Football | 10/2/2019 1:10:00 PM

Live Video/Audio
Live Stats
Game notes (pdf)
The Minnesota State University Moorhead football team hosts Winona State for Homecoming this Saturday at Scheels Field. Kickoff is 1 p.m.

MSUM enters the game 3-1 while Winona is 2-2. It is the first game vs. an NSIC South foe for the Dragons this season.

You can find live stats, audio (with Dragon broadcasters Steve d'Eustachio and Donn Groth) and video on msumdragons.com. The game will be broadcast live on WDAY'Z Xtra.

There will also be an End Zone Extravaganza for fans in the north side of Scheels Field. That begins at 11:30 a.m. Buffalo Wild Wings and Lupe's Tasty Tacos will serve; admissions is free for Dragon Fire members. Non-members can purchase tickets for $3.

An MSUM win over Winona State would...
—give the Dragons a second straight 4-1 start to their season
--be just the third Homecoming win during Steve Laqua's nine-year tenure
--a second straight home win for MSUM

Series History
MSUM and Winona State will meet for a 71st time with the Dragons leading the series 38-34-2.  Prior to the Dragons' 42-17 win in 2015, Winona State had won 13 meetings in a row.

Previous five meetings:
2017: Winona State 42, MSUM 14 (in Winona)
2015: MSUM 42, Winona State 17 (in Moorhead)
2013: Winona State 65, MSUM 21 (in Winona)
2011: Winona State 48, MSUM 10 (in Moorhead)
2010: Winona State 58, MSUM 3 (in Winona)

The Head Coaches
Steve Laqua is in his ninth season as MSUM's head coach with a record of 40-53 at the school. Tom Sawyer is in his 24th season as the Winona State head coach with a record of 184-83.

About MSUM
MSUM improved to 3-1 on the season with a 47-32 win over UMary on Sept. 28. The Dragons built a 33-14 halftime lead and held off a rally in the second half to retain the Paddle.

Junior quarterback Jakup Sinani has thrown for 545 yards and four scores in two games while completing 63.9 percent of his passes. He's been intercepted once in 83 attempts.  Freshman Matthew Plasterer has thrown for 500 yards and five scores while completing 62.2 percent of his passes.

Junior Denver Colgrove leads with 184 rushing yards and five scores. Junior receiver Grady Bresnahan has 32 catches for 403 yards and four scores.  MSUM is scoring 33.8 points per game and recording 341.5 yards per game of total offense.

On defense junior safety Shad Vedaa has 24 tackles and two forced fumbles. Senior linebacker Carson Zarak has 23 tackles. Junior defensive end Darius Woods-Steichen has three sacks while sophomore Deontre Wade and freshman Parker Syverson each have two interceptions. MSUM allows 29.2 points per game and 390.2 yards of total offense.

About Winona State
The Warriors are 2-2 overall and in the league. They lost to No. 3-ranked Minnesota State, 20-6 on Sept. 28 in a road game. Winona State is 2-0 at home this season but 0-2 on the road.

Sam Santiago-Lloyd has rushed for 355 yards and a score to lead the ground game. Junior quarterback Owen Burke has thrown for 742 yards and five scores but has been intercepted six times.

Jake Balliu has 16 catches for 159 yards and a score to lead the receiving corps.

Cole Monckton has 25 tackles to lead the Warrior defense while Devon Moore has 23. Cam Gavin has two interceptions while Chris Adams leads with two sacks.

Winona State scores 20.8 points per game and allows 18.5. The Warriors record 323.8 yards per game of total offense and allow 349.2 yards per game.

More about the Dragons
Happy Returns
Freshman safety Parker Syverson returned an interception 30 yards for a touchdown in the first half of MSUM's 47-32 win over UMary on Saturday. That is the first time MSUM has returned an interception for a score since Sheldon Jones did so vs. Minnesota Crookston in 2012. Syverson finished with two interceptions in the game, becoming the first Dragon to have two in one game since Michael Strand did so against Augustana in 2015.

Grady's Grabs
Junior receiver Grady Bresnahan leads the NSIC at 8.0 receptions per game which is eighth best in the nation. Bresnahan leads the Dragons with 32 catches for 403 yards and four scores.  Bresnahan also is 17th in the nation in receiving yards per game (100.8), which is best in the NSIC, and is 22nd with four receiving touchdowns.

Well Taken Care Of
Taking care of the ball was a big key to MSUM earning a trip to the Mineral Water Bowl in 2018 as the Dragons consistently ranked near the top of the NSIC in turnover margin. MSUM has committed only two turnovers in four games which is third fewest in the nation.  The Dragons are 17th in the nation in turnover margin (+1.5 per game).

Homecoming in the Laqua era
MSUM is 2-6 in homecoming games under Laqua, with both wins coming over Minnesota Crookston. The Dragons beat the Golden Eagles, 29-22 in 2011 and 41-12 in 2016. From 2012-15 MSUM lost four straight homecoming games. In 2018 MSUM lost to No. 1-ranked Minnesota State 42-20.

Week 5 Under Laqua
The Dragons are 2-6 in Week 5 games under Head Coach Steve Laqua. In 2011, the Dragons lost to Minnesota-Duluth, 49-21 and in 2012, lost their homecoming game to Northern State, 45-7. In 2013, MSUM edged Northern State, 47-46 in Aberdeen, S.D.  MSUM had lost four Week 5 games in a row until beating Upper Iowa, 17-13 in 2018.

National Rankings
In addition to Bresnahan's receiving numbers, the following Dragons are ranked in the top 30 nationally in the following categories:
--Shad Vedaa is sixth in the nation at 0.50 forced fumbles per game
--Syverson and Deontre Wade are 26th in the nation at 0.50 interceptions per game
--Colgrove is 21st in the nation with five rushing touchdowns
--Sinani is 20th in completion percentage (63.9) while Plasterer is 28th (62.2).

On the Offensive
MSUM is second in the NSIC in scoring at 33.8 points per game. The Dragons have the No. 1 ranked passing offense (261.2 yards per game) as well.

Home Grown
MSUM has placed an emphasis on recruiting local talent, and this year's roster has 39 players from Minnesota and 38 from North Dakota.