Football | 9/25/2019 5:17:00 PM

Game Notes (pdf)
Live Stats
Live Video/Audio
The Minnesota State University Moorhead football team returns home to host the University of Mary on Saturday. Kickoff is 1:05 p.m. at Scheels Field at Nemzek Stadium.

The Paddle trophy is on the line as the team that wins the matchup between the two teams. MSUM has won the last four meetings, including a 48-20 win over the Marauders last season in Bismarck.

MSUM enters the game 2-1 while UMary is 0-3.   The game will be broadcast live on Midco Sports Network, check local listings for availability in your area.

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

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 will serve, and admissions is free for Dragon Fire members. Non-members can purchase tickets for $3.

In addition, three Dragon conference championship teams -- all coached by Ross Fortier will be honored at halftime.
--The 1979 football team finsihed 8-3 overall and 7-1 in NIC play, winning its first seven conference games. Five Dragons were all-conference selections as well.
--The 1984 football team, led by conference co-MVP Randy Sullivan, also won the conference title and finished 8-3 on the season and qualified for the NAIA playoffs. The team finished 5-1 in NIC play.
--The 1989 football team wrapped up the conference title with a 16-12 win at Minnesota Duluth on November 4. That team, which averaged more than 30 points per game in conference play, also qualified for the NCAA playoffs.

An MSUM win over UMary would...
—give the Dragons their first home win of the year
--their fifth straight win over UMary
—their second straight 3-1 start
--be the 40th career win for Steve Laqua at MSUM.

Series History
MSUM and UMary will meet for a 14th time with the Marauders leading the series 8-5. The Dragons have won four straight meetings dating back to 2015.

Previous five meetings:
2018: MSUM 48, UMary 20 (in Bismarck)
2017: MSUM 51, UMary 19 (in Moorhead)
2016: MSUM 47, UMary 16 (in Bismarck)
2015: MSUM 37, UMary 0 (in Moorhead)
2014: UMary 52, MSUM 45 (in Bismarck)

The Head Coaches
Steve Laqua is in his ninth season as MSUM's head coach with a record of 39-53 at the school. Craig Bagnell is in his second season as the UMary head coach with a record of 1-13.

About MSUM
MSUM improved to 2-1 on the season with a 24-17 road win at Northern State on Sept. 21. Junior receiver Grady Bresnahan caught the winning touchdown from freshman Matthew Plasterer with 16 seconds left to secure the win.  Sophomore receiver Trent Marquart also caught a touchdown while junior running back Denver Colgrove rushed for a score. Junior defensive tackle Hunter Sall led the defense with eight sacks.

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.  Colgrove leads with 105 rushing yards and thre  scores. Junior receiver Grady Bresnahan has 25 catches for 308 yards and a score.  MSUM is scoring 29.3 points per game and recording 316.3 yards per game of total offense.

On defense Sall leads with 18 tackles and has a team-best five tackles for loss. Junior defensive end Darius Woods-Steichen has two sacks while junior safety Shad Vedaa has 16 tackles and a team-best two forced fumbles.  Sophomore safety Blake Wilkins and sophomore cornerback Deontre Wade have interceptions. MSUM allows 28.3 yards per game and 404.7 yards per game of total offense.

About UMary
The Marauders are 0-3 after losing to Minot State, 34-29 at home last week. UMary led 29-14 in the second half but couldn't sustain the lead as the Beavers rolled up 20 unanswered points.

Quarterback Logan Nelson has rushed for 131 yards and four scores while throwing for 559 yards and three touchdowns. He has been intercepted twice. Danny Kittner leads the receiving corps with 16 catches for 258 yards and a score.

On defense Paul Guptill has 27 tackles, including a team-best 3.5 tackles for loss, while Richard Bendish has 26.  The Marauders score 16.0 points per game and record 316.7 yards per game of total offense. On defense they allow 40.3 points per game and 448.3 yards of total offense.

More about the Dragons
Well Received
Junior receiver Grady Bresnahan leads the NSIC at 8.03 receptions per game. Bresnahan leads the Dragons with 25 catches for 308 yards and a score.  He hauled in 11 passes for 146 yards in the win over Northern; the 146 yards tied a career high. He was named NSIC Offensive Player of the Week after that performance.

Week 4 Under Laqua
MSUM is 3-5 in the Steve Laqua era during week 4 games. MSUM ended a five-game losing streak on Week 4 with a 21-20 win over Concordia-St. Paul in 2017 and in 2018 won at UMary, 48-20. The Dragons had lost five straight week 4 games, including a 36-34 loss to Concordia St. Paul in 2013 and a 28-14 loss to Minnesota State last season. MSUM lost to Southwest Minnesota State 48-9 in 2015. In 2014, MSUM lost to Sioux Falls 73-21. In 2012, they lost to Minnesota State 24-0.

Ochsendorf Shines
Sophomore punter Blake Ochsendorf had a big day in MSUM's opening win and also delivered big in the win at Northern.  His 51-yard punt pinned Northern deep in its territory and the defense forced a three-and-out, setting up the winning score in the final minute. Ochsendorf is averaging 40.6 yards per punt this season.

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 sixth in the league in turnover ratio at +3. The Dragons have committed only two turnovers in three games and forced five.