MOORHEAD, Minn. -- The MSU Moorhead Dragons football team will meet the Marauders of the University of Mary on the turf for their last challenge of the 2023 football season. The game will kick off from SCHEELS Field at Nemzek Stadium at 12 p.m. on Saturday.

Live stats and video are available at msumdragons.com
 
The Rundown

The Dragons (6-4, 5-4 NSIC), are coming into the last game of the season on a mission to end this year's campaign on a high note. A win on Saturday would secure the Dragons their best record since 2018 when they went 8-4 and reached the Mineral Water Bowl.

Tough Test in Bemidji

Last weekend the Dragons fell to the 13th-ranked Bemidji State Beavers with a score of 27-14. The Dragons battled and hung around, managing to take an early 7-0 lead and eventually going into halftime in a tie game. The Beavers would come out of the locker room and put up 20 points which proved to be enough to take the game. The Beavers were also able to slow down the Dragons' standout quarterback Jack Strand as they forced two interceptions from him in the game.

There were some notable offensive performances for the Dragons in the game that are worth mentioning. Redshirt freshman receiver Madden Thorson led the team in receiving yards with 93 yards on six receptions in the contest, including a 50-yard strike in the 3^rd quarter that set up a Dragon touchdown. That touchdown would go to sophomore receiver Gage Florence, and he would haul in 11 receptions for 67 yards in the game. Senior running back Tyson Powell had a nice game, rushing for 34 yards on five carries and snagging 13 catches out of the backfield for 65 yards. Senior wide receiver Ryan Bieberdorf hauled in a touchdown as well.

Defensively, redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Abe Hestdalen turned in one of, if not, his best game as a Dragon. He came crashing through the line multiple times, bringing the quarterback down twice for sacks, recording one quarterback hit and he also made eight tackles. Junior linebacker and MSUM's fearless leader on defense, Josiah Behm, led the team in tackles once again with 12. He also added a sack to go along with the dozen tackles. Redshirt freshman defensive back Kennan Stowers had a solid day, recording nine tackles, eight of which were solo tackles. Senior defensive back Jake Bettcher made a splash play for the Dragons, snagging his fourth interception of the season. 

Dragon Offensive Team Stats and Team Leaders

The Dragons come into their last game of the season with the fourth ranked scoring offense in the NSIC, scoring 33.1 points per game. It comes as a surprise to no one, but the Dragons have the best passing offense in the conference, passing for 367.5 yards per game. The Dragons have run the second most plays on offense in the conference this season, with 707 plays run. The only team better is Sioux Falls who has 716 offensive plays. The Dragons' offense averages 5.9 yards per play, and 413.6 yards per game.

Dragon offensive team leaders in statistical categories are:
Passing: Jack Strand – 3624 yards, 34 touchdowns, 67.5% completion percentage
Receiving Touchdowns: Gage Florence, Brady Perryman, Ryan Bieberdorf – 8
Receiving Yards: Gage Florence – 953
Receptions: Gage Florence – 102
Rushing Touchdowns: Tyson Powell – 6
Rushing Yards: Tyson Powell – 210
 
Dragon Defensive Team Stats and Team Leaders

The Dragons have a solid defense that ranks sixth in the NSIC in points allowed, holding their opponents to 24.4 points per game. They also rank second in the NSIC in average yards per play, keeping their opponents to only 4.9 yards per play. They are seventh in the conference in sacks, getting to the quarterback 18 times. They have made a total of 13 interceptions to only 17 passing touchdowns allowed. In the rushing game, the defense allows 3.2 yards per rush.

Tackles: Josiah Behm – 88
Tackles for Loss: Jack Bungarden – 9
Sacks: Josiah Behm – 3.5
Interceptions: Jake Bettcher – 4
Pass Breakups: Jake Bettcher – 9
Quarterback Hits: Abe Hestdalen – 4
 
Coaching Battle

Steve Laqua will be patrolling the sideline for the Dragons in the final game of his 13^th season as the Dragons' head coach. Meanwhile, on the opposite sidelin,  will be Marauders head coach Shann Schillinger who is in his first year at the University of Mary.
 
