MOORHEAD, Minn. -- MSU Moorhead football has another tough road test on the docket this weekend as the Dragons will head to the state of Illinois to pay a visit to the McKendree Bearcats. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. on Saturday from Leemon Field in Lebanon, Ill.

Live video and stats will be available at msumdragons.com. Please note that GLVC football games are behind a paywall on the GLVC Sports Network. Fans can also listen live on AM 1100/FM 92.3 with Jace Denman and 'Big Game' James McCarty on the call. 

Don't Doubt the Dragons

The Dragons (1-1), picked up a huge road win against the 19^th-ranked Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs last weekend. The Dragons, who trailed by 15 points with less than five minutes left, stormed back to upset the Bulldogs in buzzer beater fashion. Quarterback Jack Strand hit wide receiver Brady Perryman for a score and the Dragons added a two-point conversion to bring the score to 22-29. After getting the ball back after a missed field goal by UMD, Strand got to work once again, driving the Dragons down the field. He hooked up with running back Luke Imdieke as time expired to put the Dragons down by one. MSUM's experienced 14th-year head coach Steve Laqua decided to go for the win; and Jack Strand proved him right, once again hitting Perryman in the endzone for the game winning score.

Big Game BP

Junior wide receiver Brady Perryman had one of, if not, the best game of his college career last week against UMD. He hauled in nine receptions and eclipsed the century mark totaling 101 yards, but most importantly, he snagged three touchdowns as well on the walk-off two-point conversion. This performance helped him earn NSIC Offensive Player of the Week honors. On the season, BP leads the Dragons with 210 yards receiving on 13 catches for a mighty 16.2 yards per catch.

Behm Brings the BOOM!

Senior middle linebacker Josiah Behm is the centerpiece in the middle of the Dragon defense. Through two games, he has a team leading 3.5 tackles for loss, and he is tied for the team lead in tackles with 15. He earned NSIC Defensive Player of the Week honors this week for his performance against UMD. In Duluth, he had some of the most impactful plays for the Dragons on defense, he collected 3.5 tackles for loss, including one half sack as well.

Putting on the Pressure

The Dragon defense got to UMD's quarterback quite often last week, recording three total sacks. Leading the charge was senior defensive end Denver Sheets, who got home for 1.5 quarterback takedowns last weekend. Senior defensive end Justice Noel made his presence felt as well, recording one sack.

Strand Throwing Strikes

Junior quarterback Jack Strand eclipsed the 400-yard mark last week, he spun the ball for 418 yards on 44 completions. He also tossed four touchdowns to help the Dragons in a comeback victory. Through two games, Strand is completing 56.5 percent of his passes, for just over 11 yards per completion.

Thor on the Scene

Sophomore wide receiver Madden Thorson was a major contributor last season as a freshman and he has picked up right where he left off this season. He was the Dragons leading receiver in yards (140) and receptions (12) last week. There was no bigger play than his catch in the fourth quarter with the time dwindling down and the Dragons facing a fourth and 10. Strand hit Thorson for a 16-yard gain to keep the eventual game-winning drive going. Through two games this season, Thorson has tallied 15 catches for 161 yards.

Statistical Spotlights

• The Dragon passing attack once again leads the NSIC in yards per game through the air with 360 per contest.
• Third down conversions have been one of MSUM's strengths so far this season. They rank fifth in the NSIC in third down conversion percentage at 40.6 percent.
• Fourth downs can make or break games, and in the last three minutes of last week's game the Dragons converted all three of their fourth down attempts. On the season, the Dragons are five of nine when going for it on fourth down.
• Even though Minnesota Duluth gained 7.3 yards per play against the Dragon defense, MSUM managed 4.7 yards per play on offense and they still found a way to cash in when they got the ball to off the upset.
• The Dragons have been the more disciplined team so far compared to their opponents. The Dragons have eight penalties while their opponents have more than double that with 18 penalties.

Scouting McKendree University

The Bearcats (1-1), lost their first game of the season to nationally-ranked West Florida, but then bounced back last week and got their first win of the season against Lincoln (Mo.) 34-19. The Bearcats have had a balanced attack over their first two games, passing for 237 yards per game and rushing for 121 yards per game. An offensive player to watch for McKendree is redshirt senior wide receiver Yogi Flager Jr. He has averaged 99 receiving yards per game, and also has a team-leading 12 receptions. Defensively for the Bearcats, sophomore linebacker Nick Bova leads the team in tackles with 18, and he has also tallied a sack and 2.5 tackles for loss. The Bearcats are led by interim head coach Jason Rejfek.

Last Time Around…

McKendree traveled to Moorhead last season to take on MSUM, and the Dragons put on a dominant 38-17 performance. The score was 38-3 before garbage time allowed the Bearcats to claw a little bit closer late in the fourth quarter. Jack Strand passed for 387 yards and four touchdowns in the contest. It was also one of MSUM's best performances of 2023 on the ground, rushing for 121 yards on 25 attempts. The Dragon defense was also suffocating in the performance, recording four sacks, two of which from Josiah Behm. Tate Gustafson led the Dragons, racking up 16 tackles. This 2023 bout has been the only matchup between MSUM and McKendree all-time.