MOORHEAD, Minn. -- The MSU Moorhead football team plays host to Minot State in their 2023 home opener this weekend. Kickoff time is set for Saturday at noon from SCHEELS Field at Nemzek Stadium.

Live stats and video are available at msumdragons.com
 
Head Coaches

In his 13th season, Dragon head coach Steve Laqua will be hoping to get his team fired up and ready to go for the home opener. On the opposite sideline will be Minot State's new head coach, Ian Shields. Shields has more than 20 years of experience coaching football, but he will be looking for his first win as a head coach of the Beavers on Saturday.
 
About the Dragons

The Dragons played a hard-fought game last week against the 2022 NSIC co-champions Wayne State, but they fell a little short in a 31-23 result. If a few different plays go the Dragon's way throughout the game, MSUM could have come out of Wayne with an upset win. A lot of different things went right for the Dragons despite the loss.

One of the biggest positives from last week was the play of sophomore quarterback Jack Strand. He started his sophomore campaign with a bang, completing 42-of-58 passes for 351 yards, the longest of which going for 41 yards. He also had three touchdown strikes, with one in in the first, third and fourth quarters. Strand looked very poised and surgical in the pocket, slinging the ball all over the yard against Wayne State, Dragons fans should be very excited to see what he can do in his second game of the season.

The receiving core showed out for the Dragons last week with sophomore Brady Perryman leading the way, hauling in eight receptions, two of which for touchdowns, and a team-leading 120 yards. NSIC preseason player to watch, Gage Florence, led the team in receptions with 15 snags for 90 yards, he also had a touchdown catch in the fourth quarter. Running back Luke Imdieke also made a big contribution in the passing game with 10 receptions for 81 yards.

Defensively for the Dragons, they allowed 5.6 yards per play to the Wildcats. They were especially good against the run, only allowing three yards per rush. Leading the Dragons in tackles in their first game was sophomore linebacker Mitchell Jezierski with 10 takedowns. Jezierski contributed for the Dragons last season as a freshman, but look for him to take a big step up this year and have a huge impact in upcoming games. Junior linebacker Josiah Behm, as well as junior defensive lineman Justice Noel, each racked up 10 tackles. Junior linebacker Jack Bungarden added a sack to the mix as well as nine tackles. In the secondary, senior defensive back Jared Kallenbach is someone that always looks to make his presence known and last week was no different. He flew around the field making nine tackles, and breaking up two passes.
 
About the Beavers

The Minot State Beavers jumped out to a quick 17-0 lead over SMSU in their season opener last week, but they were unable to hold on as SMSU scored 28 unanswered points and came back to win 28-23. They will come into Moorhead 0-1, but will be hungry looking for their first win of the season. 

Offensively for the Beavers the passing and rushing attacks were almost completely even against the Mustangs, passing for 185 yards and rushing for 184 yards. They averaged 4.7 yards per rush on the ground and 7.12 yards per attempt through the air. Junior running back Even Lovett is someone to watch out for running the ball for the Beavers, he rushed for 68 yards and a score against SMSU. While junior quarterback Dawson Macleary didn't have a big volume of passes last week, he still completed 12 passes for 146 yards, and was careful with the ball and didn't commit any turnovers. Macleary's top target was junior wide receiver Daniel Stokes, who hauled in five passes for 64 yards and a touchdown.

On defense, freshman linebacker Ike Mikaele made his presence felt right away in 2023 with four tackles and one interception. Senior defensive back Knylen Miller-Levi also snagged one pick in the loss to SMSU. The Beavers turned both of those interceptions into touchdowns, so the Dragons will need to be careful with the football on Saturday, otherwise Minot State will be quick to capitalize on any mistakes. 
 
Last Time Around…

The last time MSUM went up against Minot State was in week six last year, when the Dragons put on a show at home beating the Beavers 36-14. In that game, Jack Strand nearly eclipsed 400 yards passing, adding in two touchdowns. Ryan Bieberdorf had his best game of the year with 12 receptions for 198 yards with a score as well. 

The Dragons had one of their best performances on the ground last season against Minot State, rushing for 96 yards. Tyson Powell had 36 yards on the ground, Luke Imdieke added 31 yards on seven carries and Hayden Boll scored two touchdowns on the ground.

The Dragon defense was solid against the Beavers in 2022 as well, holding Minot State to 14 points and 4.6 yards per play. The Beavers were decent on the ground, rushing for 156 yards and two touchdowns, but MSUM owned the skies. Dawson Macleary threw for only 188 yards and he was intercepted by defensive back Jake Bettcher twice. The Dragon defensive line really buckled down as they sacked Macleary three times, twice by Denver Sheets, and once by Justice Noel.

More About the Dragons
 
Time is…Not of the Essence? 

In their contest last year, Minot State beat MSUM in the time of possession category, holding onto the ball 32 minutes to the Dragons 28 minutes. Usually this spells doom for the team who doesn't have the ball for a majority of the time, but thanks to the many explosive plays provided by Strand, Bieberdorf, Imdieke and company, the Dragons didn't need to control the ball for long. They would drive down the field in a flash and finish it off by scoring six.

Turnover Battle is the Key

Last year against the Beavers the MSUM defense forced three turnovers, two picks and one fumble recovery. On the other side of the ball, the Dragons were exceptional and didn't turn the ball over at all, meaning they were plus-three in the turnover battle. This was one of the big reasons the Dragons won by three possessions. The Dragons will look to win the turnover battle again, which will hopefully give them their first win of 2023. 

Series History

In the last five matchups:
2022 – 38-14 W (In Moorhead)
2021 – 29-17 W (At Minot)
2019 – 49-20 W (At Minot)
2018- 51-26 W (In Moorhead)
2017 – 22-16 W (At Minot)