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MOORHEAD, Minn. -- The Minnesota State University Moorhead football team will return home this week to play host to Minnesota-Crookston in the inaugural game of the  "Red River Valley Showdown Series" rivalry. Game time is 1 p.m. at Alex Nemzek Stadium in Moorhead, Minn.

The new rivalry game is being presented by State Farm Insurance. The two teams will be playing for the State Farm Traveling Trophy, which will be housed at the winning team's institution for a year prior to the next meeting.

Saturday's game will mark the 14th meeting between the two schools, with MSUM holding a slight 7-6 advantage. The Dragons have won three straight meetings.

Last five meetings:
2011 MSU Moorhead 29, MN-Crookston 22 (in Moorhead)
2010 MSU Moorhead 48, MN-Crookston 18 (in Crookston)
2009 MSU Moorhead 24, MN-Crookston 13 (in Moorhead)
2008 MN-Crookston 20, MSU Moorhead 16 (in Crookston)
2007 MN-Crookston 42, MSU Moorhead 38 (in Moorhead)

MSUM (0-6, 0-6 NSIC) is coming off of a 45-14 loss at No. 10 Minnesota-Duluth, while UMC fell to St. Cloud State, 36-24 at home.

Game notes can be found below, while links to live stats and live video can be found at the links above.

About MSUM
MSUM was within 21-14 in the second quarter before No. 10 Minnesota-Duluth pulled away with 24 unanswered points in a 45-14 win over the Dragons on Saturday in Duluth.

MSUM was within 28-14 at the half, but the Dragons were unable to get closer as the Bulldogs outscored them 17-0 in the second half.

Freshman quarterback Jake Hodge had a solid game for MSUM, completing 13-of-26 passes for 177 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore back Brandon Schell rushed 12 times for 69 yards and a score, while freshman receiver Tyler Rivard had seven catches for 60 yards. Freshman receiver Adam Jiskra had three catches for 79 yards and a score as well.

On defense, freshman Shea DeJong had 15 tackles and an interception, along with a tackle for loss. Senior linebacker Tyler Brody, sophomore linebacker Nick Seedorff and senior defensive lineman Brad Hauer had eight tackles each. Senior defensive lineman Steve Parks had a strong game with seven tackles, two sacks and two forced fumbles.

Sophomore Brandon Schell leads the MSUM ground attack with 235 yards, while Hodge has 773 yards passing and four scores. Jiskra leads the receiving corps with 21 catches for 332 yards and two scores.

On defense, DeJong has a team-best 77 tackles (also first in the NSIC), followed by sophomore Nick Seedorff with 47 and senior Tyler Brody with 41.  Parks leads with two sacks.

MSUM is averaging 58.3 yards per game on the ground and 171.7 through the air. The Dragons average 11.7 points per game.

Steve Laqua is in his second season as the MSUM head coach with a record of 2-15 at the school.

About Minnesota-Crookston
Minnesota-Crookston is 1-5 on the year after losing to St. Cloud State, 36-24 on Oct. 6. The Golden Eagles were down 36-3 after three quarters before scoring 21 fourth-quarter points to close the gap. Running back Richard Haley had 91 yards rushing, while A.J. Barge threw for 190 yards and two touchdowns.

Haley is second in the NSIC at 706 rushing yards. He averages 117.7 yards per game and has also rushed three touchdowns. Barge has thrown for 644 yards and four scores, while Josh Ross has caught 19 passes for 150 yards and two scores. As a team, UMC averages 14.8 points per game and allows 42. The Golden Eagles rush for 161.7 yards per game and pass for 127.2 yards per contest.

On defense, safety Cecil Brown has 72 tackles -- second in the NSIC -- while Brody Davidson has 33 tackles.

Paul Miller is in his first season as UMC's head coach with a record of 1-5 at the school. Miller served as head coach at St. Olaf from 1997-2001.

True freshmen, True Impact
Seven true freshmen start for the MSUM offense, including Hodge,  offensive linemen Bennen Bierman, Troy Peterson and Jake Antolak and receivers Tyler Rivard, Garrett Shelley and Jiskra. Bierman and Peterson anchor the left side of the line, while Antolak has assumed the center duties.

Jiskra and Rivard each have 24 and 19 catches, respectively, to lead the offense. Hodge has thrown for 596 yards in four games. Shelly has 10 catches as well.

On defense, three true freshmen start, including DeJong, who leads the team and the NSIC with 77 tackles, and safety Nico Caramella. Sheldon Jones, also a true freshman, starts at cornerback and is fourth on the team with tackles and leads the team with two forced fumbles. He also has moved to the top of the depth chart as a kick returner.

Seedorff Making Presence Felt
Seedorff has been a solid defensive player thus far for the Dragons. He is second on the team with 47 tackles and leads the team with 24 assists.

Tough Road
MSUM's road schedule has been difficult this season -- and that may be an understatement. The Dragons have played three road games, all against teams now ranked in the AFCA Division II Top 25 -- Minnesota State, Mankato, Sioux Falls and Minnesota-Duluth.

Happy Returns
The Dragon special teams and defense got into the touchdown act during the Upper Iowa game. Sophomore Lomumba Ismail blocked a punt that was returned for a touchdown by Barik Williams, while Lee picked off a deflected pass and ran it back 92 yards for a score.

Block Party
Ismail recorded blocked punts in back-to-back games, including the one that led to the touchdown against Upper Iowa. Ismail also blocked a punt against Sioux Falls in Week 2.