Lights try to collar hungry Dawgs

The Montana State University-Northern Lights are nearing the end of a long, difficult season. But even with the end in sight, there’s still time for the Lights to make a little noise.

And Saturday night in Dillon, the Lights can make plenty of noise because a win at nationally ranked UM-Western would spoil any chance the Bulldogs have of winning the Frontier Conference championship. Northern (0-8, 0-9) faces the No. 13 Bulldogs (6-2, 6-2) at 6 p.m. Saturday at Vigilante Field.

Of course, beating the Bulldogs, and spoiling what has been a tremendous season for Western, is easier said than done. The struggling Lights come into Dillon off a 62-7 Halloween loss at Carroll College, and just last month, the Bulldogs hammered the Lights 44-2 in Havre.

And in Saturday night’s rematch, defense will be the key on both sides.

Defense is always the key for Western, because the Bulldogs have one of the best defenses in all of NAIA football. Led by defensive end Reno Ward, linebackers A.J. Wilson, Joe Coker and Dakota Wainwright, as well as standout safety Ben Sulser, the Bulldogs have been a nightmare matchup for opposing offenses all season long. Western allows just 18 points per game, 355 yards of offense and just 108 yards on the ground.

Last time the Lights and Bulldogs hooked up, Western was even better. Northern had just five first downs all day, while the Lights tallied just over 100 yards of offense. Northern also turned it over three times against the Dawgs, who lead the Frontier in turnover margin with 13 interceptions and eight fumble recoveries.

And those numbers, plus the fact that the Bulldogs are fighting to stay in the Frontier Conference title chase, spell trouble for an MSU-N offense that looked like it had found its stride two weeks ago against Eastern Oregon, but slammed into a brick wall last Saturday at Carroll.

Northern comes into Saturday night’s battle averaging just nine points and 261 yards of offense per outing. The Lights have struggled mainly in the passing game as first-year starter Jess Krahn has had trouble finding his rhythm in the Frontier. Still, MSU-N has shown flashes of being a dangerous offense, especially with junior standout Zach McKinley heating up in the running game, and junior Jake Messerly emerging as the deep passing threat that he’s known to be. McKinley comes into the Western game with 919 yards on the season, and he’s second in the league, averaging 103 yards per outing. Messerly has caught fire in recent weeks, and now has 386 yards on 28 catches, while averaging 14 yards per outing.

“The first thing you look at when you look at them (Bulldogs) is their defense,” Northern head coach Aaron Christensen said. “They have an excellent defense. Their front seven is really good, and that gives their safeties the ability to stay back and take away the deep passing game because their front seven can stop the run. They have a good, really big, defensive line.

“So for us, offensively,” he continued. “We have to find some consistency. We have to take care of the football and make plays when the opportunities are there.”

But, while the Lights have proven to be an offense ready to bust loose, they’ll have to do it against a Western defense that has been stout all season long. And, Northern must find ways to limit a balanced Western offense on the other side of the ball.

There’s no doubt, the Lights have talent on defense, led by the front three of Tyler Craig, Pat Barnett and Jordan Brusio, as well as a steadily improving linebacker group and veteran corner Malcolm Manuel holding down the secondary. But, the long season has also taken its toll on the Lights’ defense, and now Western will look to exploit that Saturday night.

The Bulldogs aren’t a flashy offense, as they’re just fourth in the league in scoring and sixth in passing. But, led by running back Sam Rutherford, the Bulldogs find ways to be efficient and balanced. A huge offensive line not only blocks well for Rutherford and backup Dylan Kramer, but they also protect true freshman quarterback J.D. Ferris, who has thrown for 1,039 yards and six scores, while also rushing for another 298 yards and one touchdown. Ferris and the Bulldogs also protect the football, as they’ve turned it over just 12 times all season, which is tops in the Frontier. On the contrary, Northern has turned it over 20 times this season, and is seventh in the league in turnover margin.

“We have to stop the run,” Christensen said. “We have to do a much better job of that than we did last week. Western has the ability to throw the football, but they are a team that wants to pound it at you on the ground first. They want to control the game by chewing up the clock. So we’ve got to stand up to that. We’ve got to try and take that away from them.”

And if it isn’t enough for the Lights to be going up against one of the most complete teams in the league, on the road this Saturday, Northern must also solve another problem if it’s going to have any chance against the hungry Bulldogs. The Lights have given up five special teams touchdowns over their last three games, including three kickoff returns for scores in the last two weeks.

That goes into what Christensen says about his young team needing to put together a consistent game for four quarters, something the Lights haven’t done yet, but will try to do Saturday night.

“Our guys want to get a win,” Christensen said. “They want to find a way to come out of there with a victory. Western is a very good football team, and they have a lot to play for right now. I think it will be their senior day, too. So we have to match that intensity, and I think we will. Our guys will be fired up and ready to play Saturday night.”

Saturday night’s game between the Bulldogs and Lights will kick off at 6 p.m. in Dillon. Northern returns home Nov. 14 to close out the season with a senior day game against Rocky Mountain College at Blue Pony Stadium.

Night Trip

MSU-Northern Lights (0-8, 0-9) at No. 13 Western Bulldogs (6-2, 6-2)

Saturday 6 p.m.

in Dillon

Streaming: http://www.msun.edu/athletics

Radio: 92.5 KPQX FM

Twitter: Twitter/Havredaily