MSUM (3-5) football caps off their two-game road trip against Northern State (5-3) this Saturday. Kickoff is at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday in Aberdeen, S.D. Live stats and video are available at msumdragons.com

An MSUM win over Northern State would...

• Give the Dragons their fourth win of the season. 
• Improve MSUM's away record to 3-2.
• Give the Dragon's their fourth win over Northern in the last 6 matchups. 

Series History

MSUM and Northern State will meet for a 58th time with the Wolves leading the all-time series 32-24-1. 

Last five meetings:
2021: MSUM 27, Northern State 33 (in Moorhead, Minn.) 
2019: MSUM 24, Northern State 17 (in Aberdeen, S.D.)
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.)

The Head Coaches

Steve Laqua is in his tenth season, and 11th year overall as MSUM's head coach with a record of 51-68 at the school. Mike Schmidt is in his third season as the Northern State head coach with a record of 11-5.

About MSUM

The Dragons improved to 3-5 on the season after defeating the University of Mary 40-38 last weekend. Freshman quarterback Jack Strand leads the passing attack for the Dragons and is 169-of-245 for 1,570 passing yards and 12 touchdowns. Strand threw the ball a school record 64 times last week against Mary and also broke the school record for completions in a game (45).

Redshirt Freshman Gage Florence has 80 receptions for 795 receiving yards and six touchdowns. Florence caught 21 passes, an NSIC record last week against Mary. Junior Ryan Bieberdorf has 32 receptions for 448 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Freshman Carter Birrenkott has 32 receptions for 330 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

Sophomore Luke Imdieke leads the rushing game for the Dragons with 180 rushing yards on 59 carries. Junior Hayden Boll adds 91 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 42 carries.

On defense, sophomore linebacker Josiah Behm leads the Dragons with 71 tackles and 1.5 sacks. Sophomore defensive back Marcus Galley has 58 tackles, two sacks, and an interception. Junior defensive back Jared Kallenbach has 51 tackles and an interception. Senior linebacker James Eggert adds 38 tackles and two sacks. Sophomore Denver Sheets and redshirt freshman Abe Hestdalen lead with three sacks each.

The Dragons average 308.4 yards per game and allow 418.8 yards per game.

About Northern State 

The Wolves are 5-3 on the season and in NSIC play after defeating Concordia St. Paul 49-20 last weekend. Sophomore quarterback Will Madler leads the passing attack for the Wolves and is 112-of-209 for 1,405 passing yards and 15 touchdowns. 

Junior Ben Noland has 33 receptions for 458 receiving yards and four touchdowns, while senior Lux Greg has 29 receptions for 245 receiving yards and four touchdowns. Senior Dominick Fiscelli adds 22 receptions for 382 receiving yards and three touchdowns. 

Sophomore quarterback Will Madler also leads the Wolves' rushing attack with 67 carries for 281 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Junior Stanley Haskins Jr. adds 62 carries for 291 rushing yards and one touchdown. 

On defense, senior linebacker Brennan Kutterer leads the team with 47 tackles and 3.5 sacks. Sophomore Linebacker Trey King has 37 tackles and one sack. Fifth-year defensive back Hunter Hansen adds 30 tackles, one sack and one interception. Graduate Student defensive lineman Ian Marshall leads the team with 10 sacks. 

The Wolves average 370.4 yards per game and allow 291.0 yards per game.

Young Receivers Emerge

Redshirt Freshmen receivers Gage Florence and Carter Birrenkott have combined for 112 receptions for 1,125 receiving yards and nine touchdowns through eight games. Florence set the NSIC record for catches in a game last week with 21. Currently, Florence is 10 receptions shy of passing the MSUM school record for receptions in a season (90). The redshirt freshman also leads the entire NCAA (Division I, II and III) in receptions per game with 10.

Take Your Pick

The Dragons have nine interceptions through eight games. Marcus Gulley, Jared Kallenbach, Cody Sorenson, Joey Hughes and Jackson Faller have one interception apiece. Jake Bettcher leads the team with four interceptions on the season.

Week 9 under Laqua 

The Dragons are 5-5 in Week 9 games under Laqua after beating Minot State in 2019 and losing to Sioux Falls 55-21 in 2018. The Dragons lost their 2021 matchup against Northern State 33-27. Also included are a 49-7 win over Minnesota Crookston in 2017 and a 47-16 win over U-Mary in 2016.