Falcons Fall To Green Knights in Overtime

MEQUON, Wis. - As the rain poured on Saturday's contest at Tomasini Stadium, CUW Football took its first conference loss of the season in a game that took over the standard sixty minutes to decide. The low-scoring affair saw a total of only 20 points between the two teams, effectively standing as Concordia's lowest-scoring game since a 17-0 victory over Lakeland in October of 2018.

The first quarter signaled the possibility of a matchup dominated by defense, but not to the extent of the game's true result. Despite the two offenses combining for just 63 yards in the quarter, Concordia still managed to march the ball downfield, and the Falcons' lone touchdown drive would be completed by senior quarterback Michael Purkey (Woodstock, Ill.) punching the ball into the end zone from the one yard-line.

Purkey would complete ten passes for 100 yards on the day while also picking up an impressive 44-yard punt late in the game to pin the Green Knights at their own five yard-line.

St. Norbert would knot the score at seven six minutes into the second quarter, as running back Delton Zuegler countered with a one-yard touchdown run of his own.

Neither team was able to create a scoring threat for the remainder of the second quarter, and the two squads would exchange punts as the clock approached halftime.

The Green Knights would emerge from the break reinvigorated, holding Concordia to thirteen yards on their first drive of the half while storming down the field themselves after the ensuing punt. However, the Falcons' defense would stand tall themselves, picking up critical stops as St. Norbert crept into the red zone, forcing a field goal attempt. The 31-yard try off the foot of Dalton Moyse would veer to the right, leaving the game tied at seven after a drive that spanned over eight minutes of game time.

The Falcons would take immediate advantage of the miss, running twelve plays for 69 yards on their next drive. As the quarter ended midway through the possession, resulting in a flip of the field, Concordia would attempt a field goal from nearly the same spot St. Norbert had merely minutes prior. The Falcons' boot would meet a similar fate as the ball sailed to the right, keeping the game squared at seven.

The Green Knights would fumble on the ensuing drive, granting Concordia yet another scoring opportunity less than a minute after the missed field goal. St. Norbert defensive back Alex Campbell would jump in front of a pass on just the third play of the drive, returning the turnover and extinguishing the scoring threat from the Falcons.

Similar to the end of the first half, neither team would generate a significant scoring chance as punts were exchanged through the rest of regulation. The clock hitting zero put Concordia in its first overtime game since its 2022 meeting with St. Norbert, a 28-21 victory.

The Falcons would possess the ball first in overtime, but the Green Knights' defense suffocated any aspirations of reaching the end zone. After an initial seven-yard rush by junior Pierre Summers III (Columbus, Ga.), St. Norbert would force the Falcons twelve yards backwards on the next two plays, as well as an incompletion on fourth down.

St. Norbert would capitalize on the opportunity to put the game away, and after a few goal-line stops, quarterback Peyton Lyon would officially bring the ball past the goal line to grant the Green Knights a 13-7 victory, their first over Concordia since joining the NACC in 2021.

The Falcons will look to get back in the win column next week, taking on the 4-3 Eureka Red Devils on October 28th.