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Team Stats
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Time of Poss.
RIVER FOREST, Ill. (WLCSports.com) - Junior Bryce Barbian (Cudahy, Wis.) tied a school record with six total touchdowns to lead Wisconsin Lutheran College to a convincing 49-14 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference win over Concordia Chicago on Saturday at Concordia Stadium.
The Warriors (5-2, 4-1 NACC), who have won three straight road games for the first time since 2016, found the end zone on six of their seven first-half possessions.
WLC opened the game with its second-longest scoring drive of the season, marching 94 yards on nine plays after Barbian found sophomore Emmitt Hawkins (Cudahy, Wis.) for a 10-yard touchdown. Following a quick Cougars 3-and-out, Barbian connected with junior Jamil Gordon (San Marcos, Texas) for a 35-yard catch and run on the first play of the drive for a 14-0 lead. Wisconsin Lutheran capped the first-quarter scoring after going 80 yards on just two plays when Barbian and Hawkins hooked up for a 45-yard touchdown strike.
The Warriors' first possession of the second quarter ended with a two-yard touchdown reception by Jamil Gordon from Barbian. WLC extended its lead to 35-0 with just over five minutes remaining after Barbian and Hawkins connected for a third time, this time from 48 yards away. Barbian concluded the first-half scoring for Wisconsin Lutheran when he scampered 63 yards for a touchdown. CUC capitalized on a Warriors fumble with under two minutes left in the opening half by scoring on a 10-yard touchdown pass for its first points of the game.
Concordia Chicago accounted for the only scoring of the third quarter when its opening possession of the second half culminated with a 37-yard touchdown pass. WLC's final touchdown of the game resulted in a five-yard touchdown pass from junior Nate Griffeth (Brighton, Colo.) to junior Nate Hidalgo (Lincoln Heights, Calif.) with 9:19 left in the game.
Wisconsin Lutheran outgained the Cougars 561-216, racking up the sixth-most total yards in program history. Barbian was an efficient 20 of 26 passing for 285 yards and six touchdowns (five passing, one rushing). The six scores by Barbian matched Pat Mathieson's program record first established on October 22, 2016. Sophomore Tywin McKinney (Milwaukee, Wis.) rushed for a career-high 109 yards on 13 carries, all in the second half. Hawkins hauled in 10 catches for 183 yards, while tying a school record with three touchdowns, all career highs. He amassed 181 receiving yards in the first half alone. Gordon also caught five passes for 80 yards and two touchdowns.
Junior Layson Handwork (Merritt Island, Fla.) tied for a game-high 10 tackles. Senior Savon Goodwin (New Orleans, La.) and freshman Denis Schmidt Jr. (Fort Myers, Fla.) had two sacks apiece. Senior Connor Martin (Chino, Calif.) and junior Kason McFadden (Wylie, Texas) each intercepted a pass.
Colton Bosch completed 17 of 32 passes for 156 yards and two touchdowns for CUC (2-6, 1-5 NACC). Travon Thomas tied a game high with 10 tackles.
The Warriors host St. Norbert (4-3, 4-1 NACC) next Saturday, November 2 at Raabe Stadium for Military Appreciation Day. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. Live coverage links can be found at WLCSports.com.