MOORHEAD, Minn. -- The MSU Moorhead Dragons with make a trip to Marshall on Saturday to take on the Mustangs of Southwest Minnesota State University. The contest will kickoff at 1 p.m. from Mattke Field in Marshall, Minn.

Live stats and video are available at msumdragons.com
 
About the Dragons

The Dragons (4-3, 3-3 NSIC), are flying high after their 53-40 shootout victory on homecoming weekend against University of Sioux Falls. The offense was fantastic in the contest, scoring 34 points in the second and third quarters. The Dragon defense gave up 40 points, but they made enough impact plays in the game to give the Dragons the edge in this high-scoring affair. The offense started off slow, not scoring in the first quarter, but this was in large part because of the game plan the Cougars brought to the table. Their strategy was to keep MSUM's high-octane offense off of the field as much as possible, and overall they did a very good job of it, winning the time of possession battle handily, controlling the ball for 43:23 compared to MSUM's 16:37. The Dragons went three and out on their first two drives of the game, but the Dragons sideline soon erupted when junior linebacker Josiah Behm picked off a Sioux Falls pass at the Dragon two-yard line and ran it back 98 yards for the pick six. After that the Dragons were unstoppable.

Behm's pick six helped him earn NSIC Defensive Player of the Week honors. In addition to his interception for a touchdown, he tallied eight tackles on the day. On the year he has 53 takedowns, 6.5 of which being for loss, and he also adds 2.5 sacks to the mix. A host of other Dragons had great days defensively for MSUM against the Cougars. 

The secondary had themselves a day, totaling nine pass breakups on the game. Sophomore defensive back Adam Kallenbach led the unit in tackles with 13 takedowns, he also added one pass breakup. Sophomore defensive back Tate Gustafson had a tackle for loss, 12 tackles and a quarterback hurry. Gustafson now has 54 tackles on the season for the Dragons, a mark which leads the team. Sophomore defensive back McKale Pierson was flying all over the field for the Dragon defense, making 10 tackles and breaking up two passes. Senior defensive back Jake Bettcher intercepted a pass, broke up an incredible three passes on the day, while also tallying six tackles. 

Senior defensive lineman Hayden Carr swatted down a pass, and got consistent pressure on the quarterback. Defensive linemen Justice Noel and Abe Hestdalen made big plays as well, totaling six and five tackles respectively. Redshirt sophomore linebacker Jacob Brosius also made his first collegiate interception.
The Dragon defense held the Cougars to six yards per play, were able to turn them over on downs twice, make three interceptions, as well as force three punts. So even though the box score of 40 points allowed may not look great, the defense did enough to get the job done. 

On the season the Dragon's defense holds their opponents to 386.3 yards per game as well as 26.1 points per game, which ranks in the top half of the NSIC, coming in at sixth place.

Offensively for the Dragons, they had another spectacular outing last week, putting up 47 of MSUM's 53 points. Sophomore quarterback Jack Strand had himself another spectacular day, throwing for 428 yards on only 20 completions. This averages out to an incredible 21.4 yards per completion. Strand tied the school record throwing six touchdowns on the day. On the season, he averages 380 yards per game through the air, which is over 100 yards more than anyone else in the conference. He has completed 237-of-356 attempts for a 66.6 completion percentage, totaling a spectacular 2,663 yards and 28 touchdowns. The Dragons passing offense ranks number one in the NSIC by far, ahead of second place Bemidji State.

On the receiving end of Strand's passes last week (more often than not) was senior wide receiver Ryan Bieberdorf. Bieberdorf hauled in six passes against Sioux Falls for a whopping 137 yards and four touchdowns. Two thirds of the time he touched the ball he was dancing in the endzone at the end of the play. This incredible performance earned him NSIC Offensive Player of the Week honors. Right alongside Bieberdorf was redshirt sophomore receiver Gage Florence, who grabbed six receptions for 135 yards and two touchdowns of his own. Florence now leads the Dragons in the three main receiving categories: In receptions, hauling in 71, receiving yards with 715 and touchdowns with seven. It's not just these two, as Strand likes to spread the love around. The Dragons now have five receivers who are very close to, or above the 300-yard mark on the season. 

