(Crookston, Minn.)- The University of Minnesota, Crookston football team hosted the University of Mary today at Ed Widseth Field on the U of M, Crookston campus. The Marauders jumped out to a 23-0 first half lead but the Golden Eagle squad persevered returning to the field in the second half to score 14 points to tie the Marauders 14-14 in the final 30-minutes of play. Mary used the first half lead to take the NSIC victory 37-14.

Mary controlled the first 30-minutes of play compiling 14 first downs while holding U of M, Crookston to just one. The Marauders racked up 244 yards of total offense to the Golden Eagles 43 yards and controlled the clock keeping the U of M, Crookston defense on the field for 19 minutes. Mary knocked the wind out of the Golden Eagles early when on the opening kickoff, Terry Newsome scampered 98-yards for a Marauder kickoff return that took just 14 seconds off the clock. The two teams battled for the rest of the quarter to a scoreless tie. Mary did most of the damage in the second half scoring three more times to take a 23-0 halftime lead. At the 9:56 mark of the second quarter, kicker Rett Thibodeaux hit a 21-yard field goal to cap a seven play, 45-yard drive to give Mary a 10-0 lead. Quarterback Henry Lau got into the action with 2:18 left in the half when he hit Jamal Lomax on a four-yard pass completing an 11 play, 46-yard drive. The Golden Eagle offense when three-and-out and timely timeouts by the Marauders allowed them to get the ball back and score with 27 seconds left on a 16-yard Lau pass to Terry Newsome. First half leaders for the Golden Eagles were Keith McBride (RB, 5-11, 195, FR, Lodi, Wis.) who rushed 12 times for 27-yards. Quarterback Tim Ennis (QB, 6-2, 205, JR, Lancaster, Calif.) was 2-5 for 18-yards, completing both passes to Jordan Lecher (WR, 6-3, 195, SO, Litchfield, Minn.). Kyle Myers (LB, 5-10, 255, SR, Palmyra, N.J.) led the Golden Eagle defense with seven total tackles. Mary was led offensively by quarterback Henry Lau who completed 15 of 21 passes for 148-yards and two touchdowns. Jamal Lomax rushed 17 times for 80-yards and Terry Newsome caught six passes for 67-yards and one score.

The Golden Eagle offense was reborn in the second half as the team took the opening kickoff 70-yards on 12 plays that covered 6:54 of the third quarter. The drive was capped off by a perfectly thrown ball by Ennis into the hands of wide receiver Neil King (WR, 5-5, 145, SO, Sebastian, Fla.) for a 20-yard touchdown strike to cut the Mary lead to 23-7. Mary rebounded with an eight play, 48-yard drive that ended with a Lau pass to Rob Gibson for an 11-yard touchdown strike. U of M, Crookston again answered the bell with the biggest drive of the game, a drive that saw the maroon and gold march 74-yards in 11 plays with McBride finding the endzone on a five-yard rush. Marauders quarterback Henry Lau would close out the scoring with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Alex Gilbertson with 7:39 remaining in the game to hold on to the 37-14 victory. Game leaders for the Golden Eagles were McBride who rushed 25 times for 74-yards and one touchdown. Ennis was 11-19 for 112-yards and one touchdown. Lecher finished the game with five receptions for 59-yards and King finished with two receptions for 24-yards and one touchdown. Kolby Gruhot (DL, 6-3, 250, SO, Argyle, Minn.) was named Teambacker Defensive Player-Of-The-Game for his game-high nine tackles (6 unassisted, 3 assisted). He also recorded one tackle-for-a-loss of three-yards. The Golden Eagle offense that tallied 43-yards in the first half, recorded 157-yards in the second half to finish with 200-yards of total offense in the game.

The University of Mary was led by Henry Lau who completed 21 passes in 29 attempts for 203-yards and four touchdowns. Jamal Lomax rushed 27 times for 158-yards and averaged 5.9 yards/rush. Newsome was the big target recording six receptions for 67-yards including the 98-yard kickoff return to open the game. The Marauder defense was led by Joey Olsen and Caleb Thompson who each recorded seven tackles in the game.

The Golden Eagles are 1-3 overall and 0-3 in the NSIC. The Marauders are now 2-2 overall and 2-1 in the NSIC. U of M, Crookston travels to MSU Moorhead on Saturday, September 26 to battle the Dragons. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.

For more information, visit the Golden Eagle Athletics website at: www.goldeneaglesports.com.  

The University of Minnesota, Crookston is a 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).

Top Image- Kolby Gruhot / Bottom Image- Keith McBride