Football | 10/30/2014 12:43:00 PM

SATURDAY
The final home football game for 16 University of Mary student-athletes, the Marauders host Northern State University in a border battle between two teams tied for second in the Northern Sun North Division and fourth overall on Saturday, Nov. 1. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at the MDU Resources Community Bowl.

THE RECORDS
The Marauders are 5-3 overall and in the Northern Sun and 3-1 in NSIC North Division  games... The Wolves are 5-3 overall and in the Northern Sun and 3-1 in the NSIC North. Both the Marauders and the Wolves are tied for fourth in the NSIC overall standings and tied for second in the NSIC North Division standings.

LAST TIME OUT
The Marauders outlasted MSU Moorhead 52-45 at home... The Wolves defeated St. Cloud State University 45-23 at home.

LAST YEAR
U-Mary finished 6-5 overall in the NSIC (5th place) and 4-3 (3rd) in the NSIC North. It was the first winning season for the Marauders since 2007 and the 17th in 26 seasons of U-Mary football… Northern State finished 4-7 overall/NSIC to place 10th in the NSIC. NSU was 3-4 in NSIC North play to finish 5th.

HEAD COACHES
Josh Kotelnicki is just the fifth varsity head coach at the University of Mary as the Marauders begin their 27th season. Kotelnicki comes to U-Mary after serving as the associate head coach at NCAA FCS University of North Dakota for two seasons (2012-13) and as UND's defensive coordinator in 2013. A native of Litchfield, Minn., Kotelnicki won an NCAA Division II title as a player at North Dakota and has been on winning teams as a coach at the NCAA FBS, FCS, and Division II levels. After starting his coaching career at UND, he has also worked at Murray State, Truman State, and NCAA FBS Kansas State before returning to UND... Tom Dosch is in his fifth season as head coach of Northern State University and is the school's 26th head football coach. He has a 22-30 record with the Wolves. In 2012 Dosch directed NSU to a 6-5 mark, the program's first winning season since 2005. A 1992 Dickinson State University graduate, he is a member of the Blue Hawks Hall of Fame. After beginning his coaching career at DSU, he coached ten seasons at the University of North Dakota before becoming the Jamestown College head coach. The Jimmies posted a 25-17 record with two trips to the NAIA playoffs. He then spent two seasons at Southern Illinois before joining NSU for the 2010 season.

THE MARAUDERS-WOLVES SERIES HISTORY (U-Mary leads 6-2)
 In a series that began in 2006, the Marauders claimed the first five meetings before the Wolves won two straight in 2011-12. Despite the fact NSU was virtually U-Mary's closest rival prior to Minot State University joining the Northern Sun, the first two meetings took place at the Metrodome... 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 TD 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. He rushed for 146 yards in the 4th 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 in a 20-16 win... 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 in a 48-3 win... 2011: Josh Murray ran for 163 yards and scored three touchdowns and Craig Bagnell threw for 232 yards and a score but Northern State scored the final 10 points to win 39-36. Felipe Alfaia converted a 35 yard field goal as time expired to give the Wolves their first win over the Marauders. Jared Jacobson ran for 180 yards and three TDs and passed for another 136 yards to lead the NSU offense and Kristin James added another 139 yards for the Wolves... 2012: U-Mary jumped out to a 14-3 lead but Northern State University responded by scoring 55 straight points as the Wolves defeated the Marauders 65-17. This was the most points allowed by U-Mary in school history. Elby Pope caught seven passes for 109 yards and a TD to lead U-Mary. Bagnell passed for 201 yards and two scores. Mikey Ingemansen had two sacks for UM. Jared Jacobson threw for 422 yards and three scores and Chris Morton caught six passes for 148 yards and three scores... 2013: U-Mary scored on its first two possessions and the Marauders defense didn't allow a point until the final play of the game in a 28-14 win at Northern State. Vince Ferrante's 9 yard rushing TD midway through the 1st quarter and Elby Pope's 27 yard TD pass from Craig Bagnell early in the 2nd gave U-Mary a 14-0 lead. After the Wolves scored on a blocked punt, the Marauders went into intermission up 21-7 after Bagnell found Nick Jolliffe for a 13-yard TD reception 27 seconds before the half ended. Ferrante's second TD of the day extended the UM lead to 28-7. He finished the day with 124 rushing yards and two scores on 17 carries. Bagnell finished 25-of-36 for 282 yards, two TDs and two interceptions. The Marauders out-gained the Wolves 427-309.

