SATURDAY

The University of Mary football team honors nine senior student-athletes this week as the Marauders play their final home game of the 2018 season against the Northern State University Wolves on Saturday, Oct. 27. UMary hosts the Northern State University Wolves. Kickoff is set for 2 pm at the MDU Resources Community Bowl.  

THE RECORDS/LAST WEEK

The Marauders are 0-8 overall/NSIC and 0-4 in the NSIC North after a 48-16 loss on the road to Augustana University... The Wolves are 2-6 overall and 1-3 in the NSIC North after losing at Southwest Minnesota State 35-7. . 

LAST YEAR

UMary finished last season 1-10 overall and in the NSIC and 1-7 in the NSIC North... Northern State was 6-5 overall and in the NSIC and 5-2 in the NSIC North.   

SENIOR DAY

The Marauders honor nine seniors on Saturday during their last home game in the Blue & Orange: Nick Benshetler (OL, Finance, Palmer, AK), Raymond Calles (DL, Criminal Justice, Santa Clarita, CA). Colton Farmer (TE, Business Administration, The Woodlands, TX), Jackson Grad (DL, Education, Bismarck, ND), Kendall Grier (DB, Communication/Media Production, Locust Grove, GA), Sam Mackedanz (WR, IT Management/CIS, Richmond, MN), Ryan Naki - Poomaihealani (DB, Business Management - Sport and Leisure Management, Las Vagas, NV), Ryan Nielsen (DB, Criminal Justice, Tioga, ND), Jared Taylor (OL, Criminal Justice, Murphys, CA), 

RETURN TO THE NORTH

After teams in the NSIC North and South divisions spent the last four weeks playing crossover games against schools in the opposite conference, all Northern Sun teams return to games within their own division for the final three weeks of the season.  

YOUNG BLOOD

At 28 years old, UMary head coach Craig Bagnell is the youngest head coach in the NCAA. The 2013 University of Mary graduate started his coaching career at Bemidji State in 2014 as a graduate assistant for one season before he moved to offensive coordinator in 2015. He directed a potent Beavers attack for three seasons (2015-2017) that featured creativity, balance and big plays. A four-year starter at quarterback for the Marauders, Bagnell was a two-time all-conference selection and UMary's all-time career leader in touchdown passes (75) and passing yardage (9,170). 

FIVE + ONE NUMBERS TO KNOW

5x2 The Marauders have forced multiple turnovers in each of the last five weeks. After forcing two turnovers against MSU Moorhead and following with three turnovers against SMSU, Winona State and Concordia-St. Paul, UMary forced Augie to cough the ball up twice. 

8x8 The Marauders have eight interceptions this season by eight different players: Marquell Evans, Paul Guptill, Isaiah Hubbard, Jarad Zittleman, Kendall Grier, Max Askew, Grady Blewett and Johnny Tillman all have picked off opponent's passes. 

31 This is the 31st season of Marauders football. After playing a junior varsity schedule in 1987, head coach Jim Driscoll led the 1988 squad to a 27-18 home win in the program's first varsity game. 

16 The Marauders have forced 16 takeaways this season (8 fumbles, 8 interceptions) through seven games, exceeding last year's season-ending total of 11. It is UMary's best takeaway total since creating 21 in 2015. 

8 With Johnny Tillman's interception at Augustana, the Marauders own eight interceptions through eight games, almost triple of last year's total of three.   

5 Five teams in Marauders history have won both a conference championship and qualified for the national playoffs. One of those five teams - the 1999 Marauders squad that advanced to the NAIA semifinals - was inducted this fall into the Marauders Hall of Fame. 

HEAD COACHES

At 28 years old, UMary head coach Craig Bagnell is the youngest head coach in the NCAA. The 2013 University of Mary graduate started his coaching career at Bemidji State in 2014 as a graduate assistant working with receivers. The next season he moved to offensive coordinator where he led a potent Beavers attack the last three years that featured creativity, balance and big plays. A four-year starter at quarterback for the Marauders, Bagnell was a two-time all-conference selection and UMary's all-time career leader in touchdown passes (75) and passing yardage (9,170)... Tom Dosch is in his ninth season as head coach of Northern State University and is the school's 26th head football coach. He has a 45-51 record with the Wolves. Dosch was the 2014 NSIC Coach of the Year and has led Northern State to consecutive winning seasons for the first time since 2004-05. A 1992 Dickinson State University graduate, he began his coaching career at DSU and is a member of the Blue Hawks Hall of Fame. He coached ten seasons at the University of North Dakota before becoming a head coach at Jamestown College and posting a record of 25-17 with two NAIA playoff appearances. After two seasons as an assistant at Southern Illinois for Dosch was named the NSU head coach prior to the 2010 season. 

