THIS WEEK
After two straight weeks on the road, the University of Mary returns home to host the Golden Bears of Concordia-St. Paul on Saturday, Oct. 30. The first of two straight home games for UMary kicks off at 2 pm from the MDU Resources Community Bowl. 

THE RECORDS/LAST WEEK
The Marauders are 2-6 overall/Northern Sun and 1-2 in the NSIC North after a heartbreaking 35-31 loss at MSU Moorhead in the 15th Battle for the Paddle when the Dragons scored with 10 seconds left in the game... The Golden Bears are 1-7 overall and 0-3 in the NSIC North following last week's 34-17 home loss to Northern State.  

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 Saturday's games are available online at www.GoUMary.com/coverage 

NEVER SURRENDER CANCER AWARENESS GAME
The Marauders annual Never Surrender Cancer Awareness Game is set for Saturday, Oct. 30, when the Golden Bears visit the Bowl. The UMary football team will adorn their helmets with a purple ribbon decal to represent the fight against all cancers as a whole.  

KIRKWOOD BANK & TRUST MARAUDERS GAME SPONSOR VS CSP
Kirkwood Bank & Trust is the game day sponsor for the Marauders-Golden Bears game on Oct. 30. Complimentary tickets are available at Bismarck Kirkwood Bank & Trust locations.   
 
MARAUDERS TO HONOR UNIVERSITY OF MARY SCHOOL OF HEALTH SCIENCES AT OCT. 30 GAME 
18 Marauders are pursuing degrees from the University of Mary School of Health Sciences. During the Marauders-Golden Bears game on Oct. 30, Health Sciences faculty will be recognized throughout the game. UMary football scholar-athletes pursuing a degree from the Health Sciences school include: Jaydon    Coley, Brayden Evertsen, Jaxon    Feller, Tre    Gola-Callard, Eli    Heinrich, Major Kelley, Drake Lalim, Sam Loos, Jakob    Petry, Jacob Pierce, Isaiah    Pittman, Caleb    Scholl, Samuel Suggs, Dylan    Thomsen, Avery    Uecker, Damon Williamson, Ryan Woroniecki and Josh Zakavec.

Health Sciences faculty and a guest will be admitted free to the game with their MCard. Throughout the year the Marauders will honor each of the five University of Mary academic schools and their faculty during a home game. 

MARAUDERS ALLEY TAILGATING STARTS AT 10:30 AM
Saturday's game day festivities begin when the tailgating area opens at 10:30 am in the north parking lot at the MDU Resources Community Bowl. The UMary football team walks through Marauders Alley at 11:45 am. This season three vendors will have food available for purchase: Grand Junction, Laughing Sun and Norm's Eatery. Additionally Laughing Sun Brewery will operate the beer garden inside the MDU Resources Community Bowl during the game.   

MARAUDERS-GOLDEN BEARS SERIES HISTORY
This is the 9th meeting between the Marauders and the Golden Bears... the series is tied 4-4... The visiting team won the first five meetings and six overall... in mostly a low-scoring series the winning team has scored 22 or fewer points in five of the games... the losing team has scored over 20 points just once... UMary is 1-3 at home and 3-1 on the road vs CSP. 

QUICK HITTER STORY LINES

• Marauders return home after two straight road games in search of the team's first home win of the season
• Three Marauders losses are by 7 or fewer points
• Three times the Marauders have held 4th quarter leads in losses, including Saturday at MSUM when the Dragons scored with 10 seconds remaining in the game to win the Battle for the Paddle
• UMary ranks 2nd in the nation in passing (338.2 yards/game), 28th in total offense (435 yards/game) and 56th in scoring (31.4) out of 163 teams
• UMary has committed just eight turnovers this season (6 interceptions, 2 fumbles), the 19th lowest total in the nation
• The current combined record of the Marauders first nine opponents is 41-23. Only SMSU (2-6) has a losing record with Augustana, Minnesota Duluth and Wayne State all cracking the nation's top 25 polls this year.
• The combined record of the Marauders last three opponents is 8-16. Bemidji State (6-2) the lone team with a winning record and has received poll votes

NCAA ALL-DIVISIONS HEADLINERS

• Danny Kittner leads all NCAA players across every division (FBS, FCS, II, III) in catches (88) and is 2nd in receiving yards (1,153), TD receptions (13) and all purpose yards (1,584)
• Luke Little tied with Danny Kittner for 2nd among all NCAA players across every divisions in TD receptions (13)

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

DII /NSIC RANKINGS - TEAM

• #2 NCAA /#1 NSIC Passing Offense (338.2 yards/game)
• #10 NCAA / #2 NSIC Fumbles Lost (2) 
• #6 NCAA / #1 NSIC First Downs (200)
• #16 NCAA / #2 NSIC Completion Percentage (64.8%)
• #17 NCAA / #2 NSIC Red Zone Offense (89.3%)
• #19 NCAA / #3 NSIC Turnovers lost (8)
• #28 NCAA / #5 NSIC Total Offense (435.4 yards/game)
• #56 NCAA / #8 NSIC Scoring Offense (31.4)

