THIS WEEK
After playing three of their first five games on the road, the University of Mary football team returns home to host Winona State University on Saturday, October 7. Game time between the Marauders and the Warriors is set for 2 pm at the MDU Resources Community Bowl in Bismarck, ND.
 
THE RECORDS/LAST WEEK
The Marauders (0-5 overall/NSIC) are looking for their first win of the season as the schedule hits the midway point. In their closest game of the season, the Marauders fell 37-34 at Concordia-St. Paul… The Warriors are 2-3 overall and 2-2 in the NSIC. Winona State dropped a 38-14 decision to visiting Minnesota Duluth.
 
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 all Northern Sun games is available at https://nsicnetwork.com/goumary and at www.GoUMary.com/coverage 
• Live stats for Saturday's games are available online at www.GoUMary.com/coverage

 
MARAUDERS-WARRIORS SERIES HISTORY

• This is the 10th meeting between the Marauders and the Warriors
• Winona State leads the series 9-1 and has won the last seven games
• UMary is 0-4 at home and 1-5 at Winona State
• The Marauders have lost second half leads in each of the last two meetings
• In 2021 UMary overcame a 14-point deficit to take a 38-31 4th quarter lead before Winona State ran off 17 points to win 48-38. Danny Kittner set school records with 235 yards receiving and 371 all purpose yards, catching 13 passes and scoring 3 TDs.
• In 2022 UMary held a 17-9 lead early in the second half before Winna State scored the last 16 points of the game. Kittner had 7 catches for 78 yards and a TD. Devyn Charles posted 2.5 tackles for loss.
• The Marauders lone win as a 21-19 road victory in 2010. Craig Bagnell passed for 251 yards and two TDs. Marcus Parence blocked a 43 yard field goal attempt by the Warriors on the last play of the game.

 
QUICK HITTERS

• The Marauers play three of their next four games at home
• UMary is looking for its first win of the season
• The Warriors have alternated wins and losses in 2023
• The Marauders narrowly missed their first win of the season in a 37-34 loss at Concrdia-St. Paul and posted season-highs for points and yardage
• In the second half, 11 of the 22 players on the field between the offense and defense were freshmen or redshirt freshmen
• Three freshmen started on offense against CSP - WR Karsyn Jablonski (Fr.), G Elliot Kooiker (R-Fr.) and RB Jeremiah Moore (R-Fr.)
• Two redshirt freshmen started on UMary's defense against CSP, S Abram Jopp and DL Christian Arteaga
• UMary will play six home games this season for the second straight year, including four of the last six games
• UMary has won the turnover battle in three of four games and was even at CSP
• The Marauders are +2 on turnovers this season. UMary has forced seven turnovers (5 fumble recoveries, 2 interceptions) and have committed five (3 interceptions, 2 fumbles)
• The Marauders opponents are being whistled for 82 yards of penalties/game, the most in the Northern Sun. UMary is called for 43.8 yards/game, the 4^th fewest in the league.
• One of the least penalized teams in the nation, the Marauders rank 9th in NCAA Division II in fewest penalties/game (4.4) and 17th in fewest penalty yards/game (43.8)
• The Marauders are converting 54.5% of their 4th down attempts (6-of-11) to rank 4th in the NSIC
• Mujeeb Rufai ranks 11th in NCAA D2 in receptions/game (7.4)
• Jason Stoddard has two fumble recoveries this season, ranking 5th in the country
• Sofian Massoud is 15^th in nation in completion percentage (67.5%)

 
WEEK 5 REWIND | UMary 34 Concordia-St. Paul 37

• Marauders offense produced season-highs for yards rushing (80), total yards (341), first downs (24) and points (34)
• Redshirt freshman RB Jeremiah Moore (3 yard run) and freshman WR Karsyn Jablonski (14 yard pass) both scored their first career TDs
• R-Fr. S Abram Jopp intercepted his first pass
• WR Mujeeb Rufai caught nine passes for a season-best 120 yards and a touchdown. He caught 9 passes for the second straight game.
• Moore ran for a career-high 80 yards
• Massoud and Jesse Forknell combined to throw 3 TD passes and no interceptions. Massoud was 18-for-26 for 201 yards and 2 TDs. Forknell was 6-for-8 for 60 yards and 1 TD.
• Traivon Dyson caught his 4^th TD pass of the season
• Kevin Powell converted both field goal attempts (32, 34 yards) and averaged 40.2 yards/punt
• Jason Stoddard and Bryce Tate both had 1.5 tackles for loss          

 
YOUTH
At one point later in the Concordia-St. Paul game the Marauders had a combined 11 freshmen or redshirt freshman on the field playing either offense or defense.
 