CROSSING PATHS

University of Mary athletic director Dale Lennon and Northern State head coach Tom Dosch have a long history. Dosch and Lennon were assistants together at the University of North Dakota in the mid 1990s. After leaving to coach the Marauders in 1997-98, Lennon returned as head coach at UND in 1999. With Dosch as an assiant, Lennon's teams won a NCAA Division II national title in 2001 and returned to the chamionship game in 2003. Dosch later joined Lennon's staff at NCAA FCS Southern Illinois before becoming the Wolves coach in 2010. 

YEAR IN YEAR OUT

This is the 13th straight season the Marauders have played the Wolves. NSU is one of five teams Mary has faced every season since beginning NCAA play in 2006. Bemidji State, Minnesota Crookston, MSU Moorhead and St. Cloud State are the other four teams. 

THE MARAUDERS-WOLVES SERIES HISTORY:  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 Mary's closest rival prior to Minot State University joining the Northern Sun, the first two meetings took place at the Metrodome... 2006: 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 Mary single game school rushing record with 248 yards, including 146 in the 4th quarter. The game featured four lead changes and two ties. Mary dominated the 4th quarter in a 20-16 win... 2010: Lomax ran for 105 yards and three TDs and Tyler Steffan caught 10 passes for 222 yards and one TD to earn NSIC Offensive Player of the Week honors in a 48-3 Marauders win. Craig Bagnell passed for 281 yards and three TDs. The UM defense intercepted four passes and limited the Wolves to 66 yards passing... 2011: Josh Murray ran for 163 yards and scored three TDs and Craig Bagnell threw for 232 yards and a score but Northern State scored the final 10 points in  39-36 Wolves win. Felipe Alfaia converted a game-winning 35-yard field goal as time expired. Jared Jacobson ran for 180 yards and three TDs and passed for 136 yards to lead NSU and Kristin James added another 139 yards for the Wolves... 2012: Mary jumped out to a 14-3 lead but Northern State scored the next 55 points in a 65-17 Wolves win, the most points ever allowed by the Marauders. Elby Pope caught seven passes for 109 yards and a TD to lead Mary, Bagnell passed for 201 yards and two TDs, and Mikey Ingemansen had two sacks. Jared Jacobson threw for 422 yards and three TDs and Chris Morton caught six passes for 148 yards and three TDs for NSU... 2013: Vince Ferrante and Elby Pope scored in Mary's first two possessions and a Craig Bagnell-to-Nick Jolliffe TD pass gave the Marauders a 21-7 halftime lead on the way to a 28-14 win. Ferrante ran for 124 yards and two TDs.Bagnell was 25-of-36 for 282 yards with 2 TDs and 2 INTs. The Marauders out-gained the Wolves 427-309. 2014: The Wolves stopped the Marauders on the one yard line to open the game, then drove 99 to open the scoring in a 42-33 Wolves road win. Three times Mary pulled within one point. Jake East led UM with 9 catches for 174 yards and one TD. Elby Pope caught 11-129. QB Zach Roberson was 29-of-46 passes for 409 yards and two TDs plus one rushing. Preston Tescher had 14 tackles, an interception and knocked down two passes for UM. NSU QB Jacobson was the NSIC Player of the Week after running for 84 yards and 2 TDs and completing 36-of-53 passes for 418 yards and 3 TDs. NSU outgained Mary 574-484... 2015: The Marauders turned the ball over five times in a 37-0 road loss to the Wolves. Caleb Buck was 30-of-50 passing for 203 yards with Zack Graves catching 11 passes for 89 yards. Preston Tescher had 13 tackles and Seth Walton had two tackles for loss. Nicholas Truen ran for 64 yards and a TD, Kayle Lavand passed for 233 yards and a score and Zachery Barber had five catches for 108 yards for the Wolves... 2016: The Wolves exploded for 28 points in the second quarter and 17 in the third on the way to a 52-7 road win over the Marauders. The Wolves held the edge in first downs (29-8) and yardage (574-250). Christian McAlvain ran for two scores and passed for two more to lead the Wolves. Nick McCann passed for 147 yards and connected with Harley Mollman on a 56 yard TD for UMary. Zack Graves ran for 63 yards, caught two passes for 18 yards and had 106 yards in kick returns. Danielle Whitaker broke up three passes and recovered a fumble... 2017: Northern State posted 406 yards rushing and had 30 first downs to overwhelm the Marauders 66-21. The Wolves built a 51-7 lead. Garrett Weissinger accounted for all three UMary TDs. He ran for 56 yards and two scores and passed for 132 yards and hit Jace Horman for a 30-yard TD strike. Chris Kraft had 9 tackles. Jarad Zittleman had 1.0 TFL, recovered a fumble and broke up two passes. Nicholas Truen ran for 204 yards and three scores and Chaska Kelly went for 109 yards and two TDs. 