NCAA Dll /NSIC RANKINGS - INDIVIDUAL
Danny Kittner 

• #1 NCAA / #1 NSIC Receptions/game (11)
• #1 NCAA / #1 NSIC Receiving yards (1,053) and receiving yards/game (144)
• #1 NCAA / #1 NSIC TD receptions (13)
• #2 NCAA / #1 NSIC All Purpose Yards (198 yards/game)

Luke Little

• #1 NCAA / #1 NSIC TD receptions (13)
• #7 NCAA / #3 NSIC Receiving Yards (879)
• #9 NCAA / #3 NSIC Receiving yards/game (109.9)
• #6 NCAA / #2 NSIC Receptions/game (8.0)
• #7 NCAA / #1 NSIC Total TDs (13) and Points (78)Receptions/game (8.0)

Logan Nelson

• #5 NCAA / #3 NSIC Passing touchdowns (27)
• #7 NCAA/ #4 NSIC Points responsible for (168)
• #11 NCAA / #2 NSIC Total Offense (322.4 yards/game)
• #3 NCAA / #1 NSIC Passing Yards (2,543)
• #5 NCAA / #2 NSIC Passing Yards/game (317.9)
• #7 NCAA / #1 NSIC Completions/game (25.9)
• #14 NCAA / #1 NSIC Completion percentage (65.1%)

Tylen Small

• #19 NCAA / #2 NSIC Solo Tackles (5.8)

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 338.2 yards/game through the air to rank 2nd in the nation. UMary has thrown for over 300 yards in six of eight games, including efforts of 399 yards against Wayne State, 403 against Winona State and 454 at Northern State. The Marauders have scored 28 touchdowns through the air with Logan Nelson passing for 27. 

DYNAMIC DUO
Danny Kittner and Luke Little rank among the nation's leaders in receiving (see NCAA rankings above) as both rank in the top seven in receptions and yardage... 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 SHOOTER
Danny Kittner's run of six straight 100 yard receiving games - the longest in school history - ended with a 90 yard day at Sioux Falls, Here's his game-by-game totals this season: 
@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
@USF | 9-90-0
@MSUM | 10-80-1
TOTAL | 78 catches | 1,153 yards | 13 TDs

KITTNER BREAKS SINGLE SEASON RECEIVING RECORD
Danny Kittner broke the Marauders single season reception record in week 8 at MSU Moorhead on his third catch of the day. He now has 88 receptions, breaking the old mark of 80 by Seth Meier set in 1999... Next on the list is the record for yardage in a single season. With 1,153 yards receiving, Kittner is 55 yards from equaling Neil MacDannald's record of 1,208 yards the Marauders Hall of Fame receiver established in 1996... In the opening game of the season Kittner broke the school record for receptions in a game with 17... He also set a school record for all purpose yards with 378 against Winona State... Kittner also set the school's NCAA era mark for reception yardage (235) against the Warriors.  

RECORDS ON THE HORIZON
Luke Little and Danny Kittner both have 13 touchdown receptions. The school record is 17 by Tyler Steffan in 2011. The record for total TDs is 22 by Bobby Wagner in 1993. 
Kittner is 55 yards from tying Neil MacDannald's record for receiving yards in a single season (1,208 in 1996) 

NELSON ON RECORD PACE
Through 8 games Logan Nelson has thrown for 2,563 yards and 27 touchdowns. The 27 TD passes is a new UMary NCAA era record, surpassing the 23 by Craig Bagnell in 2013. His passing yardage total is 5th all-time in school history.

• The single season UMary record for TD passes is 32 in 1995 by Paul Cronin (Nelson is 5 from tying record)
• The single season record for passing yardage is 2,933 yards by Cronin in 1995 (Nelson is 370 yards from tying the record). 
• The NCAA era yardage record is 2,769 by Bagnell in 2013 (Nelson needs 206 yards to equal the mark) 
• The NCAA era team record for TD passes is 29 in 2014 (19 by Zach Roberson, 10 by Ben Jolliffe). Nelson and Jesse Forknell have combined for 28. 

DANNY THE HANDY MAN
Not only is Danny Kittner among the nation's leaders in receptions, receiving yardage and all purpose yardage, 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 6th in receiving yards (2,040) and 6th in catches (137). He also has 23 career TD receptions (3rd)... Kittner is 4th in receptions (161) and 5th in receiving yardage (2,095). He has 20 career receiving TDs (9th)... Elby Pope is the Marauders all-time leader in receptions (193) and receiving yards (2,781)... Jake Pfau is the all-time leader in receiving TDs (34).   


LITTLE LOOMS LARGE 
An All-NSIC receiver in 2018, team captain Luke Little is having a tremendous senior season. The Bismarck, ND, native owns 64 catches for 899 yards and 13 TDs through eight 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, 5-60-0 vs. UMD, 2-152-3 at Sioux Falls and 5-85-2 at MSUM... 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 92. Fellow wide out Luke Little tied for 4th with a 90... Logan Nelson returns to the QB list at #10 with a mark of 85. 

