Marauders Set Sail to Battle the Vikings

By: Brian Larson, U-Mary Sports Information Director

Elise Eberhardt

Football | 9/25/2014 7:29:00 PM

SATURDAY
The University of Mary closes out play against Northern Sun South Division foes when the Marauders travel to face the Vikings of Augustana College. The "Viking Days" game kicks off at 1:05 p.m. in Kirkeby-Over Stadium on the Augustana campus in Sioux Falls, S.D.

LIVE ON MIDCO SPORTS NET
The Marauders-Vikings game on Saturday will be broadcast live on Midco Sports Network (channels 26 and 622 in High Definition). David Brown handles the play-by-play and Alex Heinert provides color commentary.

THE RECORDS
The Marauders are 2-1 overall and in the Northern Sun. U-Mary has yet to play an NSIC North Division game. The Vikings are 2-1 overall and in the Northern Sun. Augie has yet to play an NSIC South Division game.

LAST TIME OUT
The Marauders defeated Concordia-St. Paul 20-13 at home... The Vikings dropped Northern State 48-17 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… Augustana finished 4-7 overall and in the NSIC (12th) and 2-5 (6th) in the NSIC South.

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... In his second season at Augustana, Jerry Olszewski became the 21st Vikings head football coach after he compiled a 32-18 record as the head coach at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn., over five seasons. Prior to his appointment at St. Olaf, Olszewski was the defensive coordinator at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point for two seasons (2006-2008). He served two terms on the staff at Minnesota State-Mankato (1993-1997 and 1999-2002). He was with the Green Bay Bombers of the Indoor Football League as offensive coordinator and special team's coordinator for one season (1998-99), and served one year as defensive line coach at California Lutheran University (1997-98).

REWIND: MARAUDERS 20 GOLDEN BEARS 13
A punishing ground attack chewed up the clock and big fourth quarter defensive plays carried the University of Mary to a 20-13 win over Concordia University, St. Paul. The Marauders defense held the Golden Bears in check much of the game, limiting Concordia – St. Paul to 61 yards rushing and 241 yards of offense. U-Mary also recovered two fumbles, including one late in the game, and recorded a safety. U-Mary generated 167 of its 263 yards of offense on the ground, leading to a 34:28 to 25:32 edge in time of possession. The Marauders would also only commit one turnover. CSP scored first on a field goal before U-Mary scored the next 18 points. Ben Ben Jolliffe capped a 75-yard scoring drive with a 33-yard touchdown strike over the top of the defense to Elby Pope at 9:23 of the second quarter. Nick Jolliffe, the Marauders holder on kicks, then caught the CSP defense off-guard to run in a two-point conversion and push the U-Mary lead to 8-3. Landon Smith forced a Golden Bears fumble on the next CSP possession, which the Marauders turned into a 35-yard field goal by Brody Riggs. The Marauders offense dominated the third quarter with a 17-play, 72-yard scoring march that lasted 8:29, highlighted by two Dariouse Gravely runs for 20 total yards and a couple bruising runs by Adam Woroniecki. Woroniecki capped the drive by plowing in from two yards out to provide U-Mary an 18-3 lead with 1:54 remaining in the third. The Golden Bears cut the Marauders deficit to 18-10 with 6:04 left in the game. U-Mary doubled its lead to 18-10 on a safety when Concordia was penalized in its own end zone. Concordia followed by recovering an onside kick, then driving the field and converting a field goal with four seconds left in the game. Sharing the load, three different Marauders went over 50 yards in the game. Woroniecki posted 56 yards and a score on 12 carries. Gravely totaled 52 yards on 13 attempts and Vince Ferrante had 54 yards on 16 carries. Ben Jolliffe completed 9-of-15 passes for 96 yards, one score and one interception. Pope was the main recipient, catching five passes for 55 yards and a touchdown. Pope also ran for 10 yards. Defensively, Tryo Guptil posted 1.5 tackles for loss to become the U-Mary career leader with 41.5. Grant Singer rang up 13 tackles (four solo), including .5 for loss, and recovered a fumble. For the Golden Bears, Jared Russo completed 24-of-41 passes for 180 yards and a score. Tre Spears had six catches for 26 yards and ran 12 times for 42 yards. Jordan Halverson paced CSP in tackles with 13. Nick Jauch posted three tackles for loss. Overall the Golden Bears made ten stops for loss.

