INDIANAPOLIS - Looking to wash the taste of last week's 31-28 loss against St. Francis, the Marian football team is looking to bounce back into the win column and get on a run as they enter November on the road at Saint Xavier. Kickoff for this Saturday's game in the Chicago suburbs is set for 1:00 p.m. ET.

LAST TIME OUT
Marian suffered a defeat in the final minute against St. Francis last Saturday, falling 31-28. The Cougars scored 21 consecutive points to get back into the game, before eventually scoring the game-winning field goal with four seconds left. 

Tristan Polk passed for 280 yards, putting three touchdowns on the board with a pair of passing strikes and his ninth rushing touchdown of the season. Polk has scored the most rushing touchdowns in program history by a quarterback in both a single season and a career, and has ran for a touchdown in each of the team's seven games this season. Cade Houseman posted a career-high 14 tackles in last week's game to lead the defense, and freshman Wyatt Woodall made 11 total stops, setting a season-high while also making his first two sacks of the season. 

For the Cougars, they were defeated by Olivet Nazarene last weekend by a final score of 21-6. The loss for the Cougars was their second in MSFA Midwest play, as they were limited to 170 total yards of offense one week ago.

THE SERIES
Marian has historically struggled against Saint Xavier, holding an all-time record of 11-6 over the Knights in the series. Marian has fared better however in recent seasons, holding a 2-1 record against the Cougars over the last two seasons. The Cougars bounced Marian from the 2023 NAIA postseason with a 31-21 victory last fall, returning nine starters and both their kicker and punter from the playoff matchup. Marian returns 13 starters from last season's postseason matchup that remain in their starting lineup this season.

This will be the third conference game for both teams this season, with Marian holding at 1-1 in the MSFA Midwest while the Cougars are 0-2. The matchup is the first between the two sides where neither school is ranked in the NAIA Top-25, and is also the first contest played in Chicago since the 2017 season opener. Marian has won just once in Chicago, taking the victory in the 2015 season opener.

WATCH AND FOLLOW ALONG
Those fans unable to attend Saturday's game can watch live through the Saint Xavier Cougars YouTube Channel, listed above. The Knights broadcast duo of Scott McCauley and Zach Graves will be in Chicago with the team, calling an audio-only broadcast of the game, streamed live through the ISC Sports Network channels. Fans can also find live statistics at marianstats.com. Live updates of the game will be posted on the official Marian Athletics Twitter/X page, @MUKnights, along with the team page of @MarianUFootball.

TICKETS
Fans can purchase tickets at the gate. Ticket sales begin two hours prior to kickoff. 

Kickoff in Saturday's clash is set for 1:00 p.m. ET on the southwest side of Chicago.

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