Football | 9/30/2015 4:41:00 PM

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The Minnesota State University Moorhead football team will look to rebound from its first loss of the year this Saturday when the Dragons play host to No. 25-ranked Minnesota Duluth. Kickoff is at 2 p.m. at Scheels Field at Nemzek Stadium.

Dragon broadcasters Steve d'Eustachio and Larry Scott will have the call, which can be heard at msumdragons.com.  Live online audio, video and live stats can be accessed there as well.  

MSUM is 3-1 on the year, while UMD is 2-2.

A win over UMD would…
—give MSUM its first 4-1 start since 1996
—would be the Dragons' first win over the Bulldogs since 1999
—would make MSUM 1-0 in NSIC North Division
—be the first win over a nationally-ranked team in the Steve Laqua era
—give MSUM a 3-0 mark at home this season.

Series History
MSUM and Minnesota Duluth will meet for a 57th time with the Bulldogs holding a 32-20-4 lead in the series. UMD has won 13 straight meetings, including a 63-28 win over the Dragons a year ago. MSUM's last win in the series came in 1999 in Duluth when the Dragons prevailed 20-14.

Last five meetings:
2014: UMD 63, MSUM 28 (in Duluth, Minn.)
2013: UMD 69, MSUM 45 (in Moorhead, Minn.)
2012: UMD 45, MSUM 14 (in Duluth, Minn.)
2011: UMD 49, MSUM 21 (in Moorhead, Minn.)
2010: UMD 56, MSUM 7 (in Moorhead, Minn.)

The Head Coaches
Steve Laqua is in his fifth season as MSUM's head coach with a record of 14-34, while Curt Wiese is in his third season as UMD's head coach with a record of 26-5.

About MSUM
MSUM saw its unbeaten start end with a 48-9 loss to Southwest Minnesota State on Sept. 26 in Marshall, Minn. The Dragons led 6-0 early in the game and were within 14-9 in the second quarter before the Mustangs scored 34 unanswered points to secure the win. Freshman running back Herman Gray led the ground game with 73 yards on 12 carries, while senior Zayne Medhaug rushed for a touchdown. Sophomore quarterback Demetrius Carr threw for 121 yards, while senior Preston Prince hauled in six catches for 52 yards.

Senior quarterback Jake Hodge, who has missed the last two games with injury, has thrown for 547 yards and seven touchdowns in two games while rushing for 124 yards.  Carr, who has made two straight starts and has thrown for 567 yards and four touchdowns. . Medhaug has rushed for 200 yards and four scores. Senior receiver Adam Jiskra leads the receiving corps with 19 catches for 255 yards and five scores, while sophomore Damon Gibson has 10 catches for 279 yards and three scores.  MSUM averages 29.0 points per game on offense and posts 439.2 yards per game in total offense. The Dragons rush for 160.8 yards per game and throw for 278.5 yards per game.

On defense, junior linebacker Aaron Bohl leads with 29 tackles, while redshirt freshman safety Michael Strand has 26 tackles and shares the team lead with two interceptions. Sophomore safety Abe Roehrich has 22 tackles while sophomore defensive tackle Jake Busse leads with 2.5 sacks.  Senior cornerback Chris Binford has two interceptions and shares the team lead with three pass breakups. MSUM allows 31.8 points per game and allows 185.5 yards per game on the ground. Teams are throwing for 278.5 yards per game against the Dragons this season and are compiling 439.2 total yards per game.

About UMD
Minnesota-Duluth, the No. 25 ranked team in the latest AFCA Division II poll, is 2-2 on the year. Both losses have come on the road against nationally-ranked opponents -- Minnesota State and Sioux Falls. The Bulldogs recorded a 28-24 win over Upper Iowa at home last week.

Junior quarterback Drew Bauer leads the Bulldog offense.  He has thrown for 781 yards and seven touchdowns while rushing for 221 yards and three scores.  Logan Lauters is the top rusher for UMD, accounting for 321 yards through four games.  Dominic Bonner leads UMD's receiving corps with 14 catches for 289 yards. The Bulldogs are scoring 31.0 points per game and recording 420.0 yards of total offense per game.

