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 third of a three-part series previewing the 2023 Golden Bears, providing a look at the offense. Previous articles have highlighted the program overview and special teams, and the defense 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 over 24 hours until opening kickoff, the forecast calls for mostly sunny skies and a high of 83 degrees on Thursday, with temperatures cooling to an evening low of 64 and winds in the 15mph range 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.
 

---

SEASON PREVIEW PART 3: OFFENSE
The Golden Bear offense features strong continuity entering the 2023 season, including third-year starting quarterback Conner Cordts, who will be playing behind an offensive line returning four players who started at least half of the season last year, along with starting skill position players across the board including All-NSIC Second Team third-year starting running back Jaylin Richardson, and the team's touchdown leader, sophomore wide receive Troy Ellison.
 
Cordts debuted as a freshman starter in 2021 with 857 passing yards and 82 more on the ground with a 6-1 TD-INT ratio before a season-ending injury halted his debut season in week six.
 
Last year, Cordts played all 11 games, passing for 2,108 yards and rushing for 236 more including 15 combined touchdowns.
 
"Our execution has been sharper in fall camp," said head coach Shannon Currier. "There are much higher expectations for this group – for all of us. We've added some neat wrinkles to the offense and we have more guys to play with. Along those lines, losing (Boise State transfer) Russell Corrigan is unfortunate because we were looking forward to utilizing him in different ways."
 
MEET THE BEARS: RUNNING BACK
Currier continued, "But I think Jaylin Richardson can be the top back in the league – I think he's special. He's on another level of motivation and I expect him to take his racecar to another level."
 
Richardson was one of the team's top offensive threats two years ago, when tallied 431 all-purpose yards in seven games, piling up 234 on the ground, 85 through the air, 99 on kickoff returns and 13 on punt returns.
 
But he leveled up in 2022, producing 929 all-purpose yards, once again spreading out his impact with 587 rushing at 5.6 per carry, 244 receiving on 23 catches, and 98 on kick returns with a 24.5 average.
 
"We saw improvement from one year to the next last year, but I feel like this year he's going to take his racecar to another level."
 
The backfield sees familiar faces with sophomore Daniel Hornacek and senior Jaire Moore in line for continued workload behind Richardson.
 
As a true freshman last year, Hornacek saw action in all 11 games, primarily contributing to special teams coverages, but also cut his teeth with 40 combined yards and a touchdown on 14 combined touches between the ground and air.
 
Moore compiled 177 rushing yards and 105 receiving yards, averaging 4.4 per carry and 13.1 per catch with a pair of touchdowns while adding 99 yards at a 24.8 average on kickoff returns.
 
"Danny has stepped up, and Jaire is better, we feel like our running back group is solid once again."
 
The position also features incoming transfer James Evans from Bethune Cookman while redshirt freshmen Camden Ludeman and Tyjae Williams are also competing at the position.
 
"Evans is a physical back, and he runs down hill well," said Currier. "Camden Ludeman has worked himself into the mix, and Tyjae is an athletic back."
 
MEET THE BEARS: QUARTERBACK
With Cordts locking down the quarterback position as the 2023 season gets underway, the Golden Bears are excited about the future of the position, too.
 
Redshirt freshmen Jackson Compton and Reed Styer have been vying for the backup role, and in a long offseason where every position was up for grabs, they have impressed enough to push Cordts at times, as well.
 
"Jackson and Reed are both growing and developing, and they have different strengths. Jackson is an explosive athlete while Reed has one of the top arms we've ever had here. They've both shown good things and we're excited for their growth."
 
MEET THE BEARS: WIDE RECEIVERS
When asked what areas of the team had shown strong improvement through the first three quarters of fall training camp, the second position group that Coach Currier listed was wide receivers.
 
"The wide receiver corps has made a strong improvement. Dion Green is a second-year player who is maturing and understanding his role – we saw the talent last year, and now we see him executing and running the plays. Troy Ellison finished strong last fall and he's starting strong this fall, and he's a stronger player now. Drew Enke continues to be a real solid addition, and Adrian Adams is one of our most improved players."
 
