Football | 9/7/2016 6:10:00 PM

Live Stats
Live Video & MSUM Audio
The Minnesota State University Moorhead football team faces a test in its first road game of the season when it plays at No. 17-ranked Sioux Falls on Saturday at 6 p.m. in Sioux Falls, S.D. The game will be at Bob Young Field in Sioux Falls, S.D.

The game will be broadcast live 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 Sioux Falls would…
—first-ever win over Sioux Falls in football
—be MSUM's fourth straight win dating back to last season
—first win over a nationally-ranked opponent during the Steve Laqua era
—give the Dragons their second straight 2-0 start

Series History
Saturday's game will be the third meeting between MSUM and Sioux Falls in football. The Cougars have won both previous meetings.
 
Previous meetings:
2014: Sioux Falls 70, MSUM 21 (in Moorhead)
2012: Sioux Falls 45, MSUM 10 (in Sioux Falls)

The Head Coaches
Steve Laqua is in his sixth season as MSUM's head coach with a record of 18-38 at the school, while Jed Stugart is in his seventh season at Sioux Falls with a record of 59-23.

About MSUM
MSUM opened the season with a 41-24 win over Wayne State on Sept. 1 at home. The Dragons outgained the Wildcats 528-391 and forced two turnovers. Junior quarterback Demetrius Carr was 25-of-35 passing for 287 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for 63 yards and a touchdown. Junior receiver Damon Gibson caught eight passes for 156 yards while sophomore running back Austin Stone rushed for a career-high 97 yards and a score. Senior receiver Cory Ambrose and sophomore receiver Evan Moore each hauled in touchdown passes.

The defense had several players step up. Sophomore cornerback Jerry Raye had eight tackles, three pass breakups, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Freshman cornerback Deiondre Taylor had eight tackles and a breakup while junior Grant Reuer had eight tackles and a forced fumble. Senior cornerback Jeremiah Ary had two pass breakups while sophomore defensive lineman Jeff Stith and freshman defensive lineman Miles Baggett each had sacks.

The Dragons had a balanced offensive attach with 233 rushing yards and 295 passing yards. They finished with 30 first downs in the game and were 8-of-14 on third-down conversions, compared to 5-of-14 for Wayne State.

Dating back to the final two games of last season, MSUM has a three-game winning streak. They have outscored their last three foes by a 137-45 score.

About Sioux Falls
The Cougars, ranked No. 17 in the latest AFCA poll, opened the season with a 49-13 win over St. Cloud State on Sept. 1. The Cougars piled up 585 yards of total offense in the win, including 343 on the ground. Running back Max Mickey rushed for 178 yards and a score while quarterback Luke Papilion threw for 171 yards and two scores while rushing for two others. Brady Rose caught seven passes for 163 yards and also threw for a score for the Cougars. USF finished with 242 passing yards in the game.

The USF defense held St. Cloud State to 111 rushing yards on 47 carries. Trevor Coleman and Logan Dykstra had seven tackles each. Josh Butler and Matt Young each recorded interceptions. The Cougars allow 395 yards per game of total offense — 111 on the ground and 284 through the air.

The Cougars were picked to finish fourth in the NSIC preseason coaches poll. They received two first-place votes in the poll.

More about the Dragons
Surpassing 500
MSUM recorded 528 yards of total offense against Wayne State, marking the Dragons' second straight game of 500 yards or more of total offense. It is the first time MSUM has accomplished the feat since Weeks 2 and 3 of the 2015 campaign. In Steve Laqua's coaching tenure, MSUM has recorded 500 yards or more of total offense 15 times.

Sophomores Shine on D
A pair of sophomores sparked a solid defensive performance in MSUM's opening win over Wayne State. Sophomore cornerback Jerry Raye had eight tackles, three pass breakups, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in the win, while defensive back Grant Reuer had eight tackles, including one for loss, along with a forced fumble and a pass breakup. Reuer's forced fumble came during a crucial goalline stand in the second half.

Carr Solid at QB
Junior quarterback Demetrius Carr's play has been solid during MSUM's last three wins, dating back to Week 10 of 2015. In those wins, Carr is 49-of-71 passing (69 percent completion) for 570 yards and six touchdowns — and has not fired an interception in those games.

Gibson's Grabs
Junior receiver Damon Gibson continues to be one of the top big-play receiving threats in the NSIC. He caught eight passes for 156 yards and two scores in the win over Wayne State. In his past two games, Gibson has caught 16 passes for 271 yards and two scores.  Gibson averaged 22.2 yards per reception last season to lead the NSIC.

Welcome Addition
Senior cornerback Jeremiah Ary spent the first four seasons of his collegiate athletic career competing in track at Division I South Dakota State. He finished with a decorated career with four Summit League championships. Playing football for the first time since high school, Ary had a memorable opening game for MSUM against Wayne State in Week 1. Ary started at cornerback and finished with five tackles, all solo, and two pass breakups.

New Faces Up Front
A pair of redshirt freshmen -- Isaac Ripplinger and Nathan Belisle -- made the first start of their collegiate careers against Wayne State. Ripplinger started at left guard while Belisle started at right guard.

Week 2 Under Laqua
MSUM is 1-4 in Week 2 games under Laqua.  In 2011, MSUM lost to Winona State, 48-10 and lost to Sioux Falls, 45-10 in 2012. In 2013, at Nemzek Stadium, in a game-long downpour, the Dragons lost to Southwest Minnesota State, 27-20. In 2014 MSUM lost to No. 4-ranked Minnesota State, 69-13 at home. MSUM got its first Week 2 win under Laqua with a thrilling 30-28 last-second win over Concordia-St. Paul in 2015.

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).

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.