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MOORHEAD, Minn. -- The Minnesota State University Moorhead football team faces its first nationally-ranked opponent of the 2013 season this weekend when the Dragons play host to No. 11-ranked Minnesota Duluth at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Alex Nemzek Stadium in Moorhead, Minn.

MSUM is 1-4 overall and 1-4 in the NSIC, while Minnesota Duluth is 4-1 overall and in the league.

Head Coaches
Steve Laqua is in his third season as MSUM's head coach with a record of 4-23, while Curt Wiese is in his first season as UMD's head coach with a record of 4-1.

Series History
MSUM and Minnesota Duluth will meet for a 55th time with the Bulldogs holding a 30-20-4 lead in the series. UMD has won 11 straight meetings, including a 45-14 win in Duluth a year ago. MSUM's last win in the series came in 1999 in Duluth when the Dragons prevailed 20-14.

Last five meetings:
2012: UMD 45, MSUM 14 (in Duluth, Minn.)
2011: UMD 49, MSUM 21 (in Moorhead, Minn.)
2010: UMD 56, MSUM 7 (in Moorhead, Minn.)
2009: UMD 76, MSUM 7 (in Duluth, Minn.)
2008: UMD 52, MSUM 14 (in Moorhead, Minn.)

About MSU Moorhead
Jake Hodge's two-point conversion with 4:01 left put the Dragons ahead by one point, and Nick Seedorff's interception in the final minute sealed a 47-46 MSUM over Northern State on Oct. 5 in Aberdeen, S.D. The Dragons posted 586 yards of total offense -- the most in Head Coach Steve Laqua's tenure -- including 294 on the ground and 292 through the air.  The 294 team rushing yards were the most for the Dragons since Oct. 11, 2003 when the Dragons rushed for 347 against Waldorf.

Hodge was 32-of-47 for 292 yards and three scores while rushing for 101 yards and two scores. Junior running back Brandon Schell had 136 rushing yards on 30 carries while sophomore receiver Adam Jiskra had 11 catches for 139 yards and two scores. Redshirt freshman Cory Ambrose had 10 catches for 114 yards and a touchdown. On defense, sophomore linebacker Chris Lee had seven tackles, including two for loss, while Seedorff and fellow junior Lomumba Ismail had interceptions.

For the season, Hodge has thrown for 850 yards and eight scores. Jiskra has caught 32 passes for 516 yards and five touchdowns, while Ambrose has 22 catches for 251 yards and two scores. Hodge leads the ground game with 344 yards and seven scores, while Schell has 343 yards and two scores. MSUM averages 173 yards per game on the ground and 243.8 yards per game through the air.  The Dragons are scoring 30.0 points per game.

On defense, MSUM allows 43.0 points per game; the Dragons surrender 304.8 yards per game on the ground but allow just 177.0 yards per game through the air, third-best in the 16-team NSIC.  Senior Sam Callahan and redshirt freshman Aaron Bohl lead the way with 33 tackles lead; Lee has six tackles for loss. Four different Dragons have intercepted a pass, while eight different players have recovered fumbles.

About Minnesota-Duluth
The No. 11-ranked Bulldogs are 4-1 on the year; they beat then-No. 18 St. Cloud State, 34-7 last week in Duluth, Minn.

Austin Sikorski leads the UMD offense with 490 rushing yards and six touchdowns. He is averaging 6.1 yards per carry. Drew Bauer has rushed for 353 yards and three scores while throwing for 515 yards and four touchdowns. Aaron Roth has 22 catches for 161 yards for UMD. The Bulldogs are scoring 36.8 points per game and rushing for 296.6 yards per game.  They are throwing for 121.4 yards per game.

The Bulldog defense is ranked No. 1 in the NSIC, allowing just 15 points per game. They have the No. 1 ranked rushing defense as well at 79.6 yards per game.  Senior Chris Vandervest anchors the UMD defense with 25 tackles, including 7.5 for loss.

He's Caught On
Sophomore receiver Adam Jiskra had a solid freshman year, leading MSUM in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns in 2012. Now a sophomore, he continues to be a main weapon in the receiving arsenal. A week after setting a career-high for receiving yards with 180, Jiskra set a new career-high for catches with 11 on 139 yards to help the Dragons edge Northern State on Oct. 5 in Aberdeen, S.D. Jiskra is 22nd in the nation in receiving yards (516), 24th in receiving touchdowns (five), 25th in receiving yards per game (103.2) and 40th in receptions per game (6.4). He is second in the NSIC in receiving yards, receptions per game and receiving yards per game.

Hodge Ranked Nationally and in NSIC
Sophomore quarterback Jake Hodge's big day helped the Dragons earn the road win last weekend at Northern State. He accounted for five touchdowns -- three passing and two rushing -- and also had 393 combined yards of offense. He is ranked 13th in the nation in scoring at 11.0 per game and is ranked 14th in the nation in rushing touchdowns at seven.  Hodge is 33rd in the nation in total offense per game (298.5). In the NSIC, he is third in rushing touchdowns, scoring and total offense.

2013 Schedule
MSUM's 2013 campaign features five home games and six on the road. Currently, two of MSUM's upcoming opponents -- Minnesota Duluth (11th) and St. Cloud State (18th) - are ranked in the AFCA Division II Top 25. UMD will be the first ranked opponent MSUM will have faced since Oct. 6, 2012, when the Dragons met the same Bulldog team that was ranked No. 10 at the time.

2013 Captains
MSUM's captains for 2013 are senior linebacker Sam Callahan and junior linebacker Lomumba Ismail.

Century Club
After having only two 100-yard rushers in 2013, MSUM has had four already in five games in 2013. Brandon Schell and Jake Hodge both posted their second 100-yard rushing games of 2013 during Saturday's win at Minnesota-Duluth.  It was the first time the Dragons had two players with more than 100 yards rushing since 2007, when Dustin Long (126 yards) and Enos Gilles (104) accomplished the feat against Wayne State.

Week 6 Laqua
The Dragons are 0-2 in Week 6 games under Head Coach Steve Laqua. In 2011, the Dragons lost to Southwest Minnesota State, 45-13 and in 2012, they lost at Minnesota-Duluth 45-14.

MSUM Practice Players of the Day
Here are last week's MSUM practice players of the day (given out on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday practices)
Tuesday, Oct. 1 - Dan Grande (WR)
Wednesday, Oct. 2 - Brett Gehring (LB)
Thursday, Oct. 3 - Ibukun Awosika (OL)

New Radio Home
The 2013 Dragon football games can be heard on a new radio home this year, 106.1 FM The Thunder. Steve d'Eustachio and Larry Scott return to call the action.

Home Grown
The MSUM football team's roster is represented by seven states, with Minnesota leading the way with 41, athletes, followed by North Dakota with 16.