Ann Arbor, Mich. - Led by a defense that forced three takeaways and running game that carried the offense, the Marian football team overcame adversity Saturday afternoon in the 14-7 victory at No. 10 Concordia. The rain-soaked victory improves Marian's record to 6-0 on the season, while they improve to 3-0 in MSFA Mideast action.

The defense's came out hot for both Marian and Concordia on the chilly Saturday afternoon, as both sides were forced to punt on their opening offensive possession. Marian got their offense going on their second possession of the game, eating up over six minutes of clock as they marched down the field. A pair of penalties aided the Knights in moving the sticks, while a 25 yard pass from Zach Bundalo to CJ Young on a 4th and 19 extended the series into the red zone. William Gibson capped off the series two plays later, as he barreled into the end zone from seven yards out to put up the first points of the game.

Leading 7-0, the Marian defense came away with the first of their three takeaways on the afternoon to stop a Concordia possession, as Adrian Cuevas jumped a Gavin Brooks pass and set up the offense on the penultimate play of the quarter. Keagan La Belle was unleashed on the final play of the first quarter, as he followed the interception with a 26-yard run. La Belle continued his torrent running, gashing the Cardinals for a 14 yard gain before racing 31 yards to the pylon for a touchdown run.

La Belle put the Knights in control with a 14-0 lead, turning the keys over to the defense to make plays for the remainder of the half. Joe Owens and Tyler Bukur combined for a fourth down stop on the ensuing Cardinals series, while after having to punt Cuevas came away with his second takeaway by recovering a fumble. Marian and Concordia would exchange punts after the fumble recovery, but on the Cardinals kick the Knights muffed the return, giving the home team one final possession with 19 seconds to play before the half. 

The Cardinals made one final push to the end zone moving to the Knights' 23 yard line, but after a series of timeouts, the Cardinals settled for a heave to the end zone, which was broken up by the Marian secondary to preserve the 14-0 lead at the break.

Following the halftime break, Marian's defense returned to the field and forced a turnover on downs on their first series of the half, as Bukur got into the backfield and dropped Concordia's Gavin Brooks for an eight yard loss. Marian failed to capitalize on the momentum of the stop as they punt back to the Cardinals, but a pair of tackles by Nate Frey forced the home team back into the punt formation. La Belle set Marian up with great field position after a long punt return, and the Knights marched the ball to the Concordia 22 yard line as the game shifted to the fourth quarter.

Marian would settle for a field goal on the third play of the final quarter, but Marlon Pomili pushed the drenched football wide left, as the Knights came up empty on their five minute series. The Cardinals responded with their first touchdown drive of the game, marching 13 plays and 78 yards downfield before Brooks tossed a four yard touchdown pass to his tight end, cutting the lead in half. 

La Belle and Bundalo set Marian up with a chance to respond after the score, as the sophomore back opened the series with a first down run, while the senior quarterback ripped a 40 yard completion to Jake Reichard. Gibson followed the big pass play with a touchdown run, but the score was called back on a holding penalty. Gibson had a chance for redemption as he carried the ball to the one yard line, but the officials ruled on his third down run that he fumbled the ball, spoiling the opportunity to add points to the board. 

Concordia took over with 4:19 to play after the fumble call, but were unable to get past the Marian defense a second time, as Jayshawn Underwood grabbed an interception to kill the Cardinals chances. Marian had 1:37 of game clock to run off before claiming a win, turning the ball to La Belle six consecutive times, with the back converting a fourth and two to seal the win and complete the Knights' victory. 

The ground game highlighted Marian's offensive action, with La Belle rushing for 126 of Marian's 196 yards on the ground. Gibson carried the ball 16 times for 79 yards, joining La Belle in the end zone with a touchdown run. Playing through the rain, Bundalo was limited in the air throwing for 91 yards on six completions, with Reichard and Young combining for 92 yards.

The Knights defense was led by Frey and Bukur, with Frey posting a game-high 13 tackles. Bukur made 10 tackles including 2.5 for loss and one sack, as the defensive end moved into sixth all-time at Marian in career sacks. Jake Paris finished with eight tackles, and Adrian Cuevas had five stops including his interception and fumble recovery.

Marian will return home after consecutive weeks on the road, taking on St. Francis (Ind.) next Saturday afternoon at St. Vincent Field. Kickoff from St. Vincent Field is slated for 1:05 p.m.

MUKnights.com: Your online source for Marian Athletics, tickets, multimedia, Knight merchandise, photos and more.