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SATURDAY: The seventh-annual “Battle for the Paddle” moves to prime time when the Marauders of the University of Mary host the MSU Moorhead Dragons in front of a state-wide television audience on Saturday, October 20. The NBC North Dakota Sports Network will broadcast the Northern Sun tilt as the Marauders and Dragons meet for The Paddle Trophy, which has never left U-Mary's possession. Kickoff is set for 7:07 PM.

PADDLE TROPHY: The first-ever gridiron match-up between U-Mary and Minnesota State University Moorhead took on a little extra edge in 2006 as both schools battled for The Paddle Trophy in this “River Rivalry” game. U-Mary is located on the Missouri River and MSU Moorhead is on the Red River. Both are Northern Sun North Division rivals... The Paddle Trophy was developed by the student governments of the two colleges. The team that wins each year is responsible for the safekeeping and delivery of the Paddle Trophy and its case to each game between the Marauders and Dragons. The home team's student body representative will award the Paddle Trophy, which has each school's logo on opposite sides of the blade, with the score of each game being added to the winning team's side after the game... U-Mary has won the paddle all six times, grabbing initial possession with a 21-20 win in Bismarck in 2006. Marauders linebacker Brian Finnegan preserved the initial U-Mary win when he deflected a Dragons pass on a two-point conversion attempt with 1:08 remaining in the game.

NBC NORTH DAKOTA SPORTS NETWORK TO TELEVISE BATTLE FOR THE PADDLE STATEWIDE: A statewide television audience will view the 7th-annual “Battle for the Paddle” between the University of Mary and MSU Moorhead. All five stations of the NBC North Dakota Sports Network will broadcast the Marauders-Dragons football game from the Community Bowl in Bismarck, ND, on Saturday, October 20. Coverage will begin at 7 PM... The North Dakota NBC Sports Network stations televising the contest between the two Northern Sun foes are KFYR-TV in Bismarck, KVLY-TV in Fargo, KMOT-TV in Minot, KUMV-TV in Williston and KQCD-TV in Dickinson.... KFYR-TV sports director Lee Timmerman handles the play by play. Weekend anchor and Marauders Weekly host Scott Westerberg from KFYR-TV provides the commentary. Also joining the broadcast is Mike McMahon, the former Marauders defensive coordinator and a current member of the U-Mary Office of Admissions.

THE RECORDS: U-Mary is 3-4 overall and in the Northern Sun and 0-3 in the North Division... MSUM is 1-6 overall and in the NSIC and 1-2 in the NSIC North.

LAST GAME: The Marauders lost 55-13 at St. Cloud State... The Dragons defeated the University of Minnesota Crookston 35-13 to snap a 13-game losing streak.

LAST YEAR: U-Mary finished 5-6 overall, 4-6 in the NSIC and 3-3 in the NSIC North… MSUM finished 2-9 overall, 1-9 in the NSIC and 1-5 in the NSIC North.

HEAD COACHES: U-Mary's all-time winningest head coach, Myron Schulz owns a record of 96-52 in his 14th season at the helm of the Marauders. Synonymous with Marauders football, Schulz has been a member of U-Mary's coaching staff in 22 of the program's 25 seasons. He has directed the squad to six national tournament appearances and four conference titles. His teams owned a streak of nine straight winning seasons and the Marauders are 72-34 in conference games. Since starting the transition to the NCAA in 2005, U-Mary is 41-40. The Marauders are 27-29 in Northern Sun contests... In his second season as the Dragons head coach, Steve Laqua is 3-15 overall and 2-15 in the Northern Sun. A North Dakota State graduate, Laqua coached collegiately at St. Olaf, Minnesota Crookston and NDSU. Just prior to joining MSUM he won back-to-back state prep titles at Fargo (ND) Shanley High School.

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://umary.nmtvsports.com/ or http://nmtvsports.com.
 
LIVE STATS: Live stats for this Saturday's game are available online at www.GoUMary.com
 