PAST MARAUDERS-WOLVES MEETINGS (UM leads 6-2)
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
2011    Northern State 39     U-Mary 36                            Aberdeen, SD
2012    Northern State 65     U-Mary 17                            Bismarck, ND  
2013    U-Mary 28                    Northern State 14                Aberdeen, SD     

QUICK LOOK AT THE NORTHERN STATE WOLVES
The Northern State University Wolves have bounced back from last season's 4-7 mark, already surpassing the win total with three more games to play. The Wolves are tied with the Marauders for 4th place overall and second in the NSIC North. SR QB Jared Jacobson leads a talented Wolves offense that averages 405.2 yards and 32.6 points per game. A four-year starter, Jacobson completes 60.2 per cent of his passes and has thrown for 1,893 yards and 16 touchdowns with just five interceptions. He is second on the team with 433 yards rushing and has a team-high six TD runs. FR RB Nicholas Truen leads the team with 631 yards rushing, averaging 5.7 yards/carry and four scores. Tight ends Conner Doherty (38-484-5) and Cody Kraft (19-247-1) provide a pair of big targets. Zach Barber leads the team with 39 catches for 360 yards and three TDs and Jared Hannigan has 32 grabs for 488 yards and four TDs. Defensively the Wolves allow 34.6 points/game and are second to last in the NSIC in passing defense (303.1 yards/game) and total defense (495 yards/game). Four times this season the Wolves have allowed 40 or more points in a game. SR CB Paul Woodward, the NSIC Defensive Player of the Week after NSU's win over St. Cloud State, has broken up 14 passes, had two interceptions and 2.0 tackles for loss. SO FS Joe Parsley has four interceptions and a fumble recovery. JR LB Devin Olson leads the defense with 54 tackles. Northern State is 4th in the NSIC in turnover margin at +6 (gained 15, lost nine).   

WEEK EIGHT REWIND: Marauders 52  Dragons 45
Zach Roberson completed 27-of-45 passes for 460 yards and a school record-tying six touchdowns with no interceptions and also ran for a score as the University of Mary outlasted MSU Moorhead 52-45 in the 9th Battle for the Paddle. Roberson's efforts offset the day posted by MSU QB Demetrius Carr, who ran for 208 yards and passed for 188. Returning to the field after missing six games due to injury, Roberson scored the first Marauders points of the day on a 2 yard run. U-Mary led 27-14 at the half after Roberson threw TD passes to Elby Pope, Zach Podoll and Jake East. U-Mary used two MSUM turnovers to score 17 points less than five minutes into the second half. Roberson completed touchdown passes to East and Myron Baldoz-McArn and Brody Riggs hit a 27-yard field goal for a 44-17 Marauders advantage. MSUM then went on a 28-0 run to grab a 45-44 lead. With time running down, the Marauders offense returned to form. After Riggs completed a fourth down pass to Pope to continue the drive, Roberson hit Pope streaking down the middle of the field for a 45-yard score with 4:26 remaining in the game. The two then combined for a 2-point conversion. The Marauders defense then took over with Troy Guptill recording two sacks on the Dragons next possession to maintain the Marauders lead. Pope set career-highs with 11 catches for 169 yards and two scores. East caught seven passes for 93 yards and two TDs. Baldoz-McArn produced four catches for 87 yards and a TD. Guptill finished with two sacks and four tackles for loss. Preston Tescher recorded 12 tackles, including 10 solo stops. 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.

NUMBERS: Some quick facts from the Marauders-Dragons game... 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 six touchdown passes by Zach Roberson ties the school record established by Paul Cronin against Jamestown College in 1994... With 460 yards passing, Roberson just missed the school record. Tim Garcia threw for 473 yards against Valley City State in 2002... The 169 receiving yards by Elby Pope was the most since Tyler Steffan went for 202 against Bemidji State in 2011.

TWO TRAVELING TROPHIES
The Marauders play two games annually for travelling trophies and the contests have brought out the best in U-Mary. Combined the Marauders are 10-1 in trophy games. The Marauders are 8-1 in the "Battle for the Paddle" with MSU Moorhead and 2-0 in the "Battle for the Big Lake" against Minot State.

