ST. PAUL, Minn. - This Saturday at 6:30 p.m., Concordia-St. Paul (0-1) hosts Minnesota Duluth (1-0) for the 2025 home opener at Sea Foam Stadium. The game will also be each school's conference opener in an NSIC North vs South Division matchup. 

WEATHER OUTLOOK
Saturday night is heading towards a crisp fall evening in St. Paul, with an expected temperature of 57 degrees around kickoff, winds out of the northwest at 11mph and mostly cloudy conditions. Throughout the evening, the temperature is expected to remain in the low-to-mid 50s, with clearing skies and the wind calming to 6-8mph. There is a 22 percent chance of rain at 6 p.m., dropping to a trace from 7pm through the rest of the night.

FREE GB4L T-SHIRTS!
The first 100 students who present their student ID and enter the game with a student ticket will receive a free navy GB4L branded t-shirt! The shirts are currently exclusive to this promotion and only available to the first 100 students!

TICKETS - PURCHASE IN ADVANCE ONLINE
Fans are highly encouraged to purchase tickets online at cspbears.com/tickets prior to game day. All ticketed events for the 25-26 academic year will utilize the Vivenu online ticket platform found at that link and fans must scan a mobile ticket to enter. Tickets will still be sold on site on game day but purchases are card-only and include additional fees. The best way for fans to make their game day entry as smooth as possible is to purchase tickets online in advance. CSP Students, Faculty and Staff will be able to download their free passes through Vivenue.

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.

HOME OPENER AT SEA FOAM STADIUM
CSP head coach Shannon Currier holds a 10-2 record in his CSP career in home openers including 6-2 at Sea Foam Stadium. In his first stint as head coach (2000-03), CSP went 4-0 at its former home, Griffin Stadium. Currier's squads average a 30.1 to 11.7 margin of victory in home openers, a 314-101 cumulative score.

LISTEN TO THE COACHES SHOW ON THE CSP BEARS PODCAST
The Coaches Show with Shannon Currier is back on the Twin Cities airwaves for a sixth 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 radio interview guests are junior punter Caden Carsen and redshirt freshman wide receiver Timothy Davis. 
 
For fans who miss the show or are outside of the radio station's Twin Cities reach, the entire show will be 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!

WEEK 2 GAME CAPTAINS
CSP head coach Shannon Currier and the coaching staff are continuing the program's tradition of selecting rotating weekly game captains, the seventh year in a row in 2025. Captains are selected by the coaching staff based on performance on the field and as a leader in practices, meetings and day-to-day activities. 

The season opening game captains in week zero for the Golden Bears were seventh-year senior offensive lineman CJ Picazo and senior running back Daniel Hornacek on offense, with junior linebacker Ben Rehl and sophomore defensive lineman Isaiah Wray on defense.

In game two against UMD, CSP will be led by offensive captains CJ Picazo (2x) and junior wide receiver Carter Zezulka, as well as defensive captains junior safety Ricky Dixon and sophomore defensive tackle Marvin Stringfellow. 

The honorary captains for the home opener are Ethan Haller and his parents, Terry and Maria Haller. Ethan has been drafted as CSP's Team IMPACT player for 2025!

PETERSON SELECTED TO WEAR #26 IN MEMORY OF BILLY BROWN, JR
Junior defensive back Emmitt Peterson has been selected to represent the football program's cherished jersey number 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.
 
Peterson, formerly #37, is athletically a junior and originally from Wausau, Wisconsin. The defensive back is in his fourth season in the program, and in his first two years in the program secured five CSP Scout Team Player of the Week honors between the defense and special teams. As a sophomore in 2024, he earned NSIC All-Academic Team of Excellence honors, and he's seen action in six games as a Golden Bear entering the 2025 campaign.
 
"The #26 jersey is a symbol of selflessness and love, honoring the legacy of the late Billy Brown, Jr. – a Golden Bear who gave himself fully for the betterment of the team and left an enormous impact on all who knew him. This season, that same standard will be carried by Emmitt Peterson. Emmitt has consistently proven himself to be a servant-leader, a great teammate, and someone who lifts others through his acts of love and commitment. His selection to wear #26 is a reflection of the teammate he is, and the legacy he continues."
 
Peterson is originally from St. Louis, Missouri working towards a business major with minors in sociology and marketing. He is interested in pursuing a career in crimes against children in law enforcement with either Homeland Security or the FBI. He is a Dean's List student, and his older brother is a former member of the CSP track & field and football teams.

Past players selected to wear Brown's #26:
2018: Brandon Russell (23 to 26)
2019: Jackson Dobbs (98 to 26)
2020: season cancellation
2021: Dalton Smerchek (32 to 26)
2022: Davaris Cheeks (14 to 26)
2023: Davaris Cheeks
2024: Richard Wauer (9 to 26)
2025: Emmitt Peterson (37 to 26)

SERIES HISTORY: UMD 14, CSP 3
The Bulldogs head into Sea Foam Stadium having won 11 consecutive games against Concordia after the all-time series opened up tied 3-3 in six meetings annually between 1999 and 2004, when CSP picked up its last win 38-6 at Griffin Stadium. 

