By: Madie Brink
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - Sioux Falls (1-1, 1-0 NSIC) returns to Bob Young Field for its NSIC home opener as the Cougars welcome MSU Moorhead (2-0, 1-0 NSIC) to Sioux Falls. USF enters the matchup at 1-1 overall and 1-0 in NSIC play following a dominant 31-0 road victory over Jamestown, while the Dragons arrive at 2-0 overall and 1-0 in the NSIC after wins over Northern Michigan and Concordia-St. Paul. The matchup features a USF defense coming off a shutout against an MSUM offense averaging 44.5 points and 458.5 yards per game through its first two contests.
Inside the Series
OVERALL: 7th Meeting - Sioux Falls leads 5-1
CURRENT STREAK: MSU Moorhead, Won 1
LAST MEETING: Oct. 14, 2023 - USF 40, MSUM 53 (Moorhead, Minn.)
Series History
Sioux Falls and MSU Moorhead will meet for the seventh time, with the Cougars holding a 5-1 advantage in a series that began when USF joined the NSIC in 2012. Sioux Falls won each of the first five meetings, beginning with a 45-10 victory at Bob Young Field in 2012. The Cougars followed with wins of 73-21 in 2014, 42-21 in 2016, 55-21 in 2018 and 27-14 in 2022. USF is a perfect 2-0 at home against the Dragons and has averaged 47.0 points across the six previous meetings.
MSU Moorhead snapped USF's five-game series winning streak when the programs last met in Moorhead on Oct. 14, 2023, taking a 53-40 victory. That contest marked the first time the Dragons defeated the Cougars and was also the second highest-scoring game in the series, with the two sides combining for 93 points. Saturday will mark MSUM's first trip to Bob Young Field since 2016 and the first meeting between the programs in three seasons.
The Cougar File
Sioux Falls enters Week Three with momentum after responding to its season-opening loss with a 31-0 shutout victory at Jamestown. The Cougars improved to 1-1 overall and 1-0 in NSIC play while recording their first shutout of the season. Through two games, USF is averaging 26.0 points per contest while holding opponents to just 12.0 points and 236.5 yards per game. The Cougars have outgained their opponents 617-473 overall and have been particularly strong against the pass, surrendering only 109.0 passing yards per game. USF has also been perfect on all six trips into the red zone, producing five touchdowns and a field goal.
The Cougar offense has shown increased balance through the opening two weeks, totaling 403 yards through the air and 214 yards on the ground. USF has produced 39 first downs while averaging 308.5 yards of total offense per game. The Cougars have also taken care of the football in the passing game, completing 40-of-69 attempts for four touchdowns without throwing an interception. After being limited to 27 rushing yards in the opener, USF found more success on the ground at Jamestown and enters Week Three averaging 3.6 yards per rushing attempt.
Bennett Brueck has provided a spark for the Cougar offense, completing 19-of-28 passes for 205 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. Brueck has also made an impact with his legs, leading USF with 74 rushing yards on just eight attempts for an average of 9.3 yards per carry.
Bubba Tann III has continued to find the end zone, leading the Cougars with three total touchdowns while recording 50 rushing yards and 54 receiving yards. Tann is one of three Cougars with more than 100 all-purpose yards through the opening two games.
The passing game has featured contributions from several different targets, led by
Adonis Hutchinson with 10 receptions for 138 yards and a touchdown. Hutchinson is averaging 13.8 yards per catch and 69.0 receiving yards per game.
Dahlton Wood follows with 68 receiving yards, while Tann has four catches for 54 yards and a touchdown.
Isaac Jarovski and
Daevion Simonsen have also hauled in touchdown receptions, giving USF four different players with a receiving score through the first two weeks.
Defensively, Sioux Falls enters the weekend following a dominant performance at Jamestown and has allowed just 473 total yards through two games. The Cougars have generated 13 tackles for loss of 57 yards while recording two sacks and three interceptions.
Garret Hoffman leads the defense with 10 tackles and an interception, while preseason NSIC Player to Watch
Andy Henson and
Cade Morse have each recorded nine tackles.
London Kolb has eight stops and a sack, while
Denim Blackstad has seven tackles and three tackles for loss.
The Cougar front has created pressure from several different spots, with
James Woodward joining Blackstad with a team-high three tackles for loss. Woodward has accounted for 24 yards on those negative plays and has recorded an 11-yard sack. USF has also generated five pass breakups and forced five fumbles, recovering two. Hoffman,
Isaac Rudningen and
Peyton Marceau have each intercepted a pass, with Rudningen returning his interception 23 yards and Hoffman adding an 18-yard return. Opposing quarterbacks have completed just 56.0 percent of their passes with one touchdown against those three interceptions.
Scouting the Opponent
MSU Moorhead has opened the season 2-0, defeating Northern Michigan 41-19 before opening NSIC play with a 48-30 victory over Concordia-St. Paul. The Dragons have scored 89 points through two games, averaging 44.5 points and 458.5 yards of total offense per contest. MSUM has shown balance offensively, averaging 206.0 rushing yards and 252.5 passing yards, while its 7.7 yards per offensive play has helped the Dragons score 13 touchdowns.
Quarterback Drew Huebner has been at the center of that production. Huebner has completed 38-of-59 passes for 505 yards and seven touchdowns against one interception while also leading the Dragons with 203 rushing yards and three scores. He is averaging 9.2 yards per carry and has already produced a 73-yard run. Tyson Brandt has added 107 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while Owen Wiersma has rushed for 90 yards as MSUM enters the matchup averaging 6.9 yards per rushing attempt.
The Dragons feature two primary threats in the passing game, with Kalen Lucas recording 14 receptions for 176 yards and two touchdowns and Kelly Johnson adding 15 catches for 166 yards and a team-high four receiving scores. Defensively, MSUM has generated 14 tackles for loss and seven sacks through two games while holding opponents to 3.5 yards per rushing attempt. Gannon Bolgrean and Jake Schaefer share the team lead with 13 tackles, while the Dragons have intercepted two passes and allowed opponents to convert just 39.4 percent of their third downs.
One number that stands out early for MSU Moorhead is its efficiency on third down. The Dragons have converted 15-of-20 third-down opportunities for a 75.0-percent success rate, helping an offense that has already accumulated 917 total yards. MSUM has scored on eight of nine trips to the red zone and has produced touchdowns on seven of those possessions, setting up a matchup between an efficient Dragon offense and a Sioux Falls defense that has surrendered just three touchdowns through its first two games.
MSU Moorhead Head Coach Steve Laqua
Steve Laqua enters his 16th season leading MSU Moorhead in 2026 and has compiled 73 career victories, ranking second in program history. Laqua guided the Dragons to an 8-3 record in 2025, the program's highest winning percentage of its NCAA Division II era, while producing nine All-NSIC selections and a pair of All-Americans. His tenure also includes an 8-4 campaign and the program's first Mineral Water Bowl appearance in 2018, when he was named both the NSIC Coach of the Year and Don Hansen Football Gazette Region 4 Coach of the Year. Since taking over in 2011, Laqua has helped transform the Dragons into one of the NSIC's most productive offensive programs.
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