ST. PAUL, Minn. – On Thursday, August 31, Concordia-St. Paul kicks-off the 2023 season at 6:30 p.m. at Sea Foam Stadium in the program's first non-conference game since 2011, hosting former NSIC member Upper Iowa in the Peacocks' first season as members of the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC).
 
This article is the first of a three-part series previewing the 2023 Golden Bears, providing an overview of the program and a look at the special teams units. Subsequent articles will highlight the defense and offense in leading up to the season opener.
 
Concordia's last non-conference game was a 43-31 road triumph to open the 2011 season at Minot State, a year in which the Golden Bears finished 6-5 overall. Upper Iowa had been members of the NSIC from the 2006-07 to 2022-23 academic years.
 
The season opener is St. Paul Day, sponsored by the Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF) and also marks move-in day for CSP students, who will be welcomed to campus with the students-only Comet's Cookout featuring a local DJ prior to the game on the plaza.
 
BUY TICKETS ONLINE – AVOID THE LINE!
Fans are encouraged to buy tickets in advance and bring your QR code to the gates to skip the line! New for 2023, Concordia will be a cashless ticket experience for fans, so if you don't purchase ahead, make sure to bring your card to make your purchase at the gate.
 
Friends and families who utilize the pass list will also be utilizing the online ticketing service, while faculty & staff will access their free CSP tickets through the service. CSP students will have their all-sport season passes sent directly to their csp.edu email address.
 
Fans do not need to create a login, remember a username or password or download an app to purchase tickets. BUY ONLINE
 
WEATHER OUTLOOK
With just a few days until kickoff, the forecast calls for mostly sunny skies and a high of 84 degrees on Thursday, with temperatures cooling to an evening low of 64 and winds in the 15mph SSE range shifting to from the south, blowing right to left when facing the field from the main grandstand. Sunset is 7:51 p.m., which should be around halftime.
 
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
 
All home games will feature the play-by-play broadcasting provided by Dan Flanagan, the voice of the Golden Bears for over a decade. The St. Paul, Minnesota native studied broadcasting at Fordham University (N.Y.) where he was the voice of the Rams' football and basketball teams in the NCAA Division I Patriot League.
 
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.
 
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 / HONORARY 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.
 
The season opener's game captains are junior quarterback Conner Cordts, junior guard Taylon Hensley, junior safety Cyrus McClure and sophomore linebacker Richard Wauer.

Concordia will welcome honorary game captains Rev. Dr. Steve Daniels, Jr., Pastor of Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church in St. Paul, along with Marte Marshall, Assistant Director of Residence Life at CSP.
 
SERIES HISTORY: CONCORDIA 11, UPPER IOWA 4
Concordia's 24-6 win in the 2021 home opener at Sea Foam Stadium pushed the Golden Bears' winning streak to three games in the series against the Peacocks, improving to 7-1 in home games and 5-1 in games at Sea Foam Stadium (2009-present).
 
In his second career start, then-freshman quarterback Conner Cordts completed 20-27 for 249 yards and two touchdowns. He connected with nine different receivers and targeted 10 options in the pass game. Then-redshirt freshman running back Jaylin Richardson added 13 carries for 61 yards and a touchdown. The CSP defense stifled the Peacocks with five sacks, a 3-0 advantage in the take-give and held the Peacocks to 257 yards of total offense.
 

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2023 SEASON PREVIEW PART 1: PROGRAM OVERVIEW & SPECIAL TEAMS
When head coach Shannon Currier returned to the Golden Bear sidelines in the winter of the 2015-16 academic year, his first priority was to assemble a coaching staff and a roster that would begin to fit the culture of the program he was aiming to lead at Concordia-St. Paul.
 
The first couple of seasons, with a younger roster seeing a majority of playing time, the wins and losses weren't showing the true measurement of how the program was growing.
 
After a pair of 2-9 seasons in 2016 and 2017, including an increase of closely contested losses in year two, the team began to flip close games into the win column, result in a 5-6 campaign in 2018 that featured additional close losses that hinted at great potential.
 
In 2019, the Golden Bears returned a winning season to Currier and his staff, going 6-5 with an upward trend with momentum that was stalled by the COVID-19 shutdown. While the shutdown affected athletes in all sports at all levels across the globe, the impact to the Golden Bears wouldn't be felt immediately.
 
But the culture and positivity that was generated was lost when the team dispersed entirely for the spring and summer, and only had limited practice time in a fall of 2020 that featured no competition.
 