The Dragons punched in one score on the ground against the Cougars, that score coming courtesy of senior running back Tyson Powell. Powell now has four touchdowns on the season, to go along with 127 yards on 24 attempts. Luke Imdieke still leads the Dragons in yards with 165 yards on 30 attempts, which figures out to 5.5 yards per carry. Imdieke also is a factor in the passing game, making 42 catches this year for 242 yards and a touchdown.

The Dragons are led by 13^th-year head coach Steve Laqua.
 
Scouting Southwest Minnesota State University

The Mustangs (1-6, 1-5 NSIC), are in the midst of a six-game losing slide. They are coming off of a game where they had an opportunity to win, but they did not capitalize as they were bested by Northern State, 24-17. They started off the game strong, scoring two touchdowns in the first quarter, the first of which by junior running back Donald Austin on a 12-yard scamper. Later in the quarter, sophomore wide receiver Eric Lira caught a 45-yard strike from sophomore quarterback Marcus Martin for a touchdown. The Mustangs took a 17-10 lead into halftime over Northern State, but the second half was a different story than the first. The Mustangs went scoreless in the second half of the contest and the Wolves scored two touchdowns to take the lead in the third quarter. They hung on in the fourth quarter to beat the Mustangs on their homecoming. 

The Mustangs offense only mustered 266 yards last week, 209 of which through the air and 57 on the ground. They were pretty decent on third down, going 4-for-11, but this just wasn't good enough to move the ball against the Wolves defense. The Mustangs lost the time of possession battle 23:53 to 36:07. A big part of this was the two turnovers they committed on the day. One on an interception from Martin, and another from a turnover on downs. The Mustangs averaged 5.8 yards per play on the day. The Mustang's offense ranks 12^th in the NSIC in yards per game, gaining 270.7 yards per contest.

SMSU's defense played well in the first half against Northern State, but the Wolves were able to break through in the second half. Sophomore linebackers Josiah Hedensten and Gideon Ervasti led the Mustangs in tackles, each with 12 takedowns. Hedensten tallied 2.5 tackles for loss, and Ervasti added 0.5 a tackle for loss as well. The Mustangs racked up the tackles for loss against Northern State, totaling seven on the day. Senior defensive lineman Cam Irvin got to the quarterback for one sack. Senior defensive back Jordan Ellis had a very nice day, making three pass breakups, while also making two tackles. The Mustang defense ranks 10^th in the NSIC allowing 390.4 yards per game. Their strength on defense is against the pass, holding opponents to 226.3 yards per game through the air.

The Mustangs are led by second-year head coach Scott Underwood.
 
More About the Dragons

Passing Offense is the Front of the Pack

Sophomore quarterback Jack Strand has been lighting the world on fire this season, and after last week he now leads all NCAA quarterbacks (Divisions I-III) in passing yards with 2,663 yards on the season so far. There has not been a single quarterback who has been better at their respective level of football than Strand has been. He is also second in the country in passing touchdowns with 28 scores. Now, of course, he has been great, but you also have to give credit to his wide receivers going up and making huge plays for him game in and game out. Gage Florence, Carter Birrenkott, Brady Perryman, Madden Thorson, Ryan Bieberdorf and Luke Imdieke have all played a part in Strand's success this season. 

Stat of the Week

The Dragons are averaging 37.6 points per game this season, which ranks them third in the NSIC, only behind powerhouses Minnesota State and Minnesota Duluth. MSUM is one of the most exciting teams to watch in the whole state of Minnesota currently, and last week's 50 burger on Sioux Falls certainly proved that point. 

Series History

Last time around the Dragons took it to the Mustangs in a 33-21 victory back in 2021. The Dragons have beaten the Mustangs in their last two meetings, and they will certainly be looking to extend their winning streak to three games this weekend. The Dragons are 29-19 against the Mustangs since 1970.

Last five matchups:
2021 – 33-21 W (In Marshall)
2019 – 23-14 W (In Marshall)
2017 – 51-35 L (In Moorhead)
2015 – 48-9 L (In Marshall)
2013 – 27-20 L (In Moorhead)