Box Score
MOORHEAD, Minn. -- The Minnesota State University Moorhead football team was within 17-10 in the third quarter, but Minot State scored 14 unanswered points to record a 31-10 win over the Dragons in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action Saturday afternoon in Moorhead, Minn.

MSUM fell to 1-8 on the year, while Minot State improved to 3-6.

The Dragons couldn't overcome four turnovers and seven penalties in the contest.

MSUM's Brandon Schell rushed for 49 yards on eight carries and a touchdown, while quarterback Jake Hodge was 15-of-22 passing for 132 yards, but was intercepted twice. Freshman Garrett Shelley had five catches, while senior tight end Shawn Marlowe had four catches for 45 yards.

Sophomore linebacker Nick Seedorff continued his strong play, recording his second-straight double-digit tackle game with 12. He also recovered a fumble and intercepted a pass. Freshman safety Shea DeJong had 10 tackles and a forced fumble.

The Dragons got off to a miserable start. After a fumble on the opening kickoff gave them field position at their own 8-yard line, Hodge was intercepted by Chad Marshall at the MSUM 18-yard line on the Dragons' first offensive play.

"The slow start was something we were never able to fully bounce back from," MSUM head coach Steve Laqua said. "You certainly want to start the game better. It's a credit to Minot -- they capitalized on our miscues."

MSUM's defense delivered big though to prevent the Beavers from reaching the end zone. Minot quarterback Zac Cunha threw a pass to Glyn Borel, but a great solo tackle by safety Chris Binford stopped Borel at the 1-yard line. A false start penalty then pushed the Beavers back to the 6-yard line, and they settled for a field goal.

The Dragons went three-and-out on their next possession and after a short punt, Minot State took over at the MSUM 35-yard line. Three plays later, Borel scored from 23 yards out to push the Minot lead to 10-0 with 8:55 left in the first quarter.

MSUM moved into Minot territory on its next possession, thanks to a 15-yard pass from Hodge to redshirt freshman Myles Montplaisir and a 16-yard pass from Hodge to Marlowe. However the drive stalled and MSUM punted.

The game stayed at 10-0 until the Dragons took advantage of a Minot turnover. Senior Cory Capra forced a fumble, and freshman LeWayne Wright recovered the fumble at the Beaver 42-yard line. The Dragons then moved 23 yards on nine plays, capping off the drive with a 36-yard field goal by junior Wes Kramer to climb within 10-3.

Minot went on a long march -- going 65 yards on 18 plays and eating up more than 10 minutes on the game clock -- but came away with nothing as Dragong sophomore Lomumba Ismail blocked the field goal attempt, keeping the score at 10-3, which was the halftime tally.

The Beavers opened the second half on an eight-play, 52-yard drive and scored on a 1-yard sneak by Zac Cunha to push the lead to 17-3.

The Dragons answered with an eight-play, 70-yard drive of their own -- sparked by a 20-yard pass from Hodge to freshman Adam Jiskra, and 33 rushing yards from Schell. Schell broke free for a 14-yard scoring run, bringing the Dragons within 17-10 with 6:49 left in the third.

"There were flashes offensively that were very encouraging," Laqua said. "The consistency has got to be better. Our third-down execution has got to be better. We need to be able to move the chains."

Minot State used a big 45-yard pass play from Cunha to Borel to set up its next score, which was a 1-yard plunge by Randel Barber, to push the lead o 24-10 with 3:55 left in the third quarter.

In the fourth quarter, MSUM got a big turnover which was forced by DeJong and recovered by Seedorff. However, the Dragons couldn't capitalize as they fumbled the ball away on fourth down.

Minot converted the turnover into points, as the Beavers went 58 yards on nine plays, and scored on a 17-yard run by Barber, to push the lead to 31-10.

MSUM's desperation drive in the final minutes ended with an interception, leaving the Dragons on the short end of a 31-10 decision.

Binford finished with six tackles, including two for loss. Hodge also added 44 yards on the ground, while Jiskra had three catches for 45 yards.

The Dragons head to Bemidji State for a 1 p.m. game on Nov. 3.

Steve d'Eustachio Stat of the Game: Myles Montplaisir became the first Dragon to rush the ball, complete a pass and catch a pass in the same game since Brandon Thompson turned the trifecta against Augustana College on Oct. 23, 2010.