Football | 11/10/2015 5:21:00 PM

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The Minnesota State University Moorhead football team wraps up the 2015 season on Saturday at Minnesota Crookston. Game time is 1 p.m. at Ed Widseth Field in Crookston, Minn.  The winner of the game will get the State Farm Traveling Trophy that is awarded to the team winning the annual Red River Valley Showdown.

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

MSUM is 5-5 overall and 2-4 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference North Division; Minnesota Crookston is 1-9 overall and 1-5 in the NSIC North.

A win over Minnesota Crookston would…
—give MSUM its first winning season since 2006
—would give MSUM a 3-3 mark on the road this year
—would be the 10th all-time over the Golden Eagles and second win in a row in the series
—would give the Dragons a two-game winning streak to end the season

Series History
Saturday's game will be the 17th meeting between the Dragons and Golden Eagles in football, with MSUM holding a slim 9-7 series lead. MSUM recorded a 66-36 win over Minnesota Crookston to close out the 2014 season.
 
Previous five meetings:
2014: MSU Moorhead 66, UMC 36 (in Moorhead, Minn.)
2013: UMC 20, MSU Moorhead 14 (in Crookston, Minn.)
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)

The Head Coaches
Steve Laqua is in his fifth season as MSUM's head coach with a record of 16-38 at the school, while Mike Fritze is in his third season at UMC with a 3-29 record.

About MSUM
MSUM is 5-5 on the year after recording a 37-0 win over Mary in the Dragons' home finale on Nov. 7. The Dragon defense forced three turnovers and held the Marauders to just 131 yards of total offense. Freshman Herman Gray rushed for 108 yards and a score while senior Preston Prince and redshirt freshman Kayne Griffith added touchdown runs. Redshirt freshman linebacker Joe Rademacher had 11 tackles and a sack while senior defensive lineman Steve Schutz had two sacks and a blocked punt.

The Dragons average 27.2 points per game and record 399.9 yards per game in total offense.  Senior running back Zayne Medhaug has rushed for 509 yards and six touchdowns to lead the ground game, while sophomore quarterback Demetrius Carr has thrown for 1,687 yards and 13 touchdowns in seven starts. Sophomore Damon Gibson leads the receiving corps with 29 catches for 706 yards and six touchdowns. Junior Cory Ambrose has a team-high six touchdown receptions.

Rademacher leads the defense with 61 tackles, including 7.5 tackles for loss. Junior linebacker Aaron Bohl has 58 tackles while sophomore safety Abe Roehrich has 57.  Redshirt freshman safety Michael Strand has 57 tackles and three interceptions. Sophomore defensive tackle Jake Busse leads with four sacks while junior defensive lineman Ryan Dahleen has a team-best 9.5 tackles for loss. Seven different Dragon players have recovered fumbles while seven players have forced fumbles for the Dragons.

MSUM allows 34.3 points per game and 430.6 yards of total offense. Teams rush for 189 yards a game against the Dragons and throw for 241.6 yards per contest.

About Minnesota Crookston
Minnesota Crookston is 1-9 overall and 1-6 in the NSIC North. The Golden Eagles recorded their first win of the season with a 45-14 victory over Minot State on Nov. 7 to snap a 24-game losing streak. Dre Person, who was named the NSIC Offensive Player of the Week, rushed for 217 yards and four touchdowns on 22 carries.  UMC outgained Minot State 525-214, including 377-62 on the ground.

Person has rushed for 775 yards and seven touchdowns to lead the Golden Eagle offense. Nathan Cole has thrown for 1,091 yards, four touchdowns and 12 interceptions to lead the passing attack. Adam Connette has 49 catches for 614 yards and four touchdowns to pace the receiving corps.  UMC averages 17.5 points per game and records 307.2 yards per game of total offense. The Golden Eagles rush for 123.4 yards per game and pass for 183.8.

On defense, UMC surrenders 48.2 points per game and 469.8 yards of total offense.  Defensive back Lethzee Calderon has 65 tackles and seven pass break ups, while defensive back Jake Newman has 58 tackles and three interceptions.  Defensive linemen Drew Selvestra and Austin Howard each have 2.5 sacks.

More about the Dragons
Schutz Leads Block Party
MSUM has blocked four field goals and three punts this season which, when combined, is fourth in the nation. Senior defensive lineman Steve Schutz has blocked four field goals, which is tied for second in the nation, and a punt, which led to a touchdown return in the win over Mary. Schultz is tied for first in the nation in blocked kicks. 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.

Win at Home
MSUM finished with a 3-2 record at Scheels Field at Nemzek Stadium this season. It is the first time the Dragons have had a winning record at home since 2006, when they also finished with a 3-2 mark. The home schedule was highlighted by a 35-34 win over Augustana (8-2), which is currently ranked fifth in the Central Region and is in position to qualify for the playoffs.

Gray Surpasses Century Mark
MSUM freshman running back Herman Gray surpassed the 100-yard rushing mark for the first time in his Dragon career in the win over Mary 37-0. Gray rushed 19 times for 108 yards and a touchdown in the game.  It was the third 100-yard rushing game by a Dragon back this season.

Sack Party
MSUM recorded a season-high five sacks in the win over Mary. Four different players recorded sacks in the game, led by senior Steve Schutz with two. Junior defensive linemen Zach Drevlow and Ryan Dahleen and redshirt freshman linebacker Joe Rademacher each had a sack in the win.

Big-Play Threat
Sophomore receiver Damon Gibson has become a big-play threat in the Dragon passing game. He ranks second in all of Division II at 24.3 yards per catch, a mark that also leads the NSIC. He has 29 catches for 706 yards and six touchdowns, leading the Dragons in all three categories.  Gibson had his third 100-yard receiving game of the season on Oct. 31 at St. Cloud State, which is most on the team.

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. In 2013 MSUM fell to the Huskies 64-27 in St. Cloud before beating Minnesota Crookston 66-36 to close out 2014.

Medhaug Climbing Scoring Charts
Senior running back Zayne Medhaug now has scored 234 career points during his MSUM career. His latest touchdown run in the second half of the St. Cloud State game pushed him past the 230-point plateau. Medhaug is just four points away from fourth-place Bob Jones on the MSUM all-time list. Randy Sullivan is the all-time leading scorer at 316.

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 for the season. 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).

Stalwarts Up Front
Seniors Bennen Bierman (left tackle) and Troy Peterson (right tackle) have each started all 43 games over the past three seasons on the offensive line -- combining for 86 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.