MOORHEAD, Minn. (8/17/06)-- In 2004 and 2005 Concordia head coach Terry Horan had all the answers. He fashioned back-to-back NCAA playoff appearances and lost a total of three games. In 2006, the Cobbers lost twice as many games (6) as in the previous two seasons (3) and Horan is now holding onto a helmet full of questions heading into the 2007 campaign.

Question No.1 - “How do you fill the coaching shoes of offensive coordinator Bob Nick who retired after 42 seasons on the job?”

Question No. 2 - “Who will be the team’s starting quarterback after 2006 produced a grand total of one passing touchdown?”

Question No. 3 -“Where will the scoring threats come from on offense after the Cobbers averaged 17.6 points per game in 2006 and didn’t score over 20 points in six of their ten games?”

Question No. 4 -“How does Concordia return their swagger at Jake Christiansen Stadium after going winless at home in 2006?”

As tough as that test appears to be for Horan, he can take comfort in knowing that his team is only two years removed from a 10-2 record. The experience gained from a run into the postseason still lingers with many of the starting players. Horan will once again be called on to apply his magical touch that brought the Cobbers back into national and regional prominence in 2004 and 2005. Horan’s pension for recruiting highly athletic student athletes has stocked the Concordia cupboards with capable players who have been spurred on by a year of not finishing in the top half of the MIAC.

The 2007 edition of the CC football team will be hoping to sing a new song once they step on the field for their season opener on Sept. 1 against MSU Moorhead. They have high hopes and are buyoed by the fact that they return 18 starters from last year’s squad and have several players who did not start, but were waiting in the wings, ready to step up and get the team back into the MIAC title hunt.

The biggest area of concern for Horan will be at quarterback where a trio of quarterbacks produced only one passing TD in 2006 and led the Cobbers to the lowest passing output in the conference. CC also ranked 213th out of 229 teams in NCAA Division III last year in passing offense.

Other than the quarterback controversy, the Cobber offense should have a chance to make sweet music in 2007. They return a pair of starting running backs and have several offensive linemen back that have seen considerable playing time in the past couple of years.

They also have one of the top breakaway running threats in the league in junior Cory Johnson who is gaining ground on the 2000-yard mark for his career.

The defense will once again provide the back beat for the Cobbers in 2007. Consistantly in the upper half of the league in all defensive statistical categories in 2006, CC finished second in stuffing the run. With only a couple of players lost to graduation, the Concordia defensive unit should be the consistent force on game day. A year of experience will help the linebackers and defensive backs who were thrust into starting spots in 2006 after devastating losses the year earlier.

Another trouble spot for this year’s Cobber squad will be the tough opening four games of the season. CC opens with the cross-town rival Dragons and then heads to NAIA stronghold Dickinson State before beginning the conference slate with the only teams ranked in the top 25 in the national preseason polls – Bethel and St. John’s.

If Horan can find a lead singer on offense and fill in some of the vacated seats in the band lost to graduation then the Cobber faithful could once again be singing an award-winning tune come November.

Bet You Didn't Know: Concordia has not posted back-to-back losing seasons since the 1983-84 campaigns.

If the 2007 Cobber team was:

A Rock and Roll song:

“Back in the Saddle ” by Aerosmith
A Country and Western song:

“I Got My Game On” by Trace Adkins

A Classic song:

“High Hopes ” by Frank Sinatra

A Corny 1980's Remake song:

“It's All Right” by Huey Lewis and the News

A Dave Matthews Band song:

“So Much To Say”