THIS WEEK
The University of Mary searches for its third straight road win when the Marauders visit the University of Sioux Falls on Saturday, Oct. 16. The start of a two-game road trip, the Marauders and the Cougars face off at 1 pm at Bob Young Field in Sioux Falls, SD.

THE RECORDS/LAST WEEK
The Marauders are 2-4 overall/Northern Sun and 1-1 in the NSIC North after a tough 31-27 homecoming loss to #19 University of Minnesota Duluth... The Cougars are 4-2/2-0 following a 35-7 road win at Southwest Minnesota State.  

MARAUDERS-COUGARS SERIES HISTORY
This is the 14th meeting between the Marauders and the Cougars... A series filled with important meetings on a national scale, the University of Mary and the University of Sioux Falls have played in five NAIA playoff games among their 13 meetings... The Marauders and the Cougars first met in 1988 - UMary's inaugural football season - and USF left Bismarck with a 37-13 win. The Cougars would also win the following year. UMary turned the tables in 1990 with a 17-6 win, followed by a 35-21 win in 1991 at Sioux Falls... UMary won the 1st of 5 NAIA playoff meetings in 1996 before USF captured the next four. 

FOLLOW LIVE 
Voice of the Marauders Jesse Rostvedt and former UMary athletic director and Hall of Fame football coach Roger Thomas team up to broadcast Marauders games on KFYR 550 AM. The game is also streamed online at www.kfyr.com.
Free video streaming of Marauders home and Northern Sun games is available  https://nsicnetwork.com/goumary and at www.GoUMary.com/coverage  
Live stats for this Saturday's game are available online at www.GoUMary.com.

QUICK HITTER STORY LINES
Marauders look to extend their road winning streak to 3 games this weekend, defeating SMSU 45-23 and Northern State 49-42 in UMary's last two trips out of Bismarck
The 4-point loss to #19 Minnesota Duluth on Homecoming is the closet contest UMary has played against UMD (previous was 13 points in 2011)
A potent Marauders passing attack ranks third in the nation and 1st in the NSIC, compiling 350.1 yards/game
Danny Kittner and Luke Little have both cracked the century mark in receiving yards in the same game four times in six games. The only misses were against SMSU (Little finished with 80 yards receiving + 2 TDs) and against Minnesota Duluth (Little 60 yards). 
Logan Nelson has thrown for 4 TDs in a game four times this season (at WSC, at SMSU, v WSU, at Northern State) 
UMary has committed just four turnovers this season (3 interceptions, 1 fumble), the 8th lowest total in the nation 
The Marauders have posted at least 26 first downs in five of six games and rank 8th in the nation with 147

MARAUDERS AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS
The Marauders potent attack has the team and several individuals charting high in NCAA Division II. Here's a look at where UMary ranks among the national leaders in several key categories:
NCAA/NSIC RANKINGS - TEAM
#3 NCAA/#1 NSIC Passing Offense (350.1 yards/game)
4/1 Fumbles Lost (1) 
7/2 Red Zone Offense (95%)
8/1 First Downs (147)
8/2 Turnovers lost (4)
24/5 Total Offense (446.5 yards/game)
35/6 Scoring Offense (34.3)

NCAA/NSIC RANKINGS - INDIVIDUAL
Danny Kittner 
#1 NCAA / #1 NSIC Receptions/game (11.7)
1/1 Receiving yards (983) and receiving yards/game (165)
1/1 TD receptions (12)
1/1 All Purpose Yards (216.5 yards/game)
Luke Little
#3 NCAA / #2 NSIC TD receptions (9)
12/4 Receiving Yards (642)
14/4 Receiving yards/game (107)
6/2 Receptions/game (7.8)
Logan Nelson
#3 NCAA / #2 NSIC Passing touchdowns (22)
5/2 Points responsible for (138)
6/2 Total Offense (326.0 yards/game)
6/3 Passing Yards (1,941)
8/3 Passing Yards/game (323.5)
11/2 Completions/game (25.0)
20/3 Completion percentage (64.9)

ROAD RUN
The Marauders have won consecutive road games for the first time since the 2014 season when UMary returned home with victories at Minot State and the University of Minnesota Crookston. The Marauders go for their third straight road win this weekend at Sioux Falls, a feat last accomplished in 2010.

NO EASY WEEKS IN THE NSIC
Over the course of six games, the Marauders have faced three teams that have cracked the nation's top 25 rankings this season. Wayne State College has recently moved into the national polls. Augustana was #25 when UMary hosted the Vikings. Minnesota Duluth was #19 last week when the Bulldogs came to visit. 

