Minnesota-Morris Wins Battle of No. 4's
Minneapolis, Minn., Oct. 26, 2007 - The Minnesota-Morris football team made people know they were better than their 4-3 record entering the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference’s 2007 version of Dome Day, as they defeated the Crusaders from Maranatha Baptist Bible College by a score of 48-20.

The Cougars’ ground game was on fire, as Taylor Johnson’s 185 rushing yards throttled his team to a total of 345 yards on the ground for the contest. Johnson and fellow Minnesota-Morris running back Matt Throngard each contributed to their team’s early offense, running for 24-yard runs with 5:06 and 4:19 remaining in the first quarter to put the Cougars up 14-0.

Rob Dupre answered for Maranatha, catching a touchdown pass from Phil Littrell with 2:52 in the first quarter to put the Crusaders on the board. UMM continued with the 2:1 ratio though, as Brady Rose and Throngard each scored again before Maranatha could return the favor on a two-yard run by Caleb Rader to close out the half with the Cougars owning a 27-13 lead.

The Cougars really poured it on to start the third quarter, as Brady rose caught a Jeff Karschnik 24-yard touchdown pass before Johnson added two more consecutive scores from 27 and 20 yards out.

Maranatha’s Rob Dupre added on to his team’s total with 6:02 to play in the game on a 31-yard scoring reception from Littrell, but it was a case of too little, too late as the Cougars had built an insurmountable lead, resulting in a 48-20 final in their favor.

The Crusaders’ passing attack kept them in the game, as Littrell was 16-of-32 for 270 yards and two touchdowns. Dupre hauled in seven catches for 190 yards and both scores to lead Maranatha’s receiving corps.

UM-Morris couldn’t be stopped on the ground, recording 18 of their 26 first downs on rushing. Maranatha countered with 12 first downs and only 16 net yards rushing on 20 attempts. Mike Crawford carried the ball 12 of those times for 30 yards to lead the Crusaders.

Johnson tallied his 185 yards on 28 carries, recording two scores in the win. Throngard also contributed to the Cougars’ offense with 85 yards on 15 carries, scoring twice as well. Morris’s Karschnik was 9-of-18 for 118 yards and two touchdowns.

Minnesota-Morris wraps up their 2007 UMAC schedule with a 4-3 conference record (4-4 overall), while Maranatha’s season ends at 2-7 (1-6 UMAC).