Concordia came close to its first win over an NCAA Football Championship Series opponent against Savannah Sate on Saturday.

The Tigers (4-4) earned a 6-0 halftime lead on two Derek Williams field goals

But the Hornets (5-5) responded with an A.J. Ward touchdown run in the third quarter to take a 7-6 lead.

However, Concordia couldn’t hold on as Savannah State scored 17 unanswered fourth quarter points to earn a 23-7 win.

“We played great ball. We’ve just got to be able to finish,” said Concordia coach Shepherd Skanes. “We’ve just got to play smart ball and make it happen.”

The 7-6 third quarter score marked the first time the Hornets led an FCS team this season, and the game marked their closest loss of the year to an FCS team as well. Concordia fell to UT-Martin 87-21 and Texas Southern 45-27 earlier this season.

Though the loss was frustrating, his team’s performance left Skanes in good spirits about the Hornets’ chances going into the season finale at Texas College.

“We did everything we had to do,” said Skanes. “We’ve got to pull it together and make it happen.”

The Hornets take on the Storm in Tyler, Texas, on Saturday.