Game Highlights
ST. PAUL, Minn. – It will go down as the most dramatic win in the Steve Laqua coaching era and as one of the most thrilling wins in recent Minnesota State University Moorhead football history. Junior receiver Cory Ambrose hauled in the winning 15-yard touchdown with time expired to give MSUM a 30-28 win over Concordia-St. Paul in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action Saturday in St. Paul, Minn.

MSUM is now 2-0 on the season, the first time the Dragons have started 2-0 since 2006. Concordia fell to 0-2. It is only the second Dragon win in 11 meetings with the Golden Bears.

"It means a lot after so many close losses the last few years," MSUM head coach Steve Laqua said. "It means a lot to be on top in one of these games. That's something a veteran team does. I was proud of the composure our guys showed on the last drive. It was a never-quit attitude."

You can see video of Ambrose's winning catch here.

Senior quarterback Jake Hodge was 22-of-39 passing for 330 yards and two touchdowns. Senior receiver Adam Jiskra had seven catches for 75 yards and a score, while sophomore receiver Damon Gibson – who had two gigantic catches on the final drive – had four receptions for a career-high 137 yards. Ambrose finished with 33 yards receiving and a touchdown on three receptions. Senior running back Zayne Medhaug rushed for 100 yards and two touchdowns.

Junior cornerback Sheldon Jones led MSUM with eight tackles, while redshirt freshman linebacker Joe Rademacher had a sack and 2.5 tackles for loss. Sophomore defensive tackle Jake Busse also had two tackles for loss.

The incredible finish came after MSUM had fumbled near midfield with 49 seconds left as the Dragons sought to drive for the winning score. Concordia took over, but MSUM also had all three timeouts left – which loomed especially large at that point in the game.

"We made a decision – we felt the game was going to come down to one of those drives and every time out would be valuable," Laqua said. "We consciously decided to save those."

The defense forced a three-and-out on three CSP run plays, and after the ensuing punt, the Dragons took over at their own 6-yard line. On the first play, Hodge hit Gibson for a 39-yard gain, bringing MSUM to its own 45-yard line.  Two plays later, Hodge hit Gibson for a 40-yard gain on a spectacular catch, bringing the Dragons down to the Golden Bear 15-yard-line.

"Both were amazing catches," Laqua said. "They were tough and in traffic."

The Dragons downed the ball to stop the clock with three seconds left, giving them one last shot at the 15-yard line. On the play, Hodge scrambled and fired a pass to the corner of the end zone. Gibson alertly tipped the ball, and Ambrose was there to make the incredible catch with no time left.

 "We talked to them about being in spots, and being in position to play the tipped ball," Laqua said. "Cory did just that. There is a lot of luck involved but the players put themselves in position to take advantage of it."

The Dragons had marched 94 yards on six plays – in 28 seconds with no timeouts.

"They knew the situation," Laqua said. "They executed it really well. We got a three-and-out defensively, and then we put the final drive together. It was a belief from everybody in our program."

The Dragons got on the scoreboard first when Medhaug broke free for a 66-yard touchdown run with 8:53 left in the first quarter. With redshirt freshman Joe Tjosvold's extra point, MSUM led 7-0.

Concordia answered on a touchdown run midway through the second quarter. The Dragons regained the lead on a 22-yard field goal by Tjosvold with 3:44 left in the half.

MSUM's lead grew to 10 points early in the third as Medhaug scored from 5-yards out. With the extra point, MSUM led 17-7.

The Golden Bears then scored two touchdowns – one in the third and one early in the fourth quarter – to take a 21-17 lead with 13:34 left. The Dragons answered on their ensuing possession, going 59 yards in just six plays, capping off the touchdown drive with a 7-yard scoring pass from Hodge to Jiskra.  With the extra point, MSUM led 24-21 with 11:46 left.

The game stayed that way until Concordia found the end zone with 1:31 left to regain the lead at 28-24. MSUM moved to near midfield on its ensuing possession but a fumble ended that drive.

The Dragons had all three timeouts left and proceeded to force a three-and-out, setting up a punt in the final half minute. MSUM held Concordia to just 118 rushing yards on 41 carries on the day.

"The defense, for the most part, played well, especially against the run," Laqua said. "We still have to work on our consistency, but our kids found a way to get it done."

MSUM returns home on Sept. 19 to play host to Augustana (2-0) for a 1 p.m. contest.

Steve d'Eustachio Stat of the Game: The Dragons won their final three games in 2014 and are now 2-0 to start this season. The last time the Dragons won their final three games of a season, then at least their first two games the next season was when the Sliv Nemzek coached Dragons beat St. Cloud, Bemidji and Winona to end the 1935 season, then followed it up by beating Bemidji, Concordia, the University of North Dakota and Jamestown to open the 1936 campaign. Ross Fortier's 1981 squad won its final nine regular season games before falling to Pittsburgh St. in the playoffs, then the 1982 team won its first six games before playing the University of Minnesota-Morris to a 13-13 draw.