the second quarter gave Concordia its first lead of the season, while his 30-yard touchdown catch gave the Golden Bears a 13-3 lead midway through the third quarter. It was the first time a CSP player produced back-to-back 100-yard receiving games since the 2011 finale and 2012 opener by Cordell Smith.

Cordts completed 14-21 for 212 yards and three touchdowns, with his third strike a 43-yard connection to running back Gayflor Flomo to put CSP ahead 19-3 late in the third quarter. Flomo had 126 yards from scrimmage, adding 16-84 rushing including a 21-yard fourth quarter burst up the middle to put the game on ice.

Concordia's defense held 2021 NSIC rushing champion Ali Mohamed to 18-33 rushing for 1.8 per carry, while the Beavers rushed for 51 yards on 31 carries, averaging 1.6 on the day.

The defense also did well against the pass, limiting Minot State to 22-46 passing for 189 yards including three sacks of quarterback Dawson Macleary.

The Golden Bears held Minot State to 240 yards of total offense and 3.1 yards per play, and although Minot State was 11-21 on third down, CSP held them to 0-4 on fourth down.

CORDTS CLIMBING THE CHARTS
Junior quarterback Conner Cordts sits in eighth on Concordia's all-time passing yards list with 3,915, and is approaching Dustin Campbell (1996-99) with 4,155 yards in seventh. 

In 23 career games, Cordts has passed for 3,915 yards (339-636-15) and 22 touchdowns while adding 485 rushing yards and five more scores. He has 4,400 career total offense yards between his rushing and passing and accounted for 27 total touchdowns.

In 2023, Cordts has engineered an efficient team offensive game plan, with 950 passing yards, four touchdowns and five interceptions while adding 169 rushing yards, two touchdowns and a career-high 4.0 yards per carry.

Last year as a sophomore, Cordts had his breakout season with career-highs in passing yards (2,108), passing touchdowns (12), rushing yards (234) and rushing touchdowns (3) with 2,342 yards of total offense.

RICHARDSON ROLLING IN THE RUN GAME
Junior running back Jaylin Richardson, who topped the 1,000 career rushing yards milestone earlier this season, produced his third 100-yard rushing performance of the year and fourth of his career with 23 carries for 162 yards and three rushing touchdowns in a 35-28 loss to Sioux Falls.
 
Two weeks ago in a 37-34 win over UMary, Richardson had 21 carries for 172 yards, missing his career-high in rushing by three yards. He also went over 200 all-purpose yards for the second time, finishing with 204 yards, again missing his career-high by three.

Richardson is enjoying a strong 2023 season, ranking 14^th in the nation and third in the NSIC with 584 rushing yards, averaging 5.5 per carry while adding 9-97 as a receiver. His 114.3 all-purpose yards per game ranks second in the NSIC and 43^rd nationally.
 
He's had a pair of three-touchdown performances, scoring six on the season with five on the ground and one through the air.  He had his first three-touchdown game in week one against Upper Iowa (16-108, 2 TD rushing & 2-34, 1 TD receiving).

As a Golden Bear, Richardson has compiled 2,044 all-purpose yards including 1,405 rushing (4.9 avg), 47-426 receiving and 12 total touchdowns in 22 games played.

He's been aided by a strong running back tandem in sophomore Daniel Hornacek who is averaging a blistering 7.6 yards per carry with 212 yards on 28 carries and two touchdowns, adding 5-37 as a receiver.
 
Hornacek and Richardson teamed up as 100-yard rushers in a 43-20 week one win over Upper Iowa with Hornacek rushing for 10 yards on 10 carries against the Peacocks.

The Golden Bear offense has rushed for at least 100 yards in all six games including road contests at notable run-stopping squads Winona State (29-109) and #5 Minnesota State (35-120).
 
In CSP's two wins, the Golden Bears have rushed for 281 yards and four touchdowns against Upper Iowa, and 295 yards with five touchdowns against UMary.
 
100-YARD RUSHING PERFORMANCES, CURRENT ROSTER
10/7/23 – Jaylin Richardson, vs Sioux Falls – 23-162, 3 TDs
9/30/23 – Jaylin Richardson, vs UMary – 21-172 rush / 2-32 rec
8/31/23 – Jaylin Richardson, vs Upper Iowa – 16-108 rush / 2-34 rec, 3 total TDs
8/31/23 – Daniel Hornacek, vs Upper Iowa – 10-100 rush / 1-1 rec, 1 TD
9/10/22 – Jaylin Richardson, at SMSU – 14-175 rush / 2-7 rec / 207 all-purpose

DAHLMAN POSTS MASSIVE PUNTING DAY
In week three against Augustana, junior Parker Dahlman countered one of the best returners in the country by averaging a school-record 54.0 yards on five punts, the second-best single game punt average in DII football in a 2023 game. In the game, the special teams punt coverage unit carried a strong 43.8 net punting average, too. He holds four of the top-seven single-game punting averages in school history (min. 2 punts), and the first, third, fourth, and fifth-highest single-game punt averages with a minimum of three punts.
 
