The Scoop
The University of Minnesota Crookston football team hits the road to take on Concordia-St. Paul at Sea Foam Stadium in St. Paul, Minn. Sat., Oct. 20 with a 12 p.m. kickoff. 

Previewing the Golden Eagles
Minnesota Crookston enters the week with a 1-6 mark on the season. They are looking to continue to grow and add to their win column. 

The Golden Eagles come into Saturday's game averaging 99.0 rushing yards per game and 141.3 passing yards per game. Jalin Scott leads Minnesota Crookston at quarterback. He is 46-of-91 for 653 yards with two touchdowns and five interceptions on the season. Tristan Robbins saw his first extensive duty at quarterback last week against Winona State and showed signs of what is to come for a promising freshman. Robbins is 14-of-26 on the season for 185 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.

In the running game, Elijah Todd has led the Golden Eagles with 336 yards on 79 carries for an average of 4.3 yards per carry. Senior Kevin Evans comes in with 101 yards on the season in the run game. At wide receiver, freshman Andy Groebner enters Saturday with a team-leading 21 catches for 405 yards with two touchdowns. Jnattan Mudd comes in with 14 grabs for 180 yards, while senior Rod Stewart has 11 catches for 163 yards and a touchdown. Junior Shonte Smith scored his first two career touchdowns last weekend, one on the ground and one through the air. He has 10 catches for 66 yards and a touchdown grab.

Defensively, Minnesota Crookston is allowing 453.3 yards per game, which is a 70-yard per game improvement from last season. The Golden Eagles have been led by linebacker Ali Alkhatib, who has 55 tackles on the season with five tackles for loss, a sack, and an interception. Safety Will Cole comes in with 51 tackles, four tackles for loss and three pass break-ups. Julian Jackson has notched 47 tackles, two tackles for loss, and a sack. On the defensive line, Skyler Quinn leads the team with four tackles for loss, while Joe Warner has 3.5 tackles for loss and a sack on the 2018 season coming from his defensive tackle spot.

On special teams, Jared McLemore is 2-of-4 on field goals this season with a long of 47 yards. 

Previewing the Golden Bears
Concordia-St. Paul enters the weekend with a 3-4 mark on the season. The Golden Bears defeated UMary last weekend 17-7.

The Golden Bears come in tallying 358.3 yards of offense per game. Concordia-St. Paul is notching 178.9 yards per game on the ground and 179.4 yards per contest through the air. At quarterback, Dom McKinzy leads the way with 1,192 passing yards with nine touchdowns and nine interceptions. His top target is M.J. Williams with 29 catches for 411 yards and three touchdowns, while Marcus Gustaveson has 23 grabs for 411 yards and two touchdowns. In the run game, Lajuan Preston leads the team with 445 yards on 69 carries with one touchdown.

Defensively, Concordia-St. Paul is allowing 359.0 yards of offense per game with 147.6 yards per contest on the ground and 211.4 per game through the air. Jake Portz leads the Golden Bears with 44 tackles on the season. On the pass rush, look for Chris Garrett to make his mark as he has notched a team-high 8.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks. On the pass defense, Marcus Haskins leads the team with five interceptions.

In the kicking game, Jonah Schenderlein is 7-of-12 with a long of 49 yards on the season.

#StingLikeABee
Ali Alkhatib, might not be the same Ali who floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee, but the team's leader in tackles with 55 has been a defensive leader throughout his career. Alkhatib ranks fourth all-time in solo tackles, needing five to move past Neil Austin for third all-time. He is just one tackle from 
breaking in the top five for career tackles. In addition, Alkhatib is second all-time for career tackles for loss, needing seven to surpass Jim Mages. Look for Alkhatib to continue to be a force defensively. 

#GetItToGroebner
Minnesota Crookston freshman wide receiver Andy Groebner is off to an oustanding start to his career. Groebner has accumulated 405 yards through the air on 21 catches with two touchdowns. Groebner's marks put him just shy of the freshman performance of all-time leading receiver Adam Connette, who had 410 receiving yards through the first seven games of his career. Groebner will look to have a strong game as the Golden Eagles take on Concordia-St. Paul this weekend.

#SteppingUp
Minnesota Crookston players Kyler Banks and Jeremy Neuman stepped up last week in the receiving game. Banks, a former safety, and Neuman, who also is a back-up quarterback, have stepped up to help at a thin wide receiver position. Both players made key plays late in the game and will look to build upon those plays going into this week. Neuman was a strong possession receiver with three catches for 19 yards, while Banks had a 22-yard catch. Look for both players to put their stamp on the game this week, whether it be with catches, key blocks, or any possible way in which they can help the team. 

#WhereThereIsAWill
Minnesota Crookston safety Will Cole has been a playmaker throughout his career on the Golden Eagle defense. Cole comes into Saturday's game with 51 tackles, four tackles for loss, and three pass break-ups. He is currently second on the team in tackles. Cole will look to make big stops and big plays as the Golden Eagles go up against the Golden Bears this Saturday. 

Concordia-St. Paul
3-4 Overall
2-2 NSIC South
Head Coach:
Shannon Currier

Minnesota Crookston
1-6 Overall
1-3 NSIC North
Head Coach:
Mark Dufner

Date: Oct. 20, 2018
Time: 12 pm.
Site: St. Paul, Minn.
Stadium: Sea Foam Stadium
Surface: Turf
Capacity: 3,500
Series: Concordia-St. Paul leads
series 11-3
Last: Concordia-St. Paul won 41-18 in 
Crookston, Minn. Sept. 10, 2016
Video: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/csp/
Live Stats: https://cspbears.com/sidearmstats/football
Radio: 1260 KROX AM/105.7 FM
Leo Blavin (Play by Play)
www.kroxam.com
App: MN Crookston Athletics on Google Play and Apple Store

#5StoryLines
1. Will the Golden Eagles have ball control with their run game?

2. Can the defense limit quarterback Dom McKinzy and force mistakes?

3. Can the Golden Eagles get a big game from Andy Groebner?

4. Can the defense come away with big turnovers?

5. Will the Golden Eagles be able to limit running back Lajuan Preston?