No.11 Dordt University lost to #6 Marian (Ind.) 26-18 in a second round match-up of the NAIA Football Championship Series held at a snowy
Ascension St.Vincent Field in Indianapolis, Ind.
The loss ends the Defenders season with a 9-2 record; Marian advances to the FCS Quarterfinals with an 11-1 mark.
Noah Strickfaden completed a season-high 23 passes for 223 yards and a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns that nearly brought the Defenders back from a 26-2 deficit with 10-minutes left to play. Both
Jacob Van Donge and
Ethan Snieder totaled four catches for 43 and 36 yards, respectively, while Rhett Willams and
Cole Snyder each caught a touchdown pass.
Trailing by 24 (26-2) following a 76-yard interception return for a touchdown by Marian defensive back Yassine Falke early in the fourth quarter, the Defenders outscored the Knights 16-0 over the final 10 minutes to make things interesting by the end.
The Defenders began their rally with a 7-play, 87-yard drive finished off with a perfectly thrown 57-yard touchdown pass from Strickfaden to Williams. Dordt converted the 2-point attempt with a Strickfadedn to Snyder pass and catch to cut the lead to 26-10.
Dordt's
Ethan Mills then recovered the ensuing onside kick and completed a 10-play, 58-yard drive with a Strickfaden to Snyder 14-yard touchdown pass and catch to make it a 10-point game. Dordt once again converted the 2-point try with a pass to
Jacob Van Donge to make it a one-score game with 4:38 left to go.
Marian received the ball and managed to get one first down, converting on a crucial 4th-and-1, before the Defenders forced a Knights punt with just under one minute left. Out of timeouts and backed up at their own 3-yard line, Dordt ran five play and got the ball to near midfield before time ran out and the host Knights secured the win.
Dordt held the edge in both total yards (420-300) and first downs (21-15) while the host Knights won the turnover battle (3-0), nabbing three interceptions.
Marian opened the game with an impressive 10-play, 86-yard drive finished off with a 24-yard run by Uriah Buchanan. The Knights ran the ball on all 10 plays but the Defenders blocked the point-after attempt to keep the score at 6-0.
The Defenders drove into Marian territory on their opening drive only to have the Knights come up with a fourth down stop. Marian extended its lead to 14-0 in the second quarter on a 3-yard touchdown pass from Tristan Polk to Keegan La Belle and a successful 2-point pass attempt to Matthias Pitkin.
Trailing 14-0, Dordt once again drove into Knights territory on its first possession of the second half only to be stopped on fourth down at the Marian 37-yard line. The hosts followed with another scoring drive as La Belle found the endzone for the second time with a 7-yard run. Dordt, however, scored its first points of the game when
Coleson Quiring blocked the extra-point attempt and returned it 80 yards to make the score 20-2.
Both defenses dominated play for the rest of the third quarter and early into the fourth as Dordt continued to force Marian to punt while the Knights intercepted the Defenders three times. Marian scored its final points with the Falke 76-yard interception return with 10:07 left.
By the Numbers:
- Dordt - 21 1st downs / Marian - 15 1st downs
- Dordt - 420 yards / offense | Marian - 300 yards / offense
- Marian won the turnover battle 3-0
- Noah Strickfaden completed 23/39 passes for 223 yards and two scores
- Thomas Fritz led the Defenders in rushing with six carries for 58 yards
- Preston McCoy totaled 15 carries for 43 yards
- nine different receivers caught at least one pass for the Defenders
- Williams led the way in yards (57)
- Van Donge and Snieder totaled a team-high four catches
- Williams and Snyder caught a TD
- Coleson Quiring totaled a team-leading nine tackles
- Josh Henderson (7) and Isaac Kacmarynski (6) were the other top tackles
- Keagan La Belle led Marian's offense with 27 carries for 138 yards and a touchdown
- Tristan Polk completed 7 of 15 passes for 100 yards and a score
- Cade Houseman and Wyatt Woodall totaled 15 and 13 tackles, respectively, for the Knights
Defender Notes:
- this was the first ever match-up between Dordt and Marian
- Dordt is now 1-3 in the postseason, 0-2 in the second round
- the Defenders held Marian to well-below their 45.9 points per game for the season
- Quiring's 2-point return for a TD was the first points Marian gave up in three games
- Dordt finished the season 5-2 against ranked or receiving votes teams
- Strickfaden threw for 200+ yards in four games this season
