MOORHEAD, Minn. -- MSU Moorhead's outstanding senior class made pivotal, game-changing plays throughout the 60 minutes as the Dragons defeated Mary 35-7 to close the 2023 season. It is the eighth consecutive win for MSUM in the annual Battle for the Paddle.
MSUM concludes the season with a 7-4 overall record and an unblemished 6-0 ledger at Nemzek Stadium. It is the first time MSUM has gone undefeated at home since the 1995 season.
The Dragons would waste no time in getting on the scoreboard as Mary won the coin toss and opted to defer. Thus, the Dragon offense took over to start the game as
Jack Strand found
Madden Thorson on a screen play with nothing but green in front of him. Thorson scampered 72 yards to the end zone to bring the Dragons a 7-0 lead just 14 seconds into the contest. The touchdown pass was
Jack Strand's 35th of the season, which sets a new MSUM single-season record.
MSUM's defense would prove stingy on Mary's opening drive, forcing a three and out deep in their own territory. As they have done all year, MSUM got tremendous pressure on the punt, which was eventually blocked by
Gavin Jarchow. With the ball bouncing towards the sidelines, a sprinting
Joey Hughes scooped the ball up and ran it 11 yards for another Dragon score. Less than two minutes into the game, MSUM held a 14-0 lead. The two teams would trade punts on the ensuing drives before
Kennan Stowers picked off a pass to give MSUM its first takeaway of the game.
Jack Strand would then command a drive that spanned 70 yards on 12 plays and nearly five minutes of possession. Strand would eventually find
Gage Florence for a five-yard dart to bring the Dragons a 21-0 advantage in the first quarter. While Mary would put together a nice drive early in the second stanza, they would miss a 27-yard field goal attempt to keep the game at 21-0. The Dragons would respond with another 12-play drive that lasted just over five minutes. MSUM traveled 80 yards and would punch it in on senior
Tyson Powell's seventh rushing touchdown of the season. That score would hold true as halftime commenced.
While the Marauder defense would stifle MSUM a bit in the third quarter, the Dragon defense continued to make plays. Mary would begin to drive midway through the quarter before senior
Jake Bettcher nabbed his fifth interception of the season. MSUM would intercept Mary again later in the period as
Adam Kallenbach made an absolutely unreal play on a pass across the middle. Kallenbach, who has been wearing a club-like brace on his wrist all season, jumped up for the pass and hauled it in with one hand. The younger Kallenbach would then return the pick 27 yards to set the Dragons up in great field position. MSUM would be unable to put points on the board following their third takeaway, but the Dragons still led 28-0 through 45 minutes.
MSUM would continue to keep the Marauders scoreless after forcing a turnover on downs at their own 27-yard line. The Dragons would be unable to put anything together as they would punt again midway through the final frame. Mary would take over at their own 28-yard line and it took just one play to solidify the Dragon dominance. Quarterback Sofian Massoud would toss a ball into traffic with it being tipped up by
Adam Kallenbach.
With the ball floating in the air, elder brother
Jared Kallenbach would cap off his MSUM career in style. The senior would grab the ball and return it 36 yards for another Dragon touchdown. MSUM had asserted its dominance in all phases of the game, managing a touchdown on offense, defense and special teams.
Steve d'Eustachio's Stat of the Game
The only other Dragons team to score a perfect 6-0 mark at home was the 1981 outfit that finished 10-1-1.
Top Dragons
- Jack Strand: 29-45, 290 yards, two touchdowns
- Madden Thorson: 10 receptions, 146 yards, one touchdown
- Gage Florence: Six receptions, 43 yards, one touchdown
- Tyson Powell: Four rushes, 33 yards, one touchdown, four receptions, 21 yards
- Kennan Stowers: 11 tackles, one tackle for loss, one interceptions
- Jake Bettcher: Six tackles, one interception
- Hayden Carr: Two tackles, one sack
- Jared Kallenbach: Two tackles, one interceptions, one touchdown
- Adam Kallenbach: Five tackles, one interception, two pass break-ups
- Joey Hughes: One blocked punt touchdown