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-DRAGONS SERIES HISTORY: U-Mary has won all six games in the Battle for the Paddle. 2006: The Marauders and Dragons first met in the inaugural Paddle Trophy game with U-Mary eeking out a 21-20 win despite throwing five interceptions, including a string of four in four pass attempts. Justin Fleck ran for 96 yards and two touchdowns and Matt Wall had seven catches for 140 yards and a score. MSUM scored with 1:08 left in the game but went for a two point conversion and the win. Brian Finnegan tipped the pass in the end zone to preserve the lead and the U-Mary victory... 2007: Bayland Rippenkroger and Erik Kruse both scored two touchdowns in a 45-31 U-Mary road win... 2008: Another close home game went the Marauders way when Jamal Lomax scored in overtime, his second touchdown of the day. Phil Thomas secured the win when he knocked down a Dragons fourth down pass attempt on the final play of the game... 2009: Cameron Gatling ran for 184 yards and caught two scoring passes as the Marauders rolled to a 39-13 road win. U-Mary outgained MSUM 379-250, including a 258-46 edge in rushing. The Marauders forced six turnovers and committed one... 2010: Four touchdown passes by Craig Bagnell and 169 yards rushing  and two touchdowns from Jamal Lomax ensured the Paddle Trophy would remain in the U-Mary trophy case as the Marauders routed MSU Moorhead 43-17. The Marauders led 28-0 at intermission. John Oyloe recorded two of U-Mary's four sacks. The Marauders held a 194 to 40 advantage in rushing yards, led 395-317 in total yards and had a 34:11-to-24:52 edge in time of possession... 2011: Tyler Steffan caught four touchdown passes to tie his own school record and the Marauders set a school mark with 683 yards of offense in a 52-13 win. Steffan caught nine passes for 123 yards. Josh Murray ran for 216 yards on 16 carries and scored three touchdowns, all in the 3rd quarter, and Evan Gross ran for 107. Bagnell was 24-of-35 for 319 and four TDs.

PAST MARAUDERS-DRAGONS MEETINGS
2006    U-Mary 21, MSUM 20    Bismarck, ND
2007    U-Mary 42, MSUM 31    Moorhead, MN
2008    U-Mary 24, MSUM 17 OT    Bismarck, ND
2009    U-Mary 39, MSUM 13    Moorhead, MN
2010     U-Mary 43, MSUM 17    Bismarck, ND
2011    U-Mary 52, MSUM 13    Moorhead, MN        

QUICK LOOK AT THE MSU MOORHEAD DRAGONS: What has to be the youngest and least experienced team in the Northern Sun, the MSU Dragons start seven true freshmen on offense and another three true freshmen on defense. Offensively, three linemen, three receivers and quarterback Jake Hodge are in their first year playing collegiately. In the 35-13 win over Minnesota Crookston last week Hodge completed 12-of-22 passes for 161 yards and a score. He also ran for a touchdown. On the year Hodge has five TD passes and six picks. FR WRs Adam Jiskra (26-424-3) and Tyler Rivard (26-283-1) lead the offense. Brandon Schell has 235 yards rushing. FR RB Zane Medhaug filled in for an injured Schell last week and ran for 124 yards and a score. Defensively FR S Shea DeJong leads the NSIC in tackles with 85 (43 solo). He also has two interceptions. Overall the Dragons are 15th out of 16 in the NSIC in scoring (15.0 points/game) and 15th in scoring defense (38.9). MSUM is last in total offense (241.3 yards/game) and last in total defense (459.4).

LAST WEEK: Turnovers by U-Mary proved costly for the second straight game. St. Cloud State University scored four touchdowns in the second quarter following U-Mary interceptions and the Huskies buried the Marauders 55-13. The Huskies extended their winning streak to four while the Marauders dropped their fourth straight game. After SCSU scored on the opening drive of the game, the U-Mary defense forced the Huskies to punt on their next two possessions. Late in the first quarter, SCSU's Jake Moro intercepted a Zach Roberson pass. Six plays and 51 yards later, Michael Walker scored from 25 yards out. It was the first of three touchdowns for Walker and SCSU led 14-0.. The next three Marauders drives were also ended by interceptions with the Huskies scoring each time. Walker ran 80 yards after the fourth interception to boost the SCSU lead to 35-0 before intermission.. The Marauders twice found the end zone in the fourth quarter, both scoring drives following short punts by the Huskies. Elby Pope caught an 11 yard touchdown pass from Roberson and Dariouse Gravely scored from 24 yards out... The leading receiver in the NSIC, Pope caught seven passes for 81 yards and a score to pace the U-Mary offense. Gravely gained 68 yards on the ground and Evan Gross added 57 as U-Mary generated 150 yards rushing. Also helping the figure was a 34 yard carry by Tyler Ryan from punt formation... Preston Tescher led the U-Mary defense in tackles. The freshman safety made nine stops for the Marauders, including five solo. Grant Singer had 1.5 tackles for loss and seven total tackles... Walker gained 166 yards rushing for SCSU on 16 carries as the Huskies churned out 307 yards on the ground. Klaphake finished 12-of-14 for 187 yards passing and four touchdowns.

