University of Mary`s Passing Game | Video

Lee Timmerman | 8/27/2012

The cliché for many football programs is establish the run first and that will help set up the pass. The University of Mary doesn`t really fit that cliché, the Marauders have one of the best passing combos in the country.

Junior Craig Bagnell averaged 300-yards passing per-game last year, 27-percent of those yards went to senior Tyler Steffan.

"Ty`s a big time player. He makes plays at any point in the game and it you don`t respect him and want to play him 1 on 1 then we`re going to take a shot with him because we think he has that ability to make a play anytime we want and that opens everything for everyone else because we have a lot of talented receivers and it also opens up the run game because they`re going to have to double Ty," Bagnell said.

"We feel really good about our quarterback situation and feel really good about our receiver situation and they`ve been around a long time and they`re proven and we just got to make sure they stay healthy and get them game ready," head coach Myron Schulz said.

Steffan is a returning All-American and he found the end zone 17-times last year, most of his big catches can outside the hash marks.

"Being taller and a little faster it`s nice just to stretch the field vertically and it provides the quarterback with an added dimension when he`s throwing the ball it does not have to be in the perfect location as it does when he`s in the middle of the field. I just tell Craig if we wants to throw it up there that`s fine, I`ll just jump up and go get it but when you`re on the sidelines there`s a whole lot more room usually it`s 1 on 1 coverage and it`s either you and a cornerback or you and a safety."

With the expansion in the Northern Sun, there will not be any pre-conference games this year. The Marauders open on Saturday at Concordia-St.Paul, they did not play last season.

The start of the football season also marks the start of Marauders Weekly. Scott Westerberg will once again be the only television reporter from the cities in the conference to travel with a team every week. Scott`s first show will be this Sunday, September 2, following the Night Report.

Marauders Weekly is a full-half hour each week devoted to U-Mary athletics.

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