On the year, of his 27 punts, he's placed seven inside the 20 yard line, forced four fair catches, had just two touchbacks and blasted nine 50-plus yard punts.

On the year, his 44.2 average leads the NSIC and ranks sixth in NCAA Division II football, and is ahead of the school record pace of 41.32 held by Sam Maedke (2017). Dahlman also carries a 40.4 career punting average, putting him over a yard ahead of the current record of 39.32 held by Jake Shepley (2017-21), who was primarily a wide receiver during his time at CSP.
 
DAHLMAN BIG PUNTING GAMES IN 2023
Week 3, vs Augustana: 5 punts, 54.0 avg, 4 50-plus, long 67
Week 5, vs UMary: 3 punts, 47.7 avg, 1 50-plus, long 56, 1 FC, 1 in20
Week 6, vs Sioux Falls: 4 punts, 49.5 avg, 1 50-plus, long 58, 3 FC, 4 in20 

EUE EUE EUE!
Two-time All-NSIC First Team senior transfer kicker Payton Eue has made a significant impact on the Golden Bear special teams, converting his first five field goal attempts to start his Golden Bear career and making 6-of-7 through six weeks with his only miss from 56-yards which would have been his first career 50-plus yard make.
 
He has converted four times from 20-29 yards, once from 30-39, and holds a long of 41 as part of a three-field goal performance against Augustana in week three. His 3-for-3 performance against the Vikings puts him in a 13-way tie for second-most field goals made in a game at Concordia, and he's one of five players to achieve the feat since the program began in 1969.

His 32 points on the year ranks second on the team in scoring and he also averages 61.1 yards on kickoffs, delivering 31 percent (8-26) for touchbacks.

On the year, Eue ranks 14th in the country and leads the NSIC with an 85.7 percent field goal rate (6-7) and ranks 32^nd in the nation and third in the league with 1.0 field goals made per game.

As a college kicker, including his time at Northern State, Eue has converted 38-of-54 field goals in 40 games, hitting season longs of 48 (2019), 50 (2021), 49 (2022), and 41 (2023) and has compiled 208 career points, including his 94-103 on PATs.

He holds Northern State's career record with 32 field goals made, season record with 14 field goals made (2021) and PATs in a season with 49 in 2021 (49-52). 

ENKE & ELLISON'S BIG GAMES
Wide receivers Drew Enke and Troy Ellison have each posted big individual performances this year, with Ellison producing 10 catches for 85 yards in the season-opening win over Upper Iowa, adding 2-21 rushing and a 58-yard punt return for a 164-yard all-purpose performance, while Enke had a career day against Augustana in week three with seven catches for 163 yards.

The duo are CSP's top receiving threats so far in 2023, with Enke leading the team in receiving yards (294) on 17 catches (2^nd), averaging a team-best 17.3 per catch (min. 6 rec.) while Ellison leads the team with 27 receptions, adding 230 yards (2^nd) and a score. Ellison also has 8-71 rushing (8.9 avg) with two TDs, 4-72 on punt returns (18.0 avg) and 7-116 on kickoff returns for 489 all-purpose yards, trailing only Jaylin Richardson (686).

Junior Rene Zaldivar has also added 11-103 receiving and has scored a pair of touchdowns, one on the ground and one through the air. He is third on the team in receptions and receiving yards.

Concordia has had 13 different players record a reception on the season with 15 players targeted in the pass game and nine players have at least four catches on the year with CSP's four touchdown passes being distributed to four different targets.

100-YARD RECEIVING PERFORMANES , CURRENT ROSTER
9/16/23 – Drew Enke, vs Augustana – 7-163, long 51
11/12/22 – Troy Ellison, vs Minot State – 5-113, 2 TDs, long 72
11/5/22 – Troy Ellison, at MSU Moorhead – 7-104, 1 TD, long 75 / 158 all-purpose

DEFENSIVE LEADERS
The Golden Bears have been coming up with timely stops throughout the first half of the season and while safety Cyrus McClure leads the team with 40 tackles, it's been a team effort as nine different players have 20-plus tackles through six games, and seven more have at least 10 tackles on the season. McClure is coming off of his top performance with 10 tackles against Sioux Falls, and has made six or more tackles in five of six games. In the opener against Upper Iowa, he had seven tackles, a forced fumble, and a pass breakup that was intercepted after the breakup.
 
