By Michael Schrader
The SceneIt was a brisk November afternoon under a cloudless sky when the titans clashed to see who would come out number one in the NAIA. The number two Marian University Knights hosted the St. Xavier Cougars.
The opening offenseThe Knights were quick in their crusade, scoring with a rushing touchdown by freshman running back Tevin Lake on the opening drive of the game.
However, after a punt that went wrong, giving St. Xavier University great field position, the Cougars were able to push through the Knights’ goal line stand and score on a three-yard run. The PAT was no-good, giving the Knights a one-point lead.
The Knights went several series on offense and defense in the first half after the Cougars’ touchdown without any results until an interception by senior Dustin Craig placed the Knights’ offence on St. X’s 41-yard line.
It was off this drive that Junior Mike Josifovski knocked down a 23-yard field goal to put the Knights up by four.
The setbackWith the half coming to a close and Knights’ offense out on the field with one play left, junior quarterback Adam Wiese threw the ball to senior Eric Duncan, Duncan then flipped the ball to senior Dexter Taylor, who flipped to Lake who, unfortunately, was pushed out of bounds by the St. X defense at about the one-yard line.
“We’ve been practicing that since August,” said Head Coach Ted Karras, “if he scored it would have been a dagger for St. Xavier.”
The resurgenceBut it did fuel the crowd and momentum for the rest of the game, Karras admitted.
The Knights took an amplified spirit into the second half, scoring off of four offensive drives, two rushing touchdown and two field goals.
The strategy
Marian’s defense was not baffled by the Cougar’s no-huddle offense. Before the game, Karras expressed that this was going to be tough: “it’s fast tempo, so we are going to have to disguise our coverages; we have to get pressure on the quarterback, hopefully making him make some mistakes and forcing them to make some turnovers turning into big plays.”
The Knight did just this, forcing three turnovers and permitting the NAIA’s number one ranked offense only nine points.
“Just playing our game: to keep on hitting them, not to get too up or too down,” said Craig about the keys of the defense during the game.
The stats
Lake ended the game scoring all of Marian’s touchdowns with three rushing touchdowns and 139 total yards.
Lake is currently the leading scorer in the NAIA.
“This means we’ve been running the ball effectively. We’re blocking well, and we’ve been breaking tackles and making big plays,” said Karras.
Quarterback Adam Wiese capped the game with 198 total passing yards, going 20 completions in 32 attempts with one interception.
Gaining 66 yards in seven receptions, Julian Williams lead the receivers.
Craig, who was named NAIA Defensive Player of the Week, led the defense in tackles, racking up ten (five solo, five assists), and also made two interceptions.
“It’s a great recognition—It’s a team recognition. I didn’t get those interceptions without the line putting pressure on them (the quarterback) or the linebackers doing their part,” he said.
Junior Dan Brunke’s three sacks also helped out the defense in stopping the Cougars.
With their victory over the formerly number one ranked St. Xavier, the Knights are now number one in the NAIA and are Conference Champions.
“It feels great. I feel really proud of our team and our players efforts throughout the 2011 season have been fantastic,” said Coach Karras.
The future
The team is also moving into the playoffs as number one in the nation and teams will be gunning to take them out. The first game is November 19.
Marian’s football team is waiting to hear who they are going to open the playoffs against, but will find out on Sunday during the NAIA selection show at 3 p.m. The show will be broadcasted live on victorysportsnetwork.com.
