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MOORHEAD, Minn. -- The Minnesota State University Moorhead football team is back home this week to play host to Minot State at 1 p.m. Saturday at Alex Nemzek Stadium in Moorhead, Minn. The contest is part of two home games in the final three weeks for MSUM.

Dragon fans can listen to the game on 106.9 the Eagle, with Steve d'Eustachio and Larry Scott on the call.  

Saturday's contest will mark the first meeting between the two schools since 1976, when the Dragons won 28-14. Minot State holds a 4-3 edge in the overall series, which dates back to 1930.

Previous five meetings:
1976: MSUM 28, Minot State 14
1975: Minot State 16, MSUM 6
1974: Minot State 28, MSUM 12
1973: Minot State 49, MSUM 7
1960: MSUM 14, Minot State 7

MSUM (1-7) is coming off of a 23-7 loss at Mary last week, while Minot State (2-6) rolled to a 38-14 rout of Minnesota-Crookston 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  had a solid defensive effort, holding Mary to just 274 total yards, but three turnovers and a safety proved costly in a 23-7 loss at Mary on Oct. 13.  Freshman quarterback Jake Hodge had 202 yards passing and a touchdown, while freshman receiver Adam Jiskra had 61 receiving yards on five catches, including a touchdown. Sophomore linebacker Nick Seedorff had an outstanding game with a career-high 14 tackles, including one for a loss, while senior Steve Parks had two sacks.

For the season, Hodge has thrown for 1,136 yards and six touchdowns. Sophomore Brandon Schell has rushed for 265 yards, while freshman Zayne Medhaug has 171 and two scores.  Jiskra has 31 catches for 485 yards and four scores, while freshman Tyler Rivard has 296 yards receiving on 28 catches.

On defense, DeJong has a team-best 90, which also leads the NSIC. Seedorff has 69 tackles and an interception, while senior linebacker Tyler Brody has 43 tackles. Freshman Sheldon Jones and DeJong have two interceptions each.

MSUM is averaging 65.1 yards per game on the ground and 174.1 through the air. The Dragons average 14.0 points per game.

Steve Laqua is in his second season as the MSUM head coach with a record of 3-16 at the school.

About Minot State
Minot State is 2-6 on the year. The Beavers beat Minnesota-Crookston, 38-14 last night, thanks in large part to a 21-point third quarter. Blake Eggl had 109 yards rushing and a touchdown for Minot, while Zach Cunha threw for 227 adds and three touchdowns.

Eggl has rushed for 459 yards and two scores for Minot State, while Cunha has thrown for 1,619 yards and 13 touchdowns. He has also thrown 13 interceptions.

Casey Weinmann leads the Minot defense with 63 tackles, while Josh Weidler has 49 tackles. Jeff Buchert has three interceptions.

Minot State averages 18.6 points per game while allowing 30.3 points per contest.

Paul Rudolph is in his fifth season as Minot State's head coach with a record of 28-21 at the school.

Freshman 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. Medhaug, also a true freshman, made the first start of his career at running back against Crookston, while a redshirt freshman, Wade Youngblom, starts at tight end.

Jiskra and Rivard each have 31 and 28 catches, respectively, to lead the offense. Hodge has thrown for 1,136 yards and six touchdowns.

On defense, three true freshmen start, including DeJong, who leads the team and the NSIC with 90 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.

Shea's Standing
Only a true freshman, DeJong is tied for the NSIC lead at 90 tackles and is tied for eighth in all of Division II at 11.25 tackles per game. DeJong shares the NSIC lead with Upper Iowa's Ethan Douglas.

Tough Road
MSUM's road schedule has been difficult this season -- and that may be an understatement. The Dragons have played four road games, three 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, and did the same against UMC. Against Upper Iowa, sophomore Lomumba Ismail blocked a punt that was returned for a touchdown by senior Barik Williams, while freshman Chris Lee picked off a deflected pass and ran it back 92 yards for a score. Against UMC, Jones ran an interception back for a score, while Brody recovered a fumble off of a bad punt snap for a touchdown.

Block Party
MSUM has blocked three punts this year. Sophomore Lomumba 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. Senior Uchenna Ogbonnaya, in his first year of football, blocked a punt against Minnesota-Crookston.

Century Mark
Medhaug became the first Dragon running back to surpass the century mark this season when he rushed for 124 yards and a score.  He became the Dragons' first 100-yard rusher since Eboni Luscious-West ran for 103 yards against Minnesota-Crookston a year ago.