MOORHEAD, Minn. -- The Minnesota State University Moorhead football team was tied with St. Cloud State at 27-27 midway through the third quarter, but the Huskies scored 28 unanswered points to secure a 55-27 win over the Dragons in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action Saturday at Nemzek Stadium in Moorhead, Minn.

A bright spot on the day for MSUM was junior Adam Jiskra putting his name in the school record books. Jiskra, who had nine catches for 121 yards in the game, set a new school record for career receiving yards with 2,468. He surpassed the previous mark set by Jabari Taylor (2,349 yards) with his first catch in the first quarter.

"It's a tremendous record for Adam Jiskra," MSUM head coach Steve Laqua said. "He's been a quality person in our program. Every individual record comes with a lot of work from other people, and he's had great teammates work with him."

Junior quarterback Jake Hodge was 13-of-22 passing for 159 yards and a touchdown for the Dragons before leaving the game midway through the second quarter with an injury. Redshirt freshman Demetrius Carr came in relief and was 14-of-30 passing for 193 yards and two scores. He was intercepted three times in his first extended action since Week 1 of 2013.

In addition to Jiskra's big day, sophomore receiver Cory Ambrose had five catches for 142 yards and two scores. Freshman receiver Hunter Braaten added three catches for 23 yards and a score. Hodge was the top rusher with 65 yards and a touchdown in five carries.

For the Dragon defense, redshirt freshman safety Abe Roehrich had 10 tackles and a forced fumble, while junior safety Garrett Shelley had seven tackles and two breakups. Senior Anthony Binford had a sack, while junior cornerback Chris Binford had four tackles, two pass breakups and an interception. Freshman defensive tackle Jake Busse had a interception as well.

St. Cloud State outgained the Dragons, 541-470, including 194-99 on the ground.

"I was proud of the way the team responded to multiple instances of adversity," Laqua said. "In the end, our lack of depth caught up with us."

The Dragons struck first on the game's opening possession, going 83 yards on six plays, and scoring on a 33-yard run by Hodge. The extra point was good, giving MSUM a 7-0 lead. A key play on the drive was a 27-yard pass from Hodge to Jiskra.

The Huskies tied the game at 7-7, and Busse's interception thwarted a threat later in the quarter. The Dragons converted that turnover into points as Hodge hit Braaten from eight yards out to cap off a six-play, 75-yard scoring drive. With sophomore Michael Schwictenberg's extra point, MSUM led 14-7. A key play on the drive was a 26-yard pass from Hodge to Jiskra.

The Huskies came back with 13 straight points to take a 20-14 lead, which was the score after one quarter.

The Dragons marched down the field to open the second quarter. Hodge hit Jiskra for an 18-yard gain, and then ran for 19 yards to the 5-yard line but was injured on the play.  On the next play, MSUM fumbled to end the threat. Neither team was able to score in the second quarter as the halftime tally was 20-14.

The Dragon defense got a stop to open the second half, and MSUM quickly regained the lead moments later. Carr hit Ambrose for a 49-yard score, and with Schwichtenberg's extra point, the Dragons were in front 21-20 with 11:52 left in the third.

St. Cloud State regained the lead at 27-21, but later in the quarter, MSUM came back to tie the game when Carr hit Ambrose for a 44-yard touchdown. The extra point was blocked, leaving the game tied at 27-27 with 6:46 left in the third.

The Huskies took the lead back at 34-27 after a touchdown run by quarterback Nate Meyer with less than three minutes left in the third. MSUM drove into Husky territory on its next drive but Carr was picked off by Koehring at the 15-yard line.

MSUM's offense struggled in the fourth quarter, managing only 44 yards on 15 plays, as the Huskies pulled away.

The Dragons finished with four turnovers on the day.

"We didn't take care of the ball and we didn't execute well," Laqua said. "And our lack of depth caught up to us."

MSUM will face Mary on Oct. 25 in Bismarck, N.D., in the Battle for the Paddle.

Steve d'Eustachio Stat of the Game: George Spanish and Dave Bruggeman are the only Dragon duo (in recorded history dating back to 1968), to combine for over 400 rushing yards in a single game. Spanish ran for 219 yards while Bruggeman had 194 in the Dragons' 19-13 win over St. Cloud St. in Nov. 1971. Coincidentally, it was Spanish's and Bruggeman's second best career games on the ground and their career-highs both came against Southwest St. Spanish went for 239 yards against the Mustangs in 1971 while Bruggeman ran for 224 yards versus Southwest in 1970.