DULUTH, Minn. — Redshirt freshman receiver Gage Florence tied a single-game school record, but the Minnesota State University Moorhead football team fell to Minnesota-Duluth, 36-28 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action Saturday in Duluth, Minn. MSUM battled back from a 22-0 deficit to cut the lead to seven before falling short.
MSUM fell to 1-4 overall and in the league while UMD improved to 4-1.
Florence hauled in 16 receptions — tying Jabari Taylor's single-game record — for 173 yards and a score. All were career-highs for Florence. Freshman receiver Brady Perryman had six catches for 93 yards and a score while junior receiver Ryan Bieberdorf had four catches for 57 yards and a score.
Freshman quarterback Jack Strand threw for a career-high 340 yards on 30-of-40 attempts. He threw for three touchdowns and was intercepted once.
Junior defensive back Jared Kallenbach had nine tackles, a sack and a forced fumble for MSUM. Sophomore linebacker Marcus Gulley had eight tackles, including three for loss. Sophomore defensive lineman Denver Sheets had five tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Sophomore Kolby VanderWal blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown
MSUM was down 22-0 at one point but got on the board when Strand hit Perryman for a 60-yard touchdown with 9:24 left in the first half to cut the lead to 22-7.
"We dug ourselves a big hole early, but the guys showed a lot of grit to keep battling back to have a chance at the end," MSUM head coach Steve Laqua said. "There were a lot of great individual performances that we can build on moving into next week."
UMD pushed the lead to 29-7 in the third, but big plays kept the Dragons afloat. Florence hauled in a 61-yard touchdown pass from Strand just seconds into the fourth quarter to cut the lead to 29-15.
Sheets then sacked UMD quarterback Garrett Olson and recovered the fumble, and on the next play Strand hit Bieberdorf for a touchdown to cut the lead to 29-22.
UMD responded with an 11-play, 60-yard scoring drive that took more than six minutes to push the lead to 36-22 with 7:19 left. The Dragons weren't done as VanderWal blocked a punt with less than two minutes left and ran it back 47 yards for a score. It was VanderWal's second special teams return touchdown of the season, and it brought the Dragons to within 36-28.
MSUM attempted the onside kick but UMD recovered and ran out the clock.
The Dragons return home to face Minot State for a noon kickoff on Oct. 8. That game is part of MSUM's homecoming weekend.
