Football | 11/6/2014 6:32:00 PM

SATURDAY
The University of Mary football team sets sail to the northeast corner of the Northern Sun when the Marauders visit the nation's 2nd-ranked and NSIC-leading University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs. Game time is 1 p.m. at Malosky Stadium in Duluth, Minn.

THE RECORDS
The Marauders are 5-4 overall and in the Northern Sun to rank sixth and are tied for third with a 3-2 mark in NSIC North Division games... The Bulldogs are 9-0 overall and in the Northern Sun and 5-0 in the NSIC North. The Bulldogs are tied with #1 Minnesota State University for first overall in the NSIC and lead the NSIC North by a game.

LAST TIME OUT
The Marauders couldn't keep pace with Northern State in a 42-33 home loss... The Bulldogs demolished the University of Minnesota Crookston 77-3 on the road.

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… Minnesota Duluth finished 11-2 overall. After placing second in the NSIC with a record of 10-1 and winning the NSIC North at 7-0, UMD advanced to the NCAA tournament. The Bulldogs routed Emporia State 55-13 in the opening round before losing 45-21 to Northwest Missouri State.

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...  After five seasons as the University of Minnesota Duluth offensive coordinator, Curt Wiese was named the Bulldogs head coach in Dec. 2012 and is now in his second season. Since taking over the top spot in the program, the Bulldogs are 20-2, including 19-1 in NSIC play, 12-0 in NSIC North contests and 1-1 in the NCAA playoffs. In five seasons as the OC, UMD was in the nation's top ten in scoring four times and the squad went 70-8 with two national championships. Prior to joining the UMD staff he was head coach at Marietta College in Ohio and posted a mark of 9-11 in two seasons at the helm (2006-07).

THE MARAUDERS-BULLDOGS SERIES HISTORY (UMD leads the series 7-0)
In a series that began in 2006, the Bulldogs have won all seven meetings. The first meeting was Sept. 9, 2006 and ended with a 42-14 UMD win. The Marauders had more 1st downs (20-18), more total yards (375-372) and more passing yards (314 to 246). UMD led 14-0 at intermission and built a 21-0 lead before U-Mary got on the board... In 2008, Minnesota Duluth claimed a 44-7 win at home, scoring 21 points in the opening quarter. RB Isaac Odim scored three TDs and DJ Winfield caught ten balls for 172 yards and a score. Jamal Lomax scored the lone U-Mary touchdown and ran for 63 yards... In 2009, UMD rolled to a 35-7 win as Odim ran for four touchdowns and 187 yards on 14 carries. Overall UMD ran for 259 yards but passed for just 64 yards as Chase Vogler was only 5-of-12 for 53 yards. The Marauders managed 249 yards, led by Lomax with 109 yards rushing on 29 carries... In the 2010 meeting in Duluth, MN, #2 UMD played without All-American Isaac Odim but still rolled to a 49-0 win over the Marauders. The Bulldogs scored on their first three possessions of the game and rolled up 531 yards of offense, including 327 on the ground. The Marauders were limited to 235 yards offensively, including 83 on the ground. Jamal Lomax ran for 65 yards to pace the Marauders. Craig Bagnell completed 18-of-27 passes for 152 yards and Bryan Sandy caught six balls for 47 yards. Marcus Parence led the defense with eight tackles. For UMD, Brad Foss ran for 121 yards and three touchdowns... 2011: Tyler Steffan caught a school-record four touchdown passes and Josh Edwards threw for 318 yards but the Marauders couldn't keep pace with the ground attack of #9 UMD in a 41-28 Bulldogs win. UMD ran for 410 of its 485 yards of offense, including a 75 yard touchdown run by Austin Sikorski on the second play of the game. He finished the day with 185 yards and three scores on 19 carries. The Marauders would match the Sikorski score on their first offensive play when Edwards hit Steffan on a 64-yard  touchdown pass just 1:07 into the game. UMD then score the next 27 points. Edwards was 28-of-40 passes for 318 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions... 2012: #9 UMD ran for 270 yards and passed for 294 in a 53-14 home win over U-Mary. The Bulldogs scored the first 28 points before Craig Bagnell scored late in the first half. Evan Gross ran for 67 yards and Dariouse Gravely added 57 to lead UM. Grant Singer had a game-high 14 tackles, Chase Vogler was 19-of-24 for 260 yards and 3 TDs for UMD... 2013: A dominant 3rd quarter by #5 Minnesota Duluth lifted the Bulldogs to a 32-14 win over the Marauders. U-Mary used a 37 yard Elby Pope touchdown catch from Zach Roberson and and a Roberson 4 yard run to trail 17-14 at intermission. Aaron Sikorski and Logan Lauters both ran for UMD scores in the 3rd quarter  to take command of the game as the Bulldogs outgained the Marauders 160 yards to -6 in the stanza. UMD ran for 321 of its 348 yards of offense while U-Mary posted 226 yards. Roberson completed 20-of-33 passes for 189 yards. Pope caught six passes for 89 yards and a TD and Vince Ferrante ran for 55 yards. Grant Singer posted 13 tackles, including two sacks and three tackles for loss, and an interception for U-Mary. Sikorski led UMD with 113 yards rushing and Lauters added 91.