PAST MARAUDERS-WOLVES MEETINGS (Series tied 6-6)

2006 Mary 20 Northern State   6 Metrodome

2007 Mary 37 Northern State 13 Metrodome

2008 Mary 34 Northern State 31 OT Aberdeen, SD

2009 Mary 20 Northern State 16 Bismarck, ND

2010 Mary 48 Northern State   3 Bismarck, ND

2011 Northern State 39 Mary 36 Aberdeen, SD

2012 Northern State 65 Mary 17 Bismarck, ND  

2013 Mary 28 Northern State 14 Aberdeen, SD

2014 Northern State 42 Mary 33 Bismarck, ND

2015 Northern State 37 Mary 0 Aberdeen, SD

2016 Northern State 52 Mary 7 Bismarck, ND

2017 Northern State 66 Mary 21 Aberdeen, SD

QUICK LOOK AT THE NORTHERN STATE UNIVERSITY WOLVES

The Wolves, who have lost a pair of games by a touchdown or less, are guaranteed their first losing season since 2013. Average to below in most offensive and defensive categories, NSU is fifth in the NSIC in passing at 249 yards/game. Soph. QB is completing 55 percent of his passes and has thrown 18 touchdown passes with just six interceptions. True freshman WR Dakota Larson has 41 catches for 715 yards and six TDs and averages an impressive 17.5 yards/catch. R-Fr. WR Jacob Streit has a line of 40-516-5. Sr. RB Chaka Kelly has run for 430 yards and three TDs. Noah McPherson leads the defense with 63 tackles, 7.0 TFL and 4.0 sacks. Preston Droessler also has 7.0 TFL. DB Alex Grey is third in tackles (56) and leads the team in interceptions (2) and pass break-ups (4). 

LAST WEEK

Paul Guptill and Danny Kittner both scored second half touchdowns for the University of Mary but an early scoring flurry by homestanding Augustana Vikings proved too much for the Marauders to overcome in a 48-16 loss. Guptill returned a fumble 49 yards for the Marauders first defensive touchdown this year midway through the fourth quarter. Kittner capped the scoring with a 1 yard touchdown catch from fellow freshman Jason Hoekstra with 33 seconds left in the game. on the clock, capping a 9 play 72 yard drive. Brody Riggs opened the scoring for the Marauders with a 39 yard field goal in the third quarter... Augustana scored touchdowns in all phases of the game and jumped out to a 28-0 lead early in the second quarter. After scoring on offense and a blocked punt, the Vikings returned an interception in the third quarter to build a 35-0 lead. Riggs then opened the scoring for the Marauders... The UMary defense limited Augustana to 363 yards of offense, about 100 yards below the Vikings average. The leading air attack in the NSIC threw for 277 and ran for 86. UMary totaled 241 yards of offense and gained 17 first downs... Hoekstra attempted 53 passes in the game, completing 26 for 202 yards and a score. Garrett Wessinger caught a career-high nine balls for 85 yards. Kittner added a career-best seven catches for 39 yards. Reggie Scott led the ground attack with 34 yards... Ryan Naki led the defense with eight tackles (seven solo). He also had a pass breakup. Cyrano Rayfield posted four stops with a tackle for loss, broke up a pass and had two quarterback hurries. Jack Barry had the Marauders lone sack on the day... Augie QB Saddler passed for 277 yards and two score. Meyers caught both touchdowns and had five catches for 93 yards. One of the leading rushers in the NSIC, UMary held Sinflorant to 24 yards on 11 carries. Joey Newman paced the Vikings defense with three tackles for loss, including one of four team sacks... UMary held Augie to a 1-for-12 effort on third down. 

ONE MORE YEAR

After receiving a medical hardship due to an injury in the first game of the 2016 season, defensive lineman Cyrano Rayfield will have another season of eligibility. A team captain, he is now considered a junior. 

