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One of Division II's oldest rivalries resumes on Saturday when the Minnesota State University Moorhead football team battles with Bemidji State in the Battle for the Axe, which is the second-oldest traveling trophy in Division II. Game time is 1 p.m. at Chet Anderson Stadium in Bemidji, MInn.

Live audio, with Dragon broadcasters Steve d'Eustachio and Larry Scott on the call, can be heard at msumdragons.com.  Live video can be accessed there as well.  

MSUM is 2-7 overall and 1-4 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference's North Division while Bemidji State is 3-6 overall and 3-2 in the NSIC North.

Series History
Saturday's game will be the 81st meeting between MSUM and Bemidji State in a rivalry that dates back to 1929. MSUM ended a four-game losing streak to the Beavers with a 35-17 win in 2013. The Dragons lead the all-time series 44-33-3.

Previous five meetings:
2013: MSUM 35, Bemidji State 17 (in Moorhead)
2012: Bemidji State 35, MSU Moorhead 25 (in Bemidji)
2011: Bemidji State 35, MSU Moorhead 10 (in Bemidji)
2010: Bemidji State 14, MSU Moorhead 6 (in Moorhead)
2009: Bemidji State 38, MSU Moorhead 13 (in Bemidji)

The Head Coaches
Steve Laqua is in his fourth season as MSUM's head coach with a record of 9-33 at the school, while Jeff Tesch is in his 19th season as Bemidji State's head coach with a record of 119-86.

About MSUM
MSUM built a 28-0 halftime lead and rolled to a 52-7 win over Minot State on Nov. 1 in Moorhead, Minn. Junior quarterback Jake Hodge threw for 253 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 101 yards and a  score. Junior running back Zayne Medhaug rushed for 86 yards and two scores while catching five passes for 65 yards and a score.

Medhaug has 712 rushing yards and nine scores while Hodge has rushed for 637 yards and six touchdowns. Hodge has thrown for 1,919 yards and 16 touchdowns. Junior Adam Jiskra has 69 catches for 983 yards and seven touchdowns, while sophomore receiver Cory Ambrose has 40 catches for 486 yards and seven scores.

MSUM is averaging 231.2 yards per game on the ground and 271.6  yards per game through the air for a total of 502.8 yards per game of total offense, which is tops in the NSIC. The Dragons are scoring 33.3 points per game. Redshirt freshman safety Abe Roehrich has 74 tackles and an interception to lead the defense, while sophomore linebacker Aaron Bohl has 65 tackles. Sophomore cornerback Sheldon Jones has 10 pass breakups and an interception. Junior cornerback Chris Binford has three interceptions.

The Dragon defense allows 48.8 points per game and 224.3 yards per game on the ground. Teams are throwing for 308.6 yards per game against the Dragons, who surrender 532.9 yards per game of total offense.

About Bemidji State
Bemidji State fell to 3-6 on the year with a 30-27 loss to St. Cloud State last week. The Beavers were down 30-8 entering the final frame but rallied with 19 fourth-quarter points before falling. Jordan Hein threw for three touchdowns in the loss for Bemidji State while Blake Holder hauled in two touchdown passes.

The Beavers are averaging 22.8 points per game on the season. Bemidji State rushes for 123.3 yards per game and throws for 256.2 for a total of 379.6 yards per game in offense. Hein has rushed for a team-best 293 yards while throwing for 644 yards and seven touchdowns, along with eight interceptions. Ryan Shields has also played quarterback for the Beavers and has thrown for 1,662 yards and 11 scores. holder has caught 39 passes for 716 yards and six scores to lead the Bemidji State receiving corps.

Bemidji State allows 30.7 points per game on defense. The Beavers allow 147.1 yards per game on the ground and 222.0 yards per game through the air.  Teams are compiling 369.1 yards per game in total offense against Bemidji State. Colton Blascyk has 78 tackles, including 13 for loss, for Bemidji State while Connor Quinn has 74 tackles and six sacks.

More about the Dragons
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 last week. Hodge surpassed the previous mark of 5,748 yards set by Dustin Long in the first half and now has 5,843 career passing yards.

The 300 Club
MSUM has rushed for more than 300 yards in back-to-back games, the first time that has happened in the Steve Laqua era.  The 378 yards against 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.

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 2,614 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 176, just 38 behind Taylor, the all-time leader with 214.

NSIC Player 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. The West Bend, Wis., native also hit a 52-yard punt in the second half.

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 Saturday. 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 Saturday. 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. 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 502 yards.

National Rankings
The MSUM football team is fourth in the nation in first downs (238), 12th in total offense (502.8 yards per game), 23rd in rushing offense (231.2), and 38th in passing offense (271.6). Jiskra is ranked eighth in the nation in receptions per game (7.7), ninth in rushing yards (983) and receiving yards per game (109.2). Hodge is ranked 15th in the nation in total offense (319). Sophomore Sheldon Jones is 30th in passes defended at 1.4 per game.

Week 10 Under Laqua
The Dragons are 1-2 in Week 10 games under Head Coach Steve Laqua. The Dragons lost to Northern State, 42-21 in 2011 and lost at Bemidji State, 35-25 in 2012 before beating Bemidji State 35-17 a year ago.

Block Party
Redshirt freshman safety Abe Roehrich and freshman defensive lineman Jake Busse both blocked field goals during the Dragons' 40-36 win over Wayne State on Sept 20. In a game decided by four points, keeping those six points off the scoreboard proved vital. Freshman Damon Gibson blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown in the Oct. 25 game at Mary.

All-Purpose Weapon
Junior running back Zayne Medhaug became the first player in the NSIC to return a kickoff for a touchdown in the Dragons' 40-36 win over Wayne State. Medhaug returned a kickoff 98 yards for a score in the fourth quarter to put MSUM up 38-23 in what proved to be the game-winning score. Medhaug leads the NSIC in kickoff return average (31.7), is third in the NSIC in all-purpose yardage at 132.3 yards per game and is eighth in rushing yards per game at 79.1,. It was MSUM's first kick return for a touchdown since 2006 when Jabari Taylor accomplished the feat.

Hodge a Double Threat
Hodge continues to be one of the top all-around threats in the NSIC.  He ranks second in the league in total offense per game at 319.5 yards per game.  Hodge also is ranked sixth in the NSIC in passing yards per game at 239.9 and is seventh in rushing per game at 79.6 yards per contest.

Stalwarts Up Front
Senior Kasey Groettum and juniors Bennen Bierman and Troy Peterson have each started all 31 games over the past two-plus seasons on the offensive line -- combining for 93 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.