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GRAND FORKS, N.D.  – When University of Minnesota, Crookston athletic director Stephanie Helgeson and other UMC brass decided to move the Golden Eagles' final home game to the Alerus Center in Grand Forks, N.D., Helgeson or anyone else for that matter couldn't have imagined a better Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference football game as UMC upended the University of Mary 37-36 Saturday afternoon in a thrilling affair on the gridiron. The Golden Eagles end the 2012 season with two NSIC victories, more than they have had since 2004 when they picked up victories over Minnesota State University, Moorhead and Wayne State College (Neb.).

With just seconds left on the clock and down 36-29, UMC quarterback A.J. Barge (So., QB, Carrolton, Ga.) pitched the ball out to the edge to freshman running back Talo Pascal (Arlington, Texas), who went in for the one-yard touchdown rush to put the Golden Eagles down 37-36. With a big decision on his hands, head coach Paul Miller decided to go for the win and attempt a two-point conversion. Barge attempted to go to a play that had worked much of the day for UMC as he looked for junior fullback Keith McBride (Lodi, Wis.) in the end zone but the pass was incomplete. A pass interference call gave the Golden Eagles another try and they didn't disappoint.

UMC went to their best offensive player Richard Haley (Sr., RB, Detroit, Mich.), who culminated a great two years at UMC as he dove in over a pile of players from both teams to convert the two-point conversion and send nine Golden Eagle seniors riding off in the sunset victorious.

The game started out like it finished, high-paced by both teams. On the first drive, U-Mary tried to take advantage of the UMC pass defense throwing three deeps balls but were unable to do so against the NSIC's top pass defense as Freedom McCullough (Jr., DB, Valley Village, Calif.) intercepted a Craig Bagnell pass and returned it 19 yards to the U-Mary 29. The Marauders kept the Golden Eagles from the end zone but Stephen Henderson (Sr., PK/TE, Chatsworth, Calif.) hit a career-long 43 yard field goal to best his previous best of 37 earlier this season.

Later in the first quarter, U-Mary was able to exploit the pass defense of UMC as Bagnell hit wide receiver Elby Pope down the middle for a 77-yard touchdown to make it U-Mary 7, UMC 3.

The Golden Eagles came out ready in the second quarter as they would out-score the Marauders 17-9 in the period as they tallied 108 yards through the air and 130 total offensive yards in the second quarter. UMC's scoring started on the first drive of the second quarter after A.J. Barge (So., QB, Carrollton, Ga.) hit his favorite target for the day, McBride, for gains of 26 and 24 yards to put the ball at the U-Mary 21. Barge then found Marcus Cheatham (Jr., WR, Stockton, Calif.) for a 21-yard strike to make it UMC 10, U-Mary 7. The touchdown was Cheatham's seventh of the season.

U-Mary was able to answer with three points on the ensuing drive after the Golden Eagle defense stopped the Marauders on third down. Tyler Ryan hit a 27-yard field goal to knot the score up at UMC 10, U-Mary 10.
The Golden Eagles answered as they went 75 yards on seven plays on the following drive culminating in a little trickery as junior wide receiver Keith Osgood (Goulds,Fla.) took the ball on the reverse and threw it, connecting with Cheatham for 45 yards and the touchdown. The score was Cheatham's eighth touchdown of the season tying Carl Aho's mark from 1998. The score put UMC up 17-10.

The Marauders got the ball on the kickoff but after moving the ball into Golden Eagle territory, Bagnell's pass was intercepted by Paul Webster (Jr., DB, Opalaka, Fla.). Webster returned it to the UMC 28. The Golden Eagles then went 42 yards on 11 plays ending in another Henderson field goal attempt. This time Henderson, playing the best game of his career in his final game of his career, hit a career-long 47 yarder to make it. The field goal made it UMC 20, U-Mary 10.

The Marauders were able to find the end zone on their final drive of the second quarter as they went 65 yards on 10 plays ending in a one-yard touchdown pass from Bagnell to Tyler Steffan. The extra point attempt by Ryan was blocked by UMC linebacker Ricky Jacobs (Jr., Junction City, Kan.) making the score UMC 20, U-Mary 16 and the score would remain that way at half-time.

U-Mary responded with a great quarter of football in the third as they outscored the Golden Eagles 20-9 in the frame.

UMC started off the scoring in the third as they went 75 yards on 10 plays with the biggest play coming as Barge connected with Josh Ross (Fr., WR, Palmdale, Calif.) for a 32-yard completion to move the ball to the U-Mary 21. The Golden Eagles culminated the drive as Barge hit Lucas Foley (So., TE, New Albany, Miss.) for a one-yard touchdown pass to make it UMC 27, U-Mary 16.