STRENGTH IN NUMBERS
The Marauders offensive line featured four reserves playing in together in the second half as UMary scored a season-high 34 points at Concordia-St. Paul. Sr. Liam Bannon made his second straight start at center, R-Fr. Ethan Kooiker made his first start at guard, Jr. Luke Tuala saw his first action of the season at tackle and Soph. Jayden Coley was also in the contest. Freshmen linemen Jayden Sherwin and Henri Supenski also saw action.
 
FUMBLE!
The Marauders have recovered five fumbles this season to rank 15^th in the country. Additionally UMary has fumbled away the ball twice this season to rank 33^rd nationally for fewest lost fumbles.
 
CAUGHT
Mujeeb Rufai has made an immediate impact in the Marauders passing game. A transfer from the University of Idaho, the junior from Portland, OR, has 37 catches for 339 yards and two TDs. He had a spectacular 1-handed TD catch at Augie in the opener. Rufai had 12 catches for 88 yards in his home debut against Sioux Falls. In his next home game he added another nine catches for 60 yards against Bemidji State. At CSP he caught nine passes for the second straight week for a season-best 120 yards and a TD.
 
SACKED
LB Mason Phillips ranks 6th in the NSIC in sacks with 3.0. He posted two against Sioux Falls – including one resulting in a recovered fumble – and had one against Bemidji State. The sophomore also posted a pair of sacks last season and has 5.0 for his career. Phillips also leads the team with 4.0 tackles for loss among his 23 stops (12 solo).  
 
SCORE
Traivon Dyson is the team leader in touchdowns with four, all on receptions from Jesse Forknell. He caught a pair of touchdown passes in the Marauders home opener against the Cougars when the sophomore from Las Vegas, NV, hauled in a career-best six catches for 88 yards. In five games Dyson has 20 catches for 251 yards and four TDs. As a freshman in 2022 he caught three passes for 40 yards and a TD.
 
BOOM
Kevin Powell is averaging a career-best 38.1 yards/punt on 27 attempts. The junior's previous top average was 35.3 last season. He has a career-best 57 yarder this year. With two punts over 50 yards this year in five games he has doubled his career total. Powell also has dropped four inside the 20 yard line… After a 2-for-2 effort at Concordia-St. Paul, he is 5-for-6 on field goals, a career-high for makes. His 83.3% conversion rate on field goals ranks 33^rd in the country… Doing a little of everything against Bemidji State, Powell made a field goal and an extra point, punted 8 times for a 33.1 yard average, had a tackle and threw a 25 yard competed pass to convert on a 4th down.
 
EXPERIENCE UP FRONT
The Marauders offensive line is the most experienced starting group, featuring five players who have seen an impressive amount of action. Seniors Drake Lalim (LT) and Conner Paul (G) are four-year starters, keying the Marauders line play since their freshmen season in 2019. Melvin Hudson is a three-year starter at right tackle, moving into the lineup game one as a redshirt freshman. Mika Fuamatu, a junior, saw limited action at guard as a freshman before moving into the lineup last year as a sophomore. Bismarck native Carter Smith earned multiple starts at guard last season as a freshman.
 
FAMILY MATTERS
Ryan Woroniecki's older brother Adam also played football for the Marauders… Cameron Brusven and Karsyn Jablonski are 2nd generation Marauders as both of their father's played at UMary played football for the Marauders.
 
CAPTAIN MY CAPTAIN
Seniors Drake Lalim and Ryan Woroniecki are the 2023 team captains. Lalim is entering his 4th year starting at left tackle for UMary and is a native of Saint Stephen, Minn. A linebacker, Woroniecki hails from Hebron, ND, and competed for Richardton-Taylor HS… The Marauders will also select two scholar-athletes to serve as gameday captains each week.
 
