Box Score
DULUTH, Minn. -- The Minnesota State University Moorhead football team 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 in NSIC action Saturday night in Duluth, Minn.

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.

A Chase Vogler touchdown pass and a 36-yard run by Logan Lauters gave the Bulldogs a 14-0 lead.

Just 1:08 into the second quarter, the Dragons found the end zone, as Hodge hit Jiskra for a 59-yard score to bring MSUM within 14-7. That was part of a four-play, 75-yard drive for the Dragons, which was set up by a DeJong interception.

UMD responded with a 10-play, 62-yard touchdown drive, capped off by a 4-yard run by Brian Lucas, to push the lead to 21-7 with 6:23 left in the first half.

The Dragons began to march on the ensuing possession. Hodge broke free for a 14-yard gain to open the drive, and then hit Rivard for a 12-yard gain. Moments later, a pass interference penalty on UMD brought the Dragons to the Bulldog 34-yard line. Following an 11-yard pass from Hodge to Jiskra, Schell broke free for a 20-yard touchdown run, bringing MSUM within 21-14 with 3:09 left in the first half.

The Bulldogs answered with a score with 1:03 left in the half to make it 28-14, which was the halftime score. Hodge was 9-of-14 passing for 133 yards and a score in the first half, while Schell had 12 carries for 69 yards in the second half.

The Dragons forced UMD to punt on its first two possessions of the second half but were unable to mount any scoring threats. Late in the quarter, the Bulldogs scored on an 18-yard run by Chaz Thomas to make it 35-14.

UMD added 10 fourth-quarter points to make the final count 45-14.

The Dragons finished with 10 tackles for loss in th game, led by Parks with three and Hauer and Seedorff with two each. Freshman Anthony Binford had two pass breakups.

MSUM returns home to face Minnesota-Crookston on Oct. 13. Game time is 1 p.m. at Alex Nemzek Stadium in Moorhead.

Steve d'Eustachio Stat of the Game: The Dragons played the University of Minnesota Duluth twice in the 1998 season splitting the two games.
The Bulldogs beat the Dragons 37-34 in Moorhead on October 3rd, but the Dragons got revenge in the Metrodome just over a month later, downing the Dogs 37-27. The Dragons' all-time leading rusher, Grover Moore, had rushing games of 254 and 238 yards, the fifth and 10th most prolific rushing games in MSU Moorhead history.