THE MARAUDERS-VIKINGS SERIES HISTORY: A relatively young rivalry, the Marauders and Vikings first met in 2007... The series is tied 2-2 after U-Mary won the last two games... Three of the four games were played in Bismarck... 2007: The Vikings won the first meeting 26-19 in Bismarck, ND, on August 25, 2007, in the season opener in front of over 6,500 fans. U-Mary held a 19-7 lead halfway through the fourth quarter before Augie scored 19 straight points to claim the victory. Shawn Melland opened the scoring with a 65 yard interception return and Blair Sandy ran one yard for a score and U-Mary led 13-0 at intermission. Two Rett Thibodeaux field goals built the Marauders lead to 19-7 in the fourth. The Vikings rallied and took their first lead with 45 seconds left as J. Norquist scored from the one yard line. Augie sealed the win when Dustin Rice returned an interception 70 yards for the score as time expired. Jamal Lomax ran for 107 yards and Jesse Laber had two sacks to lead the Marauders. Justin Huber ran for 105 yards and two TDs for Augie... 2010: The Vikings won 52-21 in Sioux Falls, SD. Terry Newsome caught a TD pass as U-Mary scored first but Augie ran off 28 straight points. U-Mary pulled within 28-21 on scoring runs by Craig Bagnell and Bo Cole but Tyler Schulte caught his third of four touchdowns for the Vikings to enter intermission up 35-21. AC would tack on 17 more in the second half. Augie's Josh Hanson threw for five TDs and ran for one... 2011: Using their best defensive effort of the 2011 season, the Marauders earned their first win over Augustana in a 10-0 victory. U-Mary gave up just 253 yards, including 58 yards on the ground. The Marauders picked up all the points they needed in the game in the second quarter when Bagnell connected with Tyler Steffan on a 24-yard touchdown pass. Tyler Ryan sealed the win with a 24-yard field goal in the 4th quarter. Bagnell paced the offense with 283 passing yards. Defensively, John Oyloe posted 4.0 tackles for loss and DeShon Benton had 2.5... 2012: Behind 409 yards passing from NSIC Offensive Player of the Week Craig Bagnell, U-Mary opened its home schedule with a 31-25 win over Augustana. The Marauders went on a 21-3 tear to build a 28-17 lead over the Vikings that featured two touchdown receptions by Tyler Steffan and one by Elby Pope. The Vikings would close to within 28-25 before Tyler Ryan converted a 34-yard field goal with 2:35 left in the game to double the Marauders advantage. The Marauders defense finished the game in fine fashion, sacking Vikings QB Josh Hanson twice in three plays, including Augie's last play of the game. Steffan caught ten passes for 154 yards to pace the Marauders. The Vikings gained 454 yards of offense while running 99 plays. The Marauders posted 428 yards of offense on 79 plays.

PAST MARAUDERS-VIKINGS MEETINGS
2007Augustana 26 U-Mary 19Bismarck, ND
2010Augustana 52 U-Mary 21Sioux Falls, SD
2011U-Mary 10 Augustana 0Bismarck, ND
2012 U-Mary 32Augustana 25Bismarck, ND

QUICK LOOK AT THE AUGUSTANA VIKINGS
One of the Northern Sun leaders in both offense and defense, Augustana is one overtime period short of starting the 2014 season 3-0. Sandwiched around a 54-0 win at Minnesota Crookston and a 48-17 win at Northern State last week, Augie dropped a 23-22 decision at home to #4 Minnesota Duluth. The game ended on a missed extra point by the Vikings that would have forced a second overtime period.

The Vikings rank fourth in the NSIC in scoring (41.3 points per game) and third in scoring defense (13.3 points allowed per game). QB Trey Heid makes the Vikings offense roll. He has thrown 10 touchdown passes without an interception, completing 61-of-100 attempts for 851 yards. Heid has also run for 120 yards. Grant Gebhardt is the top target, catching 17 passes for 221 yards and three scores. Matt Heller also has three touchdowns, making nine grabs for 176 yards. Running behind an offensive line that features three upperclassmen, CJ Ham has gained 179 yards rushing with three scores and Dajon Newell had 174. The defense is led by senior linebacker Ben Skelly, the reigning NSIC Player of the Week after recording two sacks, 3.5 tackles for loss and an interception. For the year he has 32 tackles, 5.0 TFL, an interception and a fumble recovery. Lucas Wallman is one of the top kickers/punters in the league. He is 5-for-5 on field goal attempts, with a long of 52 yards, and is averaging 41 yards per punt with four downed inside the 20 yard line.

SOLID VS. SOUTH
Since the Northern Sun began using the first four games of the season to play cross-divisional contests between the North and the South divisions in 2012, the Marauders are 7-4 against teams in the southern division. After three games, the Marauders (2-1) and #4 Minnesota Duluth (3-0) are the only two North Division teams out of eight that have a winning record against the South.

NEW ADVENTURE
No current U-Mary player has played at Augustana's Kirkeby-Over Stadium. The last - and only - time U-Mary played at Augie was a 52-21 loss in 2010.

