Red Devils Striving for Consistency at Concordia Wisconsin
MEQUON, Wis. – EC football coach Kurt Barth had three words to describe last week's 27-13 victory at Concordia Chicago: total team win.
The Red Devils weren't dominant and didn't put up eye-popping numbers, but they had balanced production across the board – and it propelled them to their second Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference win of the season.
"I think at times the offense played well and helped support the defense, but the defense really played a solid game all day long," Barth said. "They had some short fields that they withstood and held up, and the offense made some plays when we needed to.
"We've got a few things to shore up, but I thought overall, it was a great team win."
On Saturday, Eureka (2-3, 2-1 NACC) will look to keep up that consistency when the Red Devils face Concordia Wisconsin (4-1, 2-1 NACC) on the road at 1 p.m.
The Red Devils have reason to believe they will match up well with the Falcons. For one, Concordia Wisconsin has faced the same three conference opponents as Eureka and ended up with similar results.
In Week 3, the Falcons opened NACC play against Benedictine and couldn't keep up with the Eagles, falling 55-17. The following week, Benedictine bested Eureka 58-10. In Week 4, Concordia Wisconsin bounced back with a 35-7 win over Concordia Chicago similar to the Red Devils' rebound win over the Cougars after the Benedictine game.
And this past weekend, the Falcons rolled to a 42-21 victory over Rockford; whereas, Eureka previously took down Rockford in Week 3, 31-14. Over the past three weeks, Eureka's defense has allowed just over a point more per game and scored about 8 ½ points fewer per game.
Another reason to think it could be a close matchup is that last year's meeting at McKinzie Field was a close contest that got decided in the fourth quarter.
Eureka was within two points with less than 4 1/2 minutes to play, but Concordia Wisconsin's defense came up with two interceptions – including one for a touchdown – to seal a 41-32 win over the Red Devils.
"I think if you look at it, it's a solid matchup all the way through," Barth said. "I think in games like that, you've got to take care of the football and you've got to make some plays, which we didn't last year.
"They're going to play hard. They're going to play disciplined. Again, if you make mistakes, they're going to pounce on them. If you don't make mistakes, you're going to be in a dogfight with them."
Offensively, they're led by senior veteran quarterback James Linn – a dual-threat signal-caller who can do damage with his arm and his legs. This fall, he has thrown for 1,043 yards while completing 58.9 percent of his passes and tallied 10 touchdowns. He has also recorded 180 rushing yards and a touchdown on 27 carries. Last year at Eureka, he posted 229 passing yards and two TDs on 16-of-31 passing.
Linn's top three targets from last year are also back and continuing to produce. Senior Tim Houlihan is fifth in the NACC in receiving yards and receptions with 381 on 27 catches, along with two touchdowns. Another senior, Christian Book has recorded 17 receptions for 199 yards and two touchdowns, and junior Samuel Campbell Jr. has 14 receptions for 165 yards and a team-high three touchdowns. All three were key factors in last year's result.
Junior running backs Ashar Thomas and Michael Joshua Jr. are the primary ball-carriers for the Falcons, with Thomas tying Linn for a team-high 180 rushing yards on 32 carries and scoring four times, and Joshua amassing 147 yards and three touchdowns on a team-high 34 carries. The Falcons have two starting linemen back from last year's team.
"They're a very solid offense," Barth said. "They've got an outstanding quarterback that has the ability to run it and throw it. They've got a couple of very nice receivers, so they're definitely a challenge.
"They're a very tough offense to prep for and play against."
The Falcons also have a balanced unit on the defensive side of the ball, which will look to limit the Red Devils' opportunities and create takeaways.
The Red Devils' defense, on the other hand, is coming off its best performance of the season. Eureka held its opponent to a season-best 271 yards of total offense and a season-best 13 points.
Linebackers Chuck Weathersby and Brendan Durr each notched nine total tackles. Weathersby notched seven solo tackles, including one for loss and a hurry, while Durr had six, 2 1/2 for loss and a sack.
Austin Hopkins also had a great game, producing eight total tackles, one for loss and one pass breakup. Six others had at least four total tackles apiece. The Red Devils defense recorded four sacks and racked up 11 tackles for loss.
On the other side of the ball, Eureka utilized both of their top two quarterbacks. Freshman Noah Berlett started the game and put the maroon and gold on the board early, while junior Lukas Tinkham took over in the second quarter, completed 60 percent of his passes, threw for a season-high 166 yards and rushed for a touchdown en route to the win.
"We kind of go into each game with the mindset that both are going to play and we ride the hot hand," Barth said. "Tink came in and just looked more comfortable and made some things happen, so that's the route we stuck with.
"We'll continue to look at both guys and see who steps up."
The key, no matter who was under center for the Red Devils, was getting the ball in the hands of top receivers Pierce Bradford and Sebastian Hill. Bradford, a senior, snagged five receptions for 124 yards and scored the team's first touchdown. Hill, a sophomore, finished with eight catches for 95 yards.
"Getting Pierce and Sebastian involved offensively was huge," Barth said. "We feel they're pretty good and we need to do a better job of making sure they get their touches."
Through five games, Eureka has had its share of ups and downs this fall. Barth is proud of the way the team has handled adversity and showed resilience. Coming off a tough loss, the Red Devils corrected their mistakes and executed in their next chance on the field. Now, they have a chance to take another step forward.
"I think we're in a good spot," Barth said. "We're playing a lot of young guys. We're seeing growth out of them. We're seeing improvements. They're hanging together and working together, so I think when you have that, you have opportunities for continued success. As long as guys stay the course, this team will continue to build."