Photo by Samantha Davis: Southwest Minnesota State University defensive back Parker Knutson (24) returns an interception during a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference football game against Concordia-St. Paul on Sept. 21, 2024 at Mattke Field in Marshall. The Mustangs open their season at home on Saturday, hosting Minnesota State University–Moorhead for the Ag Bowl.

MARSHALL — Coming off a winless season, the Southwest Minnesota State University football team will look to turn over a new leaf when it kicks off its 2025 campaign by hosting Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference foe Minnesota State University-Moorhead on Saturday for the Ag Bowl at 5 p.m. at Mattke Field.

The Mustangs dropped their home opener each of the last two seasons, but will look to start this year on a high note.

High-flying Dragons

Moorhead defeated SMSU 38-6 last season behind Jack Strand’s 207 passing yards and three touchdowns and Brady Perryman’s 74 receiving yards and two touchdowns. The Mustangs’ defense limited Moorhead to 2.3 yards per attempt on the ground, but the Dragons’ ability to air the ball out and a 92-yard pick-6 from Cody Sorenson allowed Moorhead to build a 38-0 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Strand was named the NSIC North Division’s Preseason Offensive Player of the Year after being an All-NSIC first team selection each of the last two seasons. He was also the NSIC Offensive Player of the Year in 2023 after racking up 3,914 passing yards with 40 total touchdowns on 10 interceptions. Perryman also returns after an All-NSIC first-team selection last year, with 792 yards on 56 receptions for 14 touchdowns, while wide receiver Gage Florence was a second-team selection as a junior.

The Dragons’ dangerous weapons in the skill positions gave them the NSIC’s top passing offense last year and fourth-ranked scoring defense with 38.9 points per game. Yet, defensive struggles left them 10th in the NSIC with 26.9 points allowed per game. As such, the Dragons entered this year ranked seventh in the NSIC preseason poll.

Saturday’s matchup will be Moorhead’s second game of the season. The Dragons went on the road for a non-conference game against Northern Michigan last week, picking up a 44-37 win behind Strand’s 336 passing yards with six touchdowns and an interception. Florence caught three of those touchdowns while taking 17 catches for 147 yards.

Circling the QB carousel

While the fixtures of the Moorhead offense remain the same, SMSU will have some turnover this year. The Mustangs had four different quarterbacks attempt 25 or more passes last season, combining for 1,305 yards, six touchdowns and 13 interceptions on 281 attempts. The team’s leading passer, Kendon Krogman, transferred to Wisconsin-Eau Claire, but Drew Kluender and Wyatt Oak both return.

Heading into the Mustangs’ season opener, Kluender heads into his sophomore season as No. 2 on the team’s two-deep depth chart. Senior transfer Macloud Crowton enters his first season with the Mustangs as QB1 on opening day.

It was a roundabout road for Crowton to get to SMSU. He began his college career at the University of Idaho, competing at the Division I FCS level. After not attempting a pass for the Vandals, Crowton spent two seasons at Moorpark College of the California Community College Athletic Association, passing for 3,008 yards and 21 touchdowns in 2023.

Crowton then spent 2024 at the Division I FBS level with Utah in the spring and San Jose State in the fall. Crowton did not get the opportunity to play regulation game snaps for either school, making this Crowton’s first opportunity to prove himself at the NCAA level.​

Defensive building blocks

While it didn’t always show in the final scores, the Mustangs’ defense generally performed well last season. SMSU struggled at times to keep it off the field due to an inability to move the ball offensively, but strides forward on the offensive end could give the defense the rest it needs to be competitive and improve upon its 37.5 points per game allowed last season.

Parker Knutson gives the Mustangs a top-level safety to make game-changing plays in the secondary. As a redshirt freshman last season, Knutson accounted for five of SMSU’s seven interceptions and 13 of the team’s 33 passes broken up. He also blocked a kick and came up with 2.5 tackles for loss on the season, and was the lone Mustang selected to the All-NSIC first team last year.

Amarion Meshak and Maliek Igiehon will join Knutson in the secondary as cornerbacks at the top of the depth chart, while Diego Maldonado will be the team’s other starting safety.

Up front, Avery Johnson and Josiah Hedensten return as the team’s leading pass rushers. Johnson, a defensive end, tallied 5.5 sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss as a junior, while Hedensten’s 83 total tackles and 10 tackles for loss were both team-highs. Hedensten also had three sacks on the season and was named to the All-NSIC second team, joining Knutson as the Mustangs’ only honorees.

Gideon Ervasti was also the team’s second-leading tackler last season with 68 tackles, while Logan Booth and Aiden Planer also return in the linebacker room.

Fortifying the trenches

Improvements on the offensive line will be key to SMSU improving its rushing efficiency. Jacob Honstetter returns after being the team’s leading rusher last season with 315 yards on 2.8 yards per attempt.

SMSU was also the most-sacked team in the NSIC. Their 50 sacks allowed ranked last in the conference, with no other team allowing more than 38. That averages out to 4.5 sacks allowed per game, well ahead of the rest of the conference’s average of 1.7.

Tyler Nebelung returns at right tackle as one of the line’s vocal leaders, while Roman Ordonez returns on the left. In between, the Mustangs will be starting a pair of redshirt freshmen at guard with Dreu Kolbeck and Steven Henry, while junior Isaiah Rheaume will get his first start in the brown and gold after missing SMSU’s final 10 games last season due to injury after transferring in from American River College in Sacramento, Calif.

Where to watch

A radio broadcast of Saturday’s game can be found on 105.1 KARL, while live stats and video can be found online at SMSUmustangs.com.

Tickets can also be found online at SMSU’s website, with general admission tickets being sold for $15 and student tickets (K-12) available for $5.