Box Score
MOORHEAD, Minn. -- A record-breaking day for the offense wasn't quite enough for the Minnesota State University Moorhead football team as the Dragons fell to No. 11-ranked Minnesota Duluth in a wild 69-45 shootout on Saturday at Alex Nemzek Field in Moorhead, Minn.

The Dragons (1-5, 1-5 NSIC) set single-game school records for total offensive yards (685), passing yards (472 by sophomore quarterback Jake Hodge), and receiving yards (redshirt freshman wide receiver Cory Ambrose with 237). All of the records were set against a UMD defense that entered the game ranked sixth in the nation in total defense and ninth in the nation in scoring defense. UMD led the NSIC in both of those categories entering Saturday's game.

"Offensively there were a lot of bright spots," MSUM head coach Steve Laqua said. "There were some great individual performances by a lot of people. That is a group that is gaining more confidence."

MSUM's 685 total yards broke the previous record of 674 which was set against Minnesota Morris in 1994.  Hodge finished with a career-high 472 yards and five touchdowns on 31-of-45 passing. He broke the single-game record set by Dustin Long against Mary in 2007. Ambrose's record-setting day featured seven catches for 237 yards and two touchdowns.

Junior running back Brandon Schell rushed for 83 yards, while Hodge also added 82 on the ground. Sophomore running back Zayne Medhaug caught a career-high 10 passes for 72 yards and a score, and also rushed for 37 yards and a score. Sophomore receiver Adam Jiskra had seven catches for 80 yards while freshman Dan Grande had five catches for 56 yards and a score.

On defense, sophomore linebacker Chris Lee had a career-high 17 tackles, including six solos. He had 1.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble. Redshirt freshman Jesse Beilke had eight tackles.

The two teams combined for 1,304 yards of offense, and the 114 combined points were most ever scored in a Dragon football game.

UMD (5-1, 5-1 NSIC) scored first to take a 7-0 lead. Senior Wes Kramer got the Dragons on the board at the 2:48 mark of the first quarter with a 30-yard field goal.  The Bulldogs then scored 14 unanswered points to build a 20-3 lead early in the second quarter.

The offenses exploded in the second quarter, starting when Hodge connected with Ambrose for an 86-yard score -- the second-longest pass play in Dragon history -- to bring the Dragons within 20-10 with 10:18 left in the half.

UMD added two touchdowns to build a 34-10 lead midway through the second. MSUM came back with a five-play, 86-yard drive, capped off by a 24-yard run by Medhaug to bring the Dragons within 34-17 with 6:31 left in the half. Moments later, Lee forced a fumble of UMD quarterback Drew Bauer, which was recovered by redshirt freshman Ryan Dahleen at the Bulldog 39. Six plays later, Hodge found Jiskra for a 6-yard score to bring the Dragons within 34-24.

"I was happy with how the guys competed," Laqua said. "We competed against a solid football team. I was proud of how hard we played."

UMD then went 57 yards on six plays and scored on a 14-yard pass from Bauer to Jeremy Reierson to push the lead to 41-24 with 1:40 left in the half.

Again, Hodge connected with Ambrose for a big play, an 80-yard touchdown, to bring MSUM within 41-31 with 48 seconds left in the half. The Dragons trailed 41-31 at halftime.

The two teams combined for 56 points (each team scored 28) and 551 yards of offense in the second quarter alone.

UMD extended the lead to 48-31 early in the third quarter. Later in the quarter, MSUM climbed back to within 10 when Hodge hit Medhaug for a 26-yard score to cut the lead to 48-38.

The Bulldogs pushed the lead to 55-38 thanks to a Bauer touchdown pass late in the third quarter.

MSUM climbed back within 10 points in the fourth when Hodge hit Grande from 20-yards out. Kramer, who was a perfect 6-of-6 on extra points on the day and also added the field goal, converted the extra point to cut the Bulldog advantage to 55-45.

UMD responded with a decisive 12-play, 84-yard drive, capped off by a 1-yard touchdown run from Logan Lauters, to build the lead to 62-45. MSUM drove inside the 20 on its next possession but turned the ball over on downs. The Dragons then forced a punt and drove inside the Bulldog 10 in the final minute, but fumbled. The fumble was returned 91 yards for a score to make the final score 69-45.

The Dragons hit the road next Saturday to face Minnesota Crookston.

"Our team needs to regroup and be able to get up off the mat," Laqua said. "We have to have a focused week of practice. We've got to bounce back and build on the positive things and correct the negative ones."

Steve d'Eustachio Stat of the Game: Ambrose's 237 receiving yards broke Bruce Bausman's record of 203, set on Sept. 14, 1963 when the Dragons defeated North Dakota State 31-14. The 86-yard pass play from Hodge to Ambrose was the second longest pass play in Dragon history, second only to Kelly Meslow hitting Derek Blackburn for 87 yards, in the Dragons' 38-27 home loss to Wayne State on Oct. 2, 2004.