Pomerenke: Four takeaways from Bemidji State's spring game against MSU Moorhead
· Yahoo Sports
Apr. 18—BEMIDJI — For the first time in this century, the Bemidji State football team and MSU Moorhead met without the Battle Axe on the line.
Visit extract-html.com for more information.
That's because Saturday's spring game at Chet Anderson Stadium was an exhibition, giving both teams six eight-play possessions instead of a traditional Green and White Game.
Conditions weren't ideal — 35 degrees and 20-plus mile-per-hour winds. However, many players were happy to get back on the field and get a few hits under their belt.
"It felt good just to get them pads cracking," junior Michael Watkins said. "(Just) get out there, get my feet wet and just be out there with the guys. We've been working day in, day out, and now that we get to come out here together, just put it together — it's crazy. I'm glad where we're at."
MSU Moorhead started a pair of redshirt freshmen quarterbacks, while BSU let Bart McAninch, Connor Carver and Augustana transfer Mack Molander take the majority of the possessions.
Here are four takeaways from Saturday's spring game.
After being a strength for the first half of the decade, the Beavers' defensive line took a dip in performance last season, partly due to youth and inexperience.
Now with a year under their belts, linemen like Joey Funderburk, Tay Rice and Dom Frost — all of whom are sophomores — made an impact Saturday afternoon. They stifled the MSU Moorhead running game and got to the Dragons' QBs for phantom sacks (QBs wore red non-contact jerseys).
However, the player head coach Brent Bolte was most impressed with was linebacker Eli Klimek, a freshman who redshirted last season.
"It starts with Eli. That was probably the piece that we were missing last year," Bolte said. "(We) also had good corner play. So I think you saw the two things that were maybe weaknesses last year, I think that could be strengths for us this year. That was really encouraging."
BSU had four QBs in action for Saturday's spring game: freshman Louis Bucksa, McAninch, Carver and Molander.
Outside of Bucksa, each QB has collegiate-level experience, a luxury offensive coordinator Jordan Heim didn't have last season.
"Throughout the whole spring, I thought we've had a lot of positives from the quarterback room," Heim detailed. "The nice part about this spring compared to last year is three of our four guys have in-game experience, which is so valuable getting those live bullets. ... Now we've got to keep pushing each other and getting better this summer."
McAninch, a sophomore who took over as the starter in the latter half of 2025, led two drives for BSU. His first drive happened to be the Beavers' best, reaching the red zone before hitting their eight-play limit.
While he threw an interception in his second drive, McAninch's experience in the pocket was apparent in the scrimmage. He threw completions into tight windows and made sure everyone was on the same page pre-snap.
Carver spent time at wide receiver and was at quarterback for one drive. While he didn't scramble or take as many wildcat plays, he focused on his skills in the pocket, which showed in his lone drive.
"The operations between getting back to Carver and (McAninch) — it was fluid, it was smooth," Bolte said. "They made some really good plays. The receivers made some good catches."
Bucksa received one drive, while newcomer Molander was under center for two. The junior had trouble getting into a rhythm with his new teammates, throwing an interception on his last drive.
It will take some time for Molander to adjust to the new system and teammates, but he's been impressing Hein this spring so far.
"He's a guy that fits in personality in our quarterback room with all the guys, and fits in as a player as well," Hein said. "So it was good to get a lot of reps with him this spring."
On MSU Moorhead's six drives, BSU collected three turnovers. Junior Reese Sheldon and sophomore Cameron Steele each recorded an interception, while junior Kaden Cook collected a fumble.
Even though sacks weren't allowed, Watkins would've had a career day. He collected at least four phantom sacks, three of which were in one possession.
"It was just fun out there," he said. "That's my favorite thing, just getting out there and getting to the quarterback. That's what I like, I feel like I do (that the) best."
Of course, all of this has to be taken with a grain of salt. MSU Moorhead only started two QBs, both redshirt freshmen: Joey Kallay and Drew Huebner. They look to fill the massive shoes of Jack Strand, who had been the Dragons' starter for four years and is a 2026 NFL Draft prospect.
One reason why Molander couldn't get into a rhythm in his possessions was because of wild snaps.
High snaps, including a few over his head, killed any momentum Molander could find in his two drives.
The Beavers will have a young offensive line consisting of two upperclassmen and six underclassmen. Considering the man-games the Beavers lost in the trenches last season, it will be something to keep an eye on come this fall.
"Today we were missing a handful of guys up front, but the next man up mentality is kind of what we're about," Hein said. "So we were cycling through two, three guys in the center spot today. And when you get guys back and healthy and fall camp, we'll see what the five are."