Lights hold final scrimmage

After two weeks of suffering in the August heat, the Montana State University-Northern Lights officially broke fall camp Friday.

And in their final scrimmage for Saturday's season-opening game against Montana Tech, the team went through a two-hour scrimmage in soggy conditions in the final dress rehearsal for the much-anticipated start to the season in Butte this weekend.

For the most part, the scrimmage was very controlled. The No. 1 offense and the No. 1 defense did square off in multiple series that were both live and situational. Younger players also got a chance to shine and gain some valuable experience and third- and even fourth-string players were given repetitions.

The most impressive group of the day was the Lights' No. 1 offense, led by senior quarterback Travis Dean. He looked sharp and efficient, despite throwing a pair of interceptions, one of which came on a tipped ball.

While Dean was solid, the most impressive player on the field was Northern running back Zack McKinley, who rushed for over 1,000 yards last season and appears poised for a monster season in 2014.

McKinley made a number of splash plays throughout the scrimmage that included a 37-yard touchdown run and a 40-yard gain on a screen pass from Dean. The sophomore running back also notched another run of 21 and another reception of 21 yards.

"I thought we came out and played pretty well," Dean said. "We did have a couple of hiccups on offense but, overall, we were able to move the ball well. The defense played very well, and I think that we got better as a team today and in camp in general."

Yet, the most eye-catching play of the day came in the final moments of the scrimmage when freshmen running back Wyatt McKinlay hammered his way through a tackle attempt and rumbled 65 yards for a touchdown.

"Nothing is better than seeing a running back lower the boom, "Dean said. "Especially when it's a freshmen."

McKinlay was a standout running back last season for Class C state champion Geraldine-Highwood before committing to Northern.

Defensively, Tucker Dunn, a transfer from the University of Colorado-Mesa stood out, as did Alex Cox, who hauled in one of Dean's two interceptions.

"I thought the kids were flying around and playing at 110 percent," Northern interim head coach Jake Eldridge said. "I think from where we were at to where we are now, everyone has progressed."

The Lights will make their 2014 debut Saturday night when they travel to Butte to take on Frontier Conference rival Montana Tech.