Football | 10/28/2015 3:35:00 PM

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This Week
The Minnesota State University Moorhead football team aims for its second straight win on Saturday when it plays at St. Cloud State. Game time is 1 p.m. at Husky Stadium in St. Cloud, Minn.

Saturday's game is the second of two consecutive road games for MSUM. The Dragons beat Minot State, 30-20 on Oct. 24.

Dragon broadcasters Steve d'Eustachio and Larry Scott will be on the call for the online Dragon broadcast.. Live video, stats and audio can be heard at msumdragons.com.  

MSUM is 4-4 overall and 1-3 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference North Division; St. Cloud is 4-4 overall and 2-2 in the NSIC North.

A win over St. Cloud State would…
—be the MSUM's first win over the Huskies since 1983
—give MSUM five wins in a season for the first time since 2006; would be most wins in the Steve Laqua era
—give MSUM its best nine-game start since starting 6-3 in 1999
—give MSUM back-to-back wins for a second time this season
—be MSUM's third road win of the season

Series History
MSUM and St. Cloud State will meet for a 60th time with the Huskies holding a 34-23-2 lead in a series which dates back to 1920. The Huskies have won seven straight in the series.
 
Previous five meetings:
2014: St. Cloud State 55, MSU Moorhead 27 (in Moorhead, Minn.)
2013: St. Cloud State 64, MSU Moorhead 27 (in St. Cloud, Minn.)
2012: St. Cloud State 39, MSU Moorhead 37 (in Moorhead)
2011: St. Cloud State 47, MSU Moorhead 14 (in St. Cloud)
2010: St. Cloud State 42, MSU Moorhead 16 (in Moorhead)
Last MSUM win: 1983- MSUM 22, St. Cloud State 21

The Head Coaches
Steve Laqua is in his fifth season as MSUM's head coach with a record of 15-37 at the school, while Scott Underwood is in his eighth season as St. Cloud State's head coach with a record of 62-29.

About MSUM
MSUM is 4-4 on the year defeating Minot State, 30-20 on Oct. 24 in Minot, N.D. Redshirt freshman running back Kayne Griffith rushed for 99 yards and a touchdown while sophomore running back Zayne Medhaug rushed for 57 yards and a touchdown. Redshirt freshman offensive lineman Tyler Lazarz returned a blocked punt for a touchdown in the first quarter while redshirt freshman kicker Joe Tjosvold was 3-of-3 on extra points.

The Dragons average 26.8 points per game and record 409.5 yards per game in total offense.  Senior running back Zayne Medhaug has rushed for 407 yards and five touchdowns to lead the ground game, while Carr has thrown for 1,446 yards and 11 touchdowns in six starts.

Sophomore Damon Gibson leads the receiving corps with 27 catches for 605 yards and five touchdowns. Sophomore receiver Hunter Braaten has 21 catches for 216 yards. Junior Cory Ambrose also has five touchdown receptions this season. Senior receiver Adam Jiskra, who is out with an injury, has 19 receptions in four games and shares the team lead with five touchdowns.

MSUM allows 35.5 points per game on defense. Teams are recording 452.9 yards per game of total offense against the Dragons.  Redshirt freshman Michael Strand has 49 tackles to lead the team, while junior linebacker Aaron Bohl and sophomore safety Abe Roehrich have 47 each.  Strand and senior cornerback Chris Binford have two interceptions each while Steve Schutz has blocked four kicks.  Junior defensive lineman Ryan Dahleen has a team-best 8.5 tackles for loss while sophomore defensive lineman Jake Busse had three sacks.

About St. Cloud State
The Huskies are 4-4 overall and 2-2 in the NSIC North. They are coming off of a 28-27 loss at Bemidji State on Oct. 24. SCSU scored to climb within 28-27 with 2:35 left, but the game-tying extra point was blocked, leaving the Huskies one point short. Nate Meyer threw for 361 yards and three touchdowns in the loss for St. Cloud State.