LOGAN'S RUN PASS
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 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... he was 30-of-46 for 310 yards and 2 TDs at Sioux Falls... at MSUM Nelson was 28-for-4 2 for 299 yards and 3 TDs... Climbing up the season and career passing charts this year, 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 QB in an NCAA game. He ran for 149 yards against Minot State and 129 against Upper Iowa. Also 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.

SMALL MAKING BIG IMPACT
Tylen Small had a big debut for the Marauders. A transfer from NCAA D1 FCS South Dakota State University, Small made 12 tackles, including 11 solo stops at Wayne State. The Marauders free safety also had a tackle for loss in the game... he followed w/ 9 tackles (4 solo) against Augustana, 3 at SMSU, 5 vs. Winona State, 7 (1 TFL) at NSU, 9 against Minnesota Duluth and a season-best 13 at Sioux Falls. He leads the Marauders with 58 tackles (46 solo) and has 2.0 tackles for loss. 

PUNISHING PITTMAN
Redshirt freshman Isaiah Pittman is making his presence felt on the Marauders defense. The safety posted a career-high 12 tackles against Minnesota Duluth. He owns a team-high two interceptions. He is second on the Marauders in tackles (45) and pass breakups (5). 


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 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 639 yards and 5 TDs on 126 carries. In his last six games Small has cracked 100 yards four times and just missed in a 5th (130 yards and a TD against SMSU, 95 yards and a TD against Winona State, 19-115-1 at Northern State, punished Minnesota Duluth for 133 yards and 1 TD on 18 carries and ran for 103 and a TD at MSUM). He also has a tackle on kick coverage.

ESCHLEMAN ELEVATES
In his first year with the Marauders, Nate Eschleman is making plays across the field. The linebacker is second on the team with 5.0 tackles for loss, is third in tackles (37) and pass breakups (4).

EXPLOSION
The Marauders offense is starting to rev up in 2021 and has already generated 41 chunk plays of 20 or more yards in eight games, including 17 by Luke Little and 14 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. 

LINE PLAY
The Marauders offensive line has remained intact since the second game of the season and has keyed one of the nation's top offenses. Sophomore returning staters Drake Lalim (tackle) and Conner Paul (guard) have anchored the left side of the line with three newcomers to the lineup. Freshman Alex Rodriguez has handed center with junior guard Sam Harris - a transfer from MSU Moorhead - and 2nd year freshman tackle Melvin Hudson cementing the right side.  

BY THE NUMBERS | ROSTER BREAKDOWN

• 108 players
• 6 seniors
• 27 juniors
• 17 sophomores
• 6 redshirt freshman (on 2019 roster and did not play)
• 52 freshman (16 returning freshmen from 2020, 36 new freshmen in 2021)
• 28 players previously played in a UMary regular season game

5 ALIVE
The Marauders offense featured five tremendous performances in the win at Northern State. For what is believed to be the first time in school history, the Marauders had a 300 yard passer (Logan Nelson 454 yards), a 100 yard rusher (Dave Small Jr. 115 yards) and three 100 yard receivers (Danny Kittner 154, Luke Little 116, Jaden Andresen 106) in a single game. 

NUMBERS TO KNOW

• 33 This is the 33rd 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. 
• 15 This is the Marauders 15th season competing in the NSIC and NCAA Division II

BROTHERS
The Marauders have a pair of brother combinations on their 2021 roster... Jr. OL Dylan Thomsen and Soph. DL Jacob Thomsen are natives of Thompson, ND... Soph. cornerbacks Ty'Rhae and Ty'Rese Gibson transferred to UMary last year from Montana State. The Los Angeles, CA, natives are the Marauders starting cornerbacks.   

BROTHERS PART 2
The Marauders also have several players who have had older brothers play for the Marauders, including Will Blewett (older brother Grady), Cru Darrah (Curtis), Jonah Krebs (Noah) and Ryan Woroniecki (Adam).

COUSINS
Soph. DB Tylen Small and Jr. RB David Small, Jr. are cousins.

SENIOR SALUTE
The Marauders roster features six seniors: DL Collintino Andrews, LB Will Blewett, WR Luke Little, QB Logan Nelson, DB Toure' Oliver and DL Su'e Taugavau... Little played as a true freshman in 2017 and is entering his third season as a starter... Nelson claimed a starting role under center in 2019... Blewett saw considerable action as a sophomore and junior, posting two sacks in the Marauders last game played against Minnesota Crookston in 2019... Taugavau moves into a starting role at nose guard after playing nine games in 2019...  Andrews joins the Marauders this season after earning All-Pioneer League honorable mention honors in 2019 at Stetson University. 

ON TAP
In the final home game of the 2021 season, the Marauders honor their seniors and the School of Arts & Sciences in the Battle of the Big Lake game against Minot State on Nov. 6. Game time is 2 pm at the MDU Resources Community Bowl.  

TICKETS: Game tickets for Marauders home games are available online at www.UMaryTickets.com and at the door. 
Adult tickets are $15 and youth (13-18) and senior citizens are $8. UMary students with their M-card and children 12 and under are free. UMary faculty and staff are admitted free with their M-Cards and get 50 percent off all tickets purchased. Tickets are also for sale on gamedays at the MDU Resources Community Bowl. 

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