PLACE AND TIME

So. S Jarad Zittleman is getting to the right place at the right time for the Marauders defense. He posted a career-best 18 tackles against Concordia-St. Paul in one of the Marauders best defensive efforts of the season. He is second with 31 solo stops. The Mandan, ND, native has recovered a pair of fumbles this season and has an interception. Zittleman is tied for the NSIC lead in fumble recoveries. 

FORCING THE ISSUE

Jr. DL Cyrano Rayfield continues to create big plays in defense. After he both recovered and forced a fumble, had 1.5 sacks and made seven tackles against CSP, he had 1.0 TFL, broke up a pass and had two QB hurries at Augustana. He is tied with LB Grady Blewett for the team lead with 6.0 tackles for loss and is fifth in total tackles with 38. 

BUSY

Soph. WR DeShawn Gay is a busy man, catching passes and returning kicks. He is 11th in the NSIC in all-purpose yardage at 98.3 yards/game. He is fifth in kick return average at 21.3 yards/return. Gay has 469 kick return yards, two punt return yards, 31 rushing yards and 186 receiving yards. Her produced 263 all-purpose yards against SMSU, a Marauders NCAA game-high. 

TURNOVER TIME

The Marauders have forced multiple turnovers in the last five games and six times in eight outings. After making turning over the Dragons twice, UMary forced three turnovers against Southwest Minnesota State, Winona State and Concordia-St. Paul before forcing Augie to cough up the ball twice. 

LITTLE LOOMS LARGE

Soph. WR Luke Little has 28 catches for 409 yards through seven games. He is 14th in the NSIC in receiving yardage per game (58.4) and 14th in receptions/game (4.0). 

PRECISION

After placing multiple punts inside the opponent's 20 yard line for three straight weeks, Jr. All-NSIC punter Bailey Meyer couldn't continue the streak against Augustana. Meyer is 3rd in the NSIC with an average of 41.9 yards/punt. He has 11 punts of 50 yards or longer, dropped 15 inside the 20 yard line and has forced three fair catches in his 59 attempts.

FRESHMAN

Several true freshmen have found their way to the field this season. Bryan Lumsden leads the Marauders in TDs (4) and rushing yards (254)... RB Reggie Scott has 142 yards rushing... WR Danny Kittner has three touchdowns, 223 yards receiving, 25 yards rushing, 126 kick return yards, and 82 yards on punt returns... QB Jason Hoekstra has thrown for 1,077 yards and six touchdowns... Tyree Shepherd has been a key reserve on the offensive line and started the last two weeks... TE Chase Kopp has five catches for 101 yards, including a 59 yard TD... WR Kade Lynch has three catches for 48 yards... LB Max Askew owns a team-high 6.0 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, 36 tackles and an interception... Devin Beck has 16 tackles, including a sack... DB Johnny Tillman intercepted a pass against Augie and has three tackles... Jack Barry has four tackles and a sack... 

NSIC FAMILIARITY

Of the ten coaches on Craig Bagnell's staff, nine have either coached at or graduated from a Northern Sun school. Bagnell, Jordan Noskowiak, Matthew Splon and Rufus Saylee all have played and coached in the NSIC. Brett Holinka, Mark Martin and Tristian Johnson all coached in the NSIC at other schools before joining UMary in the off season. Randy Bandelow is in his third season with the Marauders and Nick Voorhees his second.  

BROTHERS BLEWETT

The Marauders started a pair of brothers from Bozeman, MT, at linebacker early in the season. Jr. Grady Blewett leads the team with 56 tackles. R-Fr. Will Blewett redshirted last season and has 14 solo tackles and 25 stops total in his first season of play... This is the second straight year the Marauders had a brother combo on defense as Brady and Jarad Zittleman started in the backfield in 2017. 

BROTHERS

The Marauders other sibling duos are Jr. Noah Krebs and Fr. Jonah Krebs, both linebackers from St. Mary's in Bismarck, ND, and R-Fr. OL Dylan Thomsen and Fr. TE Dylan Thomas, both from Thompson, ND. 

COUSINS

LB Jamison Lytle and OL Tyson Lytle are cousins. Their fathers both played on the Marauders Originals team, which was the first varsity squad in 1988. 

MOTHER AND SON

Head athletic trainer Rhonda Olson, who has treated the Marauders football players like her own sons since joining UMary in 2000, has her own son on the squad. Jaren Olson is a junior defensive lineman.