PAST MARAUDERS-BULLDOGS MEETINGS (UMD leads 7-0)
2013    #5 Minnesota Duluth 32    U-Mary 14     Bismarck, ND
2012    #9 Minnesota Duluth 53    U-Mary 14     Duluth, MN
2011    #9 Minnesota Duluth 41     U-Mary 28     Bismarck, ND
2010    #2 Minnesota Duluth 49     U-Mary 0      Duluth, MN
2009    Minnesota Duluth 35          U-Mary 7      Bismarck, ND
2008    Minnesota Duluth 44          U-Mary 7      Duluth, MN
2006    Minnesota Duluth 42          U-Mary 14    Duluth, MN


QUICK LOOK AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA DULUTH
One of the nation's most prominent NCAA Division II programs, the University of Minnesota Duluth captured national championships in 2008 and 2010. Currently the Bulldogs rank second in the AFCA national poll and third in the NCAA Central Region rankings. Since 2008, the Bulldogs have the best winning percentage of any D2 school, capturing 82 of 91 games. UMD has won 17 consecutive regular season games, the third longest streak in school history. The Bulldogs are also 41-2 in NSIC North Division games since rejoining the league in 2008 and 26-2 against South Division teams for an overall NSIC mark of 67-4. The top rushing attack in the NSIC at 306.8 yards/game, the Bulldogs are second in points per game (41.6) and third in total offense (479.2). Defensively the Bulldogs have the top run defense (94.4 yards/game), are second in total defense (309.1 yards/game) and third in scoring defense (17.2 points/game). Logan Lauters has rushed for a team-high 1,004 yards with seven TDs. He averages an impressive 8.0 yards/carry. Starting QB Drew Bauer is second in rushing yards (660) and leads the squad with nine touchdowns. He is 122-of-208 passing for 1,503 yards, 17 TDs and three interceptions. Zach Sweifel leads UMD with 34 catches for 544 yards with three TDs. Aaron Roth has 20 catches for 287 yards and six TDs. Four of the TDs came in the second quarter of last week's 77-3 win over Minnesota Crookston. Defensively Jonathan Harden has a team-high 10 tackles for loss. Gavin brown owns nine tackles behind the line with three sacks. Gavin Grady leads the squad with 53 tackles, including 7.5 for loss.

WEEK EIGHT REWIND: Wolves 42 Marauders 33
A border battle between two team tied for second in the NSIC North and the final U-Mary home game of the season, the Marauders dropped a 42-33 decision to Northern State University. After stopping the Marauders at the 1 yard line on the opening possession of the day, the Wolves drove the length of the field for the first score and a lead that was never relinquished. U-Mary immediately responded with Zach Roberson crossing the goal line from a yard out but a missed PAT left the Marauders trailing 7-6. NSU and U-Mary traded scores in the second quarter with Adam Woroniecki running in from one yard out and VaShawn Pope catching an 18 yard TD pass from Roberson. At intermission NSU led 21-20. The two schools also traded scored in the third with Vince Ferrante keeping U-Mary close at 28-27 on a 1 yard run. The Wolves pulled away in the fourth, scoring back-to-back touchdowns to build an insurmountable 42-27 lead. Jake East caught a 23 yard TD pass with 11 seconds left to close out the scoring. East finished the day with nine catches for 174 yards and a touchdown. Elby Pope caught 11 passes for 129 yards, returned two kicks for 61 yards and two punts for 19. Roberson completed 29-of-46 passes for 409 yards and two scores while also running for one. Preston Tescher led the Marauders with 14 tackles. He also had an interception and knocked down two passes. Jared Jacobson earned NSIC Offensive Player of the Week honors after generating 502 yards of offense. He ran for 84 yards and two scores and completed 36-of-53 passes for 418 yards and three touchdowns. U-Mary produced 484 yards of offense and 25 first downs. NSU had 574 yards and 34 first downs.

ROAD TRIP
After two straight home games, the Marauders now conclude the 2014 season with a pair of road contests; at Minnesota Duluth on Nov. 8 and at St. Cloud State on Nov. 15.