Ledell White has rushed for 560 yards and five touchdowns for SCSU while Jaden Huff has 469 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. Meyer has thrown for 2,127 yards and 15 touchdowns while Jameson Parsons has caught 46 passes for 915 yards and five touchdowns.  The Huskies score 33.0 points per game and post 468.4 yards of total offense.

On defense, Brady Westart has 50 tackles, including a team-best 5.5 sacks, while Craig Szymanski leads with 10.5 tackles for loss. Keyshawn Davis has two fumble recoveries. The Huskies allow 24.5 points per game as a team and allow 381.4 yards per game of total offense.

More about the Dragons
Just for Kicks
Redshirt freshman kicker Joe Tjosvold had a key role in the Dragons' 30-20 win over Minot State on Oct. 24. He was 3-for-3 on field goals, with a season-long of 39 yards, and also was 3-of-3 on extra points. He finished the game with 12 points. Tjosvold is tied for eighth in the NSIC in points for kickers with 40, and is also 5-of-6 on field goal attempts this season.

Griffith Ground Game Sparks Win
Redshirt freshman running back Kayne Griffith rushed for a career-high 99 yards and a touchdown in the win over Minot State. On the drive that produced the game-winning touchdown, Griffith had five carries for 63 yards and a score.  The rushing touchdown was the first of Griffith's collegiate career.

Block Party
MSUM has blocked four field goals and two punts this season. Senior defensive lineman Steve Schutz has blocked four field goals, while sophomore receiver Damon Gibson and redshirt freshman linebacker Joe Rademacher have each blocked punts. Rademacher's block against Minot State led to a touchdown return by Tyler Lazarz in the first quarter which proved vital in the Dragons' 30-20 win.

Week 9 Under Laqua
The Dragons are 2-2 in Week 9 games under Laqua. In 2011, they lost to Mary, 52-13 and in 2012, lost to Minot State, 31-10 in a home game. MSUM beat Minot State 31-30 in 2013 and 52-7 in 2014.

Medhaug Climbing Scoring Charts
Senior running back Zayne Medhaug now has scored 228 career points during his MSUM career. His latest touchdown run of five yards in the fourth quarter against Minot State proved to be the tying touchdown. Medhaug is just 10 points away from fourth-place Bob Jones on the MSUM all-time list. Randy Sullivan is the all-time leading scorer at 316.

Big-Play Threat
Sophomore receiver Damon Gibson has become a big-play threat in the Dragon passing game. He leads the NSIC at 22.4 yards per reception and has 27 catches for 605 yards and five scores this season. His 82-yard touchdown pass from Demetrius Carr against Bemidji State is tied for the sixth-longest pass play in MSUM school history.

Jiskra Surpasses 200
Senior receiver Adam Jiskra had two catches for 14 yards against SMSU before leaving the game with an injury that has left him out indefinitely. Those two catches put him at 201 for his career, making him just the second Dragon receiver to surpass 200 receptions for his career. Jiskra is also one of three players in NSIC history with 200 receptions or more. The Grafton, N.D., native already holds MSUM records for receiving yards (2,925) and receiving touchdowns (31).

Starting on the Right Foot
MSUM's 3-0 start was the Dragons' first since 1987. Those three wins — all coming against NSIC South Opponents — came against teams picked to finish ahead of the Dragons in the preseason poll - Augustana (4th), Winona State (6th) and Concordia-St. Paul (eighth). MSUM finished the month of September with a 3-1 mark, their first winning September in the Laqua era. Winona State and Augustana both beat teams ranked in the top five of the nation last week.

Stalwarts Up Front
Seniors Bennen Bierman (left tackle) and Troy Peterson (right tackle) have each started all 38 games over the past three seasons on the offensive line -- combining for 82 starts in their careers.. The offensive line play is among the keys to the Dragon offense's growth over the past two seasons.

Team captains
Junior linebacker Aaron Bohl and senior running back Zayne Medhaug were selected as MSUM's 2015 team captains. It is the third straight year Bohl has served as team captain.