Mayville State QB Matt Donovan undergoes emergency surgery, currently "fighting like crazy" in coma following in-game hit

Mayville State (NAIA - ND) quarterback Matt Donovan is in a medically induced coma in a Fargo intensive care unit following emergency brain surgery, with football communities far and wide including in North Dakota and Minnesota pulling hard for him.

Donovan went down in the third quarter of the Comets' 42-41 win over Simpson University on Saturday. According to the school, he took a head-to-head hit on a run to open the quarter and collapsed on the field. He was life-flighted to Fargo, where surgeons operated for just over two hours.

Doctors removed portions of his skull to relieve the pressure on his brain.

"For context, the pressure in the average person's brain is a 4," the school said in a statement. "His was many times more than that."

Sunday brought the first real sign of hope. Donovan's eyes reacted to light in a normal manner, which the school said led the neurosurgeon to call the night before "a win." He remains in the ICU, and he remains in a coma.

"He is still in a medically induced coma and is fighting like crazy," the statement read. "Your prayers are working and encouraged at this time."

Donovan is no stranger to this corner of the map. Before he landed at Mayville State, the Kasson-Mantorville, Minnesota, product had earlier stops at Bemidji State and Minot State. He continued chasing the game through a couple of moves, and by all accounts is the type of player and teammate every staff in the NAIA and the Northern Sun region know and appreciate.

For coaches, the scene in Mayville is the one that will carve out a spot in the back of your mind. A clean, competitive Saturday. A rushing play to start a quarter. Then a moment that has nothing to do with the scoreboard. It is the reason the medical timeout, the spotter, the airway plan and the nearest trauma center get the same attention on Friday as the call sheet.

Donovan's sister, Ashley Klar, has started a GoFundMe to help the family with lodging, meals and the medical costs of camping out in Fargo while he recovers. It is nearing $80k raised at the time of this article.

Join us in keeping Matt Donovan, his family and the entire Mayville State program in your thoughts this week.

Stay tuned to The Scoop. We will pass along updates as we get them, and we are hoping every one of them sounds like Sunday morning did.