MOORHEAD, Minn. -- Minnesota State Moorhead football is set for a rivalry matchup with the University of Mary on Saturday beginning at noon. For the first time ever, the annual Homecoming contest and The Battle For The Paddle rivalry fall on the same day.
Live video and stats will be available at msumdragons.com. Midco Sports Plus will be the official streaming home of MSUM athletics with Steve d'Eustachio doing play-by-play and Chase Montplaisir on color commentary. Fans can also listen to the game live on AM 1100/FM 92.3 with 'Big Game' James McCarty and Jace Denman on the call. Moorhead is fresh off a 31-24 road win over Minot State last Saturday.
Matchup History...The Dragons hold a 10-game win streak over the Marauders in this rivalry series. In total, Moorhead has claimed 11 of the last 12 meetings with UMary. This includes back-to-back wins in Bismarck in 2024 and 2025. A season ago, MSUM fended off a late Marauders comeback to win 38-35. UMary claimed the first-ever meeting between the two schools on October 21, 2006 in a 21-20 victory. All-time Moorhead leads the series 11-8.
The River Rivalry...This season marks the 20th anniversary of The Battle For The Paddle game and the River Rivalry Series between MSUM and UMary. The trophy game was developed by each school's respective student governments upon Mary joining NCAA Division II and the NSIC in 2006. The 'River Rivalry' moniker stems from the two major rivers running through each respective city, the Red River of the North in Moorhead and the Missouri River in Bismarck. In MSUM's 10-game win streak in the series, the Dragons have outscored the Marauders 430-201.
Dragons On Homecoming...Saturday marks the first time ever that Homecoming and The Battle For The Paddle land on the same day. In
Steve Laqua's tenure as head coach, the Dragons hold a 5-9 overall record in Homecoming games, including winning three of the last four seasons. This included a thrilling overtime victory over Minot State a season ago.
Huebner's On A Heater...Sophomore quarterback
Drew Huebner collected NSIC weekly honors following a standout showing against Minot State. Huebner was named the NSIC Offensive Player of the Week after completing 14 passes for 233 yards and a touchdown. The Morris, Minn., native was also dangerous with his legs against the Beavers, rushing for 103 yards and three touchdowns. This included the eventual game-winning score with 1:18 remaining in the game. Huebner led the Northern Sun in both total offense (336) and points scored (18) for the week
Schaefer Comes Home...Sophomore linebacker
Jake Schaefer had a tremendous showing in his return to Minot last weekend. Schaefer, a Magic City native, led the Dragons with nine total tackles, including three solo stops. The sophomore currently leads the Dragon roster with 35 total tackles in 2026. Of those 35 tackles, Schaefer has 2.5 tackles for loss as well as two sacks.
Choice Ground Beef...MSUM has adopted a ground-heavy attack in recent weeks, led by the quarterback Huebner. Additionally against Minot State last Saturday,
Owen Wiersma turned in 65 rush yards on 15 totes. As a team, Moorhead has rushed for 1,059 yards, a mark that is already 218 ticks short of last year's final rush total (1,277). The Dragons are averaging 176.5 rush yards per game this season, including a combined 515 yards over the last three games. If this season were to end today, MSUM's rush average would be the highest by a Dragon team since 2015.
Just A Pair Of Dogs...Sophomore linebacker
Reign Battle and fifth-year safey
Adam Kallenbach sparked the Dragon defense against Minot State. Collectively, the duo had 14 total tackles and a pair of interceptions. Battle's pick sparked the Dragons in the fourth quarter while Kallenbach's sealed the MSUM victory.
Quick Scout...Disruptive defense has guided Mary so far this season, led by veteran Chris Federico with 53 total tackles. Quarterback Ryan Blair has passed for 1,470 yards and nine scores so far in 2026.
Steve Laqua is in his 16th season as MSUM's head football coach.
