Football | 9/14/2016 4:46:00 PM

Live Video/Audio
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Game notes (pdf)
The Minnesota State University Moorhead football team returns home this week to face Upper Iowa in another Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference matchup. Game time is 2 p.m. on Saturday at Scheels Field at Nemzek Stadium.

The game will be broadcast live on WDAY'Z Xtra and also is available  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 Upper Iowa would…
—be just the third-ever win for the Dragons over Upper Iowa in football.
—improve MSUM to 2-1, which would be the Dragons' second-best start in the Steve Laqua coaching era.
—give MSUM a 5-2 record at home dating back to the beginning of the 2015 season
—would give the Dragons a 5-2 record against NSIC South foes since 2015.

Series History
Saturday's game will be the seventh between MSUM and Upper Iowa in football. The Peacocks have won the past three meetings. The Dragons' last win came in 2010 when they prevailed 28-24.
 
Previous meetings:
2014-Upper Iowa 44, MSUM 36
2012-Upper Iowa 51, MSUM 33
2011-Upper Iowa 45, MSUM 31
2010-MSUM 28, Upper Iowa 24
2007-MSUM 31, Upper Iowa 28
2006-Upper Iowa 36, MSUM 13

The Head Coaches
Steve Laqua is in his sixth season as MSUM's head coach with a record of 18-39 at the school, while Tom Shea is in his eighth season as Upper Iowa's head coach with a record of 28-51 at the school.

About MSUM
MSUM is 1-1 overall after losing to then-No. 17 ranked Sioux Falls, 42-21 last Saturday. MSUM was within seven at 28-21 in the fourth quarter before the Cougars scored two late touchdowns late to pull away. Junior receiver Damon Gibson caught nine passes for 154 yards and two scores in the loss while junior quarterback Demetrius Carr threw for two touchdowns and rushed for another. MSUM's defense was led by sophomore defensive back Michael Strand who had 10 tackles and an interception.
The Dragons average 31 points per game and record 449.0 yards per game of total offense.  Gibson has caught 17 passes for 310 yards and four touchdowns in two games. Junior receiver Hunter Braaten has 16 catches for 138 yards.
Carr has thrown for 539 yards and six scores in two games while also rushing for two touchdowns. Sophomore running back Austin Stone has rushed for 184 yards in two games for MSUM.
Sophomore Michael Strand leads the Dragon defense with 17 tackles.  He also has an interception. Sophomore Grant Reuer has 15 tackles and two forced fumbles while junior linebacker Abe Roehrich has 15 tackles.  Sophomore cornerback Jerry Raye has 14 tackles, two forced fumbles and three pass breakups through two games.

About Upper Iowa
The Peacocks are off to an 0-2 start in 2016 with losses at Bemidji State (38-24) in Week 1 and at home against St. Cloud State (27-20) last week.
Senior quarterback Dimitri Morales has thrown for 665 yards and four touchdowns through two games for Upper Iowa. He is completing 58.9 percent of his passes and has been intercepted five times this season.
Jarred Edmonds has been the primary pass catcher for Upper Iowa, hauling in 19 passes for 291 yards and three scores.  Senior Trey MacTaggart has caught 15 passes for 103 yards.  On the ground Ryan Parmely has rushed for 185 yards. The Peacocks average 458.0 yards per game of total offense -- 332.5 yards through the air and 125.5 on the ground.
Zach Gardner leads the Peacock defense with 18 tackles. Tristan Beyer had two interceptions while JoJo Simpson has a team-best four tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. Upper Iowa  allows 442 yards per game to its opponents -- 299.5 through the air and 142.5 on the ground.

More about the Dragons
Taking Their Pick(s)
MSUM's defense recorded four interceptions — tied for the most in one game in the Steve Laqua era — in the loss at Sioux Falls. Junior linebacker Abe Roehrich recorded the sixth interception of his MSUM career, while sophomore defensive back Michael Strand recorded his fourth in the game. Senior defensive back Jimmy Roth and sophomore defensive back Aaron Doan both picked up their first career interceptions at MSUM.

Sophomores Step Up on D
Two sophomores have been key playmakers for the Dragon defense in the first two games. Sophomore cornerback Jerry Raye is off to a strong start, recording 14 tackles, three pass breakups and two forced fumbles. He also has a fumble recovery. Sophomore defensive back Grant Reuer has also made an impact, recording 15 tackles and two forced fumbles. Reuer has 11 solo stops.

Stone Shines
Sophomore running back Austin Stone made his return to football this year after a two-year layoff and has been a key factor in the Dragons' ground attack. Through two games, Stone leads MSUM with 184 rushing yards on 41 carries, an average of 4.5 per carry. He rushed for a touchdown in the opening win over Wayne State.

Damon's Dominance
Junior receiver Damon Gibson continues to be one of the top big-play threats in the NSIC. He leads the NSIC at 155 receiving yards per game, and is third at 8.5 receptions per game. He had nine catches for 154 yards and two touchdowns in the loss at Sioux Falls. In his past three games, dating back to the 2015 season finale, Gibson has recorded 25 catches for 425 yards and four touchdowns.

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).

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.

Week 3 Under Laqua
MSUM is 2-3 in the Steve Laqua era during Week 3 games. The Dragons have won two straight Week 3 games, including a thrilling 35-34 win over Augustana in 2015. In 2014, the Dragons held off Wayne State, 40-36.  Previously, MSUM lost to Winona State, 65-21 in 2013, to Upper Iowa, 51-33 in 2012 and fell to Upper Iowa, 45-31, in 2011 which was Laqua's first season.

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.