Football | 8/31/2022 1:16:00 PM
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The Minnesota State University Moorhead football team opens up the 2022 season on Thursday night at home against the University of Sioux Falls. Kickoff is 6 p.m. at Scheels Field at Nemzek Stadium.
MSUM went 5-6 a year ago while Sioux Falls went 8-3 and narrowly missed out on the playoffs.
Live stats and video are available at msumdragons.com
An MSUM win over Sioux Falls would...
—give the Dragons their seventh straight season opening win
--give the Dragons their first-ever win over Sioux Falls
--end a two-game home losing streak for the Dragons.
Series History
MSUM and Sioux Falls will meet for a fifth time with the Cougars leading the series 4-0. The most recent meeting was in 2018 when USF prevailed 55-21. The Cougars are the only NSIC team MSUM has never beaten.
Previous Meetings
2018-USF 55, MSUM 21 (in Moorhead)
2016-USF 42, MSUM 21 (in Sioux Falls)
2014-USF 70, MSUM 21 (in Moorhead)
2012-USF 45, MSUM 10 (in Moorhead)
The Head Coaches
Steve Laqua is in his ninth season, and 10th year overall as MSUM's head coach with a record of 48-63 at the school. Jon Anderson is in his sixth season at USF with a record of 32-14.
About MSUM
MSUM lost some key players from a year ago, including all-time leading receiver Grady Bresnahan and All-NSIC North defensive tackle Darius Woods-Steichen, but returns several pieces on both ends of the ball.
That includes sophomore quarterback Tommy Falk, who threw for 2,874 yards and 20 touchdowns last year.
Sophomore running back Luke Imdieke rushed for 299 yards and a score a year ago while junior fullback Hayden Boll rushed for 277 yards and seven touchdowns.
The top returning receiver is junior co-captain Ryan Bieberdorf, who caught 59 passes for 696 yards and seven touchdowns last season. Imdieke also caught 30 passes for 310 yards.
Sophomores Tyler Martin and Bennett Heftman return to anchor the offensive line with several spots being battled for.
The Dragon defense is anchored by sophomore linebacker and co-captain Josiah Behm, who had a team-high 86 tackles and was third on the team with three interceptions.
Sophomore linebacker Marcus Gulley was third on the team with 67 tackles, including four for loss. Senior linebacker and co-captain James Eggert had 51 tackles last season, including five for loss.
Junior safety Jared Kallenbach and sophomore cornerback Cody Sorenson each had four interceptions last season; Sorenson had eight pass break-ups.
Sophomore defensive lineman Denver Sheets had 2.5 sacks a year ago and 5.5 tackles for loss. He also had a team-best four forced fumbles, which ranked him 11th in the nation last season.
MSUM must replace all-conference punter Justin Czech this season. Junior kicker Ryan Riedel was 3-for-3 on field goals last season.
About Sioux Falls
The Cougars were 8-3 last season and return the NSIC South Offensive Preseason Player of the Year in senior running back Thuro Reisdofer. He rushed for 1,114 yards and 10 scores a year ago. Also returning is Landon Freeman, who rushed for 827 yards and nine touchdowns.
Adam Mullen returns at quarterback after throwing for 2,103 yards and 16 touchdowns last season.
Carter Slykhuis is the top returning receiver after catching 31 passes last season.
Cody Jantzen is the top returning tackler for USF with 55 tackles. Jonathan Taylor returns after recording five sacks a year ago.
More about the Dragons
Take Your Pick
MSUM finished 10th in all of Division II in 2021 with 17 interceptions, led by four each from Cody Sorenson and Jared Kallenbach. The Dragons finished 20th nationally in turnovers forced.
Falk Looks to Build Off Of 2021
Falk will be entering his second year as the Dragon starting quarterback. Lastr season he ranked 13th in completions per game (22.91), 19th in the nation in passing yards (2,874), 22nd in passing yards per game (261.3) and 37th in the nation in total offense (250.8).
Season Openers Under Laqua
MSUM is 7-3 in season openers during Steve Laqua's tenure as head coach. The Dragons have won six straight openers, dating back to 2015 when they christened the new turf at Scheels Field with a 42-17 rout of Winona State. Last season the Dragons prevailed 33-21 at Southwest Minnesota State.
National Rankings
MSUM ranked in the top 25 in several team and individual stat rankings in 2021:
Team
--10th in passes intercepted (17)
--20th in turnovers gained.
--23rd in red zone defense (.689)
Individual (returnees)
--Denver Sheets was 11th in the nation at .36 fumbles forced per game
--Tommy Falk was 13th in completions per game (22.91), 19th in passing yards (2,874) and 22nd in passing yards per game (261.3).
