Football | 11/5/2019 1:20:00 PM

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The Minnesota State University Moorhead football team will battle for the Axe this week when it hosts Bemidji State. Kickoff is 1 p.m. Saturday at Scheels Field in Moorhead, Minn.

The Axe traveling trophy dates back to 1948 and is the second-oldest trophy in Division II.

MSUM is 5-4 overall and 4-1 in the NSIC North while Bemidji State is 6-3 overall and 4-1 in the north.

The game will be broadcast live on WDAY'Z Xtra with Steve d'Eustachio and Donn Groth on the call. Live stats, video and audio are available at msumdragons.com

An MSUM win over Bemidji would...
—give the Dragons their first three-game winning streak of the season
--give the Dragons five wins in the last seven meetings with Bemidji
--improve MSUM to 5-1 in NSIC North

Series History
MSUM and Bemidji State, who first met in football in 1929, will meet for an 85th time with the Dragons leading the series 47-35-3. The Dragons have won four of the last six meetings including a 31-26 win in 2018. The road team has won the last five meetings.

Last five meetings:
2018: MSUM 31, Bemidji State 26 (in Bemidji)
2017: Bemidji State 45, MSUM 14 (in Moorhead, Minn.)
2016: MSUM 42, Bemidji State 41 (in Bemidji, Minn.)
2015: Bemidji State 42, MSUM 28 (in Moorhead)
2014: MSUM 27, Bemidji State 21 (in Bemidji)

The Head Coaches
Steve Laqua is in his ninth season as MSUM's head coach with a record of 42-56 at the school. Brent Bolte is in his third season as the BSU head coach with a record of 30-13.

About MSUM
MSUM earned its second straight victory with a 49-20 win over Minot State on Saturday in Minot. Junior quarterback Jakup Sinani threw for four touchdowns and a school-record 513 yards in the win while senior cornerback Deiondre Taylor had 13 tackles and a pick six in the closing seconds.

MSUM averages 28.1 points per game and 340.4 yards per game of total offense. Junior running back Ty Jochim leads the ground game with 440 yards and five  scores while freshman quarterback Matthew Plasterer has completed 59.2 percent of his passes for 1,313 yards and seven touchdowns; he's been intercepted seven times.  Sinani, who has started four games, has thrown for 1,058 yards, eight touchdowns and one interception. Junior receiver Grady Bresnahan has 46 catches for 588 yards and four scores to lead the receiving corps.

On defense Taylor leads with 64 tackles.  Junior defensive end Jordan Magnuson has 12 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. Junior defensive end Darius Woods-Steichen has 11 tackles for loss and six sacks.  Taylor, sophomore defensive back Deontre Wade and freshman defensive back Parker Syverson each have two interceptions. Vedaa and Woods-Steichen have two forced fumbles apiece.

MSUM is allowing 27.9 points per game and 365.1 yards per game of total offense.

About Bemidji State
The Beavers are 6-3 after pounding St. Cloud State, 38-14 last week. Quarterback Emmett Enright threw for 435 yards and three scores.

Jalen Frye has rushed for 864 yards and seven touchdowns to lead the ground game while Enright has completed 56.2 percent of his passes for 1,450 yards, 10 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Malik Williams leads the receiving corps with 45 catches for 414 yards and six scores. As a team, Bemidji scores 26.7 points per game and records 404.0 yards per game of total offense.

Michael Junker leads the Beaver defense with five interceptions. Gunner Feldhege has 59 tackles while Alex Hoffman leads with 3.5 sacks. Bemidji State is allowing 19.4 points per game and 322.8 yards per game of total offense.

More about the Dragons
Sinani Sets Records
Starting for the first time since being injured in Week 3, junior quarterback Jakup Sinani threw for a school-record 513 yards in the win at Minot State. He completed 40-of-51 passes in the game -- the 40 completions were also a school record -- for four touchdowns.  Sinani's four touchdown passes were to four different receivers, and in the game he completed passes to 10 different receivers. For the season, Sinani has thrown for eight touchdowns and one interception. The 513 passing yards were also a team record for MSUM.

NSIC Player of the Week x3
Sinani became the third MSUM player to earn NSIC Player of the Week honors this season after receiving the honor on Nov. 4. Sinani was named NSIC Offensive Player of the Week. Junior defensive lineman Jordan Magnuson had a big day in the Dragons' 23-14 win at SMSU. He had a career-high 14 tackles, including six tackles for loss, along with a career-high three sacks. Magnuson was named the NSIC Player of the Week on Monday to become the second Dragon to earn the honor this season. Junior receiver Grady Bresnahan earned the honors after the Dragons' Week 3 win at Northern State.

Jochim Gets Ground Game Going
Junior running back Ty Jochim has helped ignite the Dragon ground game over the past three games. After rushing for 159 yards in the first six games, Jochim has rushed for 281 yards on 52 carries in the past three Dragon games. He rushed for two touchdowns in the win at Minot State.  He became first 100-yard rusher of the season vs. Augustana on Oct. 19, running for 102 yards. The Dragons rushed for a season-high 214 yards in the win at Southwest Minnesota State on Oct. 26.

Week 10 Under Laqua
The Dragons are 6-2 in Week 10 games under Head Coach Steve Laqua, including a 31-26 win at Bemidji State last year and a 22-16 win at Minot State in 2017.  

Pick Six
Taylor returned an interception for a touchdown in the final seconds of MSUM's 49-20 win over Minot State on Friday. He became the second Dragon to return an interception for a score this season, joining freshman Parker Severson, who did that in the win over UMary in Week 4.

National Rankings
The Dragons, individually and team-wise, are ranked in the top 35 nationally:
--Carter Blackwell is tied for ninth in the nation with two blocked punts
--Deiondre Taylor is 29th in solo tackles per game at 5.3
Team-wise, MSUM is ranked
--fourth in fewest penalty yards per game (39.3)
--ninth in fewest fumbles lost (three)
--12th nationally with five blocked kicks
--15th in completion percentage (63.2)
--25th in turnovers lost (11)
--28th in passing offense per game (266.4).