FULL RELEASE
SATURDAY: An exciting 2011 season comes to a close this weekend when the University of Mary travels to Northern State University on Saturday, November 12, in a Northern Sun North Division brouhaha. The fourth time in six seasons these two teams have faced each other in the season finale, the Marauders-Wolves contest is set for 1 PM at Swisher Field in Aberdeen, SD.
THE RECORDS: The University of Mary is 5-5 overall, 4-5 in the Northern Sun and 3-2 in NSIC North games. Northern State is 4-6 overall, 3-6 in the NSIC and 3-2 in the NSIC North.
LAST WEEK: The Marauders suffered a heartbreaking 46-43 last-minute loss to Winona State in the U-Mary home finale... The Wolves beat MSU Moorhead 42-21.
LAST YEAR: U-Mary closed out 2010 on a three-game winning streak and finished the season 4-7 overall, 4-6 in the Northern Sun and 3-3 in NSIC North Division play... Northern State finished 2-9 overall, 2-8 in the NSIC and 2-4 in the NSIC North.
FOLLOW LIVE
MARAUDERS FOOTBALL IS ON THE RADIO! If you can't be at Saturday's game, there are several other ways to follow the Marauders. Rick Anthony and Jeff Groseclose will broadcast the game on KFYR 550 AM. The game is also streamed online at www.kfyr.com.
VIDEO STREAMING: Free video streaming of Marauders home and Northern Sun games is available at http://nmtvsports.com/ or www.pennatlantic.com.
LIVE STATS: Available this week at http://www3.northern.edu/athletics/livestats/fb/xlive.htm
MARAUDERS WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS: Every Sunday, catch highlights of home and away games on Marauders Weekly. Originating from KFYR-TV in Bismarck, ND, the 30-minute Marauders Weekly will air Sunday nights at 10:35 PM following The Night Report across the NBC North Dakota Sports Network (KFYR-TV, KMOT-TV in Minot, KUMV-TV in Williston, and KQCD-TV in Dickinson). Hosted by Scott Westerberg, Marauders Weekly can also be viewed online at www.kfyrtv.com/video_marauders.asp.
MYRON SCHULZ SHOW: Each Wednesday morning at 9 AM during the football season, Marauders head coach Myron Schulz appears on the "Marauders Midweek Power Hour" with Rick Anthony on ESPN 710 AM. It can be heard live online at www.espn710am.com.
TICKETS: Game tickets for Marauders home games are available at the door. Adult tickets are $8 while seniors, college students and youth 18 years old and younger are $4. U-Mary students with their M-card and children 5 and under are free.
THE MARAUDERS-WOLVES SERIES/LAST MEETING: The Marauders have claimed all five meetings in a series that began in 2006. Despite the fact NSU is virtually U-Mary's closest rival (MSU Moorhead is technically a couple miles closer), the first two meetings took place at the Metrodome. The last two games were played in Bismarck. The only other time the two teams have played in Aberdeen, SD, was in 2008... 2006: U-Mary captured the first contest between the two schools 20-7 as Justin Fleck scored two touchdowns while the Wolves were limited to 27 yards rushing... 2007: The Marauders cruised past the Wolves 37-13 behind two Mike Williams scores and 418 yards passing by Blair Sandy... 2008: The first meeting on a home field, with NSU getting first crack to host the game. A last-second touchdown pass from Jesse Kozak to Allen Merrill set up a walk-off overtime touchdown by Jamal Lomax in a 34-31 Marauders win. Erik Kruse caught a school-record 13 passes for 110 yards, Lomax ran for 114 yards and Kozak passed for 298 yards... 2009: In the first game played in Bismarck, ND, Lomax scored the winning touchdown with 11 minutes left in the game and set a U-Mary single game school record when he ran for 248 yards in the win. He rushed for 146 yards in the fourth quarter alone. The game featured four lead changes and two ties. U-Mary dominated the fourth quarter, holding a 163-32 edge in yards and possessing the ball for 11:26 of the final 15 minutes... 2010: Lomax continued to torture the Wolves, rushing for 105 yards and three touchdowns. Tyler Steffan caught 10 passes for 222 yards and one score to earn NSIC Offensive Player of the Week honors. Craig Bagnell passed for 281 yards and three TDs. The Marauders defense intercepted four passes and limited the Wolves to 66 yards passing and 219 yards.
