SATURDAY

After wrapping up their home schedule last weekend, the University of Mary football team concludes the 2018 season with a pair of games on the road, the first against the 5th ranked and NSIC-leading University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs on Saturday, Nov. 3. Game time is 1 pm at James S. Malosky Stadium (4,500) on the UMD campus in Duluth, MN.  

THE RECORDS/LAST WEEK

The Marauders are 0-9 overall/NSIC and 0-5 in the NSIC North after a 28-23 loss in the home finale to Northern State... The Bulldogs are 9-0 overall and 5-0 in the NSIC North after defeating Minnesota Crookston 63-7 on the road. 

LAST YEAR

UMary finished last season 1-10 overall and in the NSIC and 1-7 in the NSIC North... Minnesota Duluth Northern State was 9-3 overall, 9-2 in the NSIC and 7-0 in the NSIC North. The Bulldogs lost in the Mineral Water Bowl 38-28 to Central Missouri.   

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 + 3 NUMBERS TO KNOW

281 Freshman QB Jason Hoekstra threw for 281 yards against the Wolves, the most single game passing yards for the Marauders since 299 at Bemidji State on Oct. 3, 2015. 

162 Luke Little caught eight passes for 162 yards and two scores (75 yards and 3 yards). The 162 yards receiving is the ninth best total of the Marauders NCAA era (2006-current). 

6x2 The Marauders have forced multiple turnovers in each of the last six weeks. After forcing two turnovers against MSU Moorhead and following with three turnovers against SMSU, Winona State and Concordia-St. Paul, UMary forced Augie and Northern State to cough the ball up twice. 

9x8 After the Marauders first eight interceptions this season were made by eight different players, freshman LB Maxwell Askew became the first UMary player with a pair of interceptions this season when he picked off a Wolves pass on the third quarter. The other Marauders with interceptions this season are Marquell Evans, Paul Guptill, Isaiah Hubbard, Jarad Zittleman, Kendall Grier, Grady Blewett and Johnny Tillman. 

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. 

18 The Marauders have forced 18 takeaways this season (9 fumbles, 9 interceptions) through eight games, exceeding last year's season-ending total of 11. It is UMary's best takeaway total since creating 21 in 2015. It is also the 4th highest total of turnovers forced in the NSIC this season. 

9 With Max Askew's interception against Northern State, the Marauders own nine interceptions through nine games, tripling 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)... University of Minnesota Duluth head coach CURT WEISE is in his sixth season guiding the Bulldogs and has produced a 61-11 overall record, three NCAA II playoff appearances, one overall NSIC title (with Minnesota State in 2014), five straight NSIC North Division crowns and a win in the 2015 Mineral Water Bowl. Weise joined UMD after two years as the head coach at Marietta College (2006-07) and was the Bulldogs offensive coordinator for five years (2008-12). 

THE MARAUDERS-BULLDOGS SERIES HISTORY 

(Bulldogs lead series 11-0)

