Credentialed: CUW hosts Aurora in Homecoming/Military Day matchup
MEQUON, Wis. -- Concordia Wisconsin will honor members of the Armed Services and alumni on Saturday, as it hosts Aurora in a 1 pm NACC contest at Tomasini Stadium.
THE BASICS
Who: Concordia Wisconsin (2-6, 1-4 NACC) vs. Aurora (4-4, 3-1 NACC)
Where: Tomasini Stadium (Mequon, Wis.)
When: Saturday, November 4 (1 pm)
Live Coverage: Live video or live statistics
DIGITAL GAME PROGRAM
- Fans can access the digital game program for Saturday's game by clicking here. Printed programs are also available in a limited quantity at the game for $2 each.
NOTES TO CONSIDER
• THANK YOU VETERANS: Today marks the annual Military Day and every member of the Athletic Department and University personally extends a thank you to our service men and women who have lost their lives and those in attendance today. In attendance today are service men and women who fought for our freedom in the following conflicts World War II, Vietnam, Korea, Gulf and Iraq-Afghanistan.
• OFFENSIVE OUTBURST: Concordia Wisconsin's offense has struggled at times this season, but that hasn't been the case the past two weeks with games at Concordia Chicago and Rockford. The Falcons have amassed over 400 yards of total offense in both contests. This past Saturday, they had 404 total offensive yards, which included 278 passing yards. CUW had for the first time this year a 100-yard rusher (Jordan Edwards - 141 yards) and two 100-yard receivers (Ryan Wagner - 103 yards; Josh Sanders - 100 yards) in the same game.
• SERIES ADVANTAGE: Concordia Wisconsin holds a 6-3 series advantage over Aurora during the NACC era and won five games in a row from 2011 to 2015. During those nine games, the Falcons hold a 286-217 scoring advantage and are 4-0 when playing at home. In the last meeting, Aurora overcame a 19-7 deficit and used strong defense to force CUW to punt on two late possessions in the fourth quarter.
• TAKING THE BALL AWAY: Concordia Wisconsin's defense ranks as the best in the NACC in regards to takeaways -- 22 to be exact (14 fumble recoveries, 8 interceptions). It's 22 takeaways is ranked top-20 nationally. Jon Rauh leads the Falcons with four takeaways (four fumble recoveries and one interception).
• BIG PLAY ABILITY: Aurora leads the NACC in big passing plays, averaging 13.2 yards per completion. They had six plays over 20-plus yards, with three of those coming through the air and two resulting in a touchdown. Gavin Zimbelman connected with Sean Mullen for a 26-yard pass-and-catch score in the third quarter and Zimbelman also found AJ Hunter for a 27-yard passing touchdown during its last possession of the game.
• GROUND ATTACK: The Spartans bring a strong ground attack into today's game, ranking third in the NACC at 190.8 yards per game via the rush. Connor Olson leads the conference at 114.9 yards per game, averaging 6.0 yards per carry, to go along with a league-leading eight touchdowns. He has four 100-plus yard rushing games this season.
• DANGEROUS RETURNS: AJ Hunter leads the most dangerous punt return unit in the NACC at 2.5 yards per return, which includes an 88-yard return for a touchdown against Rockford. The Spartans lead the league with a team average of 18.7 yards per punt return.
• MATCHUP TO WATCH: What team will be able to convert inside the red zone will go a long way in determining who can win. The Falcons offense is successful 80 percent (20-of-25) of the time, while the Spartans rank last in the NACC at 59 percent (13-of-22).
• HOLDING ON TO THE BALL: While it plays a factor from time to time, in today's quick-strike offense style of play the time of possession isn't always as important. However, Aurora ranks first in the league at 30:16 per game, while Concordia Wisconsin holds on to the ball for an average of 30:07 per contest. Time of possession might matter today.