THIS WEEK
Playing away from home for the second straight week after a victory at Southwest Minnesota State, the University of Mary returns again to southern Minnesota. In the Marauders final road trip of the season, UMary visits #18 Minnesota State University on Saturday, November 9. Kickoff is 12 noon at Blakeslee Stadium in Mankato, MN.
 
THE RECORDS
The Marauders are 2-7 overall in 2024 with a 1-7 record in the Northern Sun… The Mavericks are 7-2 overall and 6-2 in the NSIC.
 
LAST WEEK
UMary went on the road and defeated Southwest Minnesota State 15-6… Minnesota State defeated Northern State on the road 24-14.
 
MARAUDERS-MAVERICKS SERIES HISTORY

• This is the 8^th meeting between the Marauders and the Mavericks
• The Mavericks have captured all seven meetings
• This is the 3^rd straight UMary—MSU game to be played in Mankato

LAST MEETING The Marauders suffered a heartbreaking 31-28 loss on September 24, 2022. Former MSU QB Jesse Forknell made his UMary debut on the final drive of the game and drove the Marauders to the MSU 1 yard line before a deflected pass was intercepted with six seconds to play to seal the win for the Mavericks. MSU scored the winning TD with 1:57 to play in the game. Danny Kittner caught 14 passes for 161 yards and threw a TD pass.
 
PAST MARAUDERS-MAVERICKS MEETINGS (Mavericks lead series 7-0)
2008 at Minnesota State 40 UMary 0
2009 Minnesota State 35 at UMary 14
2013 #2 Minnesota State 34 at UMary 21
2015 at #1 Minnesota State 48 UMary 0
2017 #20 Minnesota State 35 at UMary 7
2019 at #3 Minnesota State 74 UMary 17
2022 at #23 Minnesota State 31 UMary 28
 
FOLLOW LIVE

• All Marauders home games and home and away Northern Sun games are streamed live online at www.nsicnetwork.com/goumary and at www.GoUMary.com/coverage 

• Live stats for Marauders football are available online at www.GoUMary.com/coverage

 
MARAUDERS ATHLETICS MOVES ALL LIVE ATHLETICS BROADCASTS ONLINE
Beginning with the 2024-25 athletic season, the University of Mary is moving all athletics broadcasts to online streaming only. All Marauders home games and home and away Northern Sun games will stream live and free of charge at www.nsicnetwork.com/goumary and at www.GoUMary.com/coverage. Join Dan Doherty, the Voice of the Marauders, and Hall of Fame football coach and former UMary athletic director Roger Thomas on the call for all home football games. 
 
GAME 9 REWIND | UMary 15 Southwest Minnesota State University 6
UMary picked up its first NSIC win of the season with a 15-6 road victory at Southwest Minnesota State. Josh Obisui led a tremendous defensive effort with 4.0 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles.

• Trailing 6-0 in the second quarter, the game turned on a 4^th-and-1 play for SMSU at the UMary 41 when Obisui hit SMSU QB Wyatt Oak in the backfield to force a fumble. Maleik Bradford scooped up the loose ball and ran 60 yards for a TD and a 7-6 UMary lead.  
• Matty Horne intercepted an SMSU pass on he Mustangs next play, leading to a 39 yard Kevin Powell field goal and a 10-6 UMary lead at intermission
• Obisui sacked SMSU QB Kendon Krogman in the end zone for a safety in the 3^rd quarter for a 12-6 lead
• Powell drilled a 23 yard field goal with 6:32 remaining to finish a drive keyed by a 31 yard carry by Carl Henry
• Obisui forced a second fumble by SMSU with under a minute to play to secure the win
• Obisui finished the game with four tackles for loss, including a sack for a safety, forced two fumbles and made eight tackles (six solo)
• Mason Phillips made two tackles for loss and 11 total tackles (six solo)
• Carl Henry ran for 108 carries
• Jordan Polo-Solomon threw for 132 yards on 14-of-20 passing
• Ian Kopf blocked an SMSU extra point, his 6^th career block (UMary NCAA era record)
• UMary defense limited SMSU to 12 first downs and 224 yards, season-bests for the Marauders

 
OBISUI NAMED NSIC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Defensive lineman Josh Obisui was rewarded with Northern Sun Football Defensive Player of the Week honors after dominating the line of scrimmage in the Marauders 15-6 win at Southwest Minnesota State University. A relentless performer all game, Obisui forced two fumbles, including one returned for the Marauders lone touchdown of the day, sacked the Mustangs quarterback in the end zone for a safety and made four tackles behind the line of scrimmage. The senior from Worcester, MA, finished with eight tackles on the day, including six solo stops.
 
Obisui changed the dynamic of the game on a 4^th down and 1 yard to go for SMSU at the UMary 41 yard line. Virtually untouched, Obisui knifed into the backfield and separated Mustangs quarterback Wyatt Oak from the ball. UMary defensive back Maleik Bradford scooped up the ball and raced 60 yards for a touchdown to give UMary a 7-6 lead in the second quarter.
 
In the third quarter with the ball on the SMSU 2 yard line, Obisui sacked Kendon Krogman in the end zone for a safety to boost the UMary lead to 12-6.
 
Late in the game Obisui eliminated any chance for a Mustangs rally when he forced a fumble that was recovered by Travis Biery at the SMSU 28 yard line with less than a minute on the clock to cinch UMary's first NSIC win of the season.
 
4.0
The 4.0 tackles for loss by Josh Obisui in a victory at Southwest Minnesota State is the is the most by a UMary defender since Troy Guptill posted 4.5 TFL against Minnesota Crookston in 2013… For the season Obisui is tied with teammate Mason Phillips for fourth in the NSIC in tackles for loss with 9.0. He also has two sacks and two forced fumbles among 28 tackles (21 solo).
 
DEFENSE!
The UMary defense limited Southwest Minnesota State to 6 points, 12 first downs and 224 total yards, one of the Marauders best efforts of the NCAA era starting in 2006.

• The 224 yards allowed is the fewest given up since Northern State gained just 219 in 2010
• The 6 points allowed is the least allowed since holding Minnesota Crookston to 6 points in 2016
• The 12 first downs is the fewest by an opponent since limiting UMC to 11 in 2018

 
CENTURY MARK
Carl Henry ran for a career-high 108 yards at SMSU. The Bismarck, ND, native is the first UMary runner to crack the century mark since Dave Small Jr. ran for 147 yards against Concordia-St. Paul on Oct. 29, 2022.
MARAUDERS LEAD NATION IN DEFENSIVE TDS
The University of Mary leads NCAA Division II in touchdowns scored by the defense. The Marauders are one of 15 teams who have scored four defensive touchdowns this season. Justus Breston returned two interceptions to the house in the opener, Jaylen Martin had a 43 yard fumble return for a touchdown against Minnesota Duluth and Maleik Bradford returned a fumble 60 yards for a touchdown at Southwest Minnesota State.
 
THE TURNOVER TOUCH

• The Marauders have forced 19 turnovers this season, the 12^th most in the nation
• UMary ranks 6^th nationally in fumbles recovered (9) and 36^th in interceptions (10)
• During a three-game stretch against #RV Minnesota Duluth (3 turnovers), #21 Bemidji State (4 turnovers) and Concordia-St. Paul (3 turnovers), UMary forced 10 turnovers.
• 5 times this season UMary has forced 3 or more turnovers (3 v Jamestown, 3 v Minnesota Duluth, 4 at Bemidji State, 3 at SMSU)
• UMary ranks 1^st in the NSIC in fumble recoveries and 2^nd in interceptions

 
PRECIOUS COMMODITY
The Marauders are +5 in turnover margin this season. UMary has committed 14 turnovers (11 interceptions, 3 fumbles lost) while forcing 19 turnovers (10 interceptions, 9 fumbles recovered).

• UMary is 43^rd nationally in turnover margin (+.44 per game) 

 
IN A (PASS) RUSH
The Marauders have 14 sacks through nine games after posting 13.5 sacks in the 2023 season. Mason Phillips leads the way with 4.5. Grant Collins is right behind with 3.0. Josh Obisui has 2.0 while Christopher Federico, Tofa Wilson, Christian Arteaga and Cameron Brusven own 1.0 sacks each while Jakob Petry has 0.5 sacks.
 
