CROOKSTON, Minn. - The University of Minnesota Crookston football team will take on University of Mary in a Homecoming clash Sat., Oct. 15 at 1 p.m. at Ed Widseth Field. The game will pit two 0-6 squads seeking their first win of 2016 as they hit the gridiron Saturday.

Saturday will be a festive atmosphere for the Golden Eagles as they celebrate 50 years of University of Minnesota Crookston with Homecoming. The Golden Eagles will honor several outstanding alumni and Athletic Hall of Fame inductees Cathy (Behr) Helin of women's basketball and the 1992-93 National Championship hockey team.

Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles
Head Coach: Mike Fritze
Record at UMC: 3-36 Season at UMC: Fourth Season

U-Mary Marauders
Head Coach: Josh Kotelnicki
Record at U-Mary: 6-22 Season at U-Mary: Third Season

Oct. 15, 2016 • Crookston, Minn. • Ed Widseth Stadium • 1 p.m. • Homecoming
Video: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/crk/#liveEventsTab
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/umcrookston/football/
Live Audio: www.kroxam.com
Radio: 1260 KROX AM/105.7 FM (Matt Bishop, PXP and Chris Fee, Color/On The Field)

#5StoryLines
1. Can Adam Connette get four receptions and 13 yards to break the records for receptions and receiving yards in a career?

2. Can the Golden Eagles get a Homecoming win over the Marauders?

3. Can the Golden Eagles slow down the Marauders run game led by Zach Podoll and Zack Graves?

4. Can Ali Alkhatib continue making big plays on defense?

5. Will Mike Maw build off his big record-setting weekend against MSU Moorhead?

#JustKickingIt
UMC senior Mike Maw put together the best game of his career with a record-setting four field goals against MSU Moorhead last Saturday. Maw is now 6-of-10 on the season after breaking the record which has been in place since Louie Sylvester matched Scott Turnbull's record in 2000 with three field goals. Maw connected on field goals from 28, 28, 29 and 36. 

#ChasingRecords
UMC wide receiver Adam Connette continues to be the go-to target in the passing game for Nathan Cole. Connette is coming off one of his best games with nine catches for 118 yards against the Dragons. Connette needs just four receptions to break Mark Olsonawski's 18-year old record for receptions and just 13 yards to break Carl Aho's 17-year old record for receiving yards, etching his name in Golden Eagle lore as one of the best receivers in program history. Connette has had a banner year with 40 catches for 450 yards. 

#GettingBackToForm
UMC junior safety Jake Newman has been a key player over the past three years in the secondary for the Golden Eagles. Newman has been missing several times this season due to injury, but he is finally getting back to health. Newman started at the bullet safety position against MSU Moorhead. He finished with seven tackles on the game. Newman will look to continue to be a factor as UMC heads into this weekend's homecoming match-up against the Marauders.


#StingLikeABee
UMC linebacker Ali Alkhatib continues to have a strong season for the Golden Eagles. Alkhatib continues to "Sting Like A Bee" as he has come up with big hit after big hit this season to cause an NSIC-leading four fumbles forced on the season. Alkhatib forced his fourth fumble of the season against MSU Moorhead. Alkhatib leads the Golden Eagles this season with 48 tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss. While this Ali may not quite be the legendary Muhammad Ali that recently passed away, he has created his own path with Minnesota Crookston.

#Tidbits

- Minnesota Crookston comes into Saturday with an 0-6 mark, matching the mark of the University of Mary. The Golden Eagles will look to get their first win of the season and their first victory since a win over Minot State University at home Nov. 7, 2015. The Golden Eagles lost a close one 33-28 to the Marauders on the road last season.

- The Golden Eagles will look to continue to develop the running game this weekend. Minnesota Crookston struggled in this facet against MSU Moorhead with just eight yards on the ground. Andre Person will look to lead the way against the Marauders. Person has 346 yards on 116 carries this season for an average of 3.0 yards per carry. Person and back-up Shane Curtis will look to carry the load for UMC against the Marauders. Person ended last season with a strong showing and he will look to do the same this season. In the last five games last season, Person had 562 yards for an average of 112.4 yards per game. 

- Adam Connette will look to continue his strong showing in the first six weeks. The UMC junior wide receiver has racked up two games with over 100 yards receiving. The Corona, Calif. native has 40 catches for 450 yards this season for Minnesota Crookston.

- Minnesota Crookston continues to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks. The Golden Eagles have already matched their numbers of sacks from 11 games last season with 12. Leading the way for UMC has been nose guard Bubba Cook with three and Isaiah Armstrong with three. The Golden Eagle defensive line has gotten a lot of push this season. In addition to 12 sacks, the Golden Eagles have 31 tackles for loss, led by six from Cook.

- Stephen Day has had a strong season punting the ball for the Golden Eagles. Day is averaging 40.0 yards per punt this year with six punts inside the 20 and seven punts over 50 yards. Day is moving up the charts as one of the best all-time punters in school history. The sophomore has only just begun for the Golden Eagles. He will look to play a major factor in field position against the Marauders 

- The Golden Eagles will look to generate more turnovers against the Marauders this season. UMC has forced six fumbles this season but they have yet to pick up an interception on the season.

- U-Mary has struggled to move the ball offensively this season. The Marauders are averaging 184.0 yards of offense this season, led by 122.8 yards per game on the ground. U-Mary is a run-first offense. The Marauders will look to back-up quarterback Colton Farmer, slotbacks Zack and Connor Graves and fullback Zach Podoll to lead the offense against the Golden Eagles. Podoll has 257 yards rushing this season with 3.0 yards per carry, while Zack Graves has rushed 38 times for 110 yards. Farmer hasn't thrown the ball much this season. He is 16-of-32 for 142 yards with one touchdown and one interception. His top target is Connor Graves with five receptions for 75 yards. 

- The Marauders have struggled defensively. U-Mary is giving up 519.8 yards per game to opposing offenses. The Marauders are giving up 250 yards through the air and over 269 yards per game on the ground.