Schedule

Events

Results

MSU Moorhead Athletics

Nicole Halverson

Second-Half Surge Not Enough as MSUM Football Falls to Upper Iowa, 51-33

9/15/2012 7:24:00 PM | By: Tom Berg, MSUM Media Relations

Box Score
MOORHEAD, Minn. -- A second-half surge wasn't enough for the Minnesota State University Moorhead football team on Saturday as the Dragons fell to Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference foe, 51-33, in a wild contest at Alex Nemzek Field in Moorhead, Minn. Upper Iowa is now 1-2 overall and in the NSIC, while the Dragons fell to 0-3 overall and in the league.

The Dragons made several big plays in the second half and outscored Upper Iowa, 26-16 over the final 30 minutes, but couldn't overcome a tough opening quarter which saw them face a 21-0 deficit.

"Every game is a new experience for lot of our guys," MSUM head coach Steve Laqua said. "We work as coaches to build as much confidence as we can during the week. But until you get battle-tested, sometimes that confidence isn't very deep. We struggled early feeling that out. It's something we'll keep working on and it's all part of the growing process."

Despite the loss, several players had solid performances for MSUM, including freshmen wide receiver Adam Jiskra and quarterback Jake Hodge. Jiskra set careers highs with seven receptions for 149 yards and two touchdowns, while Hodge did the same with 222 yards passing and two touchdowns.

Sophomore Lomumba Ismail blocked a punt for a second straight week, which was returned for a touchdown by senior Barik Williams in the third quarter. Freshman linebacker Chris Lee returned an interception 92 yards for a touchdown, becoming the first Dragon to do so since Tyler Hewson accomplished the feat in 2010 against Augustana.

"There really are some great plays being made," Laqua said.

Freshman safety Shea DeJong had a team-best 11 tackles, while senior Tyler Brody had 10, including one for a loss. Freshman Jaylen Raye had nine tackles and two pass breakups, while freshman Sheldon Jones II had six tackles, a forced fumble and two pass breakups.

MSUM, however, found itself in a 21-0 hole fter one quarter. Upper Iowa quarterback Cole Jaeschke was strong early, throwing for 168 yards on 14-of-18 attempts in the opening frame, including three touchdown passes.

With Upper Iowa driving again in the second quarter, the Dragon defense came up with a huge play. Jaeschke's pass was tipped into the hands of Lee, who caught it and returned it 92 yards for a touchdown, bringing MSUM within 21-7 with 7:49 left in the first half.

The Peacocks answered with a 10-play, 71-yard drive, and scored when Jaeschke found Lucas Hefty for an 11-yard touchdown, giving them a 28-0 lead. Later in the half, Upper Iowa's Michael Holloway returned a Dragon punt for a touchdown to make it 35-7, which was the halftime score.

In the second half, the Dragons established some momentum, however, which started on the opening drive. They marched 70 yards on 11 plays and scored when redshirt freshman quarterback Myles Montplaisir found the end zone from five yards out to bring MSUM within 35-14. Two key plays on the drive were a 14-yard pass from Hodge to Jiskra on a third down, and a 14-yard run by sophomore Brandon Schell.

MSUM forced a punt on the next Upper Iowa possession but a sack and fumble resulted in safety for the Peacocks. They took the ensuing possession 62 yards on six plays and scored on a six-yard run by Raymond Bradley to build the lead to 44-14 with 6:50 left in the third quarter.

After an MSUM punt, Jones hit Upper Iowa's Jared King after a pass reception and forced a fumble, which Dragon defensive lineman Mike Mann picked up and ran down to the Upper Iowa 12-yard line. A Hodge scramble brought MSUM to the 1-yard line, but the drive stalled and on fourth down, the Peacocks recovered a fumble to end the threat.

The Dragons responded, however, as they forced another Upper Iowa punt. A low snap on the punt allowed Ismail to break through and block the punt, and Williams scooped the ball up and hustled into the end zone for a touchdown, bringing MSUM within 44-21 late in the third quarter.

The joy was short-lived as Keaton Hosch returned the ensuing kickoff 87 yards for a score to push the Dragon lead to 51-21 in the final seconds of the frame.

MSUM came back again and found the end zone after a 7-play, 75-yard drive, with the key play being a 40-yard strike from Hodge to Jiskra. The two connected again for a 2-yard score as Hodge fired a pass to the corner and Jiskra made a good catch for the touchdown to bring MSUM with 51-27 with 12:22 left.

The Dragon defense forced a turnover on downs, and the offense struck quickly, as Hodge hit Jiskra for a 53-yard touchdown to help MSUM climb within 51-33 with 3:43 left.

"Our guys settled in during the second half," Laqua said. "There were a lot of things to build off of in the second half, whether it be individual plays or plays on offense, defense or special teams."

The two-point conversion, which would have brought MSUM within two scores, failed, leaving the deficit at 18.

MSUM would not see the ball again, however, as the Peacocks ran the final 3:39 off of the clock, thanks to 41 yards rushing from Raymond Bradley, who had a game-best 139 for the day.

Schell finished with 36 yards on nine carries, while freshman Tyler Rivard had 36 yards receiving on three catches for MSUM. Sophomore linebackers Andrew Pittman and Nick Seedorff each had nine tackles as well.

The Dragons are back in action on Sept. 22 at Minnesota State, Mankato. Game time is 1 p.m. in Mankato, Minn.

Steve d'Eustachio's Stat of the Game: The 84 points combined in Upper Iowa's 51-33 victory over MSU Moorhead was the most points combined in a Dragon's game since Concordia St. Paul beat MSUM 46-41 on October 13, 2007 in St. Paul. Saturday marked the most combined points in a Dragon football game at home since Northern State's 55-30 triumph on October 20, 1990.

Print Friendly Version

Schedule

Events

Results

Related Videos

Related Stories