In a series that began in 2006, the Bulldogs have won all 11 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) but the Bulldogs jumped out to a 21-0 lead... In 2008, Minnesota Duluth claimed a 44-7 win at home. RB Isaac Odim scored three TDs and DJ Winfield caught ten balls for 172 yards and a score. Jamal Lomax scored the lone Mary touchdown and ran for 63 yards... In 2009, UMD won 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 won 49-0 despite playing without All-American Isaac Odim. The Bulldogs rolled up 531 yards of offense, including 327 on the ground. The Marauders were limited to 235 yards offensively. 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 lost to #9 UMD 41-28. UMD ran for 410, including a 75-yard TD 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 matched 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 scored 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 Mary. Evan Gross ran for 67 yards 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. Mary used a 37 yard Elby Pope touchdown catch from Zach Roberson 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 Mary. Sikorski led UMD with 113 yards rushing... 2014: Zach Roberson passes for 408 yards and four touchdowns and Elby Pope caught 10 passes for 183 yards and two scores but the Marauders were unable to overcome a 27-point halftime deficit in a 53-35 loss at #2 University of Minnesota Duluth. Down 34-7 at half, the Marauders scored three of the next four touchdowns to get within 41-28. Austin Bolton made 14 stops (6 solo) and Troy Guptill had 2.0 tackles for loss. Logan Lauters ran for 147 yards and two scores to lead UMD. Beau Bofferding ran for 4 TDs and 44 yards on seven carries. Drew Bauer ran for 70 yards and passed for 250 yards and two scores, completing 23-of-34 passes...  2015: UMD scored 28 points in the second quarter on the way to a 45-0 win at Mary. Drew Bauer passed 280 yards and four TDs on nine completions and ran for a score. Andrew Brees closed the scoring with a 57 yard field goal. Patrick Ryan had 11 tackles for UM and Landon Smith had three tackles behind the line... 2016: Brothers Zack Graves and Connor Graves scored the Marauders two touchdowns but the Bulldogs found the end zone early and often in a 75-14 UMD home win. Beau Bofferding scored the frst two touchdowns of the game, including a 79 yard score. UMD led 40-0 before Zack Graves caught a 4 yard touchdown pass. After another UMD score, Connor Graves returned a kick 87 yards just before halftime. Drew Bauer threw for three TDs and 173 yards on 13-of-17 passes. Bofferding ran nine times for 109 yards and two scores. UMD held a 610-249 edge in yards. Zack Graves ran for 62 yards and caught passes for 20 yards... 2017 Paul Guptill caught a 56 yard touchdown and ran for a 54 yard score but turnovers proved the Marauders undoing in a 62-27 loss to the Bulldogs. UMary lost six fumbles and threw an interception. UMD returned two of the fumbles and the interception for touchdowns. Sam Mackedanz caught a 1 yard TD [ass and Pat O'Connell returned a fumble 29 yards for UMary's other two scores. UMD had a 29-11 edge in first downs and 471-317 in yards.   

PAST MARAUDERS-BULLDOGS MEETINGS (UMD lead 11-0) 

2017 Minnesota Duluth 62 Mary 27 Bismarck, ND

2016 #18 Minnesota Duluth 75 Mary 14 Duluth, MN

2015 #21 Minnesota Duluth 45 Mary 0 Bismarck, ND

2014 #2 Minnesota Duluth 53 Mary 35 Duluth, MN

2013 #5 Minnesota Duluth 32 Mary 14 Bismarck, ND

2012 #9 Minnesota Duluth 53 Mary 14 Duluth, MN

2011 #9 Minnesota Duluth 41 Mary 28 Bismarck, ND

2010 #2 Minnesota Duluth 49 Mary 0 Duluth, MN

2009 Minnesota Duluth 35 Mary 7 Bismarck, ND

2008 Minnesota Duluth 44 Mary 7 Duluth, MN

2006 Minnesota Duluth 42 Mary 14 Duluth, MN

QUICK LOOK AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA DULUTH BULLDOGS

On the verge of winning their 11th straight NSIC North championship, the Bulldogs are ranked fifth in the country and 3rd in the NCAA Super Region 3 poll behind Minnesota State and Tarleton State. UMD enters the weekend with a 17 game home win streak and is a perfect 36-0 all-time at home against NSIC North foes. Overall UMD is 67-3 against NSIC North teams since divisional play began in 2008. Fast starters, the Bulldogs have outscored the opposition 111-3 in the 1st quarter. Defensively the Bulldogs rank 1st in NCAA D2 in total defense (207.4 yards/game) and second in scoring defense (11.4 ppg). Offensively UMD is 10th in scoring (42.0 ppg). QB John Larson has thrown for 1,343 yards and 11 TDs and has ran for 435 yards and five TDs. Wade Sullivan leads the team in rushing with 523 yards and nine TDs. Nate Ricci has 29 catches for 389 yards and two TDs. Tareq Abulebbeh has a team-high five interceptions with 4.0 TFL. Gus Wedig leads the team with 42 tackles and has 7.5 TFL. Alex Helmer leads UMD with 9.5 TFL and 6.0 sacks. 