Up front, defensive end Kendis Ledbetter  is fifth on the defense with 26 tackles, is tied for the team lead with 5.0 TFLs and is second on the team with three sacks while defensive tackle Koffi Gbekle is seventh with 22 tackles including a team-leading 3.5 sacks, ranking third with 4.5 TFLs. He has also added a blocked kick.

Redshirt freshman linebacker Ben Rehl has broken out the past few weeks, and is second on the team with 32 total tackles, tied for the team lead with 5.0 TFLs and tied for third on the team with 2.0 sacks. He's part of a busy and deep linebacker unit as Jawon Carr and Brayden Hilgemann are tied for third on the defense with 27 tackles, with Carr adding a TFL and sack with Hilgemann contributing an interception, and Abe Schwinn is sixth on the team with 25 tackles, adding a pair of interceptions.
 
Rehl produced one of the top individual defensive performances for the team in a week five 37-34 win over UMary with career-highs 12 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks. He's had five or more tackles in four of six games.

PROVIDING PROTECTION
The Golden Bear offensive line, led by left side returning starters Jake Edwards (LT) and Taylon Hensley (LG), along with experienced players Jac Carver (RG), CJ Picazo (RG), Robby Carrillo (RT) and first-year starter Caydon Christensen (C) have teamed-up to allow just three sacks through six games against some of the top defenses in the Northern Sun. CSP ranks third in the country and second in the NSIC with just 0.5 sacks allowed per game while the run game ranks 37th in the country and third in the NSIC with 182.7 rushing yards per game.

The Golden Bears are averaging 5.3 per carry and 182.7 yards per game on the ground, as well, including a pair of 100-yard rushers in Jaylin Richardson (3) and Daniel Hornacek (1) who have combined for four 100-yard rushing performances individually. As a team, CSP has rushed for at least 100 yards in every game, including in challenging road games at Winona State (29-112) and #5 Minnesota State (35-120) while piling up 281 yards and four touchdowns in the 43-20 season-opening win over Upper Iowa and 295 yards and five touchdowns in a 37-34 win over UMary in week five.

Combined with the defense which has produced 13.0 sacks by eight different players including six defensive linemen, the offensive line has only surrendered three opposing sacks for a +10 margin in quarterback sacks as the line play has continued to improve on both sides.
 
CHEEKS CONTINUES TO SUPPORT #26 FOR BILLY BROWN JR
Junior safety Davaris Cheeks changed jersey numbers prior to the 2022 season from #14 to #26 to honor the memory of Billy Brown, Jr., a linebacker who graduated from CSP in May of 2018. Billy passed away in 2018 shortly after graduating while working out near his home in the Twin Cities that summer. Head coach Shannon Currier has opted to honor Brown by selecting a player who fits Billy's work ethic and commitment to the program to wear the number each season.
 
"Billy Brown's legacy has been talked about since the day I became a part of this football program, and rightfully so," said Cheeks. "The mark he left was one that was full of love for this team, passion for the game, and doing whatever it took to win. It is an honor to be able to wear that jersey as I know he is watching down on us and has sowed a seed that will never be forgotten."
 
Cheeks, a native of Aurora, Illinois, debuted in game action in 2021 with the jersey number 31, after redshirting in 2019 and missing 2020 due to the COVID-19 season cancellation, and had selected #14 for the 2022 season prior to being chosen to wear #26.
 
Now in his fifth year at CSP and third year competing on the gridiron, Cheeks has seen action in 19 games while missing parts of each season due to injury, compiling 33 career tackles, adding a pair of pass breakups and a pair of fumble recoveries. He had his top season in 2021 with 17 tackles in seven games with a PBU and FR.
 
So far in 2023, Cheeks has played in four games with four tackles and a pass breakup.
 
He served 2021-22 as the CSP Student-Athlete Advisory Committee President before being appointed as the NSIC's NCAA Division II National SAAC representative in 2022-23. Further, he was elected as the 2022-23 CSP Student Body President and appointed as one of the first two student-athletes to serve on the NCAA Division II President's Council, the highest-ranking body of NCAA DII governance, a position he continues to hold in 2023-24.
 
Cheeks is a public relations major at Concordia with a minor in business management and marketing.
 
Prior #26 Billy Brown number recipients:
2018, Brandon Russell (23 to 26)
2019, Jackson Dobbs (98 to 26)
2020, none selected
2021, Dalton Smerchek (32 to 26)
2022, Davaris Cheeks (14 to 26)
2023, Davaris Cheeks (26 to 26)
 
STRONG STARTS: CSP OPENING DRIVES
A year ago, the Golden Bears didn't hold a lead in any game until week 11 with 5:44 to play in the second quarter in a 19-11 win over Minot State.
 
