The dog days of are here, and summer fun is winding down. But for the Montana State University-Northern football team, things are just heating up.
The Lights opened fall camp on Sunday evening and have conducted two-a-day practices the last four days. And after two more practices today, MSU-N will start to put it all together with its first scrimmage on Saturday morning.
The Lights have looked sharp thus far in practice, especially in the passing game. In several practices, both starting quarterback Derek Lear, as well as backup Travis Dean have been throwing the ball well, and receivers like junior college transfer Kyle Johnston and sophomore Mick Miller have really stood out. Veteran running back Stephen Silva has also looked good in practice, as has Northern’s large and experienced offensive line. In fact, week one of camp has shown that the Lights are even building solid depth on the line.
On defense, the Lights have gotten consistent work out of veteran linebackers Landry See and A.J. Pasalo, while safety Matt Reyant has also been making plays.
The Lights appear to be healthy through the first week of camp, although veterans Will Andrews, Brandon O'Brien and Orin Johnson have misses some practice time.
But many of the new Lights and the rest of the team for that matter, will really get to see where they are when they live scrimmage on Saturday.
Following Saturday’s scrum, MSU-N will practice once on Sunday, at 3 p.m., then go back to two-a-days from next Monday to next Wednesday. Next Thursday the Lights will conduct their second full scrimmage.
Northern’s first scrimmage is set for 9:45 a.m. on Saturday morning. The Lights are preparing for their season-opening game, which is Sept. 3 at home against the UM-Western Bulldogs.