PAST MARAUDERS-WOLVES MEETINGS
2006 U-Mary 20 Northern State 6 Metrodome
2007 U-Mary 37 Northern State 13 Metrodome
2008 U-Mary 34 Northern State 31 OT Aberdeen, SD
2009 U-Mary 20 Northern State 16 Bismarck, ND
2010 U-Mary 48 Northern State 3 Bismarck, ND
QUICK LOOK AT NORTHERN STATE WOLVES: At four wins with one game left to go, Northern State has doubled its win total from 2010 under the direction of second-year head coach Tom Dosch. Kristin James leads the Wolves offense, running for 832 yards and 11 touchdowns. Chris Morton has 34 catches for 506 yards and seven TDs. Mark Hanley also has 34 catches for 433 yards. Nick Wanner has played nine games at quarterback, passing for seven scores and seven interceptions. Wanner suffered a shoulder injury in the ninth game of the season and redshirt freshman Jared Jacobson took control of the offense for the win at MSU Moorhead game, passing for 160 yards and two scores and running for 154 yards and another touchdown. The defense is led by Mike Bogdanovich, who leads NSU with 80 tackles, including 7.5 for loss. He also has recovered two fumbles and intercepted a pass. Paul Woodward has nine passes defended.
LAST WEEK: Winona State 46 U-Mary 43 The Marauders suffered a heartbreaking loss in their last home game of the season. In a game that featured 971 yards of offense, six lead changes and one tie, U-Mary couldn't overcome Winona State scoring the winning touchdown with 51 seconds left in the game. Turnovers on the Marauders first two possessions provided Winona State a 14-0 lead. U-Mary would eventually recover and take a 28-23 lead in the third quarter on Elby Pope's first collegiate touchdown, a 33-yard TD catch. U-Mary would take its final lead of the day at 43-39 when Tyler Steffan caught his third touchdown of the day with 2:28 left in the game. WSU then drove the field for the winning points. Steffan caught eight passes for 100 yards and three touchdowns, setting the season record for TD receptions with 17. Craig Bagnell completed 27-of-35 passes for 372 yards and four TDs. Josh Murray scored two TDs and ran for 132 yards. Curtis Darrah added five catches for 91 yards. DeShon Benton led all players with 16 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss. Rayon Simmons led the Warriors with 203 yards rushing and four TDs, earning NSIC Offensive Player of the Week honors. Sean Hertz caught seven passes for 77 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner... Northern State 42 MSU Moorhead 21 Jared Jacobson ran for 154 yards and a score and passed for 160 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Wolves to a road win over the Dragons. Northern State scored 21 uninterrupted points in the third quarter to pull away. Kristin James scored two TDs and ran for 82 yards and Chris Morton caught two scoring strikes. Kevin Koch threw for 246 yards and two scores and Kendall had eight receptions for 132 yards and one TD to lead MSUM.
THANKS SENIORS! Twenty seniors will play their final game for the Marauders on Saturday. This group was the first to play all four years in the expanded 14-team Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. In the past two years they became the first group to defeat Chadron State, Augustana and Winona State and earned the school's first win over a nationally ranked NCAA Division II foe.
"We have a great group of seniors and it was a privilege to coach them," said Marauders head coach Myron Schulz. "The senior class set a standard for their full year commitment to Marauders football, especially in the off season. This group will be sorely missed and I look forward to their journey after football as we welcome them as members of our football alumni team."
