Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles
Head Coach:
Mike FritzeRecord at UMC: 2-28 Season at UMC: Third Season
U-Mary Marauders
Head Coach: Josh Kotelnicki
Record at U-Mary: 5-14 Season at U-Mary: Second Season
Oct. 31, 2015 • Bismarck, N.D. • MDU Resources Community Bowl • 1 p.m.
Radio: 1260 KROX AM/105.7 FM Play by Play: Matt Bishop
Internet Radio:
www.kroxam.comVideo:
http://portal.stretchinternet.com/umary/Live Stats:
http://www.sidearmstats.com/mary/football/#5StoryLines
1. Can the Golden Eagle running game continue to flourish like it has in the past two weeks?
2. Can the Golden Eagles find consistency at quarterback?
3. Can the Golden Eagles find success shutting down the run game against U-Mary?
4. Will UMC be able to snap a 12-game losing streak that goes back to Oct. 19, 2013 when they beat MSU Moorhead?
5. Can the Golden Eagles continue to utilize
Adam Connette in several ways in their offense?
#Tidbits
- The Golden Eagles will face-off against fellow 0-8 team University of Mary on the road this weekend as they look to get in the win column for the first time since the 2013 season. One big thing that has come along in recent weeks is the UMC running game led by junior
Dre Person. Person is coming off back-to-back 100 yards games and is just 10 yards away from becoming the first person since Richard Haley in 2012 to rush for over 500 yards for UMC. Person has helped the team move their rushing average to 93.2 yards per game, however the Golden Eagles are actuall averaging 265.5 yards per game in the last two games, including having 360 yards against Northern State two weeks ago. Look for the Golden Eagles to continue to look to produce on the ground.
- One main weakness for UMC this season has been the inconsistency of their starting quarterbacks, whether it has been
Nathan Cole or
Tra Hearns. Both have had good moments, but neither has found the consistency to nail down the job. Hearns is listed as the starter heading into the U-Mary game. He has passed for 449 yards and two touchdowns as a sophomore, while Cole has 963 yards and three touchdowns, but has battled the interception bug with 11 on the season. UMC has a lot of options at wide receiver for the pair of QB's to throw to. The main man has been
Adam Connette, who already has over 1,000 yards receiving in short of two years at UMC. Connette has 36 receptions for 451 yards and two touchdowns on the season.
Constant Jackson has also been strong with 26 receptions for 269 yards and two touchdowns, while freshman
Rodney Stewart has 17 catches for 155 yards.
- Defensively, UMC has been bitten by the injury bug recently. The Golden Eagles should return some key players this week with
Drew Selvestra on the defensive line and
Dion Wallisch in the secondary, scheduled to play. The Golden Eagles are giving up an average of 512.9 yards per game, including 317.1 yards per game on the ground. U-Mary is weaker on the ground than the pass game, but the Golden Eagle can't let the Marauders exploit their run defense like other teams have this season.
- A bright spot for UMC has been punter
Stephen Day, who has had a solid redshirt freshman season, averaging 35.8 yards on punts, including seven inside the 20 and seven over 50 yards. Day will look to continue to improve at the position.
- The Marauders are averaging just 281.4 yards of offense this season. Quarterback Caleb Buck has thrown for over 1,350 yards with two touchdowns and nine interceptions on the season. His top target has been Brennan Doan, who has 42 catches for 377 yards. Tight End Zach Podoll has contributed 25 catches for 204 yards, while Zach Graves has 23 catches for 197 yards. In the running game, Adam Woroniecki has 98 carries for 391 yards with one touchdown.
- Defensively, the Marauders have given up 478.3 yards per game to opponents, which includes an average of 258.6 yards per game through the air and 219.6 yards per game on the ground. They have been led by defensive back Preston Tescher, who has 73 tackles with 1.5 tackles for loss and an interception. In addition, Danielle Whitaker has three interceptions. In the pass rush, Landon Smith has led the way with 46 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and four sacks. Seth Walton has added 6.5 tackles for loss.
