Marauders Football gameday - week 10 vs. Northern State
11.11.2006
THIS WEEK: The University of Mary closes out the 2006 season this Saturday at the NSIC/Merchants Bank Metrodome Classic in Minneapolis, MN. The Marauders will face NSIC foe Northern State University Wolves at 12:00 noon on November 11.
THE RECORDS: U-Mary is 5-4 overall and 5-1 against Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference teams. Since the Marauders play just seven of the other nine NSIC teams, U-Mary is ineligible for the conference title and games against NSIC compadres are considered non-conference contests. Northern State University is 4-6 overall and eighth in the NSIC with a 3-5 mark.
THE SERIES: This is the first meeting between the University of Mary and Northern State.
LAST GAME: U-Mary had last weekend off. The Marauders last played October 28 and defeated Upper Iowa 42-13. Northern State defeated Upper Iowa 26-20 in Fayette, IA.
LAST YEAR: The Marauders finished 2005 with a record of 7-2 in a transitional year between the NAIA and NCAA DII. Northern St. was 6-5 overall (5-2 in the NSIC/3rd place).
FIRST: This will be the first time the University of Mary will participate in the NSIC/Merchants Bank Metrodome Classic. The Metrodome Classic started in 1983 and has been held virtually every year since. Two games (Concordia-St. Paul vs. Minnesota, Crookston and Bemidji State vs. Upper Iowa) will be held Friday, Nov. 10. Three games are scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 11 (U-Mary vs. Northern State, Winona State vs. Wayne State, and MSU Moorhead vs. Southwest Minnesota State).
IN: After missing the Upper Iowa game due to injury, JR QB Blair Sandy (Harvey, ND) is scheduled to play against Northern State.
42: The Marauders scored a season-high 42 points in the 42-13 win over Upper Iowa. It was the most points for U-Mary since scoring 58 at Mayville State 16 games previous.
10: This is the 10th straight season U-Mary has cracked the 40 point barrier. It was the 30th time in 10 years the Marauders hit for at least 40.
FIRST: JR QB Paul Burgess (Sheridan, WY) made his first start of his collegiate career memorable, leading U-Mary to a 42-13 win over UIU. Burgess completed 14-of-20 passes for 170 yards and three touchdowns as the Marauders reached a season-high for points. Burgess rallied U-Mary to victory the week before against MSU Moorhead, becoming the fourth QB to lead the Marauders this season.
LABER PAINS: JR DE Jesse Laber (Napoleon, ND) led the sack attack against UIU, dropping the Peacocks QB 2.5 times out of the seven sacks by the Marauders. For the game, Laber recorded three tackles for loss and five tackles (two solo). Laber is eighth in the NSIC in sacks, recording four solo and two assisted sacks.
THANK YOU SENIORS! Fourteen seniors will play their last game on Saturday for the University of Mary. The 2006 seniors are: Kyle Taylor (TE, Minnetonka, MN), Rod Samuel (WR, Houston, TX), Clint Schilke (LB, Beulah, ND), Jai Shaun White (SS, Las Vegas, NV), Justin Fleck (RB, Mandan, ND), Marcos Sosa (OL, Sacramento, CA), Tyson Roe (OG, Havre, MT), Abe Storms (OT, Pierre, SD), Dan Hanson (C, Bowman, ND), David Ukestad (OT, Jamestown, ND), Tom Goodwin (OG, Yuba City, CA), Kelly McCleary (DL, Napoleon, ND), John Pope (DL, Bismarck, ND) and Travis Rich (LB, Cheyenne, WY). Eleven seniors start for U-Mary, including the complete offensive line. Over the past four years, the University of Mary compiled a record of 31-10, won a Dakota Athletic Conference title, and advanced to the NAIA playoffs twice, reaching the NAIA Elite Eight in 2003.
SACK ATTACK: The Marauders set a season-high with seven sacks and 12 tackles for loss in the victory over UIU. Jesse Laber (Napoleon, ND) led with 2.5 sacks, JR DT Keith McCleary (Napoleon, ND) had 1.5 sacks, and SR LB Clint Schilke (Beulah, ND), SR DL Kelly McCleary (Napoleon, ND), and JR LB Brandon Lewis (Houston, TX) each had one sack.
