Football | 10/25/2017 2:52:00 PM

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The Minnesota State University Moorhead football team will try and keep the Paddle when it hosts the University of Mary at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Scheels Field at Nemzek Stadium in Moorhead.

MSUM regained the Paddle in 2015 and retained it last year with a 47-16 win over the Marauders in Bismarck, N.D.

The game will be broadcast on WDAY'Z Xtra and online with Dragon broadcasters Steve d'Eustachio and Larry Scott on the call. Live video, stats and audio can be found at msumdragons.com.  

An MSUM win over Mary would
—be the third straight Dragon win over the Marauders
—move Dragons within one game of .500
—be the Dragons' second home win of the season

About the Paddle
The Paddle Trophy game began in 2006. The paddle came as a result of the River Rivalry as both schools are located on a river (MSUM on the Red River, Mary on the Missouri). The team that wins the trophy each year must maintain and deliver the paddle. Mary has won the Paddle game eight times and MSUM three.

Series History
MSUM and Mary will meet for a 12th time with the Marauders leading the series 8-3. The Dragons have won three of the last four meetings, however, including the last two.

Previous meetings:
2016: MSUM 47, Mary 16 (in Bismarck, ND
2015: MSUM 37, Mary 0 (in Moorhead, Minn.)
2014: Mary 52, MSUM 45 (in Bismarck)
2013: MSU Moorhead 48, Mary 41 (in Moorhead)
2012: Mary 23, MSUM 7 (in Bismarck)
2011: Mary 52, MSU Moorhead 13 (in Moorhead)
2010: Mary 16, MSU Moorhead 7 (in Bismarck)
2009: Mary 39, MSU Moorhead 13 (Moorhead)
2008: Mary 24, MSU Moorhead 17 (OT) (Bismarck)
2007: Mary 45, MSU Moorhead 31 (Moorhead)
2006:  Mary 21, MSUM 20 (Bismarck)

The Head Coaches
Steve Laqua is in his seventh season as MSUM's head coach with a record of 27-47 at the school. Josh Kotelnicki is in fourth season at U-Mary with a record of 8-33.

About MSUM
The Dragons got back in the win column with a 49-7 win over Minnesota Crookston. Freshman quarterback Jakup Sinani threw for 378 yards and three scores while rushing for a touchdown. Hayden Swartz had 145 receiving yards and a score while sophomore Jonathan Kabambi rushed for 158 yards and two scores.

For the season, senior quarterback Demetrius Carr has thrown for 1,680 yards and eight touchdowns.  Senior receiver Damon Gibson has caught 54 passes for 635 yards and three scores while Braaten has 55 catches for 564 yards and a score while Bresnahan has 32 catches for 477 yards and five scores.  Kabambi leads the ground game at 437 yards, an average of 72.8 per game.

MSUM scores 24.8 points a game and records 417.0 yards of total offense per game.

Senior linebacker Abe Roehrich leads the defense with 49 tackles and two fumble recoveries. Junior safety Aaron Doan has 41 tackles while junior linebacker Carter Thiel has 41. Sophomore defensive lineman Miles Baggett has 10 tackles for loss and leads with four sacks. Senior cornerback Jerry Raye has nine breakups and an interception while junior defensive back Grant Reuer has an interception.

The Dragons allow 26.1 points per game and 323.6 yards of total offense.

About U-Mary
The Marauders are 1-7 overall and 1-3 in the NSIC North after suffering a 33-7 home loss to St. Cloud State on Oct. 21. The Marauders trailed only 9-7 at halftime but were outscored 24-0 in the second half.

Mary scores 14.1 points per game and records 292.5 yards per game of total offense, with 228.9 coming on the ground. DeShawn Gay has rushed for 396 yards and three scores for the Marauders while Paul Nuptial has rushed for 295 yards. Kevin Hope has rushed for 253 yards and two scores. The Marauders have only thrown 64 passes in eight games; Garrett Weisinger has thrown for 129 yards and three scores while Colton Farmer has thrown for 293 yards and two scores. Tyson Carney has six catches for 114 yards.

On defense Mary allows 36.2 points per game and 407.9 yards of total offense.  Noah Krebs leads the defense with 73 tackles while Jarad Zittleman has 51. Brock Pittsley leads with six sacks while Chris Kraft has two recovered fumbles.

More about the Dragons
Offense Breaks Out
After struggling to score just 21 points in its previous two games, the Dragon offense exploded for a season-high 49 points in the win over Minnesota Crookston. MSUM set season highs for points, total offense (642 yards), rushing yards (249) and rushing touchdowns (four) in the rout.

Kabambi Off and Running
Sophomore running back Jonathan Kabambi recorded his second 100-yard rushing game of the season at UMC. He rushed for a career-high 158 yards — most by a Dragon back this season — and two touchdowns on 15 carries in the victory.  Kabambi is seventh in the NSIC at 72.8 rushing yards per game.

Braaten Moves Into Top 5
Senior receiver Hunter Braaten has moved into the top five in career receptions at MSUM and moved up a slot after a huge game at Minnesota Crookston. Braaten caught a career-high 15 passes for 136 yards in the 49-7 win. In the last two games he has 23 catches for 233 yards.  Braaten has moved into fourth place at MSUM all-time with 164 career catches. He leads the NSIC in receptions per game at 6.88.

Point for Point
Senior kicker Ruan Albuquerque is a perfect 27-of-27 on extra points this season. He is the only NSIC kicker without an extra point miss this season. A transfer from Southern University, Albuquerque has scored 36 points this season, 10th in the NSIC.

Raye Rises
Junior cornerback Jerry Raye is having a solid season. He shares the Dragon team lead with one interception and leads with nine pass breakups. Raye is tied for fourth in the NSIC with nine pass breakups.

Week 9 Under Laqua
The Dragons are 3-3 in Week 9 games under Laqua. In 2011, they lost to Mary, 52-13 and in 2012, lost to Minot State, 31-10 in a home game. MSUM beat Minot State 31-30 in 2013 and 52-7 in 2014. In 2015 MSUM lost at St. Cloud State, 59-21. The Dragons beat Minot State, 42-24 in 2016.

Bresnahan All-Purpose Threat
Redshirt freshman Grady Bresnahan is fourth in the NSIC at 129.4 all-purpose yards per game. He has a total of 955 all-purpose yards — 477 receiving yards, 186 punt return yards and 269 kick return yards. Bresnahan is second in the NSIC at 12.4 yards per punt return.

Carr Sets Record, Closes in on Another
Senior quarterback Demetrius Carr became MSUM's all-time leader in passing yards during the Dragons' contest at Northern State. Carr now has 7,509 yards passing, with Jake Hodge in second at 6,929. Carr is second in MSUM history in total offense with 8,558 yards, trailing only Hodge, who has 8,608. Carr leads the NSIC at 240.0 passing yards per game and in total offense (254.7).