SATURDAY
It's the 10th annual Battle for the Paddle when the University of Mary visits MSU Moorhead in Northern Sun North Division action on Saturday, Nov. 7. Kickoff between the Marauders and Dragons is set for 1 p.m. at Scheels Field at Alex Nemzek Stadium in Moorhead, Minn.

PADDLE TROPHY
The first-ever gridiron match-up between U-Mary and Minnesota State University Moorhead took on a little extra edge in 2006 as both schools battled for The Paddle Trophy in this "River Rivalry" game. U-Mary is located on the Missouri River and MSU Moorhead is on the Red River. Both are Northern Sun North Division rivals... The Paddle Trophy was developed by the student governments of the two colleges. The team that wins each year is responsible for the safekeeping and delivery of the Paddle Trophy and its case to each game between the Marauders and Dragons. The home team's student body representative will award the Paddle Trophy, which has each school's logo on opposite sides of the blade, with the score of each game being added to the winning team's side after the game... U-Mary won the first seven paddle games, grabbing initial possession with a 21-20 win in Bismarck in 2006. Marauders linebacker Brian Finnegan preserved the initial U-Mary win when he deflected a Dragons pass on a two-point conversion attempt with 1:08 remaining in the game. MSUM captured the paddle in 2013 for the first time with a 48-41 win.

THE RECORDS
The Marauders are 1-8 overall and in the Northern Sun and 1-4 in the NSIC North division... The Dragons are 4-5 in the NSIC/overall and 1-4 in the NSIC North.

LAST TIME OUT
The Marauders defeated the University of Minnesota Crookston 33-28... The Dragons lost 59-21 at St. Cloud State University.

LAST YEAR
U-Mary finished 5-6 overall in the NSIC and 3-4 in the NSIC North… MSU Moorhead was 4-7 overall and 3-4 in the NSIC North.

FAN TAILGATE PRIOR TO MARAUDERS-DRAGONS GAME
Marauders football fans have reserved a room at the Moorhead Buffalo Wild Wings for a pre-game "tailgate" social. All U-Mary fans are welcome.

MARAUDERS REWIND GAME 9: U-Mary 33 Minnesota Crookston 28
Adam Woroniecki and Zach Graves combined for over 300 yards rushing and dominated the fourth quarter in a 33-28 Marauders win over the University of Minnesota Crookston. U-Mary opened the scoring when Graves caught a 40 yard swing pass from Caleb Buck on the Marauders first play of the game. After UMC tied the game, Graves scored again, this time on a 38 yard run in the second quarter for a 14-7 Marauders lead.UMC scored right before half and right out of halftime to claim a 21-14 lead before a Buck-to-Zach Podoll 5 yard pass pulled U-Mary even. Just before the third quarter ended, UMC again moved in from, this time on a 17 yard return of a blocked punt. Graves took over the Marauders next possession, carrying the ball on all ten plays of a 75 yard scoring drive, reaching the end zone for the third time of the day on an 8 yard run. A failed extra points attempt, though, left the Marauders down 28-27. After the U-Mary defense forced UMC to turn the ball over on downs, it was Woroniecki's turn to dominate. The senior captain carried the ball all six times on a 64 yard scoring drive, posting runs of 23 and 26 yards. The 26 yard run resulted in the winning touchdown with 3:00 left in the game. Taking one last shot at a win, UMC reached the UM 11 yard line as time expired. Graves carried the ball 21 times for 149 yards and two scores and caught two passes for 46 yards and a TD. Woroniecki ran for 162 yards and a TD on 26 carries. Buck completed 5-of-8 passes for 58 yards and two TDs with no interceptions. Defensively Austin Bolton made 14 tackles and Seth Walton had 11. For UMC Tra Hearns passed for 247 yards and three TDs. Constant Jackson caught three passes for 64 yards and two TDs while Adam Connette had six grabs for 83 yards and one score.

HEAD COACHES
Josh Kotelnicki is in his second season as the head coach of the University of Mary. He is just the fifth varsity head coach in school history as the team begins its 28th season. Kotelnicki directed the Marauders to a 5-6 record in his first season in 2014 and is 6-14 lifetime (2 years). Kotelnicki joined 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... Steve Laqua became the 17th head coach in the 93-year history of Dragons football prior to the 2011 season. A native of Cavalier, N.D., and a 2000 graduate of North Dakota State University, Laqua is in his 5th season directing the MSUM program and had posted a 15-38 record. After graduating from NDSU, he was a graduate assistant coach for the Bison before working at St. Olaf and the University of Minnesota Crookston. Laqua returned to NDSU for two seasons before winning two state titles as head coach at Fargo Shanley High School.