On defense, UMD allows 21.5 points per game. Teams are recording 377.5 yards per game of total offense this season against the Bulldogs. On defense, Beau Bates has 25 tackles while Brent Stiglich has 24. Zach Bassuener has two sacks to lead the Bulldog pass rush.

More about the Dragons
Jiskra Surpasses 200
Senior receiver Adam Jiskra had two catches for 14 yards against SMSU before leaving the game with an injury. 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).

Schutz Blocks Another
Senior defensive lineman Steve Schutz has shown a knack for blocking extra points and field goals during his career. The Kimball, Minn., native blocked a field goal in the game at SMSU, giving him two blocks on the season. In 2013 Schutz also blocked two field goals, giving him four blocks for his career with seven regular-season games remaining this year. Schutz is tied for fifth in the nation in blocked kicks.

Medhaug Moves Into the Top Five
Senior running back Zayne Medhaug has been very familiar with the end zone during the past two seasons. He scored on a five-yard rushing touchdown in the game at SMSU last week. Medhaug now has 222 career points, putting him fifth all-time in school history.

NSIC Player of the Week — x 2 QB
MSUM has had two NSIC Offensive Players of the Week so far in 2015 — and both players are quarterbacks. Senior Jake Hodge was named the NSIC Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 7 after throwing for five touchdowns in the win over Winona State.  Sophomore quarterback Demetrius Carr earned the honors on Sept. 21 after throwing for 446 yards and four touchdowns.

Strand Steps Up Big
Redshirt freshman safety Michael Strand had a big game in the 35-34 win over Augustana on Sept. 19. The Barnesville, Minn., native intercepted two passes — including the game-clincher in the final minute — to help MSUM secure the win. For his efforts, Strand was named the NSIC Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 21. Strand is second on the Dragon defense with 26 tackles and shares the NSIC lead with two interceptions.

Starting on the Right Foot
MSUM (3-1) is the lone NSIC North Division team to finish with an above .500 record against teams from the NSIC South Division. Included in those victories is the Dragons' first win over Winona State since 1996 and MSUM's first-ever win over Augustana.

Air Travel
MSUM's passing game has clicked during the first four games. MSUM ranks first in the NSIC in pass efficiency (171.1), first in passing touchdowns (11) and third in passing yards per game (278.5).  Dragon quarterbacks have thrown just one interception this season. MSUM is ranked 12th in the national in passing efficiency and Carr is ranked fourth in the nation at 177.9.

Week 5 Under Laqua
The Dragons are 1-3 in Week 5 games under Head Coach Steve Laqua.  In 2011, the Dragons lost to Minnesota-Duluth, 49-21 and in 2012, loss their homecoming game to Northern State, 45-7. In 2013, MSUM edged Northern State, 47-46 in Aberdeen, S.D. before losing to nationally-ranked UMD, 63-28 last season.

NSIC Rankings
The Dragons rank in the top five individually and team-wise in the NSIC statistics:
Team
—Total offense (439.2, 4th)
—Pass offense (278.5, 3rd)
—Pass efficiency (171.1, 1st)
Individual
—Total Offense -Jake Hodge (332.5, 1st)
—Passing Offense - Jake Hodge, (273.5, 3rd)
—Pass efficiency - Demetrius Carr (177.9, 1st); Hodge (170.6, 2nd)
—Scoring (TDs) -Adam Jiskra and Zayne Medhaug (30, tied for 4th)
—Interceptions - Michael Strand/Chris Binford, 2 (tied for first)

Stalwarts Up Front
Seniors Bennen Bierman (left tackle) and Troy Peterson (right tackle) have each started all 37 games over the past three seasons on the offensive line -- combining for 74 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.

That's a Top 10 play…
The dramatic finish of the Dragons' 30-28 win over Concordia-St. Paul on Sept. 12 brought national attention for the MSUM program.  Junior Cory Ambrose hauled in a tipped pass in the end zone to give the Dragons a dramatic 30-28 win. The play made ESPN's Sportscenter Top 10 plays for Saturday, coming in at No. 2 on the rankings.