MEQUON, Wis. — The Concordia University Wisconsin football team put together a dominant performance from start to finish Saturday afternoon, cruising past Martin Luther College 48-13 at Tomasini Stadium.
The Falcons jumped out to a 14-0 lead after one quarter, continued to build their advantage before halftime and never looked back. CUW finished the afternoon with 556 yards of total offense, including 382 through the air and 174 on the ground, while holding Martin Luther to 239 total yards.
Roman Funk led the Falcons' offensive attack, completing 25 of 35 passes for 347 yards
First Quarter
The Falcons wasted no time putting points on the board.
After taking possession early, CUW marched
89 yards in six plays, with Funk connecting with Jack Bradley on a 15-yard touchdown pass with 11:12 remaining in the quarter.
Nick Klein added the extra point to give the Falcons a 7-0 lead.
CUW's offense struck again late in the quarter. After an 80-yard, 13-play drive, Funk once again found Bradley in the end zone, this time from nine yards out, with 3:25 remaining.
Klein's second extra point made it 14-0, giving the Falcons control after the opening 15 minutes.
Second Quarter
Martin Luther finally found the scoreboard early in the second quarter, but the Falcons quickly answered.
The Knights cut the deficit to 14-6 on a 19-yard touchdown pass with 14:37 remaining. CUW responded with a 36-yard field goal from Klein at the 10:54 mark to extend the lead to 17-6.
Then came another explosive Falcon touchdown.
Just over three minutes later, Funk connected with Bradley for a 56-yard touchdown, completing a four-play, 88-yard drive. Klein's extra point pushed the advantage to 24-6.
The Falcons carried that 18-point advantage into halftime.
Third Quarter
The Falcons continued to pour it on after halftime.
CUW added another touchdown at 10:34 when Funk found Nick Crowell for a 12-yard touchdown pass, putting the Falcons ahead 31-6.
Klein then added his second field goal of the afternoon, connecting from 26 yards with 4:42 remaining in the quarter.
After three quarters, the Falcons had built a commanding 34-6 lead.
Fourth Quarter
The Falcons showed no signs of slowing down in the final quarter.
Just 45 seconds into the fourth, Funk connected with Kam'Ron Pierre for a 15-yard touchdown, completing a 10-play, 87-yard drive. Klein's extra point pushed CUW ahead 41-6.
Martin Luther answered with a touchdown of its own at the 10:15 mark, but CUW quickly responded.
The Falcons capped another long scoring drive when Alijah Bright broke loose for an 18-yard rushing touchdown with 5:04 remaining. Klein's extra point completed the scoring at 48-13.
Highlights
The Falcons' offense was in full flight throughout the afternoon, piling up 27 first downs and 556 total yards compared to 12 first downs and 239 yards for Martin Luther. CUW averaged 7.0 yards per play and converted 12 of 19 third-down opportunities.
Funk's five touchdown passes highlighted the offensive performance, with Bradley hauling in three touchdown receptions, including a 56-yard strike. Crowell and Pierre each added a receiving touchdown, while Bright provided the Falcons' lone rushing score.
Defensively, CUW limited Martin Luther to 65 rushing yards and 174 passing yards, while forcing one interception. The Falcons also held the Knights to just 2-of-11 on third down.
With the convincing victory, the Falcons improved to 3-0 on the season, while Martin Luther falls to 0-2. The Falcons return to action Saturday, September 19 at 1pm at Tomasini Stadium to take on the Aurora Spartans.