2023 NUMBERS

• 36 Senior captain and left tackle Drake Lalim has started 36 straight games for the Marauders since moving into the lineup the third game of his freshman season in 2019 and has played in 38 straight games
• 33 Senior guard Conner Paul has started 33 games in his Marauders career. His string of 28 straight was interrupted by injury late last season.  
• 27 Junior Melvin Hudson has the 2nd longest starting streak on the Marauders with 27, starting every game at right tackle since his freshman year in 2021
• 27 WR Collin Gapen and K/P Kevin Powell have also played in 27 straight games for the Marauders with Jakob Petry (25) close behind.
• 11 Marauders made their starting debuts for UMary in the opener at Augustana, including seven on defense
• 6 starters made their Marauers debut against Augustana, including a pair of true freshmen – RB Andrew Trandahl and OL/TE Henri Supenski
• 30 Marauders saw their first-ever action at UMary in the opener, including seven true freshmen and 10 redshirt freshmen
• 50 Marauders return from last season
• 16 returners have started one or more games for UMary and 32 have taken to the field for the Marauders
• 9 seniors, 19 juniors, 15 sophomores, 17 redshirt freshmen and 31 true freshmen

 
THEY'RE BACK
Among starters returning on defense are DL Grant Collins, DL Caden Green and LB Mason Phillips. Offensive returning starters include offensive linemen Drake Lalim, Conner Paul, Melvin Hudson, Carter Smith and Mika Fuamata, TE Luke Bodine and WRs Collin Gapen, Traivon Dyson and Jaxon Young… JR QB Jesse Forknell started two games in 2022, both Marauders wins. He earned NSIC Offensive Player of the Week honors for delivering an overtime win over Northern State. 
 
NSIC CHANGES
In 2023, Northern Sun football will consist of 13 teams with each team playing 10 conference games over an 11-week schedule. The NSIC will award an overall champion based on win percentage over the 10 NSIC contests. Ties will not be broken for the overall champions. This is the first time since 2010 NSIC teams will not play 11 conference contests. There are no North or South divisions for the first time since 2007, the first season the Marauders officially competed in the NSIC… The Marauders will take advantage of the open weekend in the conference schedule to host Davenport University in a nonconference contest on October 21, providing the Marauders six home dates with five road games in 2023.
 
LALIM NAMED MARAUDERS NSIC OFFENSIVE PLAYER TO WATCH
A senior from Saint Stephen, MN, Drake Lalim has anchored the Marauders offensive line at left tackle since he was a true freshman. After serving as a reserve his first two collegiate games, he moved into a starting role in his third game and has started 32 straight games for the Marauders. Lalim, a team captain since his sophomore year, earned All-NSIC honorable mention selection as freshman in 2019 and protected the Marauders quarterback's blind side as UMary led the nation in passing in 2021. He is also an NSIC all-academic team member.
 
COLLINS NAMED MARAUDERS NSIC DEFENSIVE PLAYER TO WATCH
Grant Collins moved into a starting spot on the defensive line last season as a sophomore after playing a key role on the line as a redshirt freshman in 2021. Now a junior, he native of Peoria, AZ, started all 11 games in 2022 and recorded 24 tackles. He had 2.5 tackles for loss – including a sack – and recovered a fumble. An NSIC All-Academic Team selection last fall, Collins set a career-high for tackles with five in the Marauders home win in overtime against Northern State.
 
MARAUDERS FOOTBALL QUICK FACTS
History | 35th varsity season (JV season 1987, varsity 1988)
Record - overall (through 2022) | 189-172-1
Record - conference | 130-137
Record - postseason | 6-10
Playoff appearances | 9 (1993, '95, '96, '98, '99, '00, 01, '02, '03)
Conference Titles | 7 (1992, '96, '98, '99, '01, '02, '04)
Home Field (capacity) | MDU Resources Community Bowl (7,000)
Surface | FieldTurf
 
FOOTBALL STAFF
Head Coach | Shann Schillinger, 1st year (Montana)
Offensive Coordinator | David Schramm, 1st year
Defensive Coordinator | Ben Davis, 9th year (MacMurray, '11)
Offensive Line | Mark Martin, 5th season (St. Cloud St., '01)
Wide Receivers | Jack Neuheisel, 1st year
Special Teams/Safeties | Van Cooper, 1st year
Tight Ends | Tom Johnson, 2nd year (UMary, '17)
Running Backs | Markell Pete, 1st year
Secondary | Jayden Dawson, 1st year
 
Head Athletic Trainer | Rhonda Olson
Strength Coach | Michael Silbernagel
Asst. Strength Coach | Danielle Mize
Equipment Manager | Wayne Norman
Chaplain | Father Jarad Wolf
 
SHANN SCHILLINGER – YEAR 1 LEADING THE MARAUDERS
Former NFL player and Baker, MT, native Shann Schillinger leads the Marauders onto the field for the first time in front of the home fans on Saturday when UMary hosts the University of Sioux Falls in week two of the 2023 season. A former star at the University of Montana and the 8th head coach in UMary program history, Schillinger has coached in both the NCAA Division I Big Ten and Big Sky conferences and is a Montana Football Hall of Fame inductee.
 
Winning is a common theme throughout Schillinger's career. Between high school and college Schillinger's teams posted 100 victories and only seven defeats. A team captain, Schillinger won three state titles during his four years at Baker HS (2001-04) as quarterback and defensive back while coached by his uncle Don Schillinger, one of the winningest prep coaches in Montana history.
 
Dubbed "the fastest man from Baker, MT," his accolades made him a highly recruited college prospect before signing on with the Grizzlies as a safety. Schillinger helped lead the Grizzlies to two Football Championship Series (FCS) title games while also earning All-Big Sky Conference honors. Twice he was honored with the Tony Barbour Award, given annually to the "player who best exemplifies outstanding practice habits and makes an unselfish contribution to the betterment of the Grizzly football team." He ranks among the best in Montana history with 257 career takedowns and 11 career interceptions.
 
After a star-studded career with the University of Montana Grizzlies, NFL fans heard Schillinger's name called on national TV by the Atlanta Falcons in the 6th round of the 2010 NFL Draft. Drafted as the 171st overall pick, Schillinger played four years in the NFL as a safety from 2010 to 2013 with the Falcons and Tennessee Titans.
 
Schillinger's full-time coaching career began after the NFL in 2015 as a special teams and defensive backs assistant for the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers. He returned to his alma mater in Missoula to coach special teams and safeties from 2016 to 2021 and served as the team's pro scout liaison.
 
2022 REWIND

• All-NSIC performers WR Danny Kittner, Logan Nelson and Dave Small Jr. wrapped up impressive carers with the Marauders at the end of the 2022 season.
• Kittner, Small and Ty'Rhae Gibson earned All-NSIC honors
• All-American WR Danny Kittner shattered NSIC and Marauders career records for receptions (291) and receiving yards (3,651) while catching 29 receiving touchdowns. He is 4th all-time in school history in receiving touchdowns (29) and 3rd in total touchdowns (31)… He had 90 catches for 986 yards and 5 TDs in 2022.
• All-American QB Logan Nelson passed for 6,417 yards and 62 touchdowns in his career at UMary, completing 60.0% of his passes (499-of-825) with just 26 interceptions. He is 3rd all-time at UMary in passing yards and TD passes. In 2021 he triggered the Marauders passing attack that led the nation in yards passing/game.
• Kittner (Bears) and Nelson (Vikings) both earned NFL Rookie Camp invitations in May 2023
• The Marauders played eight teams with winning records at game time
• Marauders opponents had a winning percentage over .550 for the year
• 7 of 11 Marauders games in 2022 were one possession games, including 6 of 9 losses
• During the 2021-22 seasons UMary played ten contests decided by one possession (8 or fewer points)
• UMary owned second half leads in losses to Wayne State, Winona State, #23 Minnesota State, #14 Sioux Falls and MSU Moorhead. Wayne State scored the winning touchdown with 1:46 left in the game and Minnesota State with 1:57 remaining.

 
2023 MARAUDERS FOOTBALL TICKETING FAQs

• Tickets are $20 at the gate (cash only) and $15 (plus fees) online
• Tickets purchased online at www.UMaryTickets.com or via the HomeTown Fan app (iOS and Android) receive a $5 discount (minus fees) per ticket vs. cash purchases at the gate
• Tickets purchased at the gate are CASH ONLY transactions
• ATMs are located near the main ticketing gates for Marauders home games
• Debit and credit card purchases are ONLINE ONLY at www.umarytickets.com or via the HomeTown Fan App
• UMary students and faculty and staff with their MCard are admitted FREE
• Youth 12 and younger with an adult are admitted FREE
• Any youth 12 and under unaccompanied by an adult are charged a $5 admission fee at the gate (cash only)
• All ticket sales are FINAL at time of purchase, whether online or at the gate

 
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