MOORHEAD, Minn. -- The Minnesota State University Moorhead football team came up 11 yards short of its second win of 2014 as the Dragons lost a heartbreaking 40-38 decision to Northern State in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action Saturday at Nemzek Stadium in Moorhead, Minn.

MSUM fell to 1-5 overall and in the conference with the loss, while Northern State improved to 4-2 overall and in the NSIC.

The Dragon offense set a school record with 101 plays run. MSUM also had 32 first downs, one shy of the school record, and junior receiver Adam Jiskra had a monstrous day with career-highs of 13 catches for 231 yards, just six yards away from the single-game record.

Junior quarterback Jake Hodge was 31-of-56 passing for 381 yards and three touchdowns. he also rushed for 73 yards on 15 carries. Junior running back Zayne Medhaug rushed for 75 yards and two scores while catching six passes for 47 yards and a touchdown. Redshirt freshman running back Brock Kolander had nine rushes for 47 yards and his first career touchdown. Sophomore Cory Ambrose had nine catches for 72 yards.

On defense, redshirt freshman safety Abe Roehrich had 12 tackles and an interception. Junior safety Garrett Shelly and redshirt freshman linebacker Jeff Mueller each had seven tackles.  On special teams, sophomore Michael Schwichtenberg averaged 39.5 yards per punt with a long of 60 yards.

MSUM outgained the Wolves, 578-483.

The game, played in a 25 mile per hour south wind, saw MSUM lead 18-0 after one quarter before Northern State game back to take a 21-18 lead. The Dragons scored the next 14 points to take a 32-21 lead, but Northern State scored the next 19 points to take a 40-32 lead.

MSUM cut the lead to 40-38 after a 12-play, 75-yard drive in the final five minutes. Hodge completed two passes to Jiskra for 33 yards on the drive, which also saw the Dragons capitalized on two crucial Wolves penalties. On a first-and-goal, Hodge hit Medhaug for a 2-yard touchdown. The game-tying two-point conversion failed, leaving MSUM down 40-38 with 2:21 left.

After an onside kick attempt was recovered by Northern, the Dragon defense got a three-and-out, and MSUM took over with 1:53 left. MSUM faced a fourth down at its own 25, but Hodge hit Ambrose for a 21-yard game to keep the Dragon hopes alive.

MSUM moved into Northern territory, thanks to a 19-yard reception by Medhaug and a 15-yard reception by Jiskra. The Dragons had a first down at the Northern 11-yard line, but four incompletions left the Dragons just 11 yards short.

"This loss stings," MSUM head coach Steve Laqua said. "I'm proud of the way the kids battled to the end. They showed a lot of character. But this loss will sting for a while."

MSUM -- with the wind at its back -- dominated the first quarter and took a 18-0 lead after 15 minutes. MSUM scored on its first series when Kolander broke free for a 20-yard touchdown. The extra point was missed, but the Dragons led 6-0 just 4:03 into the game.

MSUM forced a turnover on downs near midfield and quickly converted the ensuing possession into points, as Jiskra hauled in a 31-yard touchdown pass from Hodge. The extra point was blocked, but MSUM was in front 12-0 at the 8:26 mark of the first.

The Dragon defense forced a three-and-out and the offense went on an 11-play, 67-yard drive, and scored when Hodge hit Jiskra from eight yards out. The two-point conversion failed, leaving the MSUM lead at 18-0 with 3:56 left in the opening quarter.

"I was encouraged by the start we had," Laqua said. "We came out focused and ready to play. Part of a growing and maturing program is we have to work to keep getting better at finishing games and winning close games."

Northern State came back with 14 second-quarter points, including a 64-yard touchdown pass with seven seconds left in the half to cut the Dragon lead to 18-14.

The Wolves took a 21-18 lead with a touchdown to open the second half. The Dragons came back with a impressive 12-play, 75-yard march, capped off by a 5-yard score by Medhaug. Schwichtenberg's extra point was good, giving MSUM a 25-21 lead.

Later in the quarter, after a short Northern punt into the wind, Hodge connected with Jiskra for a 41-yard gain to the Wolves' 1-yard line, and one play later, Medhaug scored on a 1-yard plunge. With the extra point, MSUM led 32-21.

The Wolves answered with 19 unanswered points before the Dragons came back to within two late.

MSUM returns to action at home on Oct. 18 against St. Cloud State. Game time is 1 p.m. at Nemzek Stadium.

Steve d'Eustachio Stat of the Game: Adam Jiskra's 231 receiving yards are the second-most prolific receiving total in Dragon single-game school history and also are one of only three 200-yard receiving days in the history of the program. Cory Ambrose set the school record with 237 yards against Minnesota Duluth on Oct. 12, 2013. Bruce Bausman also had a 201-yard receiving day against North Dakota State in 1963.