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MOORHEAD, Minn. -- The Minnesota State University Moorhead football team returns home this week to face Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference foe Northern State for its 2012 Homecoming contest. Game time is 2 p.m. Saturday at Alex Nemzek Field in Moorhead, Minn.

Saturday's game will mark the 50th meeting between the two schools in a series dating all the way back to 1919. Northern State holds a 27-21 edge in the series and has won the last three meetings, including a 42-21 decision in Moorhead in 2011. MSUM's last win came in 2008, a 29-26 win in Moorhead.

Last six meetings:
2011 in Moorhead: Northern State 42, MSUM 21
2010 in Aberdeen, S.D.: Northern State 16, MSUM 7
2009 in Aberdeen: Northern State 23, MSUM 0
2008 in Moorhead: MSUM 29, Northern State 26
2007 in Aberdeen: Northern State 21, MSUM 20
2006 in Moorhead: MSUM 26, Northern State 15

Northern State (1-3, 1-3 NSIC)  is coming off of a 24-23 home win over Concordia-St. Paul, while MSUM fell at No. 22-ranked Minnesota State, Mankato 24-0.

Game notes can be found below, while links to live stats and live video can be found at the links above.

About MSUM
The Dragons hung tough with No. 22 Minnesota State, Mankato before falling, 24-0. MSUM was within 7-0 early in the fourth quarter before the Mavericks pulled away with 17 straight fourth-quarter points.  

Mankato had a 339-39 edge in rushing yards in the game, while the Dragons held a 98-88 edge in passing yards.  MSUM did force two turnovers in the game.

Freshman safety Shea DeJong led the Dragon defense with a career-high 17 tackles, while freshman linebacker Lucas Solie had 10 tackles and a forced fumble. Freshman cornerback Sheldon Jones II had an interception and also had five tackles, including one for a loss. Senior lineman Steve Parks had seven tackles and a forced fumble as well.

On offense, redshirt freshman quarterback Myles Montplaisir led the ground game with 19 yards, while freshman quarterback Jake Hodge was 9-of-22 passing for 98 yards. Freshman receiver Adam Jiskra had four catches for 42 yards for MSUM.

Sophomore Brandon Schell leads the MSUM ground attack with 126 yards, while Hodge has 444 yards passing and three scores. Jiskra leads the receiving corps with 17 catches for 292 yards and two scores.

On defense, DeJong has a team-best 48 tackles, followed by sophomore Nick Seedorff with 30 and senior Tyler Brody with 26. Junior Brad Hauer leads with 1.5 sacks.

MSUM is averaging 71.5 yards per game on the ground and 151.5 through the air. The Dragons average 12.2 points per game.

Steve Laqua is in his second season as the MSUM head coach with a record of 2-13 at the school.

About Northern State
Northern State is 1-3 on the season. The Wolves earned a 24-23 win over Concordia-St. Paul in Aberdeen on Sept. 22.  Northern blocked an extra point in the final minute to prevent the tie.

John Hughes rushed for 104 yards for Northern State, while Jared Jacobson threw for 191 yards and a score. Logan Dosch had eight tackles, including two for loss, to go with two interceptions.

Hughes leads the Northern ground game with 365 yards and two scores, while Jacobson has thrown for 576 yards and five touchdowns.  Mark Hanley has 14 catches for 145 yards and three touchdowns to leave the Wolves' receiving corps.

On defense, senior Logan Fahnhorst has 39 tackles, including 1.5 for a loss, while Dosch has 31 tackles and a team-best three interceptions.

Northern averages 25 points per game but allows 33. The Wolves rush for 186 yards per game and throw for 154.2, but allow 174.8 yards per game on the ground and 248.8 through the air.

Tom Dosch is in his third season as Northern's head coach with a record of 8-18 at the school.

True freshmen, True Impact
Six true freshmen start for the MSUM offense, including Hodge,  offensive linemen Bennen Bierman, Troy Peterson and Jake Antolak and receivers Tyler Rivard and Jiskra. Bierman and Peterson anchor the left side of the line, while Antolak has assumed the center duties.

Jiskra and Rivard each have 17 and 10 catches, respectively, to lead the offense. Hodge has thrown for 444 yards in three games.

On defense, three true freshmen start, including safety Shea DeJong, who leads the team with 48 tackles, and safety Nico Caramella. Jones, also a true freshman, starts at cornerback and is fourth on the team with tackles. He also has moved to the top of the depth chart as a kick returner.

Seedorff Making Presence Felt
Seedorff has been a solid defensive player thus far for the Dragons. He is second on the team with 30 tackles and leads the team with 25 assists.

Happy Returns
The Dragon special teams and defense got into the touchdown act during the Upper Iowa game. Ismail blocked a punt that was returned for a touchdown by Barik Williams, while Lee picked off a deflected pass and ran it back 92 yards for a score.

Block Party
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.