BISMARCK, N.D. – Returning to the lineup after missing six games due to injury, University of Mary quarterback
Zach Roberson recorded one of the best individual performances in Marauders history to help U-Mary recapture the Paddle Trophy. The junior tied a school record with six touchdown passes, ran for a score and threw for 460 yards in a 52-45 Marauders win over MSU Moorhead in the ninth Battle for the Paddle.
Down one after the Dragons scored 28 straight points, Roberson found
Elby Pope deep over the middle for a game-winning 45-yard scoring strike with 4:26 left in the game.
Roberson completed 27-of-45 passes for 460 yards and six touchdowns without throwing an interception. He also gained five yards rushing, including a 3-yard scoring run for the Marauders opening points of the day. The six touchdown passes equals the mark of Paul Cronin in 1994 against Jamestown College. Roberson just missed Tim Garcia's mark of 473 yards passing in 2002 against Valley City Sate University.
Pope proved to be the big beneficiary of Roberson's return, catching 11 passes for 169 yards and two scores. The receptions and yards are career-highs for the senior wideout.
The efforts of Roberson and Pope outshined the day posted by Dragons reserve quarterback Demetrius Carr. The redshirt freshman ran for 208 yards and threw for 188 yards and a score. He would also toss two interceptions.
The 97 points is the most points scored in a Marauders game since a 50-49 loss to Si Tanka in 2000. The 45 points allowed in a win is the most by U-Mary since a 53-48 win over Rocky Mountain College in 1997.
The two squads combined for 1,095 yards of offense. U-Mary ran for 62 and passed for 467 to generate a season-high 529 yards. MSUM gained 378 yards on the ground and 188 through the air for 566 total yards.
The U-Mary opened the scoring on Roberson's 3-yard run with 6:47 left in the first quarter, capping a 79 yard drive on seven plays that featured
Vince Ferrante receptions of 29 and 28 yards.
Following a 15-yard Carr touchdown run to even the score, the Marauders regained the lead 14-7 on an
Elby Pope 7-yard reception from Roberson to close out the first quarter scoring.
The lead jumped to 21-7 when Roberson found tight end
Zach Podoll open down the middle of the field for a 40-yard touchdown reception.
Damon Gibson of the Dragons closed the gap by blocking a Marauders punt attempt and then scooping up the ball and running 10 yards into the end zone for the touchdown. U-Mary immediately retaliated by driving 79 yards for a score. After Pope caught a 36-yard pass to open the possession,
Jake East finished the drive on a 34 yard throw from Roberson for a 27-14 U-Mary lead after the extra point attempt failed. After MSUM converted a 25 yard field goal, the Marauders entered intermission leading 27-14.
U-Mary exploded for 17 points out of the gate following halftime. The opening drive of the second half finished with a 7-yard touchdown pass from Roberson to East.
The defense then set up the Marauders next two scores.
Ethan Bakken recovered a MSUM fumble at the Dragons 25 yard line. After a play was wiped out by off-setting penalties, Roberson found
Myron Baldoz-McArn for a 25-yard touchdown pass.
On the Dragons next possession,
Seth Walton intercepted Carr pass at midfield and returned it 26 yards to the MSUM 14 yard line.
Brody Riggs would hit a 27-yard field goal and the Marauders lead jumped to 44-17 less than five minutes into the second half.
Momentum then shifted violently towards the Dragons as MSUM ripped off 28 straight points. Carr first found Corey Ambrose for a 62-yard touchdown pass before Zayne Medhaug twice scored on 2-yard runs before the end of the third stanza.
The Dragons claimed their first lead of the day at 45-44 on a Carr 5-yard run with 8:37 left in the game, capping a 91-yard drive that consumed 5:12 on 14 plays.
Immediately the Marauders retaliated, but a little gadget play was needed to keep the drive alive. Facing 4
th-and-4 at the home 47, Riggs completed a 7-yard pass to Pope out of punt formation to keep possession. Two plays, later, Roberson found Pope deep down the middle for the game-winning touchdown.
Behind two
Troy Guptill sacks, the Marauders defense came up big to preserve the win. Trailing 52-45, the Dragons managed to move the ball only 29 yards before turning the ball over to the Marauders with an incomplete pass on 4
th-and-8 at the Marauders 46 yard line.
The Dragons did have one more chance but couldn't find the big break needed after taking over at their own 8 yard line with eight seconds left in the game.
Ferrante and
Dariouse Gravely both has 28 yards rushing to lead the Marauders ground game. Ferrante also had three catches for 60 yards.
East caught seven catches for 93 yards and two scores. Baldoz-McArn has four receptions for 87 yards and a score.
Pope posted 221 yards of all-purpose yardage. In addition to 169 receiving yards, the most by a Marauders player since Tyler Steffan recorded 202 yards against Bemidji State in 2011, Pope also had a 42 yard kick return and 10 punt return yards on two chances.
Defensively
Preston Tescher led the Marauders with 12 tackles, including 10 solo stops.
Guptill was the big play performer on the Marauders defense, recording four tackles for loss and two sack, among his seven stops. The Marauders career tackles for loss leader with 48.5, Guptill now has 26 career sacks to tie Jason Aman for 3
rd on the U-Mary all-time leaderboard.
Landon Smith posted two of the Marauders 12 tackles for loss and had six total tackles.
Medhaug chipped in 113 rushing yards and two scores for MSUM and Brock Kolander had 58 rushing yards. Adam Jiskra, one of the receiving yardage leaders in the Northern Sun, was limited to 33 yards on seven catches.
Sheldon Jones led the Dragons defense with seven solo stops and recorded one pass breakup.
The Marauders improve to 5-3 overall and in the Northern Sun and 3-1 in the NSIC North. The Dragons slip to 1-7 and 0-4.
U-Mary closes out its 2014 home schedule when the Marauders host Northern State University on Saturday, Nov. 1, at the MDU Resources Bowl.
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