MINOT, ND – The Battle for the Big Lake lived up to its name as visiting University of Mary and Minot State University exchanged leads four times in the second half, including twice in the final two minutes. But the Marauders hopes to retain the Big Lake trophy ran out of time with the Beavers claiming a 34-31 win.
UMary had won the previous two Big Lake Trophy games.
The Marauders (3-6 overall, 2-6 NSIC, 1-4 NSIC North) scored the first ten points of the game. John Griard capped UMary's opening possession with a 25-yard field goal in a drive keyed by a 39-yard catch by
Karsyn Jablonski on a 4
th-and-2 play.
A 1-yard scoring run by
Carl Henry two plays into the second quarter increased the Marauders lead to 10-0.
After struggling offensively against a rugged UMary defense, the Beavers (3-6 overall, 3-5 NSIC, 2-2 NSIC North) responded to the Henry score with a 12-yard scoring run by Brandon Hines Jr. with 7:41 to play in the half. The Beavers then intercepted a pass and took possession at the UMary 30-yard line. Hines capped the scoring drive with a 7-yard run at the 3:45 mark to give the Beavers a 14-10 lead.
With four seconds left in the half, the Marauders drove the field and pulled within 14-13 at intermission on a 40-yard field goal by Girard.
Minot State opened the second half scoring when Jett Lundeen hauled in a 25-yard touchdown pass off a reverse to increase the Beavers lead to 20-13.
Immediately the Marauders responded with a 13-play 74-yard scoring drive capped by a 5-yard scoring pass from
Ryan Blair to
Andrew Trandahl. A 2-point conversion run by
Hudsen Sheldon gave UMary a 21-20 lead with 5:12 to play in the third quarter.
A Beavers fumble on their first play after the UMary touchdown was recovered by
Jack Stouffer. Moments later a 36-yard field goal by Girard increased the UMary lead to 24-20.
Early in the fourth the Beavers regained the lead 27-24 with 11:36 to play in the game on a 1-yard scoring run by Lundeen.
Unable to score on their next possession, the Marauders defense forced a 3-and-out for the Beavers to get the ball back for the offense. A 12-yard punt return by Jaquawn Brackenridge Jr. and a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty on the home team gave the UMary the ball at the MSU 29 with 7:34 to go.
Twice UMary was forced to convert on 4
th down. Facing a 4
th-and-8, Blair hit Brackenridge for an 8-yard gain. Originally marked short, a replay review showed Brackenridge had enough yards for the first down. Four plays later Sheldon ran for 5 yards on a 4
th-and-1 to put the ball at the MSU 5. Two plays later Henry forced his way into the end zone from the 1- yard line with 1:53 to play to push UMary back in front 31-27.
Taking over at their own 20-yard line, the Beavers went to the air. Keyed by a 37-yard pass from Lundeen to Shinn at the UMary 33, a Matyas Bily 28-yard scoring strike from Lundeen provided the Beavers with the winning points with 44 seconds remaining.
With the ball at the MSU 25, the Marauders moved quickly as Blair connected with
Desmond Duffy for a 31-yard pass play on the first snap. A 13-yard catch by Brackenridge followed by a 2-yard catch by
Ethan Heinrich eventually set up a 51-yard field goal attempt with two seconds left in the game. The kick had the distance but overtime eluded the Marauders as the ball narrowly missed to the right.
BY THE NUMBERS
- The Marauders finished with 19 first downs and 358 yards, including 324 through the air
- Minot State had 18 first downs and 342 yards with 194 on the ground. The Beavers completed all eight of their passes.
- One of the least-penalized teams in the nation entering the game, the Marauders were flagged 12 times for 99 yards. The Beavers had nine penalties for 83 yards.
- UMary was a perfect 7-for-7 on 4th down conversion attempts and 5-for-5 in red zone scoring opportunities
- UMary held a 36:37-23:23 edge in time of possession
- Ryan Blair completed 25-of-36 passes for 324 yards with one TD and no interceptions
- Carl Henry carried 12 times for 15 yards and two TDs
- Karsyn Jablonski caught six passes for 127 yards
- Jaquawn Brackenridge had seven catches for 71 yards
- Christopher Federico made 13 tackles (six solo)
- Abram Jopp had eight solo stops and 11 total
- John Girard was 3-for-4 on field goals and made both extra point kicks
- Jett Lundeen was 7-for-7 passing for the Beavers with 123 yards and 1 TD. He also ran for 61 yards and a score.
- Brandon Hines Jr. ran for 2 TDs and 61 yards for MSU
- Austin Young led the Beavers with 12 tackles and Meshach Arthur had 2.5 tackles for loss
NEXT UP
The Marauders close out their 2026 road schedule with a visit to Winona State University on Saturday, November 7.
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