 PRECISION PASSING
The Marauders have created one of the nation's top passing attacks. Behind the arm of Logan Nelson and the hands of Danny Kittner and Luke Little plus an offensive line growing stronger each week, the Marauders are averaging 350.1 yards/game through the air to rank 3rd in the nation. UMary has thrown for over 300 yards in four of six games, including efforts of 399 yards against Wayne State, 403 against Winona State and 454 at Northern State. The Marauders have scored 23 touchdowns through the air with Logan Nelson passing for 22. 

SCORING FRENZY
Dating back to the final game of the 2019 season the Marauders have scored at least 20 points in 7 straight games, their longest streak since 2011-12 when UMary had a 14-game run across the two seasons. 

DYNAMIC DUO
Danny Kittner and Luke Little rank among the nation's leaders in receiving (see NCAA rankings above). Kittner and Little became the Marauders first receiving duo to both crack 100 yards in a game for two straight games. Kittner had 202 in the season opener at Wayne State and 135 against Augustana. Little opened the season with 123 at WSC with another 108 against the Vikings in week 2... They also turned the trick against Winona State (Kittner 235 yards, Little 174) and at Northern State (Kittner 154, Little 116)...Since beginning NCAA competition in 2006, the Marauders have only had three total prior instances where teammates cracked 100 yards in the same game - Jake East (174 yards) and Elby Pope 129) against Northern State in 2014, Avan Leday (104) and Tyler Steffan (101) against Southwest Minnesota State in 2011 and Roman Penirian (108) and Erik Kruse (125) at Bemidji State in 2008. 

SIX
Danny Kittner cracked 100 yards receiving six straight games, an NCAA era mark for the Marauders. 
@WSC | 17 catches - 202 yards - 2 TDs | school record for catches
Augie | 10-135-1
@SMSU | 7-125-1
WSU | 13-235-3 | NCAA era record for receiving yards
@NSU | 9-153-2
UMD | 13-133-3
TOTAL | 69 catches | 983 yards | 12 TDs
Kittner's run of 100+ yards receiving run surpasses that of Elby Pope, who had four straight 100 yard games in 2014.

KITTNER TRACKING SINGLE SEASON MARKS
Danny Kittner is currently 5th on the Marauders single season chart for catches with 69 (record 80 by Seth Maier 1999), 5th in receiving yardage with 983 (record 1,208 by Neil MacDannald in 1996) and 6th in touchdown receptions and just outside the top 10 in overall TDs with 12 (Tyler Steffan caught 17 TDs in 2011, Bobby Wagner scored 22 touchdowns in 1993). 

NELSON JUST OUTSIDE TOP 10
Through 6 games Logan Nelson has thrown for 1,954 yards and 22 touchdowns. Nelson is closing in on Craig Bagnell's total of 2,101 yards in 2012 that ranks 10th all-time in a single season. The single season record for TD passes is 32 in 1995 by Paul Cronin.  

1111 WITH A BULLET
There appears to be a really good reason Danny Kittner changed his uniform number from 87 to 11. The 2019 All-NSIC performer now has a total of 4 "1s" on his jersey (two 1s on both the front and back), equaling the number of categories in which he ranks #1 in the country! The junior from Gilbert, AZ, leads all NCAA D2 players in:
#1 nationally/#1 NSIC in receptions/game (11.7)
#1 nationally/#1 NSIC in reception yardage (983) 
#1 nationally/#1 NSIC in all purpose yards/game (216)
#1 NCAA/#1 NSIC TD receptions (12)

DANNY THE HANDY MAN
Not only is Danny Kittner among the nation's leaders in receiving, he also...
Returns kicks and punts
Holds on field goals and extra points
Recovered an onside kick at Wayne State
Set a school record with 378 all purpose yards vs Winona State
Threw a 41 yard pass against the Warriors

CLIMBING THE CHARTS
Luke Little and Danny Kittner are climbing the career receiving charts at UMary. Little is 8th in receiving yards (1,803) and 9th in catches (120). He also has 19 career TD receptions (8th)... Kittner is 5th in receptions (142) and 6th in receiving yardage (1,925). He has 18 career receiving TDs (9th).  

LITTLE LOOMS LARGE 
An All-NSIC receiver in 2018, team captain Luke Little is off to a tremendous start. The Bismarck, ND, native owns 47 catches for 662 yards and 9 TDs through six games... He opened the season with 9 catches for 123 yards and 2 TDs at Wayne State, followed with a line of 7-108-1 against Augie, 7-84-2 at SMSU, 13-174-1 vs. Winona State, 6-113-3 at Northern State, and 5-60-0 vs. UMD... He has set career-highs for catches, yardage and TDs.

HOT ROUTE RECOGNITION
Hot Route Analytics graded Danny Kittner as the #1 receiver in NCAA Division II last week with a mark of 97. Fellow wide out Luke Little tied for 3rd with a 93. Logan Nelson checked in as the #8 QB with a score of 88!