Following Currier's third and fourth years, with a large number of players either exhausting eligibility in the fourth year of 2019 or earning degrees and moving on with additional football on the table in the vacated 2020 season, the program returned to a reboot – a reality that was not planned for but came to the doorstep regardless.
 
In the previous two years, young players returned to making impacts early in their careers. Offensively, quarterback Conner Cordts and running back Jaylin Richardson will be third year starters. Now in his third year in the program, wide receiver Troy Ellison is poised for a breakout with three years of eligibility still to go. The offensive line continues to develop continuity, experience and strength. Defensively, safety Cyrus McClure will be a third-year starter.
 
In 2022, there were five games decided by two scores or less including top-flight opponents such as Augustana (28-14) and Minnesota State (25-15). The team also went out on a positive note, winning its final game, on senior day at Sea Foam Stadium.
 
Situations are never the same, and while Currier and his staff have produced a quick turnaround in recent history, it won't be easy for this year's team to replicate that success.
 
But the ingredients are there, and recipe and has yielded positive results in the past, and perhaps the most crucial ingredient is stability.
 
Currier is in his 12^th season overall at Concordia, including four winning seasons in a row from 2000 to 2003, culminating in an NSIC Championship, the program's first-ever postseason appearance, and an NSIC Coach of the Year honor. He's in his 17^th season as a Division II head coach.
 
His staff is also cohesive, with four full-time assistant coaches all returning and being part of the program since at least 2018. The only major shift among the full-time staff is Currier's return to being a position coach, working directly with the quarterbacks.
 
That stability allowed the program to shift its volunteer and part-time coaches from a larger quantity of people into a smaller group who is able to commit more to their roles as position coaches.
 
"It starts with me," said Currier of his return to being a position coach. "Some of our positions have had too much change or not enough of a presence. I needed to step up and be a position coach, quarterback is my background, so that was step one."
 
He continued, "We had to recognize that over the years, our adjunct support coaches couldn't be here during the day, or couldn't make it until practice started, so we wanted less total coaches with the idea that the coaches we had we wanted to be able to devote more time to mentor, coach, director and guide our guys at each position. We have someone here almost all day now for each position group, and it's the first time we've had that."
 
Other positions that have received a boost with added attention from staff changes include wide receivers led by first year assistant coach Woody Corey, running backs with Tommy Worden, tight ends with second year graduate assistant Robert Kraklow with assistance from newcomer Jake Schaper, and multi-year student assistant Mitchell Heinz moved into the defensive graduate assistant position to support longtime assistant Justin Lerfald on the defensive line.
 
"Woody is a huge hire, a phenomenal wide receivers coach. He's able to find that balance between holding players accountable while still earning their respect. He's a key part of our offensive organization, and he and I will work together to call plays on gameday. Bringing in Tommy Worden from USD was a great get for us, too. While he doesn't have a ton of coaching experience yet, he played college football, wants to be a coach, has the right personality and is learning a lot quickly, and our new volunteer assistant Jake Schaper played on good teams in the NSIC, is a local guy from the metro and has been committed."
 
He concluded, "We have a more committed staff than we've had in past years, and one of the reasons is that they're already here so we don't have to worry about external distractions and we've really gelled well this fall."
 
With coaching stability a strength of Currier's program, he and his staff set out in the offseason to work on flipping their close losses into the win column in 2023. While Currier was methodically reshaping his staff and introducing the additions into the mix, they began identifying areas to address to achieve their goals.
 
"First, we created more accountability for football performance. We found more effective and efficient, direct ways of sharing growth plays to learn and improve and it started to resonate with players that when they make a mistake, it impacts the entire team – whether it was their mistake or a teammate's."
 
In a program that has had remarkable retention – regardless of on-field results, and increasing graduation and team grade point average rates, Currier leveraged that strength to emphasize performance.
 
"Second, we spent greater time and focus on a football knowledge curriculum in the winter instead of additional drills or training. The goal was to grow our team's football knowledge and understand schemes better to gain a deeper understanding of the game."
 
"Third, we added some key transfers and prioritized that immediate impact and experience over longer term development. Specifically, we targeted wide receivers, two tight ends, three defensive linemen, a linebacker, a running back and a kicker."
 
With rosters above the 130 mark for the past few years, and young players gaining valuable playing experience, the roster featured enough depth and retention that allowed for the program to supplement the two-deep with an infusion of transfers.
 
"Fourth, we return so many players with game experience that we have a ton of confidence as we head into the 2023 season," he concluded.
 
