Tiger rally falls short against Bulldogs, Barnaud breaks rushing record

SEWARD, Neb. – The No. 24 Dakota Wesleyan University football team dropped a second straight game for the first time in two years with a loss to Great Plains Athletic Conference foe Concordia University Saturday in Seward, Neb.

The Tigers (6-4, 4-4 GPAC) fell behind 20-0 and trailed by 20 again in the fourth quarter before a late rally fell short in the 27-19 loss. DWU scored a touchdown to pull within eight points with six minutes remaining, but failed to stop the Bulldogs on the next drive and time ran out.

DWU senior running back Francois Barnaud finished with 44 yards rushing on 15 carries. With his performance, the Belle Fourche, S.D., native, surpassed Josh Endres as DWU's career rushing leader. Barnaud has 3,341 yards in his time with the Tigers.

Concordia (4-6, 3-5 GPAC) started strong with its defense, as Tait Sibbel returned a fumble recovery for a 41-yard touchdown in the first quarter. The Bulldogs added a 46 yard touchdown pass from T.J Austin to Jared Garcia in the second quarter, while kicker Adam Meirose connected on a pair of first-half field goals to give Concordia a 20-point lead at the break.

The Tigers, who have made a habit out of second-half comebacks this season, came out of the locker room and got on the scoreboard with a 38-yard rushing touchdown from true freshman quarterback Dillon Turner (Salem, Ark.).

After a second touchdown pass from Austin, the Bulldogs extended their lead to 27-7 heading in the final quarter.

Turner brought the Tigers back again, connecting on an 11-yard scoring pass to sophomore quarterback Dustin Livingston (Irene, S.D.) with less than 13 minutes to play. DWU moved closer with a three-yard rushing score from freshman running back John Fabrizius (Casper, Wyo.) with six minutes to go.

The Bulldogs took over on their next drive and drained the remaining time off the clock with five first downs.

DWU outgained Concordia 380 to 358, but the Bulldogs took advantage of four turnovers by the Tiger offense.

Turner finished 15-of-28 passing for 218 yards, one touchdown, three interceptions and was sacked four times. He added 19 carries for 75 yards and another score. Junior tight end Trevor Schroeder (Canistota, S.D.) led the DWU receiving corps with five catches for 98 yards.

The Bulldogs got 146 yards passing and another 76 on the ground from Austin, while running back Bryce Collins added 26 carries for 127 yards.

The Tiger defense was led by senior linebacker Anthony Cervantes (Burbank, Calif.), who finished with 11 tackles, including three for a loss. Junior defensive back Tanner Munk (Dell Rapids, S.D.) added seven tackles and an interception.

The Tigers finish the 2014 season with the final home game of the season against Dordt College at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15 at Joe Quintal Field in Mitchell, S.D.