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The Minnesota State University Moorhead football team takes a two-game winning streak into its season finale on Saturday when it hosts Minnesota Crookston in the Red River Valley Showdown game sponsored by State Farm Insurance. Game time is 1 p.m. at Alex Nemzek Stadium in Moorhead, Minn.  The winner of the game will get the State Farm Traveling Trophy.

The game will be televised live on WDAY'Z XTRA, which is channel 6.3 over the air, 596 for Midcontinent Communications customers, and on WDAY.com. Live audio, with Dragon broadcasters Steve d'Eustachio and Larry Scott on the call, can be heard at msumdragons.com.  Live video and live stats can be accessed there as well.  

In honor of Veterans Day, all veterans will receive free admission to Saturday's game when they present a military ID.

MSUM is 3-7 overall and 2-4 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference's North Division while Minnesota Crookston is 0-10 overall and 0-6 in the north.

Series History
Saturday's game will be the 16th meeting between the Dragons and Golden Eagles in football, with MSUM holding a slim 8-7 series lead. The Dragons saw a four-game winning streak end to the Golden Eagles in a 20-14 loss in 2013 in Crookston.

Previous five meetings:
2013: UMC 20, MSU Moorhead 14 (in Crookston)
2012: MSU Moorhead 35, MN Crookston 13 (in Moorhead)
2011: MSU Moorhead 29, MN-Crookston 22 (in Moorhead)
2010 MSU Moorhead 48, MN-Crookston 18 (in Crookston)
2009: MSU Moorhead 24, MN-Crookston 13 (in Moorhead)

The Head Coaches
Steve Laqua is in his fourth season as MSUM's head coach with a record of 10-33 at the school, while Mike Fritze is in his second season at UMC with a record of 2-19 at the school.

About MSUM
MSUM built a 27-14 lead and went on to beat Bemidji State, 27-21 in the Battle for the Axe on Nov. 8 in Bemidji, Minn. Junior Zayne Medhaug rushed for 194 yards and three touchdowns while redshirt freshman Demetrius Carr rushed for a touchdown. Redshirt freshman Abe Roehrich had 12 tackles and his interception in the end zone in the final two minutes secured the win.

Medhaug has 906 rushing yards and 12 scores while quarterback Jake Hodge has rushed for 728 yards and six touchdowns. Hodge has thrown for 1,981 yards and 16 touchdowns. Junior Adam Jiskra has 71 catches for 1,013 yards and seven touchdowns, while sophomore receiver Cory Ambrose has 40 catches for 486 yards and seven scores. MSUM is averaging 239.3 yards per game on the ground and 259.0 yards per game through the air for a total of 498.3 yards per game of total offense, which is tops in the NSIC. The Dragons are scoring 32.7 points per game.

Roehrich has 86 tackles and two interceptions to lead the defense, while sophomore linebacker Aaron Bohl has 74 tackles. Sophomore cornerback Sheldon Jones has 10 pass breakups and an interception. Junior cornerback Chris Binford has three interceptions along with 62 tackles.

The Dragon defense allows 46.0 points per game and 222.4 yards per game on the ground. Teams are throwing for 296.9 yards per game against the Dragons, who surrender 519.3 yards per game of total offense.

About Minnesota Crookston
Minnesota Crookston fell to 0-10 on the year with a 62-13 loss at Northern State last week. The Golden Eagles faced a 42-6 halftime deficit and were unable to close the gap in the second half. Dre Pearson rushed for 133 yards and a touchdown for the Golden Eagles.

Minnesota Crookston is averaging 11.4 points per game and recording 244.3 yards per game of total offense.  Talo Pascal leads the ground game with 271 yards while Person has 268. Junior Ben Bucholz has thrown for 1,106 yards and seven touchdowns while Travon Hearns has thrown for 382 yards and a score. Adam Connette leads UMC with 45 catches for 502 yards and three scores.

UMC is allowing 47.6 points per game and 507.9 yards per game of total offense.  Greg Lofquist has 139 tackles -- which leads the NSIC -- and three sacks to led the defense while Drew Selvestra has 78 tackles and a team-best 3.5 sacks.

More about the Dragons
National Rankings
The MSUM football team is 10th in the nation in first downs (256), 12th in total offense (498.3 yards per game) and 16th in rushing offense (239.3). Adam Jiskra is ranked 13th in the nation in receptions per game (7.1), 13th in receiving yards (1,013) and 15th in receiving yards per game (101.3). Hodge is ranked 30th in the nation in total offense (301). Sophomore Sheldon Jones is 32nd in passes defended at 1.4 per game.

