MSU Moorhead QB Jack Strand on award list, and four more things to know about Minnesota college football

Minnesota State Moorhead quarterback Jack Strand has been named one of 16 finalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy.

The trophy, sponsored by the National Football Foundation (NFF), is presented to college football’s premier scholar-athlete.

Strand, a senior from Bloomer, Wis., has a 3.87 grade-point average in engineering physics. The winner will be announced at the NFF’s awards dinner Dec. 9 in Las Vegas.

In his fourth season as a starter for the Dragons, Strand is second in Division II in passing yards and touchdown passes. Strand has thrown for 2,293 yards and 24 touchdowns while averaging 327.6 yards per game for the Dragons (5-2, 2-1 NSIC North).

Western New Mexico’s Connor Ackerley leads D-II with 2,377 passing yards and 26 TD passes.

Strand, who holds every major career and single-season passing record in school history, is on the verge of becoming the all-time passing leader in NSIC history. He’s 92 yards shy of becoming the second NSIC QB to throw for more than 12,000 yards.

Winona State’s Jack Nelson, who played from 2013 to ’16, threw for 12,007 yards in his career.

St. Benedict will become the eighth team in the Midwest College Women’s flag football league.

St. Benedict will begin play in the league, which is sponsored by the Minnesota Vikings, in 2026. The Bennies will join teams from Augsburg, Augustana, Bethel, Concordia (Moorhead), Gustavus Adolphus, Northwestern (St. Paul) and Wisconsin-Stout.

St. Benedict will introduce its first team captains at halftime of the Carleton-St. John’s game Saturday in Collegeville.

“We are thrilled to bring flag football to the College of Saint Benedict,” St. Benedict athletic director Kelly Anderson Diercks said in a news release. “It’s one of the fastest growing sports across the country and in Minnesota. With the support of the NFL, and flag’s inclusion in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, the future is very bright for the growth of the game.”

The league made its debut in April with jamborees at Northwestern (St. Paul) and Wisconsin-Stout and a championship game at TCO Stadium in Eagan. Wisconsin Stout defeated Augustana 46-31 on April 26 in the championship game of the double-elimination tournament.

It will be the 42nd meeting in series history. The Johnnies, who are unbeaten in the series, defeated the Knights 48-7 last year in Northfield.

The Knights have won five consecutive games since losing their season opener 45-14 at Wisconsin-Whitewater. Knights QB Jack Curtis is third in Division III in passing yards (2,253) and tied for third in TD passes (21). Curtis has thrown 258 passes with only five interceptions.

The Johnnies are No. 1 in Division III in scoring defense, allowing 3.83 points per game (23 points in six games). The Johnnies have allowed three TDs.

Johnnies QB Trey Feeney is fourth in Division III with a 191.42 passing efficiency rating. Feeney has completed 78.3% of his passes (108 of 138). Last week, in the Johnnies’ 41-6 victory at Concordia (Moorhead), he completed 34 of 45 passes for 374 yards and four TDs.

MIAC co-leader Bethel (6-0, 5-0, No. 5 in D-III) plays host to Macalester on Saturday. The Royals are No. 4 in D-III in scoring defense, having allowed 49 points in six games.

The Tommies (4-3, 2-2 Pioneer League) got a boost last week from senior quarterback Amari Powell. Making his first start of the season, Powell threw for a career-high 265 yards and three TDs and was named the Pioneer League Offensive Player of the Week. Powell started instead of Andy Peters, who was sidelined with an undisclosed injury.

The Tommies, 4-0 all-time against Stetson, defeated the Hatters 34-24 last year in St. Paul.

Stetson (3-5, 2-2), in its first season under coach Mike Jasper, is coming off a 42-7 loss at league-leading and unbeaten Presbyterian.

Jasper went 44-24 in six seasons at Bethel (Tenn.), his alma mater, before accepting the Stetson job. An offensive lineman, he spent three seasons in the NFL after being drafted by Buffalo in 2011. That was the most recent time a player from an NAIA school was drafted.

On Saturday at Northwestern, UMAC-leading Crown and Northwestern (St. Paul) will meet for the second time this month.

Crown sophomore QB Jamarrius Courtney is third in D-III with 990 yards; he is averaging 8.5 yards per carry and rushed for eight TDs. In the Polars’ 19-6 victory over Westminster last week — their fourth consecutive victory — he rushed for 142 yards and two TDs and passed for 77 yards and a TD.