LAST CROSSOVER WEEK
The Sept. 27 weekend is the last of interdivisional play between the NSIC North and the South divisions. On Oct. 4 NSIC teams will begin the divisional part of their schedule. First up for the Marauders is the homecoming game against Bemidji State.

PAVING THE WAY
The Marauders posted 167 yards rushing in the 20-13 win over Concordia-St. Paul. Paving the way was the starting offensive line featuring seniors Don Pask, Michael Mortenson and Jeremiah Herman and juniors Nolan LaValley and Deon Paulson. It was the most yards gained on the ground by U-Mary since posting 229 yards at Southwest Minnesota State on Sept. 15, 2012. Last season's high was 123 at MSU Moorhead.

TRIUMVIRATE
Three Marauders running backs went over 50 yards in the win over Concordia-St. Paul. Adam Woroniecki led the way with 56 yards and scored U-Mary's first rushing touchdown of the season. Vince Ferrante added 54 yards and Dariouse Gravely had 52.

DOUBLE DUTY
Not only did SR RB Vince Ferrante rush for 52 yards against Concordia, he also caused a fourth quarter fumble when he tackled the Golden Bears punt returner for no gain. The forced fumble was recovered by Grant Singer and helped the Marauders retain their lead.

GUPTILL SETS CAREER TACKLE FOR LOSS RECORD
U-Mary senior DE Troy Guptill set the Marauders career record for tackles for loss with a fourth quarter sack in the Concordia contest. Guptill posted 1.5 in the game and now has 41.5 for his career, surpassing former teammate John Oyloe's total of 41. Already this season he has 13 tackles, 5.5 TFL, and 3.5 sacks, making him second in the NSIC in sacks and fifth in TFL... Guptill earned All-American honorable mention honors his junior season after leading the Northern Sun in sacks and tackles for loss. The senior defensive end was credited with 21.5 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks. He just missed the school record of 22 tackles for loss. The devastation he wreaked was noticed as Lindy's placed the Quinn, S.D., native on their 2014 preseason All-American team. Guptill is currently tied for fifth in school history with 21 sacks.

MARAUDERS CAREER TACKLES FOR LOSS
Troy Guptill (2011- )41.5
John Oyloe (2010-13) 41
Grant Singer (2011- )40

MARAUDERS CAREER SACKS
David St. Clair (1998-99) 30
John Oyloe (2010-13) 27.5
Jason Aman (1991-95)26
Jon Ahneman (1992-95) 24
Troy Guptill (2011- )21

DOUBLE DIGIT STREAK TO 5 FOR ALL-AMERICAN SINGER
Grant Singer extended his streak of double digit tackles to five with 13 stops against Concordia-St. Paul. The NSIC leader in tackles, the streak dates back to last season. The senior linebacker has 42 tackles this season, including 19 solo stops, 3.0 tackles for loss, an interception and a fumble recovery. Entering his third year as a starter, Singer is coming off an All-American season after leading the NSIC in tackles with 118 and posting 16.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, three fumble recoveries and three interceptions. Singer is now second in U-Mary history in tackles (297) and third in tackles for loss (40). He is a 2013 Capital One Academic All-District selection and a two-time NSIC All-Academic choice.

MARAUDERS CAREER TACKLES
Toby Schweitzer (1988-1990) 410
Grant Singer (2011- ) 297

DRIVE CHART
The Marauders posted two epic drives against the Golden Bears. In the second quarter, U-Mary marched 75 yards in nine plays over a time span of 3:41. The drive culminated in a 33-yard scoring strike from Ben Jolliffe to Elby Pope and gave the Marauders an 8-3 lead. In the third, U-Mary took 17 plays and 8:21 to drive 72 yards for the clinching touchdown. Adam Woroniecki crossed the goal line from 2 yards out for the score and an 18-3 U-Mary advantage.

+2
The Marauders have won the turnover battle in both wins and are +2 on the season (5 takeaways, 3 giveaways).

DON'T BEAT YOURSELF
The Marauders are the least penalized team in the NSIC: 11 penalties for 98 yards; 32.7 yards/game.

TRIPLE THREAT
SR All-NSIC WR/KR is a triple threat. He is 1st in the NSIC in punt returns (25.5 yd/return), 2nd in all-purpose yardage (169.7/game), 4th in kick return average (26.3) and 8th in touchdowns (3). Pope has 15 catches for 178 yards.

ROBERSON OUT INDEFINITELY
U-Mary starting quarterback Zack Roberson missed the past two games due to injury and is out indefinitely. The junior from Sonora, Calif., drove the Marauders 80 yards and threw the winning touchdown pass with 23 seconds remaining in a 19-18 opening game win over SMSU.

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