All-Purpose Weapon
Junior running back Zayne Medhaug has been responsible for the Dragons' longest play on offense and on special teams this season. His 85-yard touchdown run against Bemidji was the Dragons' longest play from scrimmage this year and is tied for the sixth-longest run in school history. His 98-yard kick return for a touchdown in the win over Wayne State is the longest special teams play in school history. Medhaug is looking to become the first Dragon to rush for 1,000 yards in a season since Tony Duerr accomplished the feat in 1999. Medhaug has 906 yards rushing yards this season.

NSIC Rankings
MSUM is ranked first in the NSIC in total offense (498.3), second in first downs (256) and third in rushing offense (239.3). Jiskra is ranked first in receiving yards per game (101.3) and second in receptions per game (7.1).  Medhaug is ranked third in all-purpose yards, tied for third in scoring (90) and fifth in rushing yards (906) while Hodge is ranked fourth in total offense (301.0 yards) and seventh in passing average (220.1).

The 300 Club
MSUM has rushed for more than 300 yards in three straight games, the first time that has happened in the Steve Laqua era.  The 378 yards against Mary were the most MSUM has rushed for in a game in the Steve Laqua era. In the win over Minot State, the Dragons rushed for 360 yards on 60 carries and followed that with 57 carries for 312 yards in the win at Bemidji.

NSIC Players of the Week
Sophomore punter/kicker Michael Schwichtenberg was named the NSIC Special Teams Player of the Week on Nov. 3 after a strong performance against Minot State. Schwichtenberg was a perfect 7-of-7 on extra points and also added a 29-yard field goal in the win.
A week later, redshirt freshman Abe Roehrich received NSIC Defensive Player of the Week honors after recording 12 tackles and a game-clinching interception in the end zone in the final minutes in the 27-21 win at Bemidji State.

Hodge Sets Career Mark
Junior quarterback Jake Hodge is now MSUM's career leader in passing yards. The Kasson, Minn., native threw for 253 yards and three scores in the win over Minot State on Nov. 4. Hodge surpassed the previous mark of 5,748 yards set by Dustin Long in the first half and now has 5,905 career passing yards.

Jiskra Sets Record, Chases Another
Junior wide receiver Adam Jiskra now has his name at the top of the Dragon record books for career receiving yards.  Jiskra, in his third season as a starting wide receiver, now has 2,644 yards receiving, surpassing the previous record of 2,349 by Jabari Taylor in the loss to St. Cloud State. Jiskra is now in second in career receptions with 178, just 36 behind Taylor, the all-time leader with 214.

Dragons Surpass 50
MSUM surpassed the 50-point total for the first time in 15 years in the 52-7 win over Minot State on Nov. 1. The last time the Dragons accomplished that feat was 1999 in a 56-7 win over Wisconsin-Oshkosh.

Defense Delivers Against Minot
The young MSUM defense has endured some growing pains during the season but had a strong all-around day in the 52-7 win over Minot State on Nov. 1. The Dragons surrendered just seven points -- the fewest an MSUM defense has allowed in a game since 2009 when the Dragons beat Valley City State 16-6. MSUM also surrendered just 212 yards of total offense in the game to the Beavers, the fewest allowed in the Steve Laqua era.

Eclipsing 500
The Dragon offense has surpassed the 500-yard mark in total offense five times this season, including piling up 613 yards in the win over Minot State on Nov. 1. MSUM has only been held under the 400-yard mark twice this season, and that was against the teams currently ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the nation, Minnesota State, Mankato and Minnesota Duluth, respectively. MSUM leads the NSIC in total offense per game at 498.3 yards.

Week 11 Under Laqua
The Dragons are 0-3 in Week 11 games under Laqua. The Dragons lost to St. Cloud State, 47-14 in 2011 and also fell to the Huskies, 39-37 in 2012 at Alex Nemzek Stadium. Last season MSUM fell to the Huskies 64-27 in St. Cloud.
 
Stalwarts Up Front
Senior Kasey Groettum and juniors Bennen Bierman and Troy Peterson have each started all 32 games over the past two-plus seasons on the offensive line -- combining for 96 starts during that time. Their play is among the keys to the Dragon offense's growth over the past two seasons. Groettum is in his fourth year as a starter after starting in five games as a freshman in 2011.