SENIORS
Sixteen seniors will be playing their last home football game in the Blue & Orange for the Marauders on Saturday against the Wolves. The 2014 seniors are: DL Ethan Bakken (Lakeville, Minn.), WR Myron Baldoz-McArn (Elk Grove, Calif.), OL Julian Craig (Tujunga, Calif.), WR Jake East (Clovis, Calif.), RB Vince Ferrante (Martinez, Calif.), RB Dariouse Gravely (Las Vegas, Nev.), DE Troy Guptill (Quinn, S.D.), OL Jeremiah Herman (Bismarck, N.D.), WR Nick Jolliffe (Bismarck, N.D.), DB Lukas Katers (Green Bay, Wis.), DL Tylar Kist (Winnipeg, Manitoba), TE Peter Luton (Miramar, Fla.), OL Michael Mortenson (Dickinson, N.D.), C Don Pask (Savage, Minn.), WR/KR Elby Pope (Grand Forks, N.D.) and LB Grant Singer (Turtle Lake, N.D.)... All 16 seniors are key contributors this season for the Marauders. 11 of the seniors start and five are the first players off the bench at their positions... Three-year starters include Jolliffe, Mortenson, Pask, Pope and Singer with Guptill seeing significant action... Kist and Ferrante moved into the starting rotation as juniors... Bakken, Hermann and East joined the lineup this fall... Gravely has been in the running backs rotation since he was a sophomore.

ROBERSON NSIC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
The Northern Sun named Zach Roberson the Offensive Player of the Week after completing 27-of-45 passes for 460 yards and a school record-tying six touchdown passes in a 52-45 win over MSU Moorhead. Roberson, who missed six straight games since injuring his wrist in the Marauders season-opening win over Southwest Minnesota State, also ran for a touchdown. The junior from Sonora, Calif., is the first U-Mary player to win a weekly league award this season. The last U-Mary player to win NSIC offensive honors was Craig Bagnell in the second game of the 2012 season.

POST-SEASON PLAY
The top finisher in the Northern Sun who does not qualify for the NCAA Division II playoffs is selected to play in the Mineral Water Bowl against a team from the MIAA. Currently the Marauders are in a four-way tie for fourth place in the NSIC with a 5-3 record, along with Northern State, Upper Iowa and Wayne State. While only six teams are selected from the Central Region for the NCAA tournament, the top three teams in the first poll of the season reside in the NSIC: Minnesota State, Minnesota Duluth and Sioux Falls are all 8-0. Last year three teams from the NSIC did qualify for the playoffs. A similar scenario this season makes U-Mary's Saturday's contest against Northern State close to an elimination game for post-season play for both teams.   

DIRTY DOZEN
All-NSIC safety Preston Tescher set a career-high with ten solo stops in the U-Mary Battle for the Paddle win over MSU Moorhead. He tied his career-high with 2 total stops, set earlier this year at Winona State. For the year the Bismarck, N.D., native is second on the team with 56 tackles (40 solo) and has 2.0 tackles for loss and four pass break-ups.

GONZO GUPTILL
SR DE Troy Guptill posted season-highs with 4.0 tackles for loss and seven tackles (six solo) in the win over MSU Moorhead. The Quinn, S.D., native leads the Marauders with 12.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks. He is now tied for 2nd in the NSIC in sacks and is 4th in tackles for loss. He is 12th in NCAA D2 in sacks. U-Mary's career-leader in tackles for loss with 48.5, Guptill is tied for third on the career sack chart:

MARAUDERS CAREER SACKS
David St. Clair (1998-99)             30
John Oyloe (2010-13)                  27.5
Jason Aman (1991-95)                26
Troy Guptill (2011- )                     26  

CLEAN LAUNDRY
U-Mary is 1st in the NSIC and 4th in the NCAA in fewest penalty yards/game (33.75) and 1st in the NSIC and 3rd in the NCAA in fewest penalties/game (3.88).  

50+
R-Fr. K Brody Riggs blasted a 50 yard field goal through the uprights with four seconds remaining in the first half at Minnesota Crookston on Saturday, Oct. 18. After consulting former Marauders head coach Myron Schulz, there is at least one longer field goal in school history. Marauders Hall of Famer and All-American Jason Arenz connected on a 51 yard field goal against Minot State on Hegeholz Field in 1992. Arenz made a record four field goals in a 26-23 win.

MR. HANDYMAN
SR All-NSIC WR/KR Elby Pope has done everything for the Marauders this season: caught passes, ran the ball, passed the ball, returned punts and kickoffs, and covered kicks on special teams. He is 8th in the nation in punt return average (17.6 yards/return) and 39th in all-purpose yardage (138.8 yards/game). Pope has 42 catches for 537 yards and six TDs, has a team-high seven TDs, has caught two 2-point conversion, ran the ball seven times for 29 yards, completed his lone pass attempt for 51 yards, is averaging 20.8 yards/kick return, has four tackles (three solo) and a fumble recovery. For his career the Grand Forks, N.D., native now has 2,270 receiving yards to trail just Jake Pfau (2,682 career yards), Tyler Steffan (2,494) and Seth Maier (2,421). With 161 catches Pope is 3rd all-time, behind Maier (191) and Steffan (163) and tied with Pfau (161).

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