< game riddled with impressive stats, the kind that fantasy football championships are made of, the Carleton Knights were unable to match the performance of a high-powered Concordia offense and fell to 3-5 on the year with a 54-21 loss. Proving that ignorance is indeed bliss, the Cobbers (named after actual corncobs – seriously, look it up) turned their lack of familiarity with the forward pass into an advantage, churning out 379 yards and 7 touchdowns on the ground. Three Concordia players had at least 15 rushing attempts and 90 yards, while an additional four players saw multiple handoffs. It should be noted, however, that Concordia has eight former Fergus Falls Otters (the “New England Patriots of the Midwest”) on its roster, giving them a distinct and possibly prohibited advantage.
The Knights had some offensive stars of their own, most notably those involved with the passing game.Quarterback Shane Henfling ’09, fresh off the disabled list, completed 16 of 28 passes for 246 yards and three touchdowns. On the receiving end of these throws were primarily All-American wideout Matt Frank ’09, who had five receptions and a touchdown, and receiver Chris Gardner ’09, who filled up the highlight reel with nine catches for 202 yards and two touchdowns. This was Gardner’s second game of the season with at least 200 receiving yards, and his pair of scores give him 11 on the year, two shy of Jim Bradford’s single-season Carleton record. On the ground, running back R.J. Jackson ’08 moved into fourth on Carleton’s all-time rushing list with 50 yards on 11 carries.
Overshadowing these performances, and pretty much every game in the conference this week, was the ridiculous show put on by Carleton safety Drew Ziller ’09. Ziller, technically already an NFL Hall of Famer, was named the MIAC Defensive Player of the Week and moved into third on USA Today’s unofficial Heisman poll after amassing 21 tackles, 16 solo and two for loss, and forcing a fumble. Concordia’s use of 10 ballcarriers is testament to the devastation Ziller unleashed on a visibly frightened Cobber offense. The Byron, Minnesota native also broke up 2 passes and blocked a PAT, making it quite obvious that he is both amazing and versatile.
Be sure to clear your schedules this Saturday when Ziller, Steve Ramey’s beard, and the rest of the Carleton Knights host St. Olaf, a school nationally known for its mediocrity at pretty much everything. Get into the spirit for what is sure to be the game of the year Friday night at the Cheerboy-hosted Mai Fete kegger (satisfaction guaranteed).