NAPOLEON DYNAMITE: The complete three-man starting defensive line for the Marauders is from Napoleon, ND, population 857. JR DE Jesse Laber and brothers JR NG Keith McCleary and SR DT Kelly McCleary key a defense that has recorded two shutouts this season. The three are also in the top four for sacks this season. Laber leads the Marauders with five sacks, Kelly McCleary is tied for 2nd with three sacks, and Keith McCleary is 4th with 2.5 sacks. There is also a 4th Napoleon-ite on the team, FR LB Kevin McCleary, who is also a brother to the other McClearys. All four also wrestle for U-Mary. Laber was the NAIA national champion at 197 pounds in 2005 and is a 2-time All-American. Keith McCleary was an All-American heavyweight in 2005.
SEVEN: The Marauders defense held UIU to a season-low seven yards rushing on 24 carries. Impressive by itself, the effort shines even more since Upper Iowa leads the NSIC in rushing, now averaging 152.5 yards per game.
408: The Marauders set a season-high in offensive yards against UIU, gaining 408.
STEAMROLLER: U-Mary ran for a season-high 232 yards against UIU and scored three rushing TDs. SR RB Justin Fleck (Mandan, ND) gained 106 yards on 19 carries and scored two TDs. JR RB Bayland Rippenkroeger (Rio Linda, CA) carried eight times for 58 yards and one TD. He also caught a TD pass.
WIN: After dropping their first four games of the season, U-Mary faced the possibility of a losing season for the first time since 1997. After winning five straight games, the Marauders now have their first winning record of the season. A win against Northern State would guarantee the Marauders a winning record. A loss means U-Mary finishes with a .500 record, something that has never happened in school history. In addition to 1997, U-Mary has experienced only three losing seasons (1988-90), all of which occurred in the college’s first three seasons of varsity football. U-Mary has finished above .500 every other season.
3: SR RB Justin Fleck (Mandan, ND) moved into third place on the all-time Marauders career rushing chart this season. Fleck, with 554 yards rushing this season, has gained 1,811 yards. With one game left in his career, Fleck will probably not climb any higher. He only trails Bobby Wagner (2,864) and Brian Kimball (2,669).
CENTURY: SR RB Justin Fleck cracked the 100-yard barrier for the first time this season against Upper Iowa. Fleck carried 19 times for 106 yards and two TDs. He also caught two passes for 34 yards. He had come close four times, rushing for 94 yards and two touchdowns against MSUM, 99 yards against SCSU, 98 yards at UMC, and 95 yards at SMSU. The only other U-Mary player to reach 100 was QB Blair Sandy vs. UMC (111 yards rushing).
9: This is the 9th straight season U-Mary has compiled at least a four-game winning streak. The Marauders have had a minimum of a 3-game winning streak in 16 consecutive seasons.
TAKE THE 2Q BYPASS... Through the first eight games of the season, the Marauders had scored once in the second quarter, a TD in the win at Bemidji State. U-Mary doubled its season’s 2Q output against UIU, scoring 14 points on two TDs.
SIX PACK: JR WR Matt Wall has caught a touchdown pass in six consecutive games. He has caught a total of seven TDs during that span.
COMMONALITY: U-Mary and Northern State have six common opponents. Both teams defeated SMSU (20-0 U-Mary, 16-8 NSU), UMC (24-0 U-Mary, 31-6 NSU) and UIU (42-13 U-Mary, 26-20 NSU), and both lost to CSP (22-19 U-Mary and 28-20 NSU). U-Mary defeated Bemidji State 27-21 (NSU lost 25-22) and U-Mary beat MSU Moorhead 21-20 (NSU lost 26-15).
CLIMBING THE WALL: With 48 receptions for 694 yards and seven touchdowns, JR WR Matt Wall ranks third in the NSIC in receiving yards per game (77.1) and fifth in receptions per game (5.33). Wall is fifth in the conference in touchdowns and fourth in TD receptions. If U-Mary players were eligible for listing in the NCAA D2 stats, Wall would rank 34th nationally in receptions per game and 33rd in receiving yards/game.
ALL AROUND GOOD GUY: RB Justin Fleck (94.2 yards per game) is sixth in the NSIC in all-purpose yardage (rush, receive, kick-off and punt returns).
STOP: SO LB Shawn Melland (Watford City, ND) leads the Marauders and is 12th in the NSIC in solo tackles with 34. He also had 27 assisted tackles. He is sixth in the NSIC in passes defended (five breakups, three interceptions) and fourth in fumble recoveries (2).
WHITEWASHED: SR safety Jai Shaun White (Las Vegas, NV) is a defensive force. He is tied for second in the NSIC in forced fumbles (2) and 11th in passes defended (five knocked down, one interception).
