Box Score
MANKATO, Minn. - - The Minnesota State University Moorhead football team trailed No. 22-ranked Minnesota State, Mankato just 7-0 in the fourth quarter before the Mavericks pulled away late in a 24-0 win over the Dragons Saturday at Blakeslee Stadium in Mankato, Minn.  

The Dragons (0-4, 0-4 NSIC) put up a valiant fight against the Mavericks (4-0, 4-0 NSIC), who came into the game averaging more than 35 points per game. MSUM held Mankato to a season-low 24 points.
Freshman safety Shea DeJong had an outstanding effort on defense with a career-high 17 tackles, including 10 solos. Freshman linebacker Lucas Solie added 10 tackles and a forced fumble, while seniors Steve Parks and Tyler Brody had seven tackles each. Sophomore linebacker Lomumba Ismail had a fumble recovery while freshman cornerback Sheldon Jones II had an interception to go with five tackles.  The Dragon defense forced two turnovers on the day.

“Our defense did a great job executing the game plan,” MSUM head coach Steve Laqua said. “It was a bend but not break approach. I was proud of the way our guys played. The intensity was better and the effort was better.”

The Maverick defense proved stout itself, however, holding the Dragon offense to just 137 yards of total offense, including 39 on the ground.  MSU Mankato came into the game allowing just 40 yards per game on the ground. Redshirt freshman quarterback Myles Montplaisir led the Dragons with 19 yards.

Freshman quarterback Jake Hodge was 9-of-22 passing for 98 yards. His favorite target was freshman receiver Adam Jiskra, who had four catches for 42 yards.

Junior punter Wes Kramer had a solid day as well, averaging 41.7 yards per punt, with two punts landing inside the 20-yard line. He had a long punt of 66 yards.

MSUM had the ball early and moved into Mankato territory before punting. On the ensuing possession, Mankato's Andy Pfeiffer broke free for a 54-yard run, but a hustle play by Ismail forced a fumble at the Dragon one-yard line, which was recovered by Parks in the end zone, ending a Maverick threat.

The Mavericks got on the board with 3:52 left in the third quarter on a touchdown pass to make it 7-0.

The Dragons took the next drive and moved into Mankato territory, with a big play being a 27-yard pass from Hodge to senior Matt Birr. However, the drive stalled at the Maverick 34-yard line and the Dragons turned the ball over on downs.

MSUM's defense answered on the next possession, as Mankato drove into Dragon territory and got as far as the 21-yard line. The Dragons forced a turnover on downs and got the ball back. They again moved into Mankato territory before stalling.

Late in the first half, Mankato was driving when Jones picked off a Mitch Brozovich pass at the goal line to end the half, leaving the score at 7-0 at the break.

The score stayed at 7-0 throughout the third quarter as the Dragon defense continued to hold tough.

“Our execution was better,” Laqua said. “That certainly made a difference in the first three quarters. The defense was better, third-down wise, and we were able to get off the field. The offense was picking up some first downs. The first half was good; we needed to get off to a good start.”

Mankato pushed the lead to 10-0 with a 39-yard field goal just 1:11 into the final quarter.  After forcing a Dragon punt, the Mavericks marched 57 yards on five plays and scored on another Brozovich touchdown pass to make it 17-0 with 9:26 left.

The Mavericks added an insurance touchdown in the final minute to make it 24-0.

MSUM returns home for homecoming to face Northern State on Saturday, Sept. 29 at 2 p.m.

“There's a certain level of confidencethat our guys can take from today,” Laqua said. “We are getting better each week. The biggest thing, we've got to continue to keep doing that. Our execution has got to continue to get better. It was a step in the right direction, but we're not where we want to be right now. We have better football to play in front of us and it's up to us as coaches to see that our guys do that.”

Steve d'Eustachio Stat of the Game: The Dragons are now 14-19 all-time versus Minnesota State Mankato. Out of the twelve head coaches to face MSU Mankato, only Alex Nemzek (3-0; 1936-1937, 1940) and Ross Fortier (4-0; 1978-1981) have winning records against the Mavericks.