Football | 9/12/2017 5:01:00 PM

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The Minnesota State University Moorhead football team looks to rebound from a Week 2 loss this week when it travels to Winona State. Kickoff is 1 p.m. at Altra Federal Credit Union Stadium in Winona, Minn.

MSUM is 1-1 while Winona State is 2-0.

The contest would 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 at Winona State would be…
—the Dragons' second straight over Winona State
—first Dragon win in Winona since 1995
—give MSUM a 2-1 start through three games for a second straight year
—give MSUM a 7-4 record vs. the NSIC South since the beginning of 2015

Series History
MSUM and Winona State will meet for a 73rd time with the Dragons holding a 38-33-1 series lead. MSUM's 42-17 win over the Warriors to open 2015 was their first win over Winona since 1996.

Previous five meetings:
2007: Winona State 42, MSU Moorhead 41 (in Moorhead)
2010: Winona State 58, MSUM 3 (in Winona)
2011: Winona State 48, MSUM 10 (in Moorhead)
2013: Winona State 65, MSUM 21 (in Winona)
2015: MSUM 42, Winona State 17 (in Moorhead)

The Head Coaches
Steve Laqua is in his seventh season as MSUM's head coach with a record of 25-43 at the school. Tom Sawyer, the dean of NSIC football coaches, is in his 22nd season at Winona State with a record of 166-76.

About MSUM
The Dragons suffered a 51-35 home loss to Southwest Minnesota State on Sept. 7. The Dragons committed six turnovers in the loss which turned into 17 Mustang points.  Senior quarterback Demetrius Carr threw for 419 yards and three scores but was intercepted five times. Senior receiver Damon Gibson caught eight passes for 174 yards and a score while Grady Bresnahan and Hunter Braaten hauled in touchdown receptions.  Senior Drew Lingle led MSUM's defense with 10 tackles and a sack.

For the season, Carr has thrown for 658 yards and five touchdowns.  Gibson has caught 20 passes for 265 yards and three scores while senior receiver Hunter Braaten has 13 catches for 167 yards and a score. Jonathan Kabambi leads the ground game with 87 yards on just five carries.

Redshirt freshman Darin Gipson leads MSUM's defense with 14 tackles, including two tackles for loss. Senior defensive end Drew Lingle and junior defensive back Aaron Doan each have 12 tackles. Sophomore Miles Baggett has 10 tackles and a team-best 4.5 tackles for loss. Lingle leads with 1.5 sacks.

About Winona State
The Warriors are 2-0 after recording a 34-10 win at St. Cloud State on Sept. 9. The Warriors led 17-10 at halftime but outscored SCSU 34-10 in the second half. Senior quarterback Darren Beenken threw for 196 yards  for the Warriors while Eric Birth rushed for three touchdowns. Winona State, which is receiving votes in the latest AFCA poll, forced three turnovers in the win.

The Warriors average 32.0 points per game on offense and have recorded 323.0 total yards per game.  Beenken has completed 58.7 percent of his passes for 504 yards and three touchdowns. Birth has rushed for 79 yards and five touchdowns to lead the ground game. Jake Balliu is the top receiver with eight catches for 91 yards and a score.

Winona's defense has been stout, allowing just 30 points in two games. Teams have compiled 336.5 yards of total offense against Winona State's defense.  Andrew Spencer leads the Warrior defense with 21 tackles, a sack and an interception. Mike Imperiale has 13 tackles and three pass breakups.

More about the Dragons
Carr Closes In
Senior quarterback Demetrius Carr is closing in on two school records. Carr is second all-time in passing yards at MSUM at 6,487 yards, trailing only Jake Hodge in that category. Carr is also second all-time in total offense at 7,600 yards, trailing Hodge's 8,608. Carr threw for 2,710 yards last season, second-highest single season total in school history.  Carr leads the NSIC in total offense per game (354) and is second in passing yards at 658.

Defense Dominates
MSUM's defense played a strong all-around game in the win at Augustana. MSUM surrendered 127 yards of offense — fewest by any NSIC team in Week 1 — while allowing only seven points, second-lowest total in the Steve Laqua coaching era.  MSUM ranks first in the NSIC in total defense, tied for second in scoring defense and is second in sacks with five.  Five different Dragons had sacks in the win at Augie.

Gibson Starts Strong
After a school record-setting 2016 campaign, senior receiver Damon Gibson has started off the 2017 campaign strong. Through two games he has an NSIC-best 20 catches for 265 yards and three touchdowns and leads the NSIC at 10 receptions per game. He caught 12 passes for 91 yards and two scores in the Dragons' 38-7 win at Augustana and was named the NSIC Offensive Player of the Week as a result. Gibson has moved into fourth place on the all-time reception list at MSUM with 157.  Gibson recorded the 15th 100-yard receiving game of his Dragon career against SMSU.

Braaten Nears Top Five
Senior receiver Hunter Braaten is also off to a strong start. He is third in the NSIC at 13 receptions and 6.5 receptions per game. He also has a receiving touchdown.  In his four-year Dragon career Braaten has 122 receptions for 1,360 yards and nine touchdowns. Braaten trails Bruce Green (146 receptions) by 23 catches for fifth on the MSUM all-time list.

Bresnahan All-Purpose Threat
Redshirt freshman Grady Bresnahan is second in the NSIC in all-purpose yards per game at 149.5. Bresnahan has 108 receiving yards, 90 punt return yards and 101 kick return yards this season. He averaged 29 yards per punt return against SMSU with a long of 41 yards and is fifth in the NSIC in that category.

Miles Makes His Mark
Sophomore Miles Baggett is making a big impact from his defensive line position. He is second in the NSIC at 2.25 tackles for loss per game. Baggett has four solo stops for loss. Baggett also has a forced fumble and a sack this season which led to a fumble return by teammate Abe Roehrich in the opening win over Augustana.

Week 3 Under Laqua
MSUM is 3-3 in the Steve Laqua era during Week 3 games. The Dragons have won three straight Week 3 games, including a 23-21 win over Upper Iowa last season. MSUM edged Augustana, 35-34 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.