BURNSVILLE, MN – Game-changing plays and record performances in the final game of the season earned a pair of University of Mary football players Northern Sun Player of the Week honors.
Paul Guptill was recognized for his work on defense and
Brody Riggs was cited for his special teams performance in the Marauders 44-15 victory over the University of Minnesota Crookston.
Additionally,
Bryan Lumsden made the NSIC's Other Top Performers list for offense.
Playing his final game for the Marauders, Guptill returned an interception for a touchdown, had a sack and made a team-leading nine tackles against the Golden Eagles. The senior linebacker from Quinn, SD, picked off a pass and returned it 39 yards for a score on Minnesota Crookston's second possession of the game, doubling the Marauders lead to 14-0. It was his second defensive touchdown of the season and the third in his career.
Guptill led the Marauders this season in tackles for loss (9.5) and sacks (3.0). His 81 total tackles ranked second on the team.
This is the second time a member of the Guptill family has earned NSIC Defensive Player of the Week honors. Paul's older brother Troy claimed league honors in Oct. 2013 for the Marauders after his performance against Wayne State College.
Riggs had a monster day kicking the ball for the Marauders, scoring 14 points and converting all his field goal and extra point attempts. The 14 points is an NCAA era team record for a Marauders kicker, exceeding the previous high of ten. The junior from Peoria, AZ, connected on three field goals, hitting from 39, 38 and 24 yards. Riggs also booted five extra points. Additionally six of his eight kickoffs resulted in touchbacks. Only one kickoff was returned for a distance of 9 yards.
For the season, Riggs made 6-of-8 on field goal attempts with a long of 47 yards and converted 23-of-25 extra points. Of his 45 kickoffs, 19 resulted in touchbacks.
Lumsden ran for 190 yards and three touchdowns on 28 carries against UMC, all career highs. He scored on runs of 2, 14 and 15 yards. The sophomore running back also caught two passes for 21 yards and had 210 all purpose yards on the day.
Zach Roberson was the last UMary player to earn NSIC weekly honors when he was recognized for his efforts on offense in Oct. 2014.
Grant Singer was the Marauders last defensive player honored (Nov. 2013).
Tyler Ryan was the last player to receive special teams recognition (Oct, 2013). The last time two Marauders were honored in the same week was Oct. 12, 2013, when Singer and Ryan were cited for their efforts on defense and special teams, respectively.
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