Football | 9/21/2016 4:22:00 PM

Live Stats
Live Audio/Video
Game Notes (pdf)
The Minnesota State University Moorhead football team faces its second nationally-ranked team on the season on Saturday when the Dragons play No. 21 Minnesota State. Game time is 1 p.m. on Saturday at Blakeslee Stadium in Mankato, Minn.

The game will be 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 Minnesota State would..
—be the first win for the Dragons over the Mavericks since 1981
—improve MSUM to 3-1 which would match their best start in the Laqua era, equaling the 2015 start
—be the first win over a ranked team in the Laqua coaching era
—would give the Dragons a 6-2 record against NSIC South foes since 2015.

Series History
The Dragons and Mavericks will meet for a 36th time with MSU leading the series 22-13.  The Dragons will be looking for their first win in the series since 1981 when they prevailed, 45-0 in Mankato. There was a gap of 27 years between meetings.

Last five meetings
2014-MSU Mankato 69, MSUM 13 (in Moorhead)
2012-MSU Mankato 24, MSUM 0 (in Mankato)
2009-MSU Mankato 59, MSUM 14 (in Mankato)
2008-MSU Mankato 45, MSUM 0 (in Moorhead)
1981-MSUM 45, MSU Mankato 0 (in Mankato) — last MSUM win

The Head Coaches
Steve Laqua is in his sixth season as MSUM's head coach with a record of 19-39 at the school, while Todd Hoffner is in his seventh season as MSU's head coach with a record of 60-17 at the school.

About MSUM
MSUM is 2-1 overall having surviving Upper Iowa, 23-21 on Sept. 17 at Scheels Field at Nemzek Stadium. Junior receiver Damon Gibson had 11 catches for 101 yards and a touchdown in the game, while junior Demetrius Carr threw for 141 yards and two scores. Senior receiver Cory Ambrose had three catches for 35 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore running back Austin Stone had 81 rushing yards and a touchdown in the win.  On defense, junior linebacker Abe Roehrich had 10 tackles, including nine solo stops, while sophomore safety Michael Strand had nine tackles. Sophomore defensive back Grant Reuer had a forced fumble while sophomore linebacker Joe Rademacher and freshman cornerback Deiondre Taylor had interceptions.

The Dragons average 28.3 points per game and record 400.0 yards per game of total offense.  Gibson has caught 28 passes for 411 yards and five touchdowns in two games. Junior receiver Hunter Braaten has 21 catches for 173 yards.

Carr has thrown for 680 yards and eight scores in two games while also rushing for two touchdowns. Sophomore running back Austin Stone has rushed for 265 yards and two touchdowns in three games.

Strand and Roehrich lead the Dragon defense with 26 tackles each; Strand leads with 19 solo stops. Reuer leads with three forced fumbles to go with 21 tackles. Sophomore defensive lineman Jeff Stith leads with two sacks while sophomore cornerback Jerry Raye has a team-best five pass breakups.

MSUM allows 29.0 points per game and 453.3 yards of total offense.

About Minnesota State
The No. 21-ranked Mavericks are 2-1 on the season after beating St. Cloud State, 45-12 on the road on Sept. 17. Senior quarterback Nick Pieruccini was 18-of-21 passing for 282 yards and four touchdowns while also rushing for 109 yards and a score. The Maverick defense intercepted three passes in the game and returned one for a touchdown.

Pieruccini leads MSU with 248 rushing yards and three scores.  Minnesota State has used three quarterbacks, including Pieruccini, who has thrown for 282 yards and two scores. Senior quarterback Ricky Lloyd has thrown for 223 yards.  Ty Dennis has 218 yards receiving yards and a touchdown to go with nine receptions. The Mavericks average 32.3 points per game and 452.7 yards per game of total offense.

The MSU defense allows 21.3 points per game and 399.3 yards of total offense. Ruben Ibarra leads with 28 tackles and two sacks, while Marcus Gooden has 27 tackles. Larry Moore has three passes defensed.

More about the Dragons
Forcing the Issue
Sophomore defensive back Grant Reuer is making the most of his first year as a starter on the Dragon defense. Reuer leads the NSIC with three forced fumbles through three games.  He is third on the team with 21 tackles this season. Reuer's teammate, Jerry Raye, is tied for second at two forced fumbles.

Receiving, Not Giving
Junior receiver Damon Gibson continues to be one of the top big-play threats in the NSIC. He leads the NSIC at 137.0 receiving yards per game and also leads at 9.3 receptions per game. He had 11 catches for 101 yards and a touchdown in the win over Upper Iowa.  In his past four games, dating back to the 2015 season finale, Gibson has recorded 36 catches for 526 yards and five touchdowns. He has four straight 100-yard receiving games.

Taking Their Pick(s)
MSUM's defense has recorded six interceptions in three games this season. In the loss at Sioux Falls, the Dragons had four interceptions — tied for the most in one game in the Steve Laqua era. A week later, MSUM had two interceptions in the win over Upper Iowa. Sophomore linebacker Joe Rademacher and freshman cornerback Deiondre Taylor each had interceptions for MSUM, both of which set up touchdowns. Six different players have interceptions for the Dragon defense this season.

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 three games, Stone leads MSUM with 265 rushing yards on 67 carries, an average of 4.0 per carry. He has rushed for a touchdown in each of the Dragons' wins. Stone is seventh in the NSIC at 88.3 rushing yards per game.

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 4 Under Laqua
MSUM is 1-4 in the Steve Laqua era during Week 4 games. The Dragons lost to Sioux Falls, 73-21 in 2014 and at Southwest Minnesota State, 48-9 in 2015..  Previously, lost to Minnesota State, 24-0 in 2012 and Concordia-St. Paul, 36-34 in 2013. MSUM's win came in 2011, when the Dragons downed Minnesota Crookston.

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.