INDIANAPOLIS - Getting strong surges from both sides of the ball in the second and fourth quarters, the Marian football team earned a hard-fought win over St. Francis (Ill.) Saturday night at St. Vincent Field. Marian's 31-7 win is the fifth straight in the series against the Fighting Saints, as the Knights improve to 2-0 on the year. 

St. Francis came out with a strong attack on their opening series of the game, with Sam Tumilty driving the Saints deep into Marian territory. The defense would help force an incomplete pass to bring up fourth down, and USF was unable to put points on the board after pushing a field goal wide left. The Knights first series of the game looked promising, but a Zach Bundalo pass intended for CJ Young was underthrown and intercepted. The Fighting Saints again drove down field with a penalty helping USF get into the red zone. 

Jayshawn Underwood and Tyler Majors came up with key tackles inside the red area, with Majors dropping Tumilty on the six-yard line for a loss to force a turnover on downs. The offense went to work attacking on the ground, as Baron Huebler helped drive the Knights into enemy territory as the quarter ended. A costly pass interference penalty bit the Saints as Marian inched closer to the goal line, and three plays later Marian found pay dirt as Bundalo connected with Jacob Pressler on an 11-yard strike for the game's first points.

Marian forced two St. Francis punts as the defense forced their way in the backfield, and Marian took over with 3:06 left in the quarter at their own 35. A combination of Huebler and Ben Stevens helped the Knights quickly get across midfield, and on a third down with 1:11 to go Bundalo found Stevens again to move the chains. Bundalo stayed hot firing to Pressler as the ball moved to the one-yard line, and with 33 seconds to play Huebler punched in his third touchdown of the season. After the kickoff and a run for no game, both teams returned to the locker room with Marian in front 14-0. 

Defenses dominated the third quarter, with Marian and St. Francis both having to punt on their opening drives of the half. Marian's second drive of the half started near midfield, but stalled out after Bundalo fired three straight incomplete passes while facing heavy pressure. Marian returned the favor with intense pressure, as Trevor Adler and Logan Blake made key stops on consecutive downs, while on fourth down a three-man pass rush forced an incompletion. Marian took over on the Saints' 40-yard line after the turnover on downs, and managed a field goal on the drive paced by Christian Hunter runs. Marlon Pomili's first field goal of the season gave Marian a 17-0 lead with 40 seconds to play in the third quarter.

St. Francis began the ensuing series at their own 23, and worked a methodical 15-play drive that ended with a 16-yard Tumilty touchdown pass. St. Francis had cut the lead down to 10 as the clock showed 9:10 remaining in the game. Marian took over after a pooch kick on their own 25, and returned the favor with a long drive of their own, as Baron Huebler took center stage. The sophomore back carried Marian deep into Saints territory, with a pair of penalties moving Marian into the red zone. After getting a free first down, Bundalo went to the air and found Stevens for an 18-yard score, giving the Knights a 17-point lead with 4:30 to play in the game.

Tyler Stinn's defense put the finishing touches on the win, as a sack from Tyler Bukur put the Saints off system, while an interception from Jake Paris gave Marian the ball right back. Hunter put the game to bed on the very next play, going nearly untouched for a 47-yard touchdown run. Ricky Kwak would add an interception on St. Francis' final drive, as Marian capped their 31-7 win.

Marian put up 359 yards of offense in the game, and allowed just 221 on defense. Bundalo was an efficient 19-25 in the win for 195 yards and two scores, while Huebler rushed for 87 yards. Hunter had 86 yards on his seven carries, with both backs finding the end zone. Stevens led the receivers with 104 yards on eight catches, while Pressler made four grabs for 47 yards and a score. Stevens moved into the No. 5 spot on the all-time receiving list for Marian in the win, doing so in the second quarter. 

On the defensive side of the ball, Blake led the team with 6.5 total tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss, while Paris and Bukur each made 6.0 tackles. Marian had two sacks in the game coming from Bukur and Adler, while the defense as a whole made eight stops behind the line of scrimmage. 

The Knights will go on the road for the first time this season next week, traveling to Missouri Baptist for a 2:05 p.m. ET kick. The game will be heard live in the Indianapolis area on 93.5 and 107.5 The Fan.

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