By: Madie Brink
October 13, 2022
SIOUX FALLS – The No. 14 University of Sioux Falls football team is coming off a 35-14 win over Southwest Minnesota State to secure USFs 28th consecutive winning season. The Cougars will hit the road to take on the Marauders of the University of Mary on Saturday with kick-off scheduled for 2:00pm at the MSU Resources Community Bowl in Bismarck, North Dakota.
The History
Mary and Sioux Falls have faced off five times in the NCAA Division II era with the Cougars coming out on top with four of the five wins. The first match-up took place in Bismarck in September of 2013 where USF fell 10-17, but have never lost since. The Cougars have outscored the Marauders 176 to 45 over the last five match-ups and currently sit with a four game win streak in the series.
Last season, Mary made the trek to Sioux Falls where the Coo would ultimately take the 34-14 victory. Sioux Falls rushed for 311 yards led by Thuro Reisdorfer and Landon Freeman, each with a 100+ yard game and multiple touchdowns. Adam Mullen threw for 206 yards on 21 attempts and completed two touchdown passes to help lead the Cougars to its fourth victory over the University of Mary.
The Marauders
UMary is coming of a 14-49 loss to Minnesota Duluth and currently sits 1-5 on the season and 11th in the NSIC. The Marauders are averaging 23.67 points per game with their highest scoring games being against Wayne State (L, 28-33), SMSU (L, 28-31) and Minnesota State (L, 28-31).
On the offensive side of the ball, Mary has put up 2,035 yards of total offense averaging 339.2 yards a game and 5.2 yards a play. The Marauder offense is led by running back Dave Small Jr., wide receiver Danny Kittner and quarterback Logan Nelson. Small Jr. has rushed for 383 yards this season with six rushing touchdowns averaging 63.83 yards per game. Kittner has seen action across the field while being Mary's number one receiver with 47 catches for 604 yards and two touchdowns on the year. The Marauders have made some adjustments under center with sophomore Jesse Forknell taking a few snaps, but ultimately have been led by Nelson. Nelson has thrown for 1,023 yards and six touchdowns this season, but has also thrown six interceptions on the year.
The Cougars
USF is coming of its 48th win under Head Coach Jon Anderson and ninth consecutive victory dating back to the 2021 season. The cougars defeated the Mustangs of SMSU 35-14 last weekend securing their 28th consecutive winning season. With the win over SMSU, the Coo have moved up to 14th in the AFCA Coaches' Poll and 12th in the D2 Football Poll.
The Cougars currently lead the NSIC as the last undefeated team left in the conference while averaging 34.17 points per game. Thus far, USF has outscored their opponents 205 to 106 while collecting 2,705 yards of total offense with 27 touchdowns on the season. Reisdorfer continues to lead the Cougars rushing game with 746 yards on 113 carries and 11 rushing touchdowns while averaging 124.33 yards per game. Freeman, USFs second leading rusher, has rushed for 426 yards off 61 carries while tallying seven rushing touchdowns on the year.
Ethan Wittenburg and Carter Slykhuis continue to be the Cougars top two receivers with two receiving touchdowns a piece. Wittenburg has pulled in 24 catches for 414 yards while Slykhuis has secured 19 catches for 286 yards on the year. Adam Mullen currently sits third in the NSICs passing game with 1,280 yards on 151 attempts. Mullen averages 140.8 yards a game for the Cougars and has thrown for seven touchdowns this season.
The Cougar defense continues to pose a threat as they've held their opponents to an average of just 17.67 points a game putting them second in the NSIC. USF has held their opponents to 1,799 yards of total offense while forcing their opponents to 264 yards lost this season. Sioux Falls has produced 44 tackles for loss and 23 sacks on the year while the Cougar offense has only given up three sacks and 12 tackles for loss this season.
More Info
For all things Cougar Football be sure to download the new USF Cougars app to follow along! Follow The Coo on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for updates all season long. Fans can also follow along with live stats, watch the NSIC live video and tune into the KWSN radio broadcast with Tom Frederick and Tim Hiatt for every Cougar Football game!