The seniors are Demetrius Allen (Matairie, LA), Martel Bankhead (Anchorage, AK), DeShon Benton (Modesto, CA), Marcus Broome (Houston, TX), Jon Burke (Thornton, CO), Marice Burrough (Billings, MT), Curtis Darrah (Malta, MT), Trevor Davis (San Jose, CA), Aaron Echaves (Redding, CA), Justin English (Cooper City, FL), Mike Kelly (Golden, CO), Avan Leday (Houston, TX), Brady Martin (Aurora, CO), Xavier McGowen (Houston, TX), Josh Murray (Pepin, WI), Arthur Pittman (Portland, OR), Luke Senger (Bismarck, ND), Grant Stophlet (Anchorage, AK), Adam Tescher (Bismarck, ND), and Andrew Voorhees (Great Falls, MT).
STEFFAN SETS SEASON TD RECEPTION RECORD: Tyler Steffan set the Marauders single season record for touchdown receptions when he caught his 17th of the season against Winona State. The junior wide receiver from Dickinson, ND, broke the record of 16 by Jake Pfau in 2003.
STEFFAN LEADS NCAA DIVISION II NATION IN TD RECEPTIONS: With 17 touchdown receptions this season, Tyler Steffan currently leads NCAA Division II. Isaiah Voegli of Merrimack is second with 14. Including all NCAA divisions - FBS, FCS, D-2 and D-3, only two players have more touchdown catches than Steffan. Both are in D-3. Michael Zweifel of Dubuque has 25 TD catches and Robert Seer at Grinnell has 18. The FBS leader is Justin Blackmon of Oklahoma State with 12 in nine games. Nicholas Edwards of Eastern Washington leads the FCS with 14.
TRIPLE THREAT: The Marauders Big Three have all been on fire the last three weeks. QB Craig Bagnell has thrown for over 300 the last three games (315 vs. Bemidji State, 319 at MSU Moorhead, 372 vs. Winona State). Tyler Steffan has been over the century mark in all three games in receiving yardage (202, 123 and 100) and Josh Murray has hit triple digits in three straight games (117, 216, 132).
144: The Marauders have scored 144 points the past two weeks; 49 vs. Bemidji State, 52 at MSU Moorhead and 43 vs. Winona State. It is the most points scored in a three game stretch since the Marauders posted 146 in 1999 when U-Mary defeated Crown College 59-0, Mayville State 46-8 and Minot State 41-10.
40 x 3: U-Mary has scored 40 or more points in three straight games for the first time since 2003. The longest stretch is five straight in 2000.
RECORD SETTER: Twice in three games, Marauders wide receiver Tyler Steffan caught four touchdown passes against Minnesota Duluth and MSU Moorhead to set the school record for scoring receptions in a game. He also tied Bobby Wagner's 1993 school mark for touchdowns in a game.
UNSTOPPABLE FORCE: When Tyler Steffan caught three touchdown passes against Winona State, it was the fourth straight game he caught three or more scoring strike in a game. In his last four games, Steffan has scored 14 touchdowns, catching 35 passes for 565 yards.
LEADER BOARD: After an incredible four week stretch, Tyler Steffan had 53 catches for 911 yards and 17 touchdowns. He now leads the NSIC in total touchdowns and receiving touchdowns and is second in reception yardage and catches. Nationally he is 25th in receiving yards/game and 8th in scoring. Steffan has cracked the 100 yard barrier six times this season.
14 IN 4: Tyler Steffan's 14 touchdowns in four games is the greatest scoring outburst by a U-Mary wide receiver in school history. The old single game record for touchdown receptions was three and Steffan has reached or exceeded that figure in four straight games. Among all players, Bobby Wagner scored four touchdowns in consecutive games against Mayville State and Valley City State in 1993 but we are currently unaware if he scored three touchdowns in two other games on either side of the streak.
PASSING MARK: The Marauders have a chance this weekend to set two school passing marks for total yards gained and average yards per game. In 1995 U-Mary passed for 3,051 yards. In 1994 the Marauders averaged 269.3 yards passing per game. With one game remaining, the Marauders have thrown for 2,880 yards and are averaging 288 yards/game.
MARAUDERS OFFENSIVE TEAM RECORDS SET IN 2011: U-Mary set a school record for yardage in the 52-13 thrashing of MSU Moorhead on Saturday, October 29. The Marauders generated 683 yards of offense, running for 364 yards and passing for 319. The previous record was 638 yards posted against Valley City State in 1993. Previously this season the Marauders have set team records for rushing attempts (60 at Minnesota Crookston) and total plays (95 at Wayne State).
