Box Score
MINOT, N.D. – The Minnesota State University Moorhead football team battled back from a 24-14 deficit with 17 unanswered points and thanks to a blocked extra point from sophomore Steve Schutz, held onto the lead in the final minutes in a 31-30 win over Minot State in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action Saturday in Minot, N.D.

The Dragons improved to 3-6 in the NSIC overall and 3-2 in the NSIC's North Division. Minot State fell to 2-7 overall and 1-4 in the NSIC North Division.

It is the first time since 2010 that MSUM has won back-to-back games and the three wins represent the most for the program since 2007, when MSUM won four games. The Dragons still have two games remaining in 2013.

"Breaking through that ceiling and raising the bar of expectations is what we've set out to do," MSUM head coach Steve Laqua said. "It's a big step for our program and the kids understand that. They want to be a part of doing things that haven't been done in a long time. Today was a great day for the progress of the program."

MSUM outgained the Beavers 478-417, including 122-62 on the ground.

Sophomore quarterback Jake Hodge, who was slowed by an injury but played the whole game, was 25-of-49 passing for 356 yards and four touchdowns. He was intercepted twice. Redshirt freshman wide receiver Cory Ambrose had eight catches for 151 yards and a touchdown. He connected with Hodge on a 92-yard touchdown in the second quarter, which was the longest pass play in Dragon history and the third-longest play from scrimmage in school history.

Sophomore running Zayne Medhaug had 17 carries for 61 yards and also caught six passes for 53 yards. Freshman receiver Dan Grande had five catches for 82 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore receiver Adam Jiskra had five catches for 68 yards and a score.

On defense, the Dragons had a season-high five sacks, led by two from redshirt freshman defensive lineman Ryan Dahleen. Junior Ross Montgomery had 1.5 sacks. Sophomore cornerback Jaylen Raye had nine tackles, while sophomore cornerback Chris Binford and junior linebacker Lomumba Ismail each had eight. Binford had four pass breakups while sophomore safety Garrett Shelley had a key interception.

MSUM was down 24-14 entering the fourth quarter before driving deep into Minot State territory. The drive stalled at the 2-yard line, but senior Wes Kramer converted a key 20-yard field goal to bring MSUM within 24-17 with 13:43 left.

The Dragon defense forced a three-and-out, and then took over with 12:10 left. MSUM went on a nine-play, 83-yard drive, capped off by a 10-yard touchdown pass from Hodge to Jiskra, to tie the game at 24-24. A huge play was a 33-yard pass from Hodge to Grande, plus a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the Beavers.

On the next drive, MSUM's defense got the big turnover when Shelley picked off Minot State's Zac Cunha at midfield, and returned the ball to the Beaver 30-yard line. One player later, Hodge connected with Grande on a 30-yard touchdown. With Kramer's extra point, MSUM led 31-24 with 9:33 left.

The Dragon defense came up big moments later, stopping the Beavers inside the MSUM 5-yard line on a fourth down play. MSUM then punted, and the Beavers drove down and scored on a 7-yard touchdown run by Jarvis Mustipher with 2:39 left. The extra point, however was blocked by Schutz – it was his third extra point block of the year – preserving a one-point lead for MSUM.

"He has taken every opportunity; it's not something he has taken for granted," Laqua said of Schutz. "On what should be a routine play, for him to break through and make a play like that says a lot of about his determination."

Minot State decided against an onside kick and kicked it deep, and Binford returned the ball to the Dragon 34-yard line. MSUM ran the ball twice, forcing Minot State to use two timeouts, and on a third down, Hodge connected with Jiskra for a 17-yard gain. Moments later, junior running back Brandon Schell ran for three yards on a third down to ice the game.

The Dragons led 7-0 early when Hodge hit Grande for a 6-yard touchdown with 9:33 left in the first quarter. Minot State answered with a touchdown pass later in the quarter to tie the game at 7-7.

Hodge then set another record in the second quarter when he hit Ambrose for a 92-yard touchdown which put MSUM back in front 14-7. That 92-yard pass broke a record that stood since 2004, when Kelly Meslow hit Derek Blackburn for an 87-yard pass.

Minot State scored the next 17 points to take a 24-14 lead before MSUM started its rally.
MSUM's run defense proved huge, holding the Beavers to only 62 yards on 28 carries.
"It's a big step for our defense, holding a team under 100 yards rushing is a milestone you want to achieve," Laqua said. "In the end, we took the bend-but-don't break philosophy. We had a couple of stops deep in our own territory and that was the difference in the game."

The Dragons will look for their third straight win next week against rival Bemidji State in the Battle for the Axe.

"We found a way to get a win," Laqua said. "We made the plays down the stretch in the fourth quarter when we needed to on offense and defense. In the end that is what you have to do to win football games in the fourth quarter and that is what we did."

Steve d'Eustachio Stat of the Game: Jake Hodge became for the first-ever Dragon quarterback to throw for 300-plus yards (356) in a Dragon road NSIC victory. Today's 31-30 win in Minot, coupled with the Dragons' 47-46 win at Northern St. back on October 5, marked the first time that the Dragons have won two road NSIC games in a season since at Wayne State, at Minnesota Morris and at Northern State in the 2002 season.