Scouting the Marauders

The Marauders (2-8, 2-7 NSIC), are currently on a roll as they have won their last two games against Minot State and Southwest Minnesota State University. Before that they had lost their previous eight games, but they may be rounding into form at the end of the season. In their most recent game against the Mustangs, the Marauders were down 28-17 going into the fourth quarter, and they scored two touchdowns in the last quarter to give them a 32-28 comeback victory. Junior quarterback Jesse Forknell engineered the comeback, throwing both touchdowns in the last quarter of action, including the game winner with 37 seconds left in the game. Sophomore wide receiver Traivon Dyson caught two touchdowns in the game, and in total he had 150 yards receiving on the day. Junior defensive back Reginald Morrow led the defense with 11 tackles, one tackle for loss and one forced fumble. Sophomore linebacker Mason Phillips recorded two sacks and a fumble recovery.
 
Marauder Offensive Team Stats and Team Leaders

University of Mary's offense is 11^th in the NSIC in points per game, scoring 17.8 points per game. They are last in the NSIC in yards per game, only gaining 245.4 yards per game. They are 12^th in the NSIC in rushing yards with 556, and 10^th in passing yards, throwing for 1898 yards through the air. They also have an efficient passing game as they have only thrown six interceptions on the season, this ranks fifth in the NSIC.

Passing: Sofian Massoud - 1153 yards, 9 touchdowns, 125 completions
Receiving Touchdowns: Traivon Dyson – 8
Receiving Yards: Mujeeb Rufai – 546
Receptions: Mujeeb Rufai – 58
Rushing Touchdowns: Jeremiah Moore, Amir Bankhead - 2
Rushing Yards: Jeremiah Moore – 275
 
Marauder Defensive Team Stats and Team Leaders

The Marauders will come into Moorhead with the 11^th ranked scoring defense in the league, allowing 35.1 points per game. They are last in the league in rushing defense, as their opponents rush for an average of 221.2 yards per game against them. Their pass defense is their strength, it ranks sixth in the NSIC with 202.4 yards allowed through the air per game. In total, the Marauders defense allows 423.6 yards per game, a mark that sits them in the basement of the NSIC.

Tackles: Reginald Morrow - 57
Tackles for Loss: Mason Phillips – 8.5
Sacks: Mason Phillips - 6
Interceptions: Seth Jarrett, Jakob Petry, Abram Jopp - 1
Pass Breakups: Bryce Tate - 5
Quarterback Hits: Mason Phillips – 2
 
Fun Facts

Sophomore wide receiver Gage Florence has 953 receiving yards this season, only 47 away from eclipsing the 1000 yards mark. He finished last season just a tad short of that mark with 996 yards. He went off last season against the Marauders, setting all sorts of school records with his out-of-this-world performance. He snagged 21 catches for 215 yards and three touchdowns last season, so the Dragons will certainly be hoping for some déjà vu this Saturday.
 
Most football games are decided on third down, and this has been something that has been one of the Dragon strengths this season. The Dragons currently have the third best third down conversion rate in the conference at 44.7 percent. Meanwhile, on the defensive side of the ball, the Dragon defense has been solid, getting off the field 58.9 percent of the time on third downs. If the Dragons want to impose their will on Saturday, they will need to be locked in on third downs, on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.
 
Series History

The Dragons currently have a seven-game winning streak in the battle for the paddle against the Marauders, and they will look to extend this to eight on Saturday at SCHEELS Field at Nemzek Stadium.

Last five matchups:
2022 – 40-38 W (In Bismarck)
2021 – 35-31 W (In Moorhead)
2019 – 47-32 W (In Moorhead)
2018 – 48-20 W (In Bismarck)
2017 – 51-19 W (In Moorhead)