Football | 10/9/2014 11:26:00 AM

SATURDAY
In the only current annual football meeting in the state of North Dakota between two NCAA schools, the University of Mary visits Minot State University in the "Battle of the Big Lake" on Saturday, Oct. 11. Kickoff for the Big Lake Trophy game is 6 p.m. at Herb Parker Stadium in Minot, N.D.

BATTLE OF THE BIG LAKE
This is the 2nd annual "Battle of the Big Lake" travelling trophy between the University of Mary and Minot State University. Until North Dakota State University and the University of North Dakota resume its series next year, the Marauders-Beavers battle remains the only annual football game in North Dakota between two NCAA members, U-Mary has played Minot State 22 times, more than any other school. The series began in 1988 when U-Mary joined the North Dakota College Athletic Conference and ended in 2005 when the Marauders moved to NCAA Division II and theg Northern Sun. After a seven year hiatus following the 2005 contest, the two schools resumed the series in 2012 when Minot State was admitted into the Northern Sun.

BIG LAKE TROPHY
The Marauders won the first "Battle of the Big Lake" travelling trophy game 45-10 over Minot State University in 2013. This is the first season the trophy will be up for grabs with the game played in Minot., N.D.  

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 8-1 in trophy games. The Marauders are 7-1 in the "Battle for the Paddle" with MSU Moorhead and 1-0 in the "Battle for the Lake" against Minot State.

TELEVISION
The Marauders-Beavers game will be carried live throughout Central and Western North Dakota on the KX Weather Channel (over-the-air digital channel 12.3 in Bismarck, 2.3 in Dickinson, 13.3 in Minot and 11.3 in Williston). Most cable systems  in the region also carry the KX Weather Channel.

THE RECORDS
The Marauders are 2-3 overall and in the Northern Sun and 0-1 in NSIC North Division  games. The Beavers are 0-5 overall and in the Northern Sun and 0-1 in the  NSIC North.

LAST TIME OUT
The Marauders dropped a heartbreaking 21-20 homecoming game to Bemidji State University... The Beavers lost 42-14 at Northern State.   

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… Minot State finished 2-9 overall/NSIC to place 14th in the NSIC. MSU was 1-6 in NSIC North play and tied for 7th.

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... Minot State's head coach Tyler Hughes is in his 1st season leading the Beavers. He is 0-5 at Minot State and 20-9 overall as a head coach. Previously head coach at Snow College in Ephraim, Utah, for two seasons, Hughes posted a mark of 9-3 in 2011 and 11-1 in 2012. A Utah State graduate, Hughes spent last season coaching at Ohio State University as an assistant coach for Urban Meyer. Named head coach at Southern Virginia in the 2013-14 off-season, Hughes became the 20th Minot State head coach last spring before coaching a game at Southern Virginia. Hughes was named the MSU coach after Todd Hoffner, chosen as the Beavers head coach after the 2013, returned to lead the Minnesota State University football program without coaching at game for the Beavers.  

WEEK FIVE REWIND: Beavers 21 Marauders 20
Big plays by Bemidji State University allowed the Beavers to nudge the University of Mary 21-20 and spoil the Marauders homecoming game. Both teams traded touchdown for touchdown with a single extra point making the final difference. Elby Pope opened the scoring with a 10-yard scoring strike from Ben Jolliffe in the first quarter. A 2-yard Jordan Hein run in the 2nd quarter tied the score 7-7 at intermission. The Marauders went back in front on the opening possession of the second half when Jolliffe found his older brother Nick in the end zone from 25 yards out. BSU pulled even two possessions later when Ryan Shields found Blake Holder for a 39-yard touchdown pass. U-Mary grabbed its third lead of the day on Pope's second touchdown reception from Jolliffe, this one 37 yards with 10:34 remaining in the game. After the extra point went wide right, U-Mary led 20-14. At 9:16 of the 4th, BSU took its first lead of the day after Shield found Christian Lunde on an 8-yard touchdown pass and a Kyle Fodness extra point attempt. Despite two more possessions, the Marauders were unable to respond. The Marauders generated 281 yards of offense, running 42 times for 114 yards and passing for 167. U-Mary held the ball for nearly eight more minutes than BSU. The Beavers managed 383 yards, including 297 through the air. Pope caught six passes for 73 yards and two scores. He added an 18-yard punt return to help set up the first U-Mary score and a 33-yard kickoff return. The senior also ran three times for 9 yards. Nick Jolliffe added five grabs for 37 yards and a score. Vince Ferrante ran for 67 yards. Ben Jolliffe was 13-of-26 for 167 yards. The redshirt freshman threw for three scores and an interception. Defensively Grant Singer, the leading tackler in the Northern Sun, recorded 11 tackles for U-Mary, including 0.5 for loss. He also intercepted a pass that was returned 34 yards. The All-American linebacker has had double digit stops in all five games this season and has seven straight dating back to last year. Shields led the BSU offense by completing 17-of-38 passes for 276 yards and two scores. He also tossed two interceptions. Holder had six catches for 99 yards and a score. Colton Blascyk recorded 12 tackles, including 2.5 for loss, for the Beavers. Trysten Ross also had 2.5 tackles for loss and Dan Kiebler had a game-high 3.0.
 
PAST MARAUDERS-BEAVERS MEETINGS (series tied 11-11)
1988    Minot State 42        U-Mary 22                    Bismarck, N.D.
1989    Minot State 28        U-Mary 24                    Minot, N.D.
1990    Minot State 26        U-Mary 7                    Bismarck, N.D.
1991    Minot State 21        U-Mary 7                    Minot, N.D.
1992    U-Mary 26                Minot State 23             Bismarck, N.D.
1993    Minot State 27        U-Mary 24                    Minot, N.D.
1993    U-Mary 31                Minot State 20            Minot, N.D. (NAIA Playoff game)
1994     Minot State 31        U-Mary 24                    Bismarck, N.D.
1995    U-Mary 14                Minot State 7                Minot, N.D.
1996    Minot State 23        U-Mary 7                    Bismarck, N.D.
1997    Minot State 21        U-Mary 7                    Minot, N.D.
1998    U-Mary 36                Minot State 12            Bismarck, N.D.
1999    U-Mary 41                Minot State 10            Minot, N.D.
2000    U-Mary 45                Minot State 6                Bismarck, N.D.
2001    U-Mary 43                Minot State 38            Minot, N.D.
2002    Minot State 35        U-Mary 21                    Bismarck, N.D.
2002     U-Mary 21                Minot State 18            Bismarck, N.D. (NAIA Playoff game)
2003    U-Mary 27                Minot State 6                Minot, N.D.
2004    U-Mary 13                Minot State 7                Bismarck N.D.
2005    Minot State 14        U-Mary 10                    Minot, N.D.
2012    Minot State 32        U-Mary 21                    Minot, N.D.
2013    U-Mary 45                Minot State 10            Bismarck, N.D.

THE MARAUDERS-BEAVERS SERIES HISTORY: An annual foe for the first 18 years of Marauders football (1987-2005), the Minot State series is tied 11-11...The Beavers have an 11-9 edge during the regular season but the Marauders have won the two playoff meetings (1993 and 2002)... Minot State won the first four match-ups with U-Mary but the Marauders captured eight of the last 11... MSU had a 6-5 edge at home... The Beavers have won the last two meetings in Minot... U-Mary last won a game in Minot in 2003, a 27-6 decision... 2004: The last Marauders-Beavers game in Bismarck until the 2013 season, U-Mary hosted Minot State on Oct. 2, 2004. Minot State scored first when Gabe Ellis returned the opening kickoff 86 yards for a touchdown but the Marauders dominated the remainder of the game in a 13-7 win. Tom Kirchoffner scored on a one yard run to even the score late in the first quarter and Justin Lang kicked two field goals for the Marauders. U-Mary would generate just 277 yards of offense but Minot State struggled more, compiling just 205 yards of offense. Kirchoffner completed 16-of-27 passes for 187 yards. Jake Pfau caught seven passes for 96 yards. Bobby Usher led the Marauders with eight tackles... 2012: Elby Pope exploded for 154 receiving yards and a touchdown and Zach Roberson threw for 328 yards in his first collegiate start, but the University of Mary was stunned in the fourth quarter of a 32-21 loss at Minot State University. The Beavers scored three touchdowns in the final stanza to pull out a victory... 2013: In its most dominating performance of the year, U-Mary scored 38 unanswered first-half points in a 45-10 homecoming win over Minot State University. The win was the 100th for head coach Myron Schulz in his tenure at U-Mary and gave the Marauders a win in the first "Battle of the Big Lake" travelling trophy game. U-Mary forced four turnovers and several other miscues by Minot State. Dariouse Gravely opened the scoring on a 42-yard run one play after Preston Tescher blocked a Beavers punt, A 10-yard punt led to a 2-yard Gravely TD. A fumbled MSU punt recovered by Tescher was followed by an 18-yard Craig Bagnell to Elby Pope TD pass. Bagnell followed with two more scoring strikes in the second, both to Nick Jolliffe, surrounding a Tyler Ryan field goal. CJ Drakeford returned an interception in the final quarter to close the scoring. Gravely ran for 84 yards and two scores on 12 carries. Bagnell finished 11-of-21 for 148 yards, three TDs and no interceptions. Jolliffe caught five balls for 97 yards and two scores. Overall the Marauders generated 293 yards of offense and 15 first downs. Defensively Grant Singer posted 2.0 tackles for loss and intercepted a pass. Troy Guptill added 1.5 tackles for loss. The Beavers had 11 1st downs and 243 offensive yards, 92 in the 4th quarter.
 
QUICK LOOK AT THE MINOT STATE BEAVERS
A program unable to get its feet under itself the last few months, Minot State University has struggled in the early part of the season, dropping all five games while being outscored by an average of 42-10. A busy off-season started when Paul Rudolph, the Beavers head coach for seven years, resigned in early January to become the offensive coordinator at NCAA Division I FCS North Dakota. At the end of January, Todd Hoffner was named head coach. Hoffner abruptly resigned on April 15 to resume his former head coaching duties at Minnesota State University. Four days later MSU announced the hiring of Tyler Hughes as the school's 20th head football coach. Hughes had just been named head coach at Southern Virginia and arrived just in time for spring drills. Once the season began, the Beavers were forced to play much of two games without starting quarterback Zach Cunha. In his third year as a starter, Cunha led the Beavers to a win over U-Mary as a freshman in 2012 in what had been the first meeting between the two schools since 2005. In his last two games, Cunha has thrown for 478 yards, four scores and just one interception. Jarvis Mustipher (36 carries, 105 yards) and Spencer Morrow (37 carries, 98 yards) are sharing the load on the ground, though much of their action came in the first couple games. Glyn Borel is the deep threat offensively. The senior WR has 16 catches for 312 yards and three TDs. Leon La Deaux leads the team with 24 grabs for 293 yards. SR DB Levi Freidt leads the BEavers defense with a team-high 53 tackles, He also has 4.5 tackles for loss and two pass breakups. JR LB Aaron James has a team-leading 5.5 tackles for loss, 36 tackles and has forced two fumbles. As a team Minot State is averaging 9.6 points per game and allowing 42.

BEAVERS BACK TO BACK
After facing the Bemidji State University Beavers last week, the Marauders now take on the Minot State University Beavers.

BIG PLAYS
U-Mary had 10 explosive plays of 17 yards or more against Bemidji State with Elby Pope producing four. The all-NSIC widout had catches covering 37 and 17 yards, an 18-yard punt return and a 33-yard kick return. Four of the Marauders explosive plays came in the passing game, two on runs, two on interception returns and two on special teams. BSU produced eight plays of at least 16 yards and seven came in the passing game. Blake Holder was responsible for three of the plays.

DOING THINGS RIGHT
The old adage that teams who win the turnover battle, own time of possession and commit fewer penalties will win the game went into the shredder in the Marauders 21-20 loss to Bemidji State. The Marauders finished +2 in turnovers (intercepted three BSU passes while throwing only one), had nearly an eight minute edge in time of possession (33:59 to 26:01) and was penalized 13 fewer yards (3-20 for U-Mary to 4-33 for BSU).

TOPS IN THE NATION
SR WR/KR Elby Pope is leading the nation in punt returns. He has returned seven punts for 171 yards, an NCAA Division II high average of 24.4 yards/return. Pope is also 13th in combined kick return yardage (424), 36th in all-purpose yardage (147/game), and 51st in TD receptions (4).  

BROTHER TO BROTHER
SR All-NSIC WR Nick Jolliffe caught his 22nd career TD from his brother Ben, the Marauders redshirt freshman quarterback. The 25-yard scoring strike against Bemidji State ties Jolliffe with Chris Buchholtz for 4th all-time, trailing just Jake Pfau (34), Tyler Steffan (30) and Seth Maier (23).

POPE CROSSES 2,000 YARD BARRIER
SR WR Elby Pope became just the 5th U-Mary player to post 2,000 or more receiving yards in a career when he caught six passes for 73 yards against Bemidji State. The Grand Forks, N.D., native now has 2,015 receiving yards to trail just Jake Pfau (2,682 career yards), Tyler Steffan (2,494), Seth Maier (2,421) and Neil MacDannald (2,020). With 143 catches Pope is 4th all-time, behind Maier (191), Steffan (163) and Pfau (161).

SINGER SURGES PAST 300 TACKLES
All-American linebacker Grant Singer, who joins Toby Schweitzer as the only U-Mary players with over 300 tackles, leads the Northern Sun and is 8th in NCAA D2 with 13.4 tackles per game. With 11 tackles against Bemidji State, Singer has posted double figure tackle figures in all five games this season and seven straight dating back to last season. The senior team captain is at 322 career tackles. Schweitzer, who played 1988-91, has 410.

CLEAN LAUNDRY
The Marauders are first in the NSIC and 4th in the NSIC in both fewest penalties/game (3.6) and fewest penalty yardage (32).  

GUPTILL SETS CAREER TACKLE FOR LOSS RECORD
U-Mary SR DE Troy Guptill is the Marauders career record-holder in tackles for loss with 41.5, set vs. CSP in game 3.

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