The team also has a crop of new players at the position, making it a deep, competitive environment, "Rene Zaldivar, Zach McGee, Peter Udoibok and Ricky Dixon are newcomers all vying for opportunities to round out this group and make it really solid."
 
The 2023 roster doesn't feature many freshmen who are in the mix for starting positions, two-deep spots, or even travel roster considerations, with the exception of Ricky Dixon, who may have a chance to impact the roster in his first season.
 
NCAA Division II has adopted the rule to allow true freshmen to compete in up to three games while still allowing them to retain their redshirt year for eligibility.
 
"Freshmen can play, but they have to be good enough to be in the mix," Currier commented. "It's hard for a true freshman to hit the two-deep because of the learning curve at the college football level. We might have a few make their debuts as we go this year, but we aren't depending on that. Guys may end up with chances in game opportunities, but that's not something we are emphasizing. We want to stay healthy and play the upperclassmen. We're still working through it, but Ricky Dixon may be the closest."
 
Someone who wasn't on the two-deep last year that has put himself firmly on the team's radar coming into the year is junior Adrian Adams, who saw action primarily on special teams in over half of the games.
 
"His work this summer has translate to the field and he's had a phenomenal fall camp," said Currier. "He has a great mindset and knowledge of the playbook – he's impressive."
 
He continued, adding of a young player who has turned the corner in a similar light, "Dion Green has also been impressive. It's great that guys we are counting on are maturing and growing."
 
Last year, Ellison led the team with 29 receptions, 402 yards, and five touchdowns while Enke was second on the team with 358 receiving yards, averaging a team-high 14.3 per catch among players with at least 10 receptions. At least six players had 23 catches and at least 244 receiving yards on the season.
 
MEET THE BEARS: TIGHT ENDS
The Golden Bears brought in a pair of transfer tight ends to bolster the unit this offseason led by sophomore Hutchinson-native Russell Corrigan, a transfer from Boise State, and senior Grant Miles from Abilene Christian.
 
While Corrigan is expected to miss significant time after an injury during fall camp, Miles is poised to bring his 6-foot, 5-inch, 255 pound frame to the offense to make an immediate impact.
 
"Grant is big and physical, runs a 4.8, is a great blocker and he's one of our top tight ends we've had here in quite some time – he just adds a dimension we haven't had."
 
He's backed up by Jacob Cannon, who saw extensive playing time last year as a redshirt freshman including his first two career catches for 21 yards.
 
Joining the group is redshirt freshman EJ Stoffel, "He has all kinds of ability and runs well."
 
MEET THE BEARS: OFFENSIVE LINE
The first position mentioned when Coach Currier was asked what area of the team has shown the strongest improvement this fall is the offensive line.
 
"We have 16 players on the offensive line, and not a single one missed their offseason workouts. And it's showing up on the field right now, they are playing lower with things they've been working on with Coach Eric Overland in the weight room. They have great chemistry, and Taylon Hensley deserves credit as a leader within this group, he's inspired them to step up their preparation and process. We have some talent there!"
 
The group returns four players with significant starting experience, but the nature of the position dictates that many need to be ready.
 
"Caydon Christensen is a third-year player and he's progressing exactly how we'd hope and expected. We've also seen improvements from Carson Krefft and Jackson Savre. We have a good, experienced group of guards in Jac Carver, Brody Card, CJ Picazo and Taylon Hensley. All-around, our offensive line is definitely better – and it starts there."
 
Christen is expected to move into the starting center role vacated by Sam Marshalek while Jac Carver bumps inside to the right guard spot with the graduation of Elliott Wolfe. Jake Edwards returns as the starting left tackle, and Robby Carrillo will assume the starting right tackle spot that he shared with Carver last year.
 
Backing them up, Austin Carrillo and Savre are the tackles, Picazo and Card at guard and Krefft in the middle.
 
STRESSING EXECUTION
Tying it together, Currier said, "We're more organized on offense. We are stressing execution, we've been working on plays and movements that we'll run in games and spending a lot more of our time in practice on what we'll do on gameday than we have in the past. There's a lot more organization, and we're tracking a lot more in 'how' we practice. We believe we'll be much more prepared, have a higher level of execution and our goal is to get the ball in our playmakers' hands and let them do their thing."