Frontier Notebook: MSU-N defense becoming a force

A lot of positives came out of last Saturday’s historic Montana State University-Northern win over then No. 21 Carroll College at Blue Pony Stadium.

But one positive that certainly can’t be overlooked is that, after three games, the improvements in the Northern defense this season from the last are staggering. Northern ended a brutal 2015 campaign allowing over 50 points and 500 yards of total offense per outing.

Fast forward to now, and the Lights’ defense is shining like few others in the Frontier.

Heading into this Saturday’s road game at UM-Western, Northern’s stingy defense, which limited Carroll to under 300 yards of offense, and under 100 yards rushing, the Lights are third in the league in scoring (26 ppg), second in total defense (321 ypg) and are allowing just 244 passing yards per contest.

But, where Northern is really making hay is against the run. The Lights lead the league in run defense, allowing just 76 yards per contest. In three games this season, MSU-N has yet to surrender a 100-yard rushing performance, and that’s saying a lot, considering MSU-N has played Rocky mountain College’s fast-paced offense has faced All-American Nolan Saraceni of Montana Tech and has played Carroll, which has always made a living on running the football.

Of course, the Lights certainly have a senior-laden defensive front to thank for that, led by Tyler Craig, Jordan Brusio, Pat Barnett and Lane Urick. But the Lights are also growing by leaps and bounds on the rest of the defense as well. Junior linebacker Garet Fowler is having a monster season thus far, while Alec Wagner and David N’Guessa have combined for another 33 stops. Add in the play of senior safety Logan Sprouse, who has two interceptions, as well as a talented and speedy Northern secondary, which is showing good depth, and the Lights are all of a sudden an absolute force to be reckoned with on defense.

“They’re playing well,” longtime Northern defensive coordinator Jake Eldridge said after last Saturday’s huge win. “They’re playing fast and physical, and it’s really nice to see because they’ve worked really hard to get better. It’s a hard-working group, and it’s nice to see it paying off.”

Of course, the Lights’ run-defense will get another stern test this weekend when Northern goes to Dillon. UM-Western senior running back Sam Rutherford, when healthy, is one of the best in the league at power-running the football. And as a team, Western is averaging nearly 180 yards per game on the ground.

Cut in Half

Things can change just that quickly in the Frontier. Last week, there were six teams ranked in the NAIA Top 25. Seven days later, there’s three.

With three Top 25 matchups on the docket in the Frontier last Saturday and with Northern knocking off Carroll, the Frontier’s presence in the Coaches Poll shifted dramatically this week.

Montana Tech clobbered the No. 25 Rocky, so the Bears are now out, while then No. 24 Western lost a heartbreaker at Southern Oregon, so the Bulldogs are out now, too. Carroll’s loss to Northern, the Fighting Saints’ second straight loss, sent them spiraling out of the Top 25 as well.

That leaves SOU ranked at No. 9 this week, followed by Tech at No. 10 and Eastern Oregon at No. 15, despite a loss at the hands of College of Idaho.

Howling Again

Speaking of the Yotes, once again, they’re making noise. Still a new program, C of I’s win over previously unbeaten Eastern Oregon marked the fourth time in the program’s brief history that it has taken down a nationally ranked Frontier rival.

The Yotes came into the season a little overlooked, in large part because they lost their top four rushers from a year ago, and in an option offense, that’s tough to replace. They also lost the only starting quarterback they’ve ever had to graduation as well.

However, since a season-opening loss to Western, the Yotes have caught fire. They crushed NCAA Division III Willamette two weeks ago, then knocked off the streaking Mounties 20-7 last Saturday in LaGrande, Oregon.

C of I is getting the job done with defense, and running by committee. Four different ball carriers have combined for 134 carries so far this season, while defensively, the Yotes are tops in the Frontier in scoring, allowing just 15 points per game.

The Yotes have a good chance to get to 3-1 on the season, too, as this Saturday, they return to Simplot Stadium to host an RMC team coming off a brutal 48-12 beating at Montana Tech.

Frontier Honors

Southern Oregon backup quarterback Jack Singler was named this week’s Frontier Conference Offensive Player of the Week. In then No. 12 Southern Oregon’s 24-20 conference win over Montana-Western, Singler was 32-of-49 passing for 387 yards and two touchdowns. He threw the game-winning touchdown with 51 seconds left, capping an 89-yard drive. MSU-N senior Zach McKinley was also nominated.

C of I’s Nate Moore, a senior safety, was also named Defensive Player of the Week. In the Yotes’ 20-7 road conference win over No. 10 Eastern Oregon, Moore recorded seven solo tackles, nine assisted tackles and two pass breakups. His 16 tackles is a new school record. Moore was also named the NAIA Defensive Player of the Week. Northern’s Tyler Craig was also nominated.

For the second week in a row, RMC’s Griff Aimes was named Special Team’s Player of the Week. MSU-N punter Dillon Barnes was also nominated.