LAST WEEK

UMary scored touchdowns on touchdown passes of 75 and 39 yards on its first two possessions before Northern State rallied in the fourth quarter for a 28-23 Wolves road win over the Marauders on Senior Day. Jason Hoekstra connected with Luke Little for 75 yards on the first play of the game and followed with a 39 yard strike to Colton Farmer to give the Marauders a 13-3 lead. UMary built its advantage to 20-10 on a Hoekstra to Little connection but NSU closed within 20-16 at half. A Brody Riggs 40 yard field goal in the third quarter pushed the advantage to 23-16 at the end of the 3rd. NSU posted 11 4th quarter points to win the game, scoring on an 81 yard Hunter Trautman to Jacob Streit 81 yard scoring pass for the first Wolves lead of the game with 6:40 left in the game...  Little finished with eight catches for 162 yards and two scores. DeShawn Gay added three catches for 60 yards. Farmer had the lone scoring catch of 39 yards and added a team-high 37 yards rushing. Hoekstra finished with his best numbers of the season, completing 15-of-30 passes for 281 yards and three touchdowns with only one interception. Max Askew finished with six tackles, an interception and a pass breakup. Jackson Grad had 1.5 sacks in the game. Cyrano Rayfield and Daniel Hudrlik also had sacks and Devon Macias shared a sack with Grad. For the Wolves, Trautman completed 19-of-32 passes for 333 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Streit caught five passes for 127 yards.

Brayden McNeary had three sacks. 

LITTLE LOOMS LARGE

Soph. WR Luke Little has 36 catches for 571 yards and two touchdowns in eight games. He is 10th in the NSIC in receiving yardage per game (71.4). His two touchdowns against the Wolves is the second time in his career Little has caught a pair of scores in one game. 

LITTLE LOOMS LARGE V2

Luke Little's 162 yards receiving on eight catches against Northern State ties him for the 9th best single game total in the Marauders NCAA era (since 2006). He also has another game earlier this season that places him in the top ten at #3 - 199 yards vs. Bemidji State. Little is in good company. All-American WR Tyler Steffan has the two top receiving yardage games, including a 222 yard effort. All-American WR Elby Pope has three top 10 games and All-Conference WR Mike Williams has two. Jake East has the 10th. UMary Hall of Fame WR Neil MacDannald owns the school's single game record with 254 yards against Mayville State in 1996.

JOHNNY ON THE SPOT

Fr. DB Johnny Tillman has been in the right spot at the right time the last two weeks. The Orlando, FL., native made a diving interception against Augustana and followed up last week by recovering a fumble by Northern State. 

DOUBLE DOWN

Fr. LB Maxwell Askew has grown comfortable in a staring role for the Marauders. He posted his team-leading second interception of the year against Northern State and finished with six tackles in the contest. On the year he has 42 stops, including 6.0 for loss and 2.5 sacks. 

PLACE AND TIME

So. S Jarad Zittleman is getting to the right place at the right time for the Marauders defense. Owner of 18 tackles against  Concordia-St. Paul, Zittleman is second on the team in solo tackles (33) and total tackles (54). He leads the squad with two fumble recoveries and has one interception. 

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. 

FORCING THE ISSUE

Over the past four weeks Jr. DL Cyrano Rayfield has created some big plays for the defense. In that stretch Rayfield has 5.5 of his team-high 7.0 tackles for loss and all of his 2.5 sacks. He also forced and recovered a fumble and has 22 tackles. For the year he has 42 tackles. 

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 94.6 yards/game. He is 4th in kick return average at 20.8 yards/return. Gay has 479 kick return yards, two punt return yards, 30 rushing yards and 246 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 six games and seven times in nine outings. After turning the Dragons over twice, UMary forced three turnovers against Southwest Minnesota State, Winona State and Concordia-St. Paul before forcing Augie and Northern State to cough up the ball twice. 

PRECISION

Jr. All-NSIC punter Bailey Meyer is 2nd in the NSIC with an average of 42.3 yards/punt. He has 14 punts of 50 yards or longer, dropped 17 inside the 20 yard line and has forced four fair catches in his 66 attempts. Meyer had three punts of over 50 yards against the Wolves and downed two inside the 20 yard line. 

FRESHMAN

Several true freshmen have found their way to the field this season. Bryan Lumsden leads the Marauders in TDs (4) and rushing yards (281)... RB Reggie Scott has 156 yards rushing... WR Danny Kittner has three touchdowns, 237 yards receiving, 25 yards rushing, 126 kick return yards, and 104 yards on punt returns... QB Jason Hoekstra has thrown for 1,358 yards and nine touchdowns... Tyree Shepherd has been a key reserve on the offensive line and started the last three 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, 42 tackles and two interceptions... Devin Beck has 19 tackles, including a sack... DB Johnny Tillman intercepted a pass against Augie, recovered a fumble against Northern State and has five 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 59 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.