by Turner Blaufuss
blaufusstu@mnstate.edu

The annual MSUM spring game saw the defense in their gray uniforms lock down the offense in a 60-17 win. The Dragons also broke ground on Scheels Field, which is making football that much harder to wait for at MSUM.
“They talk about it all the time,” Steve Laqua, MSUM head coach, said. “They’re trying to figure out what color it’s going to be and the design. That’s captured their attention.”
The players had made several suggestions for field designs on the artificial turf. MSUM linebacker Aaron Bohl had a few ideas that didn’t make it far into the discussion.
“I’ve heard about 30 different designs, so I’m excited to see what it looks like, finally. I heard the one with my face on it got shut down,” Bohl said.
The Dragons boast an experienced roster with a large senior class. The incoming seniors are hoping the new field will be just one of the final touches on their football careers.
“After every year it’s like you still have one more year, but when it’s your last year it’s kind of all or nothing,” Jake Hodge, senior quarterback, said. “I think it would be big time to go out on a high note.”
The MSUM seniors were some of Laqua’s first players, and despite the positive changes made so far, the Dragon coach knows his team can keep moving forward.
“When you have a senior class, you want to make a name for yourself.” Laqua said. “These guys came here to transform the program. I think they feel like they’ve made progress, but not enough progress for them to be happy or satisfied with. They’ve got a little extra drive knowing their time is almost up. “
Bohl agreed with his coach.
“The past two years we’ve gotten better, but there’s such a big gap to where we can be,” he said.
The high-powered Dragon offense met their match as the coaching staff has made note of the much-improved defense. Laqua complimented their aggressive play and said the defense has made huge strides.
“We worked really hard this off-season because we knew, obviously, we needed to get better defensively,” Bohl said. “We weren’t that far away last year; we just let up too many big plays. It’s nice to see some of those big plays get contained.”
The Dragons’ home opener is Sept. 3 against Winona State.