Box Score
MOORHEAD, Minn. -- For the first time in school history, the Minnesota State University Moorhead football team gets to hold onto the "Paddle."

Redshirt freshman safety Jesse Beilke's interception with 12 seconds left helped seal a thrilling 48-41 Dragon win over the University of Mary in the Battle for the Paddle game, which was held at Alex Nemzek Stadium in Moorhead, Minn.

Mary had won all seven previous meetings in the series and retained the Paddle each year. This year, the Dragons will keep the Paddle for the first time.

"Winning the Paddle is a small tangible sign -- the guys in our program came to do things that have never been done before," MSUM head coach Steve Laqua said. "They came to transform the program and do things that have never been done and today they were able to do that."

The Dragons built a 34-7 lead and weathered a big Mary rally in the second half to secure a hard-fought win. MSUM outgained the Marauders 582-522, including 416-399 through the air. 

Sophomore quarterback Jake Hodge had a huge first half before leaving early in the second half with an injury. Hodge completed 15-of-25 passes for 301 yards and three touchdowns, and also rushed for 30 yards and two scores before leaving the game. Backup quarterback Ryan Toelle came in and performed capably, completing 11-of-15 passes for 115 yards and two scores, including the game winner to sophomore Adam Jiskra in the fourth quarter.

Jiskra and redshirt freshman Cory Ambrose both had big days for MSUM. Jiskra caught eight passes for 131 yards and two scores, while Ambrose caught seven passes for 136 yards and a score. Sophomore Zayne Medhaug had five catches for 70 yards and a touchdown for MSUM while rushing for 60 yards as well. Junior running back Brandon Schell had 78 rushing yards on a 18 carries.

Sophomore Chris Lee had another big game for the Dragon defense with 14 tackles, including one for a loss. Beilke had nine tackles and an interception, while redshirt freshman Aaron Bohl had nine tackles and a sack. Redshirt freshman Ryan Dahleen had two sacks, while sophomore cornerback Jaylen Raye had four pass breakups.

MSUM led 34-14 at halftime and 41-20 at one point in the third quarter before the Marauders rallied with 21 unanswered points to tie the game at 41-41 with 9:29 left in the game.

The Dragon offense responded.

Going on an eight-play, 79-yard drive, MSUM found the end zone when Toelle hit Jiskra on a short screen pass that turned into a huge 39-yard touchdown. With senior Wes Kramer's extra point, MSUM led 48-41 with 6:50 left in the game.

"That's where our kids on offense showed resilience," Laqua said. "Ryan stepped up and made the plays we needed to make. In essence, the whole team fed off of that drive.  That touchdown drive when it was 41-41 -- that was huge."

MSUM's defense came through with a pivotal stop near midfield with less than five minutes left, forcing a punt. MSUM's offense then came through with two huge first downs -- one on a 2-yard run by Schell on a third down, and a second when Toelle eluded pressure and hit freshman Shaun Hollenkamp for an 11-yard gain on a 3rd-and-4.

The two first downs allowed MSUM to take more than four valuable minutes off of the clock, along with forcing Mary to use all three timeouts. When the Marauders took over on their final drive at their own 40-yard line, there were just 33 seconds left.

Mary completed a pair of passes to move inside the Dragon 35-yard line in the closing seconds, but Beilke delivered the clinching play with an interception at the 13-yard line. MSUM took a knee on the final play to wrap up the seven-point win.

"Our guys ended up making the play to win the game," Laqua said. "Any time you make a play that wins a game, that's critical to your growth as a player and to your growth as a team."

MSUM's offense was clicking on all cylinders in the first half. The Dragons got on the board with 4:42 left in the opening quarter when Hodge hit Ambrose for a 60-yard touchdown to give MSUM a 7-0 lead.

Bohl's sack of quarterback Craig Bagnell thwarted a Marauder drive near midfield, forcing a punt. The Dragons took the ensuing drive 78 yards on 12 plays and scored when Hodge ran the ball in from six yards out. With Kramer's extra point, MSUM held a 14-0 lead with one second left in the first quarter. A key play on the drive was a 29-yard pass from Hodge to Hollenkamp.

The lead grew to 20-0 in the second when Hodge hit sophomore Myles Montplaisir from 20-yard out to cap off a 13-play, 79-yard drive.

A sack of Bagnell by Dahleen pinned the Marauders deep in their own territory, and after a punt, MSUM took over at its own 42-yard line. Three plays later, Hodge hit Medhaug for a 44-yard touchdown, and with the extra point, the Dragon lead grew to 27-0.

"I thought our offense was in rhythm,' Laqua said. "They were certainly feeding off of Jake, and Jake was playing real well. They were pretty confident group."

Mary got on the board with a touchdown with less than five minutes left in the third quarter. Sophomore Chris Binford then delivered a huge play with a 58-yard kick return to set the Dragons up in Mary territory. Schell then carried the load for MSUM with 29 yards on five carries to bring the Dragons to the 3-yard line, and Hodge finished the drive with a 3-yard touchdown to give MSUM a 34-7 lead with 2:43 left in the half.

The Marauders cut the lead to 34-14 shortly before halftime, leaving MSUM with a 20-point lead at the break.

In the second half, Hodge was injured on the second play and did not return as MSUM went three-and-out on offense. The Marauders scored -- but the extra point was blocked -- to climb within 34-20 with 13:21 left in the third.

With Toelle at quarterback, MSUM then moved down the field on an impressive 11-play, 75-yard drive, and scored when Toelle hit Jiskra from 13 yards out. Kramer's extra point gave MSUM a 41-20 lead with 8:48 left. A key play on the drive was a 15-yard pass interference penalty on Mary.

The Marauders scored the next 21 points to tie the game, setting up the thrilling finish.

The Dragon offensive line continued its solid play as MSUM put up more than 500 yards of total offense for the third time this season. The group included sophomore Bennen Bierman (left tackle), junior Logan Romines (left guard),  junior Kasey Groettum (center), freshman Jack Bixler (right guard) and sophomore Troy Peterson (right tackle). Junior Joe Bromenshenkel and freshman Lane Puckett also played several snaps as part of the offensive line rotation.

"Our offensive line was on point. They were physical and they looked good," Laqua said.

The Dragons will play at Minot State next Saturday in hopes of seeking a second straight win.

"We learned how to finish a game out as far as scoring touchdowns when we needed and getting stops when we needed," Laqua said. "Winning is a learned process. The more you do it, the better you get at it."

Steve d'Eustachio Stat of the Game: Entering Saturday's game versus the Dragons, the University of Mary had a record of 4-3. Today's victory over the Marauders marked the first time the Dragons defeated a team entering the game with a winning record, since beating (4-2) Bemidji St. 32-25 in Bemidji on October 16, 1999.