With a roster full of players who have competed together for multiple seasons, along with the infusion of transfers – most coming at the midyear semester break last winter and able to spend the spring term with the program – the fall practices have been at a faster pace, more competitive and focused.
 
"I feel like we have a chip on the shoulder of the program," Currier said when commenting on the team's fall practice sessions. "We have a different level of motivation and a sense of urgency to be successful. It starts with the staff and some of the team leaders. I like how the players have responded to a poor year. Guys have taken responsibility, they've looked at themselves and reflected on how they can make a difference instead of blaming others or being a victim. Conner Cordts has responded to a tough year, he has leadership and growth. He's transformed from 175 pounds to over 200 pounds, his confidence has grown – and that sums up many other guys, too."
 
But the chip on the shoulder isn't the only thing Currier can point to in a more efficient practice plan, "we've changed some things on offense, we're moving to a huddle team to get our guys on the same page. We're minimizing what players have to know with regards to signals and teaching a new language. We're emphasizing football knowledge over signals and terminology. In the past, they were learning signals, now it's less complicated, we're more focused and in-sync."
 
In addition to Cordts, Currier noted that a handful of players who had yet to make their mark in games or on the travel roster had turned a corner in their development as all-around student-athletes, with results translating into big fall camps on the football field as a result.
 
"Some of our younger guys, Dion Green, Machai Campbell, and EJ Stoffel really stand out in my mind, the way they are doing everything in their life is noticeable. Stronger work ethic and commitment, they are getting themselves on the map in a big way. They aren't alone, either. DJ Jones, Jackson Savre, CJ Picazo, Adrian Adams and Ben Rehl – these are all guys at different points in their college careers, but they've all put themselves in better positions to help this program. Some have gone from a space where we weren't sure if they were ever going to make an impact, to being potentially key contributors."
 
MEET THE TEAM: SPECIAL TEAMS
A number of familiar faces will be lining up all over the special teams units, from the two snappers, the holder, punter and return game.
 
But one of the most visible positions on special teams will see a new face in two-time All-NSIC North Division kicker Payton Eue, a native of Champlin Park returning to the metro area after a successful career at Northern State (S.D.) where he earned his undergraduate degree and will now pursue a master's degree while concluding his football eligibility and kickstarting his career after football.
 
"How do you beat getting a two-time All-NSIC First Team grad transfer – a proven commodity," said Currier. "We're working through the timing with our battery this fall, but he's been the best in the league the past couple of years. And it's great timing for us, because Sam Henson needs a year to heal, which allows him to grow in other ways while Payton fills in for the season, and we expect Sam to reclaim that role after this year."
 
Eue was 12^th in the NSIC in scoring last year with 58 points, was fourth in the league in field goals made per game (9 FGM in 11 GP) and had a long of 49 yards. Two years ago in 2021, he was fourth in the conference in scoring with 91 points and led the league with 14 field goals made including a long of 50.
 
He won't have the only big leg on the team this fall, either, with third-year punter Parker Dahlman ranking as the league's fifth punter by average each of the last two years and on pace to hammer the program's career record average.
 
"He gets better and better," said Currier. "He's in his third year, and he can be one of the best in the league. He has a big leg, a great attitude, he's a spiritual leader in our program and is on the leadership council. He's playing a bigger role on and off the field in our program, he's increasingly valuable to the team, has high character and can really boom the ball."
 
Dahlman, who also holds on the field goal/PAT units, will be fed by short snapper Caydon Christensen for the second year in a row, while Peyton Ihns feeds him as the long snapper in the punt game. Wide receiver Brock Thornton also works into the snapping game as a backup to Christensen at short snapper.
 
"These guys are solid," said Currier. "Peyton has gotten faster, Parker was just commenting the other day on how he recognizes the speed difference."
 
The return game will feature a rotation of four players, with wide receivers Troy Ellison and Rene Zaldivar and running backs Jaylin Richardson and Jaire Moore all getting cracks at handling kickoffs, with Ellison and Richardson primarily on the punt return.
 
"Troy is dynamic, he can be real special, perhaps one of the best in the league. He's fearless, confident and the more we get him the ball the better. He'll get first crack at punt returning, but we're still working through determining who will be back on kickoffs – all four will get their chances to return kicks."
 
Currier also listed a number of players expected to make big plays on special teams across the various coverage and block units, including Brayden Hilgemann, Carter Otto, Grant Miles, Cyrus McClure, Athony Ukofia, Hudson Jean, Zantavious Graham, Richard Wauer, Jaylin Richardson and Troy Ellison.