BISMARCK, N.D. — The Minnesota State University Moorhead football team rushed for a season-high 320 yards on its way to a 47-16 victory over the University of Mary in action Saturday in Bismarck, N.D. The win allowed MSUM to retain the Paddle for a second straight year.

MSUM is now 4-4 overall and 2-2 in the NSIC North with the win while Mary fell to 1-7 overall and 1-3 in the north. It is just the Dragons' third win over Mary in 11 tries and the first win for MSUM in Bismarck. It is also the first time the Dragons have beaten the Marauders in back-to-back years.

MSUM outgained Mary 486-320, including 320-160 on the ground.  The Dragons only punted once on the day and scored touchdowns on seven of their 10 offensive possessions.

"It was a solid day," MSUM head coach Steve Laqua said. "We were able to get a lot of guys in and play and continue to develop our depth. We stayed healthy. I was impressed with our offense, it was very efficient with points per drive."

MSUM averaged 6.5 yards per carry on the ground as the Dragons ended with 320 yards on 49 carries. The Dragons did not have a negative rush all day. Junior quarterback Demetrius Carr rushed for 143 yards and two scores and also completed 13-of-19 passes for 166 yards and a score.  Freshman Zach Sweep rushed for 56 yards and s score while freshman Denver Cosgrove rushed for 52 yards and a score. Sophomore Austin Stone rushed for 43 yards and a score as MSUM had four different players score rushing touchdowns on the day.

"I was really proud of the way we ran the football," Laqua said.

Junior receiver Damon Gibson picked up his seventh 100-yard receiving game of the season and surpassed 1,000 yards in the process. Gibson finished with 10 catches for 131 yards and a touchdown and is the first Dragon receiver to surpass 1,000 yards since Adam Jiskra accomplished the feat in 2014. Gibson now has 1,055 yards receiving and a touchdown.

"We continue to be pleased with the season Damon Gibson is putting together," Laqua said.

Sophomore linebacker Joe Rademacher led the defense with 13 tackles, including six solo stops. Sophomore safety Michael Strand had seven tackles and an interception while senior defensive lineman Ryan Dahleen had a sack and 2.5 tackles for loss.

The Dragons forced a Mary punt on the game's first possession. Taking over at their own 36-yard line, MSUM went 64 yards on 12 plays (nine of which were runs), and scored when Stone found the end zone from one yard out with 8:33 left in the first.

Later in the first, MSUM started another scoring march at its own 41. The Dragons went 59 yards on 10 plays and scored when Gibson hauled in a 10-yard pass from Carr. The extra point was no good but MSUM led 13-0 early in the second.

Strand intercepted Mary quarterback Colton Farmer near midfield on the next possession, and the Dragons used the ground game to add to the lead. MSUM went 47 yards on seven plays — all of one which was a run — and capped off the march when Carr scored from eight yards out.  Colgrove was the primary ballcarrier on that drive with 36 rushing yards on five carries.

The Marauders got on the board with a touchdown with 33 seconds left in the first half to make it 20-7, which was the halftime score.

The Dragons took the opening drive of the second half and scored, keyed by 37-yard and 14-yard completions from Carr to Gibson. Sweep capped off the drive with an 8-yard run, and with the extra point from sophomore Joe Tjosvold, MSUM led 27-7 with 12:49 left in the third. Later in the third, Colgrove scored to make it 34-7 with 2:31 left in the third.

The Marauders cut the lead to 34-16 in the fourth but a 61-yard touchdown from Carr pushed the Dragon lead back to 40-16. Colgrove added his second touchdown of the game with 4:01 left to make it 47-16 which was the final score.

Sophomore defensive back Grant Reuer finished with three breakups for MSUM.

The Dragons return home to face Minot State on Saturday, Oct. 29. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. at Scheels Field at Nemzek Stadium.

"We're excited to get back and play at home," Laqua said. "We like playing in front of our home fans."

Steve d'Eustachio Stat of the Game: Before today, the last time that the Dragons won by exactly 31 points was when they won 31-0 at Winona State on Oct. 26, 1985.