FEE FI FO FINNEGAN: JR LB Brian Finnegan (Chico, CA) is the second-leading tackler for the Marauders this season, compiling 59 stops (29 solo). He is tied for second in the conference in forced fumbles with two. Finnegan is second on the Marauders in tackles for loss (6.5) and sacks (3).
PICK THREE: JR DB Tyler Ashton (Lyman, WY) and SO LB Shawn Melland (Watford City, ND) are tied for third in the NSIC in interceptions with three picks each. JR CB James Miles (Houston, TX) and JR LB Brandon Lewis (Houston, TX) are right behind with two interceptions.
BOOMER: JR P Saul Helgeson (Bismarck, ND) is fourth in punting in the NSIC. He is averaging 37.5 yards per punt on 46 attempts.
NCAA DII STATUS: 2006 is the second of four scheduled provisional membership seasons for the University of Mary as an NCAA Division II member. U-Mary had an exploratory year in 2004-05. The 2005-06 year was the first for the Marauders as a provisional member in NCAA DII.
NSIC STATUS: This season marks the first year for the Marauders as a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Athletic conference. Due to scheduling issues, however, U-Mary is not eligible for the conference title. Because of prior game commitments that they could not break, Winona (MN) State and Wayne State (NE) are unable to play the Marauders this season. Those scheduling issues should be resolved for 2007, allowing U-Mary to then compete for a conference crown.
QUALITY: Five of the first six opponents for the Marauders this season have all received votes at some point this year in the NCAA DII AFCA Coaches Top-25 Poll. In the Nov. 7 poll, Chadron State is ranked 7th in the nation and Bemidji State is ranked 24th. Concordia-St. Paul, SCSU and UMD have all received votes this year. While Southwest Minnesota State hasn’t received poll consideration this fall, the Mustang’s defense was ranked ninth in the nation prior to the game. U-Mary’s vote-getting opponents this season are a combined 30-19 (CSC 10-0, BSU 8-2, UMD 5-4, CSP 4-6 and SCSU 3-7). Against NSIC teams, including U-Mary games, those five are 16-5. Exclude the games against U-Mary and the record is 12-3.
MARAUDERS LIVE! All U-Mary Marauders football games will be broadcast live on KFYR AM 550. KFYR can be heard in five U.S. states and two Canadian provinces, comprising the largest listening area of any North Dakota radio station. KFYR is also billed as having the largest daytime land coverage of any station in North America. Calling the Marauders play-by-play is Jack Michaels, the former sports announcer for the Fargo-Moorhead Red Hawks professional baseball team. Michaels is joined on the air by color commentator Jeff Groseclose and sideline reporter Rick Anthony.
MARAUDERS ONLINE: If you can’t catch the Marauders on the radio, fans can also listen online at www.umary.edu. The webcast link can be found on the Athletics page.
MARAUDER MINUTES is a five-minute highlights show hosted by Marauders football Head Coach Myron Schulz and KXMB-TV Sports Anchor Dan Williamson. The show airs on KXMB TV (CBS) Sundays at approximately 10:20 p.m. during the football season. A link to “Marauder Minutes” is available on the football page at www.umary.edu.
2006 U-Mary records
Individual single game records
Passing attempts: 54, Blair Sandy vs. Concordia-St. Paul
Passing completions: 31, Blair Sandy vs. Concordia-St. Paul
Longest run from scrimmage: 81 yards, Justin Fleck at St. Cloud State
Team single game records
Passing attempts: 58 at University of Minnesota, Duluth
Passing completions: 31 vs. Concordia-St. Paul
Individual marks
Career rushing: 3rd place, Justin Fleck (1,811 yards with one game remaining).
NEW BEGINNING: The Marauders play their first ever full NCAA Division II schedule this fall. After playing just one NCAA DII school in the first 18 years of U-Mary football, all 10 games in 2006 are against DII opponents, including a very difficult non-conference schedule. “When we couldn’t play Wayne State in a conference game this season, we chose to step up and play two North Central Conference teams in UM-Duluth and St. Cloud State,” said U-Mary head coach Myron Schulz. “NCC teams are allowed 36 scholarships compared to the 24 maximum in the Northern Sun and both teams have played in the NCAA DII playoffs in the last two years. We also chose to play Chadron State because of their playoff history and success in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. This is our season to do some exploratory drilling. If we just play DAC teams, we wouldn’t learn what it takes to get to the next level. It’s going to be exciting to see us grow from where we are now to become like the teams we are playing.”
