Lights look for homecoming payback

For big chunks of the 2016 season, the Montana State University-Northern Lights have played very good football. The Lights have certainly played the part of a young team on the rise, and on the verge.

But for smaller, albeit critical chunks of the season, the Lights have played like a team struggling to find consistency. That was the case last Saturday when the Lights led Rocky Mountain College deep into the fourth quarter, only to see that lead disappear when the game was on the line.

In other words, complete games have been hard to come by for the Lights (1-5, 1-5), and now, more than ever, they need to put one together.

Northern is back in the friendly confines of Blue Pony Stadium Saturday, and the Lights will be excited for their homecoming game. However, their opponent is the biggest, baddest team on the Frontier Conference block right now in the form of the No. 8 Montana Tech Orediggers (5-1, 5-1). Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.

"Montana Tech is a very good football team," lamented Northern head coach Aaron Christensen. They are solid in all three phases, and they're playing better than anyone else in our conference right now."

Tech is playing well. The Orediggers have ripped off five straight wins, including a 35-10 win over the Lights back on Sept. 10 in Butte. Tech also appears to play the part of a very complete team.

Offensively, the 'Diggers lead the Frontier in scoring at just over 37 points per game, and, the balance they have with star rusher Nolan Saraceni (5-11, 210) averaging 111 yards per game on the ground, and star quarterback Quinn McQueary (6-3, 195)) throwing for 247 yards per game with 11 touchdowns and just five interceptions, makes it very challenging for opposing defenses. Tech also has a host of breakout wide receivers, led by Mitchell Keeton, Dion Williams and Shawn Sullivan, while all-purpose back Zach Bunney seems to always make big plays.

Then there's the Orediggers' stingy defense. Head coach Chuck Morrell has assembled a hard-hitting D that leads the Frontier, allowing just 18 ppg. Tech is also first in the Frontier in total defense, first against the run and third against the pass. And with stalwarts like DL Luke Benz (6-2, 240), linebackers Drew Scheelman (6-3, 230) and Nic Amestoy (5-10, 225) and fearsome secondary players in Gunnar Kayser (6-4, 215), Andre Brown (5-10, 180) and Anthony Nelson (5-9, 170) among others, the Orediggers make life on opposing offenses very difficult. Even on special teams, Tech is sound with a great kicker in Derrick Holt, and Bunney making great plays in the return game.

And that's what the Lights are up against Saturday.

"Offensively, they're very talented," Christensen said of the Orediggers. "Their running back is very good, their quarterback makes plays in a number of different ways and they have a lot of speed on the outside. Defensively, they have good size up front, they bring a lot of pressure and they're very good on the back end. They're a very solid football team."

And yet, the Lights gave the Orediggers all they could handle last month in Butte, for three quarters anyway. That game was much like Northern's trip to Billings last weekend, where things unraveled for the Lights in the final stanza. So, while the outcome wasn't what Northern was looking for, the Lights certainly showed, in both road games, that they're more than capable of playing with the Frontier's big boys.

"We did play well against Rocky, and the stats showed that," Christensen said. "But at the end of the day, we came up short on the scoreboard. So our focus continues to be, that we have to put a full four quarters together, in all three phases if we expect to win these games. We can't get off to slow starts or make those critical mistakes at the end. We have to be consistent for all four quarters."

And when the Lights are consistent, they've shown just how good they can be. Offensively, Northern will continue to feed the rock to senior Zach McKinley, who averages 98 yards per game, but will have his hands full with the Tech run defense, which is third in the NAIA in yards allowed. And while the Diggers will no doubt focus on McKinley, junior quarterback Caleb McLaren, making his third straight start, appears to be taking off. McLaren threw to nine different receivers, including big plays to Mike Cocke, emerging freshman Dylan Rychtarik, and the steady hands of Mario Gobbato and tight end Kagen Khameneh over the course of the last two games, and with his ability to extend plays with his feet, that should certainly aid in loosening things up for McKinley and the running game.

On the other side of the ball, Northern's defense will have its hands full with the Oredigger offense. However, the Lights put the clamps on Rocky's high-powered offense last week, and they'll look to do the same against Tech. Tyler Craig and Pat Barnett of course will lead the way for the Lights, while Northern will rely heavily on Garet Fowler, Logan Sprouse and Garrett Jericoff to make tackles. But more Lights are also emerging. Linebacker David N'Guessa has had sacks in consecutive games, while corner Dujuwan Jones picked off his first career pass last week, for an MSU-N