The Marauders responded on the next drive as they went 73 yards on eight plays ending with a 19-yard touchdown pass from Bagnell to Steffan. On the extra point attempt, Jacobs came up huge again as he blocked another extra point. Webster picked the ball up and ran 85 yards to pay dirt to give the Golden Eagles two points and make it UMC 29, U-Mary 22.

On the next drive, the Marauders forced a Barge fumble to put them in great field position. They were able to get points off of the turnover as Bagnell hit running back Evan Gross for 11 yards and the touchdown and knot up the score UMC 29, U-Mary 29 after they were able to hit on the point-after attempt.

After the Marauder defense stopped the Golden Eagles, they once again got the football. They went 65 yards on nine plays and took the lead as Bagnell hit D.J. Young for 10 yards in the end zone to make it U-Mary 36, UMC 29.

On the opening drive of the fourth quarter, UMC looked to have an answer for U-Mary as they went 65 yards on 13 plays but were ultimately stopped on downs after taking up 6:58 giving the ball back to the Marauders.

Looking to have the game all but sealed up the Marauders took to their running game to drain the clock. After getting three first downs they were stuck with a third-and-12 on their own 44. Rene Lawson Jr. (Fr., DL, Arlington, Texas) rushed the passer and appeared to have a sack but Drew Selvestra (So., DL, Eagan, Minn.) popped the ball out of Bagnell's bread basket allowing senior Joe Stearly (LB, Blaine, Minn.) to pounce on the ball and give UMC possession at the U-Mary 38 with 4:13 remaining.

After moving the ball to the Marauder 17, the Golden Eagles had a second-and-14 play. Barge connected with Ross, who made a miraculous catch and hung on to the ball despite getting drilled by Scott Maldonado. The play gave UMC a first-and-10 at the one yard line. After stops on first, second and third downs, UMC had one more play with just seconds left on the clock. On fourth-and-goal UMC attempted to go to Osgood in the end zone but the pass was incomplete, however pass interference was called on U-Mary giving the Golden Eagles another chance allowing Pascal to go in for the winning score.

UMC racked up 444 yards of offense compared to U-Mary's 441. They were led by Barge, who had perhaps his best game as a Golden Eagle as he was 26-of-36 for 318 yards and two touchdowns. In the process, Barge set the new school records for most attempts in a season (293) and most completions (168) in a season, breaking Scott Strohmeier's marks. He was aided a lot by McBride, who came into the game with 14 catches for 115 yards, and finished the game with nine catches for 130 yards, as he was lethal coming out of the backfield for UMC. Ross also had a banner day as he had nine catches for 130 yards while Cheatham had four for 79 and two touchdowns.

In the running game, Haley had 29 carries for 87 yards and finished his career with nearly 2,700 yards on the ground and the game-winning two-point conversion.

Defensively, UMC was paced by Andrew “Rock” Hall (Jr., LB, Detroit, Mich.) and Cecil Brown, Jr. (Sr., DB, Edison, Ga.), both with eight tackles. Webster and McCullough each had interceptions for the team. Brown ends the season just shy of Neil Austin's school record for tackles in a season (123) as Brown finished with 114 tackles this year. Brown did end his career as the career leader at UMC for solo tackles.

U-Mary was led on the day by Bagnell who was 24-of-38 for 323 yards and five touchdowns while he threw two picks. His top target was Pope, who had five grabs for 143 yards and a touchdown while Steffan added six catches for 57 yards and two scores. The rushing game for the Marauders was led by Evan Gross, who had 14 carries for 70 yards.

U-Mary's defense was led by Grant Singer's 16 tackles and three tackles for loss. Maldonado added 11 tackles while Troy Guptill had 10.

The Golden Eagle effort sends Brown, Marcus Galan (DB, Pico Rivera, Calif.), Haley, Henderson, Mike Johnson (OL, Almelund, Minn.), Tyler Roed (DB, Devils Lake, N.D.), Austin Schwager (OL, Corona, Calif.), Chris Secrest (K/P, Hollywood, Fla.) and Stearly. Several Golden Eagle seniors came up huge for the Golden Eagles in their final games in the Maroon and Gold.

For more information, visit the Golden Eagle Athletics Web site at www.goldeneaglesports.com.

Follow the Golden Eagles on Facebook at Golden Eagle Sports and on Twitter at @UMCAthletics.

The University of Minnesota, Crookston is an NCAA Division II Institution and a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). The Golden Eagle Equestrian team is a member of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA).