Football | 9/29/2018 7:58:00 PM
Box Score FAYETTE, Iowa — A late defensive stand helped the Minnesota State University Moorhead football team secure a 17-13 win over Upper Iowa in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action Saturday in Fayette, Iowa.
MSUM is now 4-1 on the season, the first time since 1996 the Dragons have started a football season 4-1. Upper Iowa fell to 1-4.
"Any time you go on the road and get a win, especially against a team from the south division, you've got to be pretty proud," MSUM head coach
Steve Laqua said. "It was a great win for us."
Senior safety
Aaron Doan had 14 tackles to pace the defense while sophomore defensive back
Shad Vedaa had 11 and senior linebacker
Michael Strand 10. Senior cornerback
Jerry Raye had a sack, three pass breakups and a forced fumble while sophomore defensive end
Darius Woods-Steichen added a sack, his team-best fifth of the season.
Junior cornerback
Deiondre Taylor had an interception — his team best third of the season — and three pass breakups.
For the offense, sophomore quarterback
Jakup Sinani was 23-of-34 passing for 217 yards and a score. He also rushed for 74 yards on 17 carries.
Zach Simons had a rushing touchdown. Sophomore receiver
Jake Richter had six catches for 103 yards and a score while sophomore receiver
Grady Bresnahan had 11 catches for 83 yards.
Freshman
Blake Ochsendorf averaged 37 yards per punt put also placed a key punt inside the 20 in the fourth quarter. Senior kicker
Joe Tjosvold kicked a 40-yard field goal which proved vital late in the game.
"Special teams played a big part," Laqua said.
The defense delivered huge in the final minutes. Upper Iowa had a 4th-and-3 at the Dragon 6-yard line, and
Jordan Magnuson's tackle of Deprey at the 4-yard line left the Peacocks one yard short of the first down with 1:41 left.
"The second half turned into a battle of guts and our kids showed a lot of guts," Laqua said.
Sinani rushed 13 yards for a first down on the next play to give the Dragons some breathing room and MSUM was able to run out the clock from there.
Earlier in the quarter, the defense forced a turnover on downs at the Dragon territory with 6:25 left. In the third quarter Upper Iowa drove to the Dragon 2-yard line but Magnuson and
Matt Schoh tackled Deprey at the 2-yard line and the Peacocks settled for a field goal.
"Our defense played great football," Laqua said. "The defense made a bunch of big plays. There was a couple of goal-line stands…obviously the one in the fourth was a great stand."
Earlier in the fourth quarter MSUM took its first lead of the game when Simons capped off a 12-play, 75-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown with 14:20 left.
MSUM allowed 10 points in the first quarter and three over the final three. MSUM got on the board in the second quarter when Richter caught a 19-yard pass from Sinani, making it 10-7 with 8:32 left.
Later in the quarter, Tjosvold connected on a 40-yard field goal — his longest as a Dragon — to tie the game at 10-10, which was the halftime score.
The Dragons will take their 4-1 start back home on Saturday to host No. 1-ranked Minnesota State Mankato.
"(The 4-1 start) is something hasn't been done in 22 years," Laqua said. "One of the big reasons our players are here to do things that haven't been done in a long time or never been done before. They caame here with a mindset of building a program and, along the way there's a series of milestones…this is one of those milestones."
Steve d'Eustachio Stat of the Game: The Dragons are now 4-1 for the first time since winning 29-27 at Bemidji St. on Oct. 5, 1996. It's also the first time the Dragons have posted four wins before the month of September ended since starting 4-0 in the 1985 season.
