Football | 9/18/2019 1:51:00 PM

Live Stats
Live Audio/Video
Game Notes (pdf)
The Minnesota State University Moorhead  returns to the road this week to face north division rival Northern State. Kickoff is at 6 p.m. on Saturday in Aberdeen, S.D.

Both teams are 1-1 on the season.

You can find live stats, audio (with Dragon broadcasters Steve d'Eustachio and Donn Groth) and video on msumdragons.com.

An MSUM win over Northern would...
—give the Dragons their second straight win over Northern
--their first win in Aberdeen since 2013
—their second straight road win

Series History
MSUM and Northern will meet for a 55th time with the Wolves leading the all-time series 31-23-1.  In the last six meetings in the series, each team has won three times.

Previous five meetings:
2018: MSU Moorhead 42, Northern State 28 (in Moorhead, Minn.)
2017: Northern State 28, MSUM 20 (in Aberdeen, S.D.)
2016: MSUM 48, Northern State 33 (in Moorhead, Minn.)
2015: Northern State 48, MSUM 26 (in Aberdeen)
2014: Northern State 40, MSUM 38 (in Moorhead)

The Head Coaches
Steve Laqua is in his ninth season as MSUM's head coach with a record of 38-53 at the school. Tom Dosch is in his 10th season as the NSU head coach with a record of 48-53.

About MSUM
MSUM fell to 1-1 on the season with a 48-20 home loss to No. 13 Minnesota Duluth on Saturday. The Dragons led 20-13 at halftime but the Bulldogs scored 35 unanswered points in the second half to record the win. Junior quarterback Jakup Sinani threw for 286 yards and two scores while receivers Ryan Harvey-Turner and Ryan Bieberdorf hauled in scores. On defense sophomore safety Blake Wilkins had an interception and a forced fumble.

Sinani has thrown for 541 yards and four scores in two games while completing 64.2 percent of his passes. He's been intercepted once in 81 attempts.  Junior running back Denver Colgrove leads with 57 rushing yards and two scores. Junior receiver Grady Bresnahan has 14 catches for 162 yards while senior running back Herman Gray also has 14 catches.  MSUM is scoring 32.0 points per game and recording 312 yards per game of total offense.

On defense junior safety Shad Vedaa leads with 11 tackles while senior linebacker Carson Zarak and junior defensive linemen Hunter Sall and Darius Woods-Steichen have 10 tackles each. Woods-Steichen has 3.5 tackles for loss, including two sacks. Wilkins and Deontre Wade have interceptions.  MSUM allows 34.0 points per game and 430.5 yards per game of total offense.

About Northern State
The Wolves broke into the win column with a 14-10 road win at Minot State last Saturday.  Hunter Trautman threw for 154 yards and a score while also rushing for a touchdown. Isaiah Cherrier had 115 rushing yards.

The Wolves are scoring 10.5 points per game and are recording 331.5 yards per game of total offense. Cherrier leads the offense with 174 rushing yards and a score. Trautman has thrown for 321 yards, zero touchdowns and three interceptions.  Dakota Larson leads the receiving corps with 10 catches for 107 yards.

Northern allows 21.5 points and 289.5 yards of total offense per game. Preston Droessler and Brayden McNeary lead the defense with 10 tackles each. Hunter Hansen has a sack while Zach Bohenkamp has an interception.

More about the Dragons
Passing Grade
Junior quarterback Jakup Sinani has thrown for 541 yards in two games, second-most in the NSIC. He is averaging 270.5 yards per game passing, second in the league, and is fourth in total offense (252.0) and seventh in pass efficiency (134.1)

Well Received
Junior receiver Grady Bresnahan and senior running back Herman Gray are tied atop the NSIC at 7.0 receptions per game. Bresnahan leads the Dragons with 162 receiving yards. Gray had eight catches alone in the UMD game.

Week 3 Under Laqua
MSUM is 4-4 in the Laqua era during Week 3 games including a 42-28 win over Northern State in 2018. The Dragons saw a Week 3 three-game winning streak end at Winona State in 2017, 42-14.  The previous streak included a 23-21 win over Upper Iowa in 2016; a 35-34 win over  Augustana 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.

Ochsendorf Shines
Sophomore punter Blake Ochsendorf had a big day in MSUM's opening win.  He averaged 47.0 yards per punt on five punts with two being placed inside the 20-yard line. He is second in the NSIC with a 43.5 average.

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. Through two games in 2019, that trend has continued as MSUM is second in the league in turnover ratio at +4, trailing only Bemidji State (+5). The Dragons have committed only one turnover in two games and forced five.

Home Grown
A total of 78 players on MSUM's roster are from Minnesota and North Dakota as the Dragon coaching staff continues to emphasize recruiting locally, with 39 players from each state.

Defense Scores
Senior linebacker Carson Zarak returned a fumble 42 yards for a touchdown early in the win over UMC. It was his first collegiate touchdown, and it was the first Dragon defensive touchdown since Abe Roehrich returned a fumble for a score against Augustana in Week 1 of 2017.

All 3 Traveling Trophies at MSUM
For the fourth time in six years, the MSUM football team has the Axe trophy in its possession after the Dragons beat Bemidji State, 31-26 on Nov. 3. MSUM now has all three traveling trophies in its possession — the Axe, the Paddle (with UMary) and the State Farm Traveling Trophy (with Minnesota Crookston) — for the second time, the first coming in 2016. MSUM kept the State Farm trophy with the opening win over UMC.