RETURNED FOR A TOUCHDOWNNNNN!
The Marauders have five touchdowns on returns this season:

• Justus Breston returned two interceptions to the house in the opener against Jamestown
• Andrew Trandahl returned a kickoff 89 yards for the score at Sioux Falls
• Jaylen Martin had a 43 yard fumble return for a touchdown against Minnesota Duluth
• Maleik Bradford returned a fumble 60 yards at SMSU

 
RED ZONE D
The Marauders rate 5^th in the NSIC in red zone defense as opponents are scoring on 76.3% of their possessions. UMary has stopped the opposition twice by interceptions, twice on downs and twice by fumble.
 
FOURTH AND FINAL
Opponents are converting only 20% of their 4^th down attempts against UMary, the top defensive conversion rate in the NSIC and 4^th best in NCAA Division II. Teams have earned a first down just three times in 15 opportunities.
 
RANKED
Six of the Marauders nine NSIC opponents this season were either nationally ranked (#14 Augustana, #21 Bemidji State, #24 Wayne State, #18 Minnesota State) or receiving votes (Minnesota Duluth, Sioux Falls) at game time.
 
DYNAMIC DUO
Mujeeb Rufai and Karsyn Jablonski give the Marauders two of the top 20 players in the NSIC in receptions this season. Rufai is 7^th in receptions with 44 catches for 455 yards and two TDs. Jablonski is 19^th in receptions with 26 catches for 392 yards and two touchdowns.
 
STOP!
Christian Federico is 5^th in the NSIC with 7.7 tackles per game. The sophomore linebacker has 69 total tackles (45 solo). He has 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.0 sacks.
 
BLOCK PARTY
Ian Kopf is the Marauders all-time NCAA leader in blocked kicks with six. He set the record when he rejected a Jamestown extra point attempt in the opener for the 5^th of his career and added a PAT block at SMSU. The junior from Walla Walla, WA, posted a pair of blocks each of the previous two seasons to go with two this year. Kopf was named the NSIC Player of the Week in his freshman season of 2022 when he blocked a pair of extra points in a 27-26 UMary overtime win over Northern State. His second block of the game came in overtime. The Marauders previous NCAA-era leader in blocked kicks was defensive lineman Brock Pittsley. The all-NSIC performer had four from 2014-17.
 
BALL SECURITY
After six games without losing a fumble, the Marauders lost a fumble for the first time this season in game seven at Winona State. UMary was one of the last nine teams in the nation to not lose a fumble. For the season the Marauders have only lost three fumbles.
 
BEHIND ENEMY LINES
Mason Phillips owns 9.0 tackles for loss this season, including 4.5 sacks. He ranks 4^th in the NSIC with 1.0 TFL/game. He is also 9^th in the NSIC in sacks/game (.50).
 
AIR GUARD
Justus Breston, the NSIC and D2Football.com Player of the week after retuning two interceptions for touchdowns in the Week 0 season opener, is among the NSIC leaders in passes defended. He is 4^th in the NSIC with three interceptions and has also broken up five other passes for eight total passes defended. His average of .89 is 3^rd in the NSIC… Jakob Petry ranks 12^th in the NSIC at 0.67 passes defended/game (4 breakups, 2 interceptions).
 
SACKED
With two sacks in the season opener and 4.5 total in 2024, Mason Phillips is on his way to cracking the Marauders All-Time career leader board. In his third season, the junior linebacker has corralled opposing QBs 13 times in his career (2.0 in 2022, 6.5 in 2023, 4.5 in 2024). All-American LB Grant Singer is #12 all-time at UMary with 16. 
 
EXPERIENCE
Several Marauders have played more than 20 games for the Marauders:

• Kevin Powell has played in every game since his freshman season in 2021 as the Marauders punter and kicker, a string of 42 straight games
• A starter at right tackle since game one as a freshman, senior Melvin Hudson has played in 39 games, all starts. Hudson has also gone two years without allowing a sack.
• Sr. LB Jakob Petry has been a part of 40 UMary football games
• Sr. DL Grant Collins has competed in 35 UMary games
• Junior tight end Luke Bodine has played 32 games
• Sr. Caden Green has appeared in 31 games on the defensive line
• KR Jaxon Feller has appeared in 29 games
• WR Jaxon Young has played in 30 games, missing just one contest in three seasons
• Jr. Mason Phillips has played 29 games at linebacker
• Ian Kopf has played in 29 games on the defensive line
• Jr. LB Eli Heinrich has been in 25 career games
• JR OL Mika Fuamatu has played in 24
•  games