Things have changed in 2023, as Concordia's offense has sought to set the tone on the opening drive. Concordia has scored first in four of the six games this year,  scored on its opening drive in four of six games, and held a lead in five of the six games.
 
Below is a breakdown of CSP's opening drives in the 2023 season:
*Wk 1: vs Upper Iowa, 8 plays, 27 yards, 5:15 – punt (5 rushing plays)
*Wk 2: at Winona State, 3 plays, 7 yards, 0:44 – interception (1 rushing play)
*Wk 3: vs Augustana, 13 plays, 75 yards, 5:55 – touchdown (13 rushing plays)
*Wk 4: at Minnesota State, 18 plays, 58 yards, 10:39 – field goal (12 rushing plays)
*Wk 5: vs UMary, 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:07 – touchdown (5 rushing plays)
Wk 6: vs Sioux Falls, 8 plays, 74 yards, 4:34 – touchdown (6 rushing plays)
Summary: 9.3 plays (7.0 rushing), 52.6 yards, 4:52, 4.0 points
* - denotes CSP received
 
2023 > 2022
The Golden Bears have put together competitive football throughout the course of the 2023 season, and with more than half of the season complete, the underlying statistics are showing how much the team has improved from the 2022 squad.
   
FIRST TO 50
Head coach Shannon Currier became the first coach in CSP football history to reach the 50-win milestone with the 43-20 season-opening win over Upper Iowa. Now in his 12^th season overall at Concordia, Currier became the program's all-time wins leader on November 3, 2018 with 16-10 win at Southwest Minnesota State, where he spent two years as offensive coordinator early in his career (1997-98).
 
He's coached Golden Bear football to five winning seasons, a 2003 NSIC Championship when he was named the NSIC Coach of the Year, including the program's first-ever trip to the postseason with a bid to the 2003 Mineral Water Bowl.
 
Currier's Golden Bears hold a 32-25 home record during his CSP coaching career and he is 10-1 in home openers between Griffin Stadium (2000-03) and Sea Foam Stadium, which opened in 2009.

ABOUT THE BEAVERS
Minot State enters Saturday on a seven game losing streak, dropping all six conference contests to open the 2023 season. Their unbalanced schedule sees them host CSP this Saturday before senior day next Saturday against Minnesota Duluth as the team will face its final three games on the road including a non-conference trip across North Dakota, Minnesota and into Michigan's upper peninsula to face Michigan Tech in week 10 in Houghton, Michigan.

This year, the Beavers have had closely contested losses 28-23 at home to Southwest Minnesota State in week one and a 7-0 road loss at Sioux Falls in week four. In the other four games, Minot State hasn't had a margin closer than 26 points, giving up big point totals to MSU Moorhead (56), #5 Minnesota State (52), Wayne State (48), and Northern State (46) where they most recently fell on the road 46-9 last week.

The Beavers were picked tied for last (12th) with UMary, each securing 20 points and trailing 11th place Concordia with 35 points in the NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll, after finishing 1-10 in 2022 including a season-ending loss at Concordia.

Despite the 0-6 record and some lopsided scores, Minot State is among the nation's top-10 least penalized teams, ranked eighth with 4.3 penalties and seventh with 34.0 penalty yards per game, and with only two interceptions thrown on the season, they rank 12th in the nation and lead the league in fewest INTs thrown behind the country's 41st-ranked rushing offense, putting up the fourth-most yards on the ground (178.2) in the Northern Sun.

They also have one of the top punters in the league as Justin Cash averages 42.0 yards per punt, second in the league behind Parker Dahlman and ranked 18th in the country.

Myles West leads the backfield with 343 yards and two scores, averaging 4.9 per carry while Evan Lovett changes the pace with 271 yards, two scores and 5.9 per rush. Quarterback Dawson Macleary adds 96 rushing yards, a touchdown and 3.6 per carry, as well. Minot State has had 10 different players rush for over 35 yards on the season and six different players have combined for their nine touchdown runs.

Under center, Macleary has passed for 357 yards but completed just 46% of his 63 attempts in five games, while backup Dondrae Fair is 8-15 (53%) for 185 yards, and Jayden Speraw has 50 passing yards on a pair of completions (2-7), although he has one of the team's two interceptions.

On a team with just 39 completed passes in six games, it's Daniel Stokes who leads the Beavers with nine catches for 176 yards and two touchdowns while two others have topped 100 yards, Erik Palmquist (6-113) and James Mintmier (5-109). Despite not throwing often, six of Minot State's top seven leaders in receiving yards are averaging at least 18.8 yards per reception.

Defensively, Isaiah Bigby leads the team with 45 tackles while Carson Cayko adds 40 tackles, a team-high 7.5 TFLs and 3.0 sacks.