Concordia won the first two meetings between the programs, an impressive feat as CSP was in its first and second season of NCAA Division II and Northern Sun membership, making the jump from NAIA and the UMAC. 

Concordia is 2-8 against UMD in home games but seeking its first win at Sea Foam Stadium over UMD, who has picked up wins at Concordia's on-campus home in 2012, 2016, 2022 and 2024. 

LAST MEETING: UMD 35, CSP 7 (2024)
The Golden Bears (2-8, 2-7 NSIC) held a strong Minnesota Duluth (6-4, 5-4 NSIC) team scoreless well into the second quarter, but the offense was unable to get going in a 35-7 loss to the Bulldogs. 

Concordia's defense held the Bulldogs without a point for their first four offensive possessions, getting a fourth down stop in CSP territory, forcing a punt near midfield, and then forcing a pair of turnovers in CSP territory: an interception inside the 5-yard line by Machai Campbell and a fumble forced by Safdar McCrary, recovered by Ricky Dixon at the CSP 28. Both turnovers committed by reigning D2Football.com Offensive Player of the Week Kyle Walljasper, who would also be intercepted again in the second half by defensive end Drake Teal. 

It was an encouraging start for the Golden Bears, facing an offense ranked 14th in the nation with 440 yards of total offense per game, 22nd in the country in scoring with 34.7 per game.

But Concordia's offense being stifled by UMD's defense meant the CSP defense spent more time on the field, and the Bulldogs would eventually get rolling and exceed their season averages, finishing with 492 yards of total offense including 273 on the ground, while putting up 35 points, just 0.3 more than their season average. 

Walljasper persisted through the three-turnover day, completing 20-26 for 219 yards and three TDs while rushing 15 times for 99 yards. He connected with DaShaun Ames for all three TDs as Ames had 6-98 receiving. 

Jaylin Richardson led the CSP offense with 78 combined yards, keeping his season streak of at least 74 rushing/receiving yards intact for all 10 games. He had 14-67 rushing and his 13th rushing (14th total) TD. 

Troy Ellison was involved frequently, as well, with 11 all-purpose touches for 67 yards: 3-18 rushing, 6-22 receiving and 2-27 on kickoff returns. 

Anthony Ukofia had a team-high 11 tackles while Ryan Martin and Lucas Becker each had five tackles, 1.5 for loss and a half sack. 

CSP punter Parker Dahlman had a strong day, averaging 43.2 yards on six punts with a long of 56 yards. CSP's punt team produced a 42.2 net average on his six punts.

LAST WEEK: QUINCY 38, CSP 7
In Concordia's first week zero contest, a road non-conference game at GLVC-member Quincy University, the Golden Bears dropped the season-opener 38-7. 

Concordia quarterbacks Zachary Yeager and Reed Styer combined to complete 69.2 percent (17-27) of their passes and CSP committed just one turnover in the game. Yeager completed 12-20, making the start in his CSP debut, compiling 51 passing yards before leaving midway through a third quarter series and not returning. 

Styer hit on some big plays in the final quarter-plus, completing five of his seven attempts for 87 yards while engineering the team's lone scoring drive in the fourth quarter. On CSP's scoring drive, Styer connected with redshirt freshman Timothy Davis for big plays downfield of 25 and 45 yards, with Davis making defenders miss while picking up extra yardage after the catch. He finished with 3-73 receiving in the game, with his two long catches setting up a 2-yard Joel Lacy rushing touchdown. Lacy carried six times for 12 yards in his CSP debut. 

Senior running back Daniel Hornacek led Concordia with 7-19 rushing and 6-29 receiving, combining for 48 yards on 13 offensive touches. 

Although CSP surrendered 38 points to the host Hawks, the defense was able to stymie Quincy's run game to 33-84, a 2.5 average. But Quincy was able to convert 10-of-13 third down conversions to keep drives alive, notably in the early stages of the contest to build its lead and momentum. 

Safety Ricky Dixon led the defense with seven total tackles, while four others (Dilan Williamson, Isaiah Wray, Hudson Jean, Mike King) each had six tackles. I.Wray, King, Machai Campbell and Howard Craft all had 1.0 tackles for loss.
 
I.Wray and Jason Harris combined for a sack, forcing an intentional grounding to set up a 3^rd-and-20-plus yards in the second half, while Williamson and Ben Rehl each had pass breakups with Williamson nearly securing an interception in the red zone on Quincy's first-quarter field goal drive.

Concordia was 4-13 on third and 0-2 on fourth downs while falling 1-0 in the turnover margin. The Golden Bears played a clean game with just three penalties for 14 yards, netting 41 yards on penalty compared to QU (6-55).

Concordia also had an efficient day punting as junior relief pitcher from the baseball team Caden Carsen made his football debut with five punts for a 41.2 average, forcing four catches and a -4 yard return, allowing the coverage team to execute their roles.