Box Score  Bismarck, ND – The University of Mary, the nation's leader in turnover margin, found itself on the negative side of the ledger in a 20-14 loss to 25^th-ranked St. Cloud State University. In a defensive battle the Marauders lost two costly fumbles and was unable to force a single Husky turnover.
 
The first Marauders (4-3 overall, 4-3 NSIC, 2-1 NSIC North) turnover set the Huskies up for the first score of the game. Facing fourth down at the SCSU 26, Craig Bagnell fumbled on a sack by Todd Begston. Defensive lineman Jeff Bias scooped up the ball and rumbled 64 yards to the 1-yard line. Michael Walker burst through on the next play for a 7-0 SCSU (6-1, 6-1, 2-1) lead at 2:47 of the first quarter.
 
SCSU doubled its lead on its next possession when Philip Klaphake hit Dan Brown for a 41-yard touchdown pass at 11:01 of the second quarter, capping a 10-play 89-yard scoring drive.
 
Looking to cut into the deficit, U-Mary drove to the SCSU 7-yard line. On a 4^th-and-1, Adam Woroniecki attempted to dive over the top but fumbled. SCSU recovered the ball at its 5-yard line to preserve a 14-0 lead at intermission.
 
A blocked punt by Preston Tescher set up the Marauders first score. Taking over inside Huskies territory at the 42, Tyler Ryan connected from 34 yards at 3:49 of the third quarter, cutting the U-Mary deficit to 14-3.
 
Looking to put the Marauders way, Walker scored his second 1-yard touchdown run with 7:14 remaining in the game to push the SCSU advantage to 20-3. He finished the day with 75 yards on 14 carries.
 
Not yet finished, the Marauders drove 75 yards in eight plays, capped when Jeremy Mayfield caught a 7-yard touchdown pass from Bagnell.
 
Down 20-10 with 4:57 remaining, the Marauders on-side kick attempt failed. Forced to punt, SCSU pinned U-Mary at its own 8-yard line.
 
Featuring runs of 10 and 11 yards and a pass reception of 14 yards by Vince Ferrante to set up a U-Mary score, Ryan connected on a 39-yard field goal at 1:59, making it a one-possession game at 20-13.
 
One last-ditch on-side attempt for the Marauders would again go awry, allowing the Huskies to escape with the win.
 
Neither team generated much offensively. Led by Troy Guptill, the Marauders held the Huskies to 14 first downs and 337 yards of offense, including 174 yards on the ground and 163 via the air. U-Mary posted 12 tackles for loss.
 
The NSIC sack leader, Guptill tied his career-high with three sacks. He now has 9.5 sacks on the season. The junior linebacker totaled nine tackles and four tackles for loss, a career-best.
 
Grant Singer, the NSIC's leading tackler, posted nine stops and three tackles for loss. He had one sack. John Oyloe added nine stops, including one for loss, and Tescher had eight with six solo stops.
 
Overall, the Marauders sacked Klaphake four times and forced him into a 12-for-26 performance for 161 yards and one score. The all-conference quarterback also ran for 26 yards.
 
Bagnell went over 8,000 yards passing in his Marauders career during the game, the first U-Mary player to crack that figure. He was 31-of-53 for 264 yards with one score and no interceptions.
 
Mayfield caught nine passes for 76 yards and a score. Elby Pope had six catches for 52 yards.
 
Ferrante led the team in rushing with 38 yards on four carries. He also had two catches for 20 yards.
 
The Marauders start a two-game road trip at MSU Moorhead on Oct. 26, facing the Dragons in the "Battle for the Paddle."
 
#marauders#