Football | 11/8/2017 5:11:00 PM

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The Minnesota State University Moorhead football team renews a rivalry that dates back to 1929 when it hosts Bemidji State at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Scheels Field at Nemzek Stadium.

MSUM (5-5) takes a three-game winning streak into the game while Bemidji State (7-3) has won six of seven games following a 1-2 start.

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 found at msumdragons.com.  

An MSUM win over Bemidji State would..
—give the Dragons three straight winning seasons for the first time since 1994-96
—give MSUM a four-game winning streak to end the season
—help MSUM retain the Axe in back-to-back years
—give the Dragons a 3-2 home record for 2017

About the Axe
While the MSUM-Bemidji State football rivalry dates back to 1929, the first meeting for the Axe came in 1948, making it the second-oldest traveling trophy in Division II. MSUM has won the Axe 37 times while Bemidji State has won it 29. There have been four ties.  
The Axe, which originated in New Guinea, was made by hand and polished underwater by its creator.

Series History
MSUM and Bemidji State, who first met in football in 1929, will meet for an 84th time with the Dragons leading the series 46-34-3. The Dragons have won three of the last four meetings.

Previous five meetings:
2016: MSUM 42, Bemidji State 41 (in Bemidji, Minn.)
2015: Bemidji State 42, MSUM 28 (in Moorhead, Minn.)
2014: MSUM 27, Bemidji State 21 (in Bemidji)
2013: MSUM 35, Bemidji State 17 (in Moorhead)
2012: Bemidji State 35, MSUM 25 (in Bemidji)

The Head Coaches
Steve Laqua is in his seventh season as MSUM's head coach with a record of 29-47 at the school. Brent Bolte is in his second season with a record of 16-6.

About MSUM
The Dragons held on for a 22-16 win over Minot State on Nov. 4. Sophomore running back Herman Gray rushed for two scores while freshman quarterback Jakup Sinani rushed for a score.

For the season, senior quarterback Demetrius Carr has thrown for 1,735 yards and nine touchdowns while freshman quarterback Jakup Sinani has thrown for 876 yards and five touchdowns. Senior receiver Hunter Braaten has 68 catches for 721 yards and a score while redshirt freshman Grady Bresnahan has 40 catches for 498 yards and five scores.  Sophomore Jonathan Kabambi leads the ground game at 553 yards, an average of 68.6 per game.

MSUM scores 27.1 points a game and records 430.6 yards of total offense per game.

Senior linebacker Abe Roehrich leads the defense with 61 tackles and two fumble recoveries. Junior safety Aaron Doan and senior defensive Jake Busse each have 50 tackles while junior linebacker Carter Thiel has 48. Sophomore Miles Baggett had four sacks and leads with 10 tackles for loss. Five different Dragons have interceptions while seven players have recovered fumbles. Junior cornerback Jerry Raye has eight pass breakups.

The Dragons allow 24.4 points per game and 326.0 yards of total offense.

About Bemidji State
The Beavers rallied for a 17-10 win over St. Cloud State on Nov. 4. Bemidji State (7-3, 5-1 NSIC North) scored 10 fourth-quarter points to erase a 10-7 deficit. Andrew Lackowski's 7-yard run with 4:17 left was the game winner.

Lackowski leads the ground game with 883 yards and five touchdowns while Tahi Nomane has 582 rushing yards and five scored. Senior quarterback Jordan Hein has thrown for 1,837 yards and 23 touchdowns. Christian Lunde has 29 catches for 400 yards and four scores to lead the receivers. As a team Bemidji State is

The Beavers score 34.3 points per game and record 391.1 yards per game of total offense.  

Bemidji State allows 17.6 points per game and 197.7 yards per game of total offense. Niko Daniello has 73 tackles to lead Bemidji State while Gunner Olszewski has 67. EJ Olszewski has five interceptions while John Vogeler has four.

More about the Dragons
Turnovers a Key Factor
Turnovers have played a big role in the outcome of Dragon games this season. In its five losses, MSUM has committed 17 turnovers and forced four and is a minus-13 in turnover ratio. In the five Dragon wins, MSUM has committed just five turnovers and is a plus-5 in turnover ratio.

Senior Day
A total of 14 seniors will be honored prior to today's game prior to Saturday's contest: Quarterback Demetrius Carr, receiver Hunter Braaten, defensive lineman Jake Busse, offensive lineman Damien Crawford, linebacker Abe Roehrich, long snapper Tyler Eidsness, receiver Damon Gibson, receiver Daniel Grande, defensive lineman Drew Lingle, defensive back JP Mortenson, running back Austin Stone, defensive lineman Julian Turner, linebacker William Beiseiker and kicker Ruan Albuquerque. Carr, Busse, Grande and Roehrich have served as captains for 2017.

Offense Breaks Out
After struggling to score just 41 points in three straight losses to Northern State, Minnesota Duluth and St. Cloud State, the Dragon offense has bounced back strong, scoring 122 points combined in wins over Minnesota Crookston, Mary and Minot State. During the three-game winning streak MSUM has averaged more than 40 points and 536.3 yards of offense a game.

Sinani Starts Fast
Freshman quarterback Jakup Sinani is 3-0 as the Dragons' starting quarterback and has performed well in all three wins. Sinani has completed 65-of-85 passes for 825 yards and five touchdowns in the wins, while rushing for 162 yards and four touchdowns as well. He has not been intercepted in any of his three starts.

Big Year on Braaten
Senior receiver Hunter Braaten leads the NSIC in receptions per game at 6.80, edging teammate Damon Gibson for that award. Braaten has an NSIC-best 68 receptions this season.  Braaten has moved into fourth place at MSUM all-time with 177  career catches and trails third-place Gibson by 14.

Swartz Steps Up
With the injury to senior All-American wide receiver Damon Gibson vs. Minnesota Crookston, sophomore Hayden Swartz has emerged as a key threat in the passing game. In the last three games, Swartz has 16 catches for 331 yards and three touchdowns. He had back-to-back 100-yard receiving games in wins over Minnesota Crookston and Mary.

Two Career Records for Carr
Senior quarterback Demetrius Carr now holds two career records at MSUM. With his 76 yards of total offense vs. Mary on Oct. 28, Carr became the Dragons' all-time leader in total offense with 8,634 yards, surpassing the previous mark of 8,608 by Jake Hodge. Carr became MSUM's all-time leader in passing yards during the Dragons' contest at Northern State on Sept. 28. Carr now has 7,564 yards passing, with Jake Hodge in second at 6,929.

Season Finales Under Laqua
The Dragons are 3-3 in season finales under Head Coach Steve Laqua. The Dragons have won three finales in a row, with wins over Minnesota Crookston (66-36 in 2014), Minnesota Crookston (59-21 in 2015) and Northern State (48-33 in 2016).