CENTURY X FOUR: Josh Murray had cracked the 100-yard mark in three consecutive games and four three times in his last five games.
GM # OPP NO. YARDS TDs
6 Wayne State 30 138 1
8 Bemidji State 22 117 2
9 MSU Moorhead 16 216 3
10 Winona State 23 132 2
900: Josh Murray went over the 900 yards rushing mark in the Winona State game. It is just the seventh time in school history a Marauders player has hit that figure.
NAME YARDS YEAR
Bobby Wagner 1,752 1993
Jamal Lomax 1,142 2009
Bobby Wagner 1,112 1992
Eric Chin 1,108 1995
Verna Owens 1,000 2000
Josh Murray 932 2011
Steve Walker 900 1995
STEFFAN, MARTIN CLIMB CAREER RECEPTION, YARDAGE CHARTS: Sr. WR Brady Martin and Jr. WR Tyler Steffan are moving up the career charts for receiving .
NAME CATCHES NAME YARDS
Seth Maier (1996-99) 191 Jake Pfau (2001-04) 2,682
Jake Pfau (2001-04) 161 Seth Maier (1996-99) 2,421
Erik Kruse (2007-08) 133 Neil MacDannald (1995-96)2,020
Neil MacDannald (1995-96)132 Chris Buchholtz (1990-93) 1,857
Mike Ressler (1989-92) 118 Tyler Steffan (2009- ) 1,847
Chris Buchholtz (1990-93) 114 Mike Ressler (1989-92) 1,641
Tyler Steffan (2009- ) 113 Zack Reitzell (1993-94) 1,627
Brent Walker (1997-98) 107 AJ Street (1999-2000) 1,408
Brady Martin (2008- ) 106 Erik Kruse (2007-08) 1,407
Derek Schatz (2001-03) 86 Brent Walker (1997-98) 1,305
BROOME SWEEPING UP TACKLING CHARTS: The Marauders leading tackler the past three seasons, SR LB Marcus Broome is currently fourth all-time.
NAME TACKLES
Toby Schweitzer (1998-2000) 410
Bob Brusven (1991-94) 255
Mike Jaskolski (1998-91) 227
Marcus Broome (2008- ) 225
OFFENSIVE LEADERS: The Marauders offense leads the NSIC in total offense (446.5 yards/game), passing offense (288.0) and pass efficiency and is second in scoring (33.7 points per game).
BAGNELL IS BACK! After missing three games after an injury in the St. Cloud State game, soph. QB Craig Bagnell showed no ill effects from the time off. In the past three games he is completing 71.9 per cent of his passes (69-of-96) for 1,006 yards with 10 touchdowns and only two picks. Against Winona State he completed a career-high 77.1 per cent of his throws (27-of-35) for 372 yards and four TDs.
NATIONAL FOES: Six times in the first eight games of the season the Marauders faced a team receiving national recognition in the coaches poll. St. Cloud State was ranked 18th, Minnesota Duluth was #9 and Bemidji State #20 the week U-Mary faced each of them. Wayne State, Augustana and Chadron State received votes in the poll the week U-Mary faced those squads. Five of the matchups came at home and the Marauders claimed three wins, including a 49-21 defeat of BSU, the first time U-Mary had defeated a ranked NCAA Division II foe. It was the ninth time U-Mary had faced a ranked NCAA team.
EFFICIENCY: U-Mary leads the NSIC and are 6th in the NCAA in passing efficiency with a rating of 169.1. In seven starts for Craig Bagnell and three for R-Fr. Josh Edwards, the duo has combined to throw 25 TDs and just four interceptions while completing 65.3 per cent of their passes. The Marauders 26-to-4 TD-to-Interception ratio is the best in the conference and the team is first in yards per attempt (9.4). If Bagnell hadn't lost three games to injury, his efficiency ranking of 172.39 would be fourth in NCAA. Division II. high
