MOORHEAD, Minn.— The Minnesota State University Moorhead football team battled back from a 27-0 deficit to take a 38-34 lead, but a touchdown in the final minute as the difference as St. Cloud State edged the Dragons, 41-38 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action Saturday at Scheels Field at Nemzek Stadium.

MSUM fell to 3-4 overall and 1-2 in the NSIC North with the loss while SCSU improved to 4-3 overall and 3-0 in the north division.

"It was a resilient effort by our kids," MSUM head coach Steve Laqua said. "It is quite evident with these young men that finding a way is deeply-rooted in their DNA. To come back from 27-0 and take the lead, I can't say enough about how proud I am of our guys."

MSUM recorded a season-high 629 yards of total offense, compared to 464 for the Huskies. Both teams committed one turnover.

Junior quarterback Demetrius Carr was 22-of-32 passing for 387 yards (a season-high) and three touchdowns for the Dragons. Junior receiver Damon Gibson caught eight passes for 172 yards and a score while senior receiver Cory Ambrose had six catches for 144 yards and a score. Junior receiver Hunter Braaten had eight catches for 95 yards and a score.

Sophomore running back Austin Stone had a career-high 145 rushing yards and two scores to lead the MSUM ground game.

"We did a find a consistent rhythm," Laqua said. "Demetrius did a nice job. We had good balance between the run and passing games and we had a lot of different guys touching the ball."

Sophomore cornerback Jerry Raye had 10 tackles to lead the defense, while senior linebacker Aaron Bohl had nine tackles and a tackle for loss. Junior linebacker Abe Roehrich had eight tackles while sophomore safety Michael Strand had an interception.

Trailing 27-0, MSUM battled back to within 34-31 after three quarters. After the defense forced a stop, MSUM took over at its 35-yard line with 9:44 left. The Dragons went 65 yards on six plays and scored when Stone found the end zone from two yards out to make it 38-34 with 8:13 left.

An interception by Strand in the end zone thrwarted a scoring drive by SCSU. The Dragons drove to midfield and had a third down and four but could not complete the pass.  The Huskies responded with an eight-play, 89-yard drive, and scored on a 2-yard run by Jaden Huff with 44 seconds left to take a 41-38 lead.

MSUM got the ball back with all three timeouts. The Dragons drove down to the SCSU 23-yard line but time was running short. They attempted a 40-yard field goal with six seconds left but it was no good, and SCSU held on for a three-point win.

A rough start left the Dragons with a 27-0 hole early in the second quarter. They got on the board moments later as Carr hit Brazen for a 32-yard touchdown to bring MSUM within 27-7 with 11:24 left in the first quarter.

After forcing a three-and-out, MSUM went 98 yards on 13 plays and scored on a 5-yard touchdown pass from Carr to Gibson, bringing MSUM within 27-14, which was the halftime score.

After forcing another three-and-out, MSUM cut the lead further (27-17) in the third quarter on a 25-yard field goal by Joe Tjosvold.  After forcing a second-straight three-and-out, MSUM climbed within 27-24 with 8:33 left in the third when Stone scored from two yards out.

The Huskies answered with a passing touchdown to make it 34-24 with 6:08 left in the third. Seconds later, Carr connected with Ambrose on a 65-yard score to bring MSUM within 34-31 late in the third, setting up the final quarter.

MSUM returns to the road on Oct. 22 to play at Mary in the Battle for the Paddle. Game time is 1 p.m. in Bismarck, N.D.

"We have to continue to leverage the resiliency this team has and find ways to apply that to all areas of our program," Laqua said.

Steve d'Eustachio Stat of the Game: Today's setback ended a four-game winning streak at home (3-0 at home prior today this season and the 37-0 win over UMary on Nov. 7, 2015). The last time the Dragons have won five in a row at home was when they won their final four home games in 1997 (vs. Wayne State, Bemidji State, Southwest Minnesota State and Minnesota Morris) and the 41-26 season opening win against Concordia College on Sept. 5, 1998.