 
NCAA LEADER BOARD
Sofian Massoud

• #29 completion percentage (64.2)
• #38 completions/game (17.4)

Mujeeb Rufai

• #44 receptions/game (4.9)

Justus Breston

• #59 interceptions/game (0.3)

Christopher Federico

• #21 solo tackles (5.0/game)
• #63 tackles (7.7/game)

Matty Horne

• #11 fumbles recovered (2)

Ian Kopf

• #13 Blocked Kicks (2)

 
NCAA TEAM RANKINGS
#1 defensive touchdowns (4)
#4 4^th down conversion % defense (20%)
#6 fumbles recovered (9)
#12 turnovers gained (19)
#18 fewest penalties/game (5.11)
#26 blocked kicks (4)
#27 completion percentage (.634)
#35 fewest fumbles lost (4)
#36 passes intercepted (10)
#39 Fewest penalty yards/game (50.1)
 
CAPTAINS
Sofian Massoud, Jakob Petry, Mujeeb Rifai and Mason Phillips have served as the Marauders captains this season.
 
UMARY FOOTBALL'S STEFFAN AMONG 2024 HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
Tyler Steffan (Football 2008-12), the 1st UMary football player to earn NCAA All-American honors, was enshrined in the Marauders Hall of Fame during homecoming on October 4. A devastating weapon at wide receiver, Tyler used his size, speed, and athleticism to make big plays all over the field. He led the nation with 17 TD catches in 2011 and ranks 2nd in career TD catches (30) and 4th in catches (162) and yards (2,494).
 
QUICK HITTERS

• Among the 58 Marauders who played in the season opener, 16 were playing in their first game for the Orange & Blue
• 10 of the Marauders 11 game 1 starters on offense started games last season with senior transfer WR Kalani Washington (transfer from Sacramento State) the lone newcomer. Since then Jaydon Coley (TE/G) and OL Leo Togia have also earned starts. 
• 10 of the 11 Marauders game 1 starting defenders also played for UMary last season with JR LB Tuakoi Mahe (transfer from Chabot College) the lone new face. Since then CB Justus Breston has also earned a start. 
• WR Karsyn Jablonski, LT Elliot Kooiker and RB Jeremiah Moore – all sophomores – are the lone underclassmen in the offensive starting lineup
• Defensively the Marauders have started four sophomores – LB Chris Federico and DBs Antwon Jenkins Jr., Abram Jopp and Treyton Horstman
• Head coach Shann Schillinger is in his second season at the helm of the Marauders
• The Marauders opened the season with 98 players on the roster
• UMary returns 64 players from last fall, including 47 Marauders who saw action last season
• BY CLASS: 18 true freshmen, 13 Redshirt Freshmen, 24 sophomores, 25 juniors, 18 seniors/graduate students. 
• 26 players who started at least one game for UMary in 2023 return (15 offense, 11 defense)
• The incoming class features 18 freshmen and 16 transfers

 
FAMILY MATTERS
Ryan Woroniecki's older brother Adam also played football for the Marauders… Cameron Brusven and Karsyn Jablonski are 2nd generation Marauders as their father's played football for the Marauders.
 
TWO TRAVELING TROPHIES
The Marauders play two games annually for travelling trophies. UMary is a combined 12-15 in trophy games. The Marauders are 8-9 in the "Battle for the Paddle" with MSU Moorhead and 4-6 in the "Battle for the Big Lake" against Minot State.
 
BRESTON NAMED NSIC, D2FOOTBALL.COM DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Justus Breston picked up a pair of impressive honors following his stunning Marauders debut. The junior defensive back from Atlanta, GA, returned a pair of interceptions for touchdowns (25 and 47 yards) and broke up another pass in UMary's 23-6 Week 0 win over the University of Jamestown.
 
For his efforts Breston was named the D2Football.com national defensive player of the week, a first for a UMary player. The only other Marauders to previously claim D2Football.com weekly honors were Tyler Ryan (special teams in 2013) and Danny Kittner (offense 2021).
 
