Football | 8/31/2016 3:29:00 PM
Live video, audio and stats
Game Notes (pdf) format
The Minnesota State University Moorhead football team opens Year 6 of the
Steve Laqua era on Thursday night when it hosts Wayne State. The game begins at 6 p.m. at Scheels Field at Nemzek Stadium. It is just the second time MSUM has played under the lights since the new turf was installed at Scheels Field in 2015.
The game will be televised live on WDAY's Xtra, and broadcast online with Dragon broadcasters
Steve d'Eustachio and Larry Scott on the call. Live video, stats and audio can be heard at msumdragons.com.
A win over Wayne State would…
—even MSUM's mark at 3-3 in season openers during Laqua's tenure
—be the second straight over the Wildcats in the series
—be the second straight season-opening win for MSUM
—be the third straight win for MSUM, dating back to the final two weeks of last season
Series History
Saturday's game will be the 23rd meeting between MSUM and Wayne State in football, with the Dragons holding a 13-9 lead in the series. MSUM won the last meeting, 40-36 in 2014 in Wayne, Neb.
Previous five meetings:
2014: MSUM 40, Wayne State 36
2012: Wayne State 49, MSUM 6
2009: Wayne State 41, MSUM 0
2008: Wayne State 28, MSUM 21
2007: MSUM 42, Wayne State 18
The Head Coaches
Steve Laqua is in his fifth season as MSUM's head coach with a record of 17-38 at the school, while Dan McLaughlin is in his 12th season as Wayne State's head coach with a record of 63-60.
About MSUM/2016 Outlook
The Dragons graduated a large, experienced senior group. The defense is an experienced unit, led by junior defensive lineman
Jake Busse, who was selected to the All-NSIC North Division second team a year ago. Busse had 38 tackles, including nine for loss. Junior linebacker
Abe Roehrich (63 tackles, two interceptions) and sophomore linebacker
Joe Rademacher (team-high 65 tackles) were each All-NSIC North Division honorable mention selections as well.
Busse and seniors
Ryan Dahleen,
Jake Antolak,
Nick Ecklund and
Zach Drevlow and junior
Drew Lingle provide the Dragons with a veteran nucleus on the defensive line.
Senior linebacker
Aaron Bohl was fourth on the team with 59 tackles and is entering his fourth year as a starter.
Sophomore
Michael Strand (62 tackles, three interceptions in 2015) anchors the secondary, with senior
Jimmy Roth, sophomores
Grant Reuer,
Jerry Raye and
Aaron Doan returning with experience. Senior
Jeremiah Ary, a former track standout at South Dakota State, is also expected to contribute in the defensive backfield.
The offense returns several players with starting experience.. Senior
Jake Hodge, the all-time leader in passing yards at MSUM, and junior
Demetrius Carr both return at quarterback. Hodge missed much of 2015 with an injury but threw for 547 yards and seven touchdowns in two starts last season. Carr threw for 1,925 yards and 14 touchdowns while completing 62.4 percent of his passes after taking over the starting spot.
The running back position will feature new faces. Sophomore
Austin Stone and freshmen
Zach Sweep lead the depth chart at that position heading into the season opener.
Receiver is one position were the Dragons return experience. Junior
Damon Gibson (37 catches, 821 yards, six touchdowns) led the Dragons in all three categories and was All-NSIC North Division honorable mention a year ago. Senior
Cory Ambrose hauled in 27 passes for 445 yards and six touchdowns. Junior
Hunter Braaten (27 catches last season) and sophomore
Evan Moore (17 catches) also return after contributing last season.
Senior center
Jack Bixler and junior right tackle
Damien Crawford are returning starters on the offensive line. Sophomore
Andrew Erickson played extensively on the line last season and will assume a larger role this year.
About Wayne State
The Wildcats finished 4-7 overall and 1-6 in the NSIC South last season under Head Coach Dan McLaughlin. They return seven starters on offense and six on defense from that squad.
Junior quarterback Zach Osborn returns after missing most of the 2015 season with injury; he threw for 5,440 yards in his first two years at Wayne. Junior receiver Marcel Dunson caught 45 passes for 544 yards last season. Also returning on the offense is senior right tackle Shane Finley, who was All-NSIC South Division First Team last season.
The Wildcat offense must replace running back Ryan Ludlow, who ranked third in the NSIC in rushing yards with 1,039 last season.
The Wayne State defense lost its top two tacklers but return junior linebacker DeWayne Scott, who recorded 47 tackles a year ago. Another player to watch on the Wildcat defense is sophomore defensive end Logan Weinandt, who ranked third on the squad in tackles for loss.
More about the Dragons
Just for Kicks
Sophomore kicker
Joe Tjosvold returns after a solid year in 2015. He led the NSIC in field goal percentage (87.5 percent) after going 7-of-8 a year ago. He also converted 40 extra points and was tied for eighth in the conference among kickers at 61 points.
Week 1 Under Laqua
The Dragons are 2-3 in season openers under Head Coach
Steve Laqua. In 2011, the Dragons beat Robert Morris, 28-17. They lost three straight after that win,, falling to Wayne State, 49-6 in 2012, Augustana, 41-28 in 2013 and Upper Iowa, 44-36 in 2014. In 2015 the Dragons got back into the win column in opening-week games with a 42-17 rout of Winona State.
Team captains
Senior linebacker
Aaron Bohl, senior offensive lineman
Jack Bixler, senior wide receiver
Cory Ambrose and junior linebacker
Abe Roehrich will serve as MSUM's captains in 2016. Bohl is a captain for a third straight year.
Home Grown
With a heavy emphasis on recruiting in the Minnesota-North Dakota area, it's not a surprise the Dragons' 2016 roster features so many players from those two states. A total of 67 players -- or two-thirds total -- hail from either Minnesota (42) or North Dakota (25).
Big Play Threat
Junior
Damon Gibson emerged as a big-play threat in the receiving corps for the Dragons in 2015. Gibson led the NSIC at 22.2 yards a reception last season, hauling in 37 passes for 821 yards and two touchdowns. His two spectacular catches in Week 2 helped the Dragons rally past Concordia-St. Paul, 30-28. Gibson averaged 74.6 receiving yards per game.
Back to Back?
MSUM's 6-5 record in 2015 marked the Dragons' first winning season since 2006 and the first in Laqua's coaching tenure. The Dragons will aim for back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since the 1995 (6-3-1) and 1996 (7-3) campaigns.
Hodge's Heights
Despite battling injuries throughout his career, Hodge enters the 2016 season as the Dragons' all-time leader in passing yards (6,465) and total offense (8,086). He has thrown for 53 touchdowns in his Dragon career.
Capitalizing in the Red Zone
MSUM finished fifth in the NSIC in Red Zone Offense in 2015. The Dragons scored points on 30 of 36 opportunities inside the opposing 20 yard line for an 83.3 percent success rate. Twenty-four of those scores were touchdowns -- 16 on the ground and eight passing.
