Turnovers Plague Bulldogs against No. 18 Dakota Wesleyan
by Garrett Suchanek
Concordia’s football team played well enough to defeat No. 18 Dakota Wesleyan, but six turnovers and a punt return for a touchdown allowed the Tigers to win 17-10.
The loss is the third in a row for Concordia and drops the Bulldogs to 5-4 overall and 4-4 in GPAC.
Concordia jumped out to a 7-0 lead after junior running back Bryce Collins raced into the end zone for a 24-yard touchdown run.
However, in the second quarter, the Tigers gained momentum and took the lead after Dillion Turner threw a 17-yard touchdown pass and kicker Daniel Porter made a 25-yard field goal to go into half with a 10-7 lead.
The Bulldogs tied the game up after senior Adam Meirose nailed a 19-yard field goal with 8:51 left in the third quarter.
After going back and forth, both defenses continued to force punts. Early in the fourth quarter, a Bulldog punt turned out to be the difference in the game.
With 12 minutes left in the game, the Bulldogs punted it back to the Tigers and Dakota Wesleyan’s Dustin Livingston returned it to the end zone for a 52-yard touchdown. The touchdown gave the Tigers a 17-10 lead, which held up for the rest of the game.
Concordia was led on the ground by Collins, who finished the day with 127 rushing yards and one touchdown.
Senior quarterback Garrett Folchert went 19 of 41 for 239 passing yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions.
Concordia will look to finish the regular season on a positive note when the Bulldogs host Briar Cliff at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 14.