The transfer from Chabot College was also the Northern Sun defensive player of the week. Breston was the UMary player to earn NSIC weekly accolades since Kittner earned offensive honors on October 24, 2022. The last UMary player to earn defensive honors was Paul Guptill in the final game of the 2019 season.
 
MUJEEB RUFAI NAMED MARAUDERS OFFENSIVE PLAYER TO WATCH IN NSIC
A transfer from the University of Idaho, Mujeeb Rufai immediately played a major role in the Marauders offense in 2023. The senior wide receiver from Portland, OR, caught a team-high 65 passes for 569 yards and three touchdowns. Rufai snared a season-high 12 passes against the University of Sioux Falls and posted nine receptions for 120 yards and a touchdown at Concordia-St. Paul.
 
MASON PHILLIPS NAMED THE MARAUDERS DEFENSIVE PLAYER TO WATCH IN NSIC
Mason Phillips provided tremendous pressure in opponent's backfields last year as the junior linebacker led the Marauders with 6.5 sacks and 9.0 tackles for loss. The native of Gilbert, AZ, also forced and recovered a fumble. Phillips posted a pair of sacks and forced a fumble against USF while making a sack and forcing a fumble in a win over Southwest Minnesota State University. He was 5th in the NSIC in sacks and 13th in tackles for loss.
 
UMARY PICKED 13^th IN NSIC PRESEASON POLL
UMary was picked to finish 13th in the 2024 NSIC Football Preseason Coaches' Poll. Minnesota Duluth sits atop the rankings, followed by Augustana, Minnesota State, Wayne State, Bemidji State, MSU Moorhead, Winona State, Sioux Falls, Northern State, Concordia-St. Paul, Southwest Minnesota State, Minot State and UMary. 
 
MARAUDERS FOOTBALL QUICK FACTS
History | 36th varsity season (JV season 1987, varsity 1988)
Record - overall (through 2023) | 191-181-1
Record - conference | 132-145
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, 2^nd year (Montana, '10)
Offensive Coordinator | David Schramm, 2^nd year (San Diego State, '88)
Defensive Coordinator | Ben Davis, 10^th year (MacMurray, '11)
Offensive Line | Mark Martin, 6^th season (St. Cloud State, '01)
Wide Receivers | Renato Diaz, 1^st season (University of South Florida, '83)
Defensive Backs/Asst. Special Teams Coordinator | Van Cooper, 2^nd year (Montana, '07)
Inside Linebackers | Tom Johnson, 3^rd year (University of Mary, '17)
Outside Linebackers / Pro Scout Liaison | Eli Alford, 1^st year (Montana, '23)
Running Backs / Recruiting Coordinator | Gavin Robertson, 1^st year (Montana, '22)
Tight Ends | Eli Stewart, 1^st year (United States Naval Academy, '22)
 
Equipment Manager | Wayne Norman
Chaplain | Father Jarad Wolf
 
STAT CITY | NCAA DIVISION II FINAL 2023 RANKINGS FOR RETURNERS
Mujeeb Rufai #19 receptions/game (5.9)
Eli Heinrich #22 fumble recoveries (2)
Jaxon Feller #6 combined kick return yards (772)
Ian Kopf #16 blocked kicks (2)
Kevin Powell #47 in punting (39.1 yards/punt)
Kevin Powell #14 field goal percentage (.769) and #38 in field goals made/game (0.91)
Sofian Massoud #36 completion percentage (0.619)
 
TEAM STAT CITY | NCAA DIVISION II FINAL 2023 RANKINGS FOR RETURNERS
#20 4^th down conversion (.591)
#16 Blocked kicks allowed (1)
#49 Blocked kicks (3)
#33 Completion percentage (,619)
#16 Fewest penalties/game (4.82)
#28 fewest penalty yards/game (48.3)
#28 Fumbles lost (5)
#32 fumbles recovered (9)
#14 kickoff return defense (16.0) 
#36 Turnovers lost (15)
 
SHANN SCHILLINGER – YEAR 2 LEADING THE MARAUDERS
Former NFL player and Baker, MT, native Shann Schillinger leads the Marauders onto the field for his second season in 2024 after taking over as UMary head coach in 2023. 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.
 
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