Rested, Home, and Hunting a Ranked Win

The bye week is over, Marauders Nation. No game last Saturday — just a week to rest, reset, and get ready for the biggest home test of the season. And what a test it is.

Saturday, October 24, at 1 p.m., the Marauders welcome No. 17 Minnesota Duluth to the MDU Resources Community Bowl in Bismarck for Youth Football Day. The Bulldogs are ranked No. 17 by D2Football.com and No. 21 in the AFCA poll, at 5-2 overall and 5-1 in the Northern Sun. This is the 19th meeting between the programs, and the kind of game that can change how a season is remembered.

Let's be honest about where UMary stands: 3-4 overall, 2-4 in the NSIC. That's not the record any of us circled in August. But look closer, and this team has been in just about every fight — four of its seven games have come down to one score. The Marauders haven't been blown out of the season; they've been a play or two away in game after game. A ranked win at home on Saturday flips that story in a hurry.

The last time out still stings. On October 10 in Moorhead, the Dragons took the Battle for the Paddle 42-22, with MSU Moorhead quarterback Drew Huebner throwing for 332 yards and six touchdowns. But the Marauders didn't fold: Xavier Brackenridge scored twice, Desmond Duffy caught a late touchdown from Ryan Blair, and UMary ground out a 15-play, 75-yard fourth-quarter drive. That's the fight in this group.

That fight starts with the passing game. Through seven games, Blair has completed 71.1 percent of his passes for 1,562 yards and 10 touchdowns, with a 141.84 passer rating. His favorite target has been a problem for every secondary in the conference: Karsyn Jablonski has 52 catches for 733 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 104.7 yards per game, including a 71-yard score. Duffy has added 31 catches as the reliable second option, and Brackenridge has carried the ground game with five of the team's six rushing touchdowns.

The question on Saturday is whether that air attack can get going against a Duluth defense that just dominated. The Bulldogs rolled past No. 22 Northern State 34-7 on homecoming, outgaining the Wolves 343-182, with 10 tackles for loss and five sacks. Linebacker Jayce Walrath was named NSIC Defensive Player of the Week after six tackles, four for loss, and three sacks. On offense, quarterback Jacob Eggert went 14-of-19 for 201 yards and two touchdowns, and Catcher Langeness caught two scores. UMD is also chasing an NCAA tournament berth, sitting seventh in the Super Region 3 NPI rankings — so the Bulldogs will not be looking past Bismarck.

UMary's defense has produced its own weekly stars, with Travis Biery earning NSIC Defensive Player of the Week in Week 0 and Vegas George doing the same in Week 2. If that unit slows Duluth early and gives Blair and Jablonski room to find rhythm, the Bowl can get loud in a hurry. Head coach Shann Schillinger, in his fourth season, is still chasing the program's first winning season since 2013 — wins like this one are how you get there.

After Saturday: Minot State on October 31, Winona State on November 7, and Bemidji State at home on November 14 to close the regular season. But first things first.

Pack the Bowl on Saturday, Marauders. Youth Football Day, a ranked opponent, a rested team, and a season still alive. This is why you show up in October.