RANKING THE OPPONENTS
The Marauders face 2nd ranked Minnesota Duluth on Saturday. The last time U-Mary has played a team this highly ranked was #2 Minnesota State in the 2013 season opener... The Marauders also faced a #2 team in 2010 when U-Mary played UMD... Since moving to NCAA Division II, the Marauders have not yet faced a team ranked first in the nation at game time.


HEAD EAST
Jake East has posted career days in back-to-back-to-back weeks. Against Minnesota Crookston, the senior wide receiver tied his career high in receptions with four and set a career-high with 81 receiving yards. He also had a touchdown reception. The next week against MSU Moorhead, he caught seven balls for 93 yards and two scores, all career-bests. He out-did the catches and yardage last Saturday, making nine receptions for 174 yards and a score. The 174 yards is the most by a U-Mary receiver since Tyler Steffan posted 202 yards against Bemidji State on 10.22.11. East started the season by catching the game-winning score with 23 seconds left in the opener against Southwest Minnesota State.

11th HEAVEN
In the nine seasons U-Mary has played NCAA Division II competition,  there have been just nine times where a player has caught 11 or more passes in a single game, and only three players have done it twice. Elby Pope reached that feat in back-to-back games. The senior team captain caught 11 passes for 169 yards and two scores against MSU Moorhead. He followed up against Northern State with 11 receptions for 129 yards. With 22 catches in the past two games, Pope is now listed among the NSIC leaders in receptions (6th) and receiving yardage (8th). The Grand Forks, N.D., native has 53 catches for 666 yards and six touchdowns. The all-around player is now 11th in the nation in punt return average (16.4 yards/return), 31st in all-purpose yardage (146.7 yards/game), 40th in receptions and 59th in receiving yards. Additionally, Pope has scored seven touchdowns, caught two 2-point conversion, ran the ball eight times for 30 yards, completed 1-of-2 pass attempts for 51 yards, is averaging 21.9 yards/kick return, has four tackles (three solo) and a fumble recovery.

POPE 2ND IN CAREER RECEPTIONS
After catching 11 passes for the second straight game, Elby Pope is now second all-time in receptions at U-Mary. The senior wide receiver has 172 catches, trailing only Seth Maier with 191. Pope is fourth in receiving yardage with 2,399, behind Jake Pfau (2,682 career yards), Tyler Steffan (2,494) and Maier (2,421).

4x4
Since returning from an injury that sidelined him for six games, junior quarterback Zach Roberson has been unstoppable, passing for over 400 yards in consecutive games. The Sonora, Calif., native opened the season by completing 32-of-57 passes for 366 yards and two TDs in a 19-18 win over Southwest Minnesota State. Though he was hurt in the contest, Roberson finished the game by hitting Jake East with the winning touchdown with 23 seconds left in the. He returned in a 52-45 win over MSU Moorhead in which he completed 27-of-45 passes for 460 yards and a school record-tying six scoring passes. He also ran for a touchdown. Against Northen State on Saturday, Roberson was 29-of-46 for 409 yards and two scores. He again ran for a touchdown. In the Marauders NCAA era, there six instances of passing for over 400 yards in a game. Roberson is the first to do so in consecutive games. Craig Bagnell passed for over 400 yards three times in his career, Roberson twice and Blair Sandy once... For the year (three games), Roberson is completing 59.5 per cent of his passes for an average of 411.7 yards per game. He has thrown for 10 TDs, ran for two, and no interceptions.


TENACIOUS TACKLER: Junior All-NSIC safety Preston Tescher has been on a tackling tear, reaching double digits the past two weeks. The Bismarck, N.D, native posted 12 tackles (ten solo) against MSU Moorhead. He followed with a career-high 14 tackles (ten solo) against Northern State. Tescher also had an interception and two pass breakups against the Wolves. One of the breakups was in the end zone on the final play of the first half to keep the Marauders within a point. For the year Tescher is second on the team with 70 tackles (50 solo). He has 2.5 tackles for loss, a fumble recovery, an interception and six pass breakups.   

SENIORS: Sixteen seniors played their last home football game in the Blue & Orange for the Marauders 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.).

GONZO GUPTILL
The Marauders all-time tackles for loss leader with 49, SR DE Troy Guptill remains tied for third in career sacks with 26. The Quinn, S.D., native is second in the NSIC and 14th in the NCAA with 8.5 sacks. His 13.0 tackles for loss is 4th in the NSIC and 47th in the NCAA.

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 both fewest penalty yards/game (34.1) and fewest penalties/game (4.11).