DULUTH, Minn. – Facing a ranked opponent for the third time in four weeks, the Minnesota State University Moorhead football team fell to No. 4-ranked Minnesota Duluth, 63-28 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action Saturday night in Duluth, Minn.
MSUM fell to 1-4 overall and in the NSIC with the loss while the Bulldogs improved to 5-0 overall and in the league.
UMD had a 539-339 edge in total yards in the game, including 367-125 on the ground.
"Duluth is a very good football team," MSUM head coach
Steve Laqua said. "They play great defense. We could not get the run game going consistently, and it makes it tough when you are one-dimensional. They're a quality team with a very good defense."
Junior quarterback
Jake Hodge was 20-of-38 passing for 214 yards and three touchdowns. He was intercepted twice. Hodge also rushed for 84 yards and a score. Sophomore receiver
Cory Ambrose caught seven passes for 49 yards and a touchdown while junior receiver
Adam Jiskra had five catches for 93 yards and a score. Sophomore wide receiver
Dan Grande had a touchdown reception as well.
On defense, redshirt freshman safety
Abe Roehrich, junior safety
Garrett Shelley and sophomore linebacker
Aaron Bohl each had eight tackles. Freshman linebacker
Connor McCarthy added a forced fumble and a sack. Freshman defensive lineman
Jake Busse added a sack as well.
For the second straight week, a slow start proved costly for MSUM as UMD built a 28-0 lead after one quarter. The Bulldogs outgained MSUM 214-26 in the opening quarter on their way to the four-touchdown lead.
The lead grew to 35-0 early in the second quarter before the Dragon offense got on the board moments later. MSUM went on a 10-play, 78-yard drive and scored when Hodge hit Ambrose for a 16-yard score. With sophomore
Michael Schwichtenberg's extra point, MSUM was on the board at 35-7.
The Dragon defense then forced a three-and-out and the offense started to march again. MSUM went on an 11-play, 65-yard drive and found the end zone again when Hodge hit Grande from 13 yards out on third down. The extra point was blocked, but MSUM was within 35-13 with 5:41 left in the first half.
The Bulldogs scored again to make it 42-13, but the Dragons came back with another drive. MSUM went on an eight-play, 78-yard drive and scored when Hodge scored on a 42-yard run. Hodge hit Jiskra for the two-point conversion, bringing MSUM within 42-21, which was the halftime score.
"A poor start did not help our cause," Laqua said. "We bounced back and found a rhythm and put together a nice second quarter. I was proud of the way our kids battled to the end. They showed great character despite falling behind so early."
MSUM had two possessions in the third quarter where it had chances to climb closer, including on its opening drive of the half. The Dragons took over in Bulldog territory after a short punt and were inside the 25-yard line, but an interception ended the threat.
UMD scored the next 14 points to make it 56-21. The Dragons' final score came when Hodge hit Jiskra for an 11-yard touchdown with 10:58 left.
The Dragons will now return home for back-to-back games, starting on Oct. 11 against Northern State.
"We're excited for the first two-game home stretch we've had since we've been here," Laqua said. "It's about continuing to get better. Facing these quality opponents so far has taught us something about ourselves. Even though we haven't found a way, we have shown some improvements."
Steve d'Eustachio Stat of the Game: The four teams MSUM has lost to in 2014 – Upper Iowa, Minnesota State, Sioux Falls and Minnesota Duluth – are each 5-0 this season. Those four teams are the only four with 5-0 records in the NSIC this season.