CENTURY MARK: SO WR Elby Pope (Grand Forks, ND) saw his streak of three straight games with over 100 yards receiving was snapped at SCSU. He was still the Marauders top target in the game with seven receptions for 81 yards and a score. Here is a list of his 100 yard games this year:
9-22-12 vs. Winona State                8 catches -    117 yards - 0 TD
9-29-12 at Minot State                        7 catches -    154 yards - 1 TD
10-6-12 vs. Bemidji State            10 catches -     123 yards - 1 TD

LEAGUE LEADER: SO WR Elby Pope (Grand Forks, ND) leads the NSIC in pass receptions with 47. He is second in the conference in receiving yards with 660. Including his punt and kick return yardage plus his rushing yardage, Pope is fifth in the NSIC in all purpose yardage, averaging 141.7 yards/game.

TESCHER TOUGH: True freshman Preston Tescher is making a mark the past two weeks. The safety made his first career interception against Bemidji State. Last week at St. Cloud State he made a game-high nine tackles (five solo).

STRENGTH VS. WEAKNESS: After picking up five sacks over the past two weeks, U-Mary leads the NSIC in sacks with 23. MSU Moorhead is 15th in the league in sacks allowed with 24.

PENDULUM: U-Mary won its first three games of the year before dropping the last four. This is the longest losing streak for the Marauders since 2009-10, when U-Mary lost its last three games in 2009 and the first four of 201

SACK ATTACK: The Marauders lead the NSIC in sacks and are 10th in the NCAA, dropping the opposing quarterback 21 times for a loss of 179 yards. JR DE John Oyloe is second in the NSIC with 7.0 sacks. Sophomore linebackers Troy Guptill is 4th with 5.0 sacks and Grant Singer is 6th with 4.0.

GUSHER: A junior defensive end from oil country, John Oyloe (Williston, ND) is having an incredibly productive season. He is second in the NSIC in sacks (7.0), sixth in tackles for loss (9.5) and second in tackles by defensive linemen (47).

BEHIND THE LINE: SO LB Troy Guptill is 4th in the NSIC in tackles for loss with 11. This is the first season Guptill has played significant snaps.

MILLER TIME: Seeing his first extended action on defense, R-FR LB Zane Miller
had two tackles for loss at St. Cloud State among his three tackles in the game.

TURNOVERS: The Marauders have committed nine turnovers the past two games. While none of the four turnovers resulted in points for Bemidji State, four of the Marauders five turnovers at St. Cloud State were turned into touchdowns.

AIR IT OUT: The Marauders passing attack is tops in the NSIC and 13th in the NCAA with an average of 293.9 yards per game. U-Mary quarterbacks have thrown 19 touchdowns and 16 interceptions in seven games.

PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS: The Marauders passing game is an all-inclusive attack. Seven different players have 11 or more catches. Seven have caught a pass for 28 or more yards. Seven also have caught scoring passes and five have two or more touchdown receptions.
BIG HITTER: JR S Scott Maldonado has made a major impact on the Marauders defense, hitting double digit stops in three of seven games. The NSIC defensive player of the week after his first game at U-Mary, Maldonado is eighth in the conference and leads the Marauders in tackles with 71 (32 solo). He is 30th in the NCAA with 10.1 tackles/game. Maldonado also has two tackles for loss, a sack, an interception and has broken up four passes. On special teams he has blocked a field goal and a punt, which was returned for a touchdown

STEFFAN CLIMBS THE CHARTS: All-American WR Tyler Steffan is climbing up the career record charts for the Marauders. After setting a single-season touchdown reception record last season after pulling in 17 scoring strike, Steffan is now second all-time at U-Mary in touchdown receptions (27), third in receptions (145), third in receiving yardage (2,256) and fifth in career touchdowns (27).

ALL-TIME MARAUDERS CAREER LISTS
Receptions                                            Receiving Yards
Seth Meier (1996-99)                191        Jake Pfau (2001-04)                2682
Jake Pfau (2001-04)                161        Seth Meier (1996-99)                2421
Tyler Steffan (2009- )            147         Tyler Steffan (2009-  )             2292
Neil MacDonald (1995-96)    132        Neil MacDannald(1995-96)    2020
Chris Buchholtz (1990-93)    114        Chris Buchholtz (1990-93)    1857

Touchdowns                                                Receiving Touchdowns
Bobby Wagner (1992-93)        37            Jake Pfau (2001-04)                34
Jake Pfau (2001-04)                    34            Tyler Steffan (2009- )            27
Brian Kimball (1998-2001)        30            Seth Meier (1996-1999)        23
Jamal Lomax (2007-10)            30
Tyler Steffan (2009-  )                27

25: Marauders football is in its 25th season. The first varsity season for U-Mary was played in 1988 and the team went 2-7. In its first 24 seasons, the Marauders have a combined record of 161-89-1, posted 16 winning seasons, advanced to national playoffs 10 times and claimed six conference titles.

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