THE MARAUDERS-DRAGONS SERIES HISTORY (U-Mary leads 8-1)
2006: The Marauders and Dragons first met in the inaugural Paddle Trophy game with U-Mary pulling out a 21-20 win despite throwing five interceptions, including a string of four in four pass attempts. Justin Fleck ran for 96 yards and two touchdowns and Matt Wall had seven catches for 140 yards and a score. MSUM scored with 1:08 left in the game but went for a two point conversion and the win. Brian Finnegan tipped the pass in the end zone to preserve the lead and the U-Mary victory... 2007: Bayland Rippenkroger and Erik Kruse both scored two touchdowns in a 45-31 U-Mary road win... 2008: Another close home game went the Marauders way when Jamal Lomax scored in overtime, his second touchdown of the day. Phil Thomas secured the win when he knocked down a Dragons fourth down pass attempt on the final play of the game... 2009: Cameron Gatling ran for 184 yards and caught two scoring passes as the Marauders rolled to a 39-13 road win. U-Mary outgained MSUM 379-250, including a 258-46 edge in rushing. The Marauders forced six turnovers and committed one... 2010: Four touchdown passes by Craig Bagnell and 169 yards rushing and two touchdowns from Jamal Lomax led U-Mary to a 43-17 rout of MSUM. The Marauders led 28-0 at intermission. John Oyloe recorded two of U-Mary's four sacks. The Marauders held a 194 to 40 advantage in rushing yards, led 395-317 in total yards and had a 34:11-to-24:52 edge in time of possession... 2011: Tyler Steffan caught four touchdown passes to tie his own school record and the Marauders set a school mark with 683 yards of offense in a 52-13 win. Steffan caught nine passes for 123 yards. Josh Murray ran for 216 yards on 16 carries and scored three touchdowns, all in the 3rd quarter, and Evan Gross ran for 107. Bagnell was 24-of-35 for 319 and four TDs... 2012: Back after missing three games due to injury, Craig Bagnell threw for 189 yards and a score and the Marauders defense limited the Dragons to 225 yards in a 23-7 U-Mary home win. Dariouse Gravely ran for 42 yards and two TDs and Tyler Steffan had four catches for 80 yards. Grant Singer posted 3.5 tackles for loss and John Oyloe had 3.0, including two sacks. MSUM's Jake Hodge was 19-of-38 for 202 yards and one TD but was sacked four times... 2013:After seven straight wins over MSUM, U-Mary lost the Paddle Trophy for the first time in a 48-41 shootout. Down 27 points in the 1st half, the Marauders rallied for a 41-41 tie in the 4th quarter. MSUM won the game on the next possession when backup QB Ryan Toelle hit Adam Jiskra for a 39 yard TD catch. U-Mary compiled 31 1st downs and 522 yards. MSUM had 582 yards. Bagnell was 34-of-57 for 399 yards, 5 TDs and one INT. Nick Jolliffe caught 12 passes for 148 yards and two TDs. Jiskra posted a line of 7-131-2 and Cory Ambrose was at 7-136-1. Jake Hodge was 15-of-25 for 301 and three TDs. He also ran for two TDs. Grant Singer posted 15 tackles for U-Mary... 2014 After missing six weeks to injury, Zach Roberson completed 27-of-45 passes for 460 yards and a school record-tying six touchdowns with no interceptions and a rushing TD as U-Mary outlasted MSUM 52-45. Roberson earned NSIC Offensive Player of the Week honors for his efforts. Dragons QB Demetrius Carr ran for 208 yards and passed for 188 and rallied MSUM from a 44-17 deficit to a 45-44 lead. U-Mary won the game on a 45 yard Roberson-to Elby Pope scoring pass with 4:26 left in the game. Pope caught 11 passes for 169 yards and 2 TDs. Jake East went 7-93-2 and Myron Baldoz-McArn was 4-87-1. Troy Guptill had 2.0 sacks - both on MSUM's final drive of the game - and 4.0 TFL. Preston Tescher added 12 tackles. The squads combined for 1,095 yards of offense.
PAST MARAUDERS-DRAGONS MEETINGS (UM leads 8-1)
2006     U-Mary 21         MSUM 20             Bismarck, ND
2007     U-Mary 42         MSUM 31             Moorhead, MN
2008     U-Mary 24         MSUM 17 OT     Bismarck, ND
2009     U-Mary 39         MSUM 13             Moorhead, MN
2010     U-Mary 43         MSUM 17             Bismarck, ND
2011     U-Mary 52         MSUM 13             Moorhead, MN
2012     U-Mary 23         MSUM 7             Bismarck, ND
2013    MSUM 48        U-Mary 41            Moorhead, MN
2014    U-Mary 52        MSUM 45            Bismarck, ND

