Box Score
MOORHEAD, Minn. -- A solid defensive effort wasn't enough for the Minnesota State University Moorhead football team on Saturday as the Dragons fell to the University of Mary, 23-7 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action Saturday night in Bismarck, N.D.

MSUM fell to 1-7 overall and in the NSIC, while Mary improved to 4-4 both overall and in conference play.

MSUM held Mary to just 274 total yards -- the fewest the Dragon defense has allowed in a game this season -- including just 85 yards on 36 carries on the ground (2.4 yard per carry average). The Dragons also forced a turnover as freshman Anthony Binford intercepted a pass in the fourth quarter.

"I felt like our defense played great football," MSUM head coach Steve Laqua said. "It gave us a chance to win the game. It certainly was another step in the right direction with that unit. We executed the gameplan well."

Sophomore linebacker Nick Seedorff had an outstanding defensive game for MSUM with a game-high 14 tackles, including one for loss. Freshmen Sheldon Jones II and Sam Callahan each had seven tackles. Senior lineman Steve Park continued his outstanding play of late with five tackles, including two sacks.

MSUM threw for 202 yards but managed just 23 rushing yards on 38 carries. Freshman quarterback Jake Hodge was 19-of-38 for 202 yards and a score. Freshman receiver Adam Jiskra had five catches for 61 yards and a touchdown, while freshman tight end Wade Youngblom had four catches for 31 yards. Sophomore Brandon Schell was MSUM's top runner with 30 yards on 13 carries.

Three Dragon turnovers and a saftey proved to be key factors in Saturday's game.

The Marauders got on the board first, capitalizing on a MSUM turnover deep in Dragon territory. A center snap went over Hodge's head, and Mary recovered at the Dragon 12-yard line. Three plays later, a 2-yard run by Dariouse Gravely gave Mary a 7-0 lead with 10:17 left in the first quarter.

MSUM drove into Mary territory on its next drive, thanks to a big 33-yard pass from Hodge to Marlowe, but the Dragons turned the ball over on downs. Mary proceeded to drive 65 yards on eight plays, scoring on a 5-yard touchdown pass from Craig Bagnell to Nick Jolliffe to build the lead to 14-0 with 3:26 left in the first quarter.

The Dragons put together another march into Mary territory, going 52 yards on 13 plays. They got all the way down to th Mary 1-yard line but another fumble proved costly as the Marauders recovered at the Dragon 18-yard line, ending the threat.

"We just let too many chances get away from us," Laqua said. "Our execution wasn't where it needed to be. That ultimately is what held us back from winning."

MSUM's defense forced a three-and-out, and the Dragon offense responded as well. The Dragons went 49 yards on six plays and scored when Hodge hit Jiskra on a fade route from three yards out, bringing MSUM within 14-7 with 9:40 left in the first half.

Mary responded with an eight-play, 85-yard march of its own, and capped it off by a 17-yard touchdown run by Gravely, to push the lead to 21-7 with 5:04 left in the half.

Neither team scored in the third quarter as MSUM hung tough within 21-7. The MSUM offense was stymied in the second half, however, managing just 91 yards on 37 plays.

The Dragon defense came up with a big play in the fourth quarter as Anthony Binford picked off a Bagnell pass at the MSUM 22-yard line. However, on the ensuing play, a punt snap flew over the head of Lazin Tehir and out of the back of the end zone for a Mary safety as the Marauder lead grew to 23-7.

Later in the fourth quarter, MSUM drove to the Mary 33-yard line, thanks to pass plays of 15 and 13 yards from Hodge to senior Matt Birr, but a pair of sacks pushed the Dragons back, forcing a punt. After MSUM's defense forced another three-and-out, MSUM began driving again. A 20-yard run by Hodge, coupled with a personal-foul penalty on Mary, brought the Dragons to the Mary 25-yard line. They faced a fourth-and-3 at the 18-yard line but the drive stalled and MSUM turned the ball over on downs.

"Our kids kept battling," Laqua said. "I was proud of how hard we played. But the execution has got to get better."

The Dragons' last gasp came later in the quarter. MSUM got to the 41-yard line before Hodge was hit hard on a sack and fumbled. Mary recovered with 1:42 and ran out the clock to preserve the win.

MSUM returns home on Oct. 27 to play host to Minot State. The game begins at 1 p.m. at Alex Nemzek Stadium in Moorhead, Minn.

"We've started to get a defense that we can hang our hat on," Laqua said. "They're playing at a level that is going to allow us to compete in every game. We've got to keep building on that. We have to keep doing our best to bring our young offense around and increase our level of execution."

Steve d'Eustachio Stat of the Game: With his two sacks on Saturday, Parks has recorded at least one sack in three consecutive games. He becomes the first Dragon to do so since Mark Majerus did it against Concordia, Mayville State and Bemidji State in 2006.