LOGAN'S RUN PASS
Formerly known for his ability to make huge plays with his legs, Logan Nelson has relied on his arm to make the Marauders offense go in 2021... He opened the season completing 34-of-59 passes for 399 yards and 4 TDs without an interception at Wayne State, all career highs... he followed up by throwing for 205 yards and a TD with no interceptions against Augie. Nelson also ran for a score... Against SMSU he was 20-for-28 for 249 yards and 4 TDs... Facing one of the top defenses in the NSIC in Winona State, Nelson was 31-of-43 for a career-best 403 yards and 4 TDs... Nelson earned NSIC Player of the Week for his 24-of-34 for 454 yards and 6 TD effort at Northern State... playing an excellent Minnesota Duluth defense Nelson was 22-of-30 (season-best 73.3% completion mark) for 244 yards and 3 TDs with 0 interceptions ...After six games Nelson ranks:
#3 NCAA /#2 NSIC Passing touchdowns (22)
#5 NCAA/#2 NSIC Points responsible for (138)
#6 NCAA/#2 NSIC Total Offense (326.0 yards/game)
#6 NCAA / #3 NSIC Passing Yards (1,941)
#8 NCAA /#3 NSIC  Passing Yards/game (323.5)
Nelson has also made an impact with his legs in his Marauders career. Since UMary began playing NCAA competition in 2006, the Marauders have had eight runs of at least 60 yards and Logan Nelson owns two of them. The QB had a 72 yard run against UIU and 62 yards against Minot State. If you include his runs of 55 and 49 yards, Nelson has four of the top 15 runs in only seven games in 2019... Nelson owns two of the four 100 yard rushing games by a Marauders quarterback in an NCAA game. He ran for 149 yards against Minot State and 129 against Upper Iowa. The other two: Colton Farmer ran for 175 at Minnesota Crookston in 2018 and Blair Sandy posted 111 against UMC in 2006... in 2019 Nelson became the first UMary player to crack 100 yards rushing and 200 yards passing in the same game against Upper Iowa when he carried the ball for 129 yards and a score and passed for 205 and two touchdowns. He also ran for 149 three touchdowns and passed for 179 and a score against Minot State.

PUNISHING PITTMAN
Redshirt freshman Isaiah Pittman is making his presence felt on the Marauders defense. The safety posted a career-high 12 tackles last weekend against Minnesota Duluth. He owns a team-high two interceptions. He is second on the Marauders in tackles (40) and pass breakups (4). 

BARRY BREAKS THROUGH
Jack Barry has moved into the Marauders starting lineup this year and is making a major impact. The junior from Bismarck, ND, is the team leader in sacks (2.0) and tackles for loss (6.5). His most notable play is sacking the Northern State on 4th down on the Wolves last possession to guarantee UMary's 49-42 win. 

SMALL MAKING BIG IMPACT
Tylen Small had a big debut for the Marauders. A transfer from NCAA D1 FCS South Dakota State University, Small was credited with 12 tackles, including 11 solo stops at Wayne State. The Marauders free safety also had a tackle for loss in the game... he followed up with 9 tackles (4 solo) against Augustana, 3 at SMSU, 5 vs. Winona State, 7 (1 TFL) at NSU and 9 against Minnesota Duluth for a team-high 45 tackles. Small ranks 4th in the NSIC with 7.5 tackles/game. 

SMALL PLAYING LARGE
Dave Small Jr. has made a major impact on the Marauders running game. A transfer from NCAA Division I University of South Florida and a cousin of Marauders safety Tylen Small, Small has rushed for a team-high 486 yards and 4 TDs on 86 carries. Heating up the last four games, he ran for 130 yards and a TD against SMSU, added 95 yards and a TD against Winona State, had a line of 19-115-1 at Northern State and punished Minnesota Duluth for 133 yards and 1 TD on 18 carries. He also has a tackle on kick coverage. 

EXPLOSION
The Marauders offense is starting to rev up in 2021 and has already generated 34 chunk plays of 20 or more yards in six games, including 13 by Luke Little and 13 by Danny Kittner... UMary had a season-best nine chunk plays against Northern State, including three by Little and two by Kittner and Jaden Andresen... UMary generated 51 chunk plays in 2019 with as many as 8 big plays in wins over Upper Iowa and Minnesota Crookston... QB Logan Nelson was involved in 23 plays of 20+ yards in 2019, including four runs of 49+ yards and 18 chunk pass completions while Kittner has 11 catches of at least 20 yards. 

ON TAP
UMary continues a 2-game road trip at MSU Moorhead on October 23 when the Marauders and the Dragons face off in the Battle for the Paddle.