QUICK LOOK AT THE MSU MOORHEAD DRAGONS
After opening the season with three straight wins, including a wild 30-28 win at Concordia-St. Paul on the final play of the game and a 35-34 victory over an Augustana team currently third in the NSIC standings, the Dragons have just one win in their last six games. All-NSIC honorable mention QB Jake Hodge has thrown just a couple passes since the second game of the season and the Dragons offense hasn't been as potent. However backup QB Demetrius Carr is extremely dangerous and has thrown for 1,642 yards and 12 scores in six starts. Both Carr and Hodge have earned NSIC Offensive Player of the Week honors this season. Senior running back Zayne Medhaug has rushed for 462 yards and six touchdowns. Sophomore Damon Gibson leads the receiving corps with 29 catches for 706 yards and six touchdowns. Junior Cory Ambrose and senior Adam Jiskra each have five touchdown receptions this season. Redshirt freshman safety Michael Strand leads the defense with 53 tackles and three interceptions. Junior linebacker Aaron Bohl and sophomore safety Abe Roehrich have 52 tackles each. Sophomore defensive tackle Jake Busse leads with four sacks. MSUM allows 38.1 points per game and 463.9 yards of total offense per contest. The Dragons have allowed 42 or more points in five of their last six games.

HAMMER TIME
The Marauders offense hammered their way to a win over the Golden Eagles, running for 323 yards. It is the second biggest total for the team since U-Mary's move to NCAA Division II in 2006, trailing only the 364 yards compiled against MSU Moorhead on Oct. 29, 2011.

HAMMER TIME PART 2
For the first time since Oct. 29, 2011, two Marauders runners eclipsed the century mark in the same game. Adam Woroniecki carried 26 times for 162 yards and one touchdown. Zach Graves ran 21 times for 149 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught two passes for 46 yards and a score. The last time two Marauders ran for over 100 yards each was Oct. 29, 2011. Josh Murray delivered 216 yards and Evan Gross 107 against MSU Moorhead.

STOP ME IF YOU CAN
Despite a 30 mile an hour wind to their back in the fourth quarter, the Marauders didn't throw a pass. Instead U-Mary ground out scoring drives of 75 and 64 yards behind an offensive line of Nolan LaValley, Deon Paulson, Michael Ryan, Nick Benshetler and Peter Bopp to defeat Minnesota Crookston 33-28. On the first drive, Zach Graves carried the ball each time, closing the 10-play drive with an 8 yard scoring run. Adam Woroniecki then carried the ball on all six plays of the winning drive. Two plays after picking up 23 yards, Woroniecki sprinted 26 yards for the winning score with 3:00 left to play.

CORRECTION FOR PAULSON, CLOUGH
We have incorrectly listed the eligibility year for Deon Paulson and Dalton Clough. Paulson is a junior and has one season of competition remaining. Clough is a senior with two games remaining.

CLEAN
One week after committing five turnovers, U-Mary didn't commit a single giveaway in the win over UMC.

TESCHER THIRD IN ALL-TIME MARAUDERS TACKLE CHART
Marauders senior Preston Tescher stands alone as the third leading tackler in U-Mary football history. With 276 tackles, the two-time All-Northern Sun safety trails a pair of All-American linebackers on the chart, Toby Schweitzer (410 tackles) and Grant Singer (351). A three-year starter who saw significant action as a freshman, Tescher has 167 solo stops and 109 assisted tackles. He is one away from tying Singer's mark for most solo tackles in the school's NCAA era (2006-current). After posting 31 tackles as a freshman, he increased to 74 in 2013 and 89 last season. He is currently at 82 this year. Additionally Tescher leads the school for the NCAA-era team-high in passes defensed (24).

MARAUDERS CAREER TACKLES
Toby Schweitzer (1988-1990)             410
Grant Singer (2011-14)                             351
Preston Tescher                                            276
Bob Brusven (1991-1994)                    255
Marcus Broome (2008-11)                     235

MILLENNIALS
The Marauders are young this season with 16 underclassmen populating the 2-deep offensive and defensive depth chart. Five sophomores start with four in reserve roles. Four redshirt freshmen are reserves One first-year "true" freshman - guard Nick Benshetler - is starting while three others are on the second team. Additionally, the top two punters and placekickers are freshmen (two redshirt freshmen, two true freshmen). Overall six first-year freshmen have played this season (Benshetler, WR Sam Mackedanz, DL Jackson Grad, QB Nick McCann, PK Josh Weiler and P Coleman Olivas).   

WALTON'S MOUNTAIN
Senior LB Seth Walton recorded a season-high 11 tackles in the win over UMC. For the season the native of Helena, Mont., 55 tackles (30 solo) and a career-high 7.5 tackles for loss, plus a fumble recovery and an interception.

COMMON NAME, UNCOMMON PLAYER
A disruptive force this season to opposing backfields, junior LB Landon Smith (Stanley, N.D.) has posted a tackle for loss in eight straight games. He has 10.5 TFL and 4.0 sacks,