BISMARCK, ND – A quick-strike start combined with a dramatic finish lifted the University of Mary football team to a 32-28 win over visiting Southwest Minnesota State University.
Mujeeb Rufai hauled in a 6 yard touchdown pass from
Jesse Forknell with 37 seconds left in the game to give the Marauders a victory on Senior Day.
The win was the second straight for the Marauders, who defeated visiting Minot State a week prior 27-23 in the Battle for the Big Lake.
Down 28-17 entering the fourth quarter, the Marauders used multiple big plays on both sides of the ball to claim the comeback win.
Mason Phillips started the cavalcade of clutch plays when he sacked Mustangs quarterback Marcus Martin for a 12 yard loss on a 4
th and 4 play from the UMary 26. Three plays later the Marauders found the end zone.
Starting at the UMary 38, Forknell hit
Traivon Dyson for a 21 yard gain. Two plays later Dyson, left uncovered, hauled in a 38 yard scoring pass lofted over the top of the Mustangs defense from Forknell. A 2-point conversion on a pass from Forknell to Rufai closed the gap to 28-25 with 8:35 to play.
Ian Kopf next stepped forward for the Marauders, blocking a 30 yard field goal attempt with 2:46 left to play and the ball now on the UMary 38 yard line.
Behind 10 yard runs by both
Jeremiah Moore and Forknell, the Marauders picked up short chunks of yardage to matriculate down the field. Facing 4
th and 1 at the SMSU 30, Forknell connected with Rufai for 8 yards and another first down. Three plays later and Forknell delivered the winning strike to Rufai in the back of the end zone from six yards out. After
Kevin Powell drilled the extra point, the Marauders led 32-28 with 37 seconds to play in the game.
The Marauders pinned the Mustangs deep on the subsequent kickoff as Treyton Horstman made a tackle at the 15 yard line, limiting SMSU to a 12 yard kick return. Now with the Mustangs pinned deep, Phillips had his second sack of the day, dropping Martin at the 7 yard line to effectively end the game.
UMary started the game fast. After Reggie Morrow forced a fumble on the second play of the day that was recovered by Phillips in SMSU territory, the Marauders needed just four plays to score. Facing a 4
th and 2 from the SMSU 34, Dyson slipped through the Mustangs defense uncovered and was hit over the top by
Sofian Massoud for a 34 yard touchdown reception and an early 7-0 lead.
The Mustangs then took over, scoring one touchdown in the 1
st quarter and two in the second to take a 21-7 lead. With Forknell now under center, the Marauders drove 74 yards in 11 plays to pull within 21-14 at half on an
Amir Bankhead 2 yard run with 41 seconds left before intermission.
On the opening drive of the second half, the Marauders took advantage of a 17 yard run by Powell out of punt formation on 4
th and 10 from the UMary 25 to draw the game closer. Powell capped a 15 play 71 yard drive with a 20 yard field goal, pulling the Marauders within 21-17. SMSU followed with a 12 yard touchdown run on their next possession before UMary seized control of the contest in the final stanza.
Forknell finished with 252 yards passing and two touchdowns while completing 17-of-21 passes. He also ran for 10 yards. Massoud threw for 43 yards and a score.
Dyson caught six passes for 150 yards and two touchdowns. Rufai had four catches for 41 yards and a touchdown.
Karsyn Jablonski added two catches for 63 yards. He also returned a kick for 20 yards.
Phillips had a big day on defense with two sacks and a fumble recovery.
Reginald Morrow had 11 tackles (nine solo), had a tackle for loss and forced a fumble.
Jason Stoddard finished with eight tackles.
Donald Autin led SMSU with 140 yards rushing.
Martin, who completed his first 14 passes of the day, finished 16-of-19 for 179 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for 54 yards and a score.
The Marauders close out the 2023 season at MSU Moorhead on Saturday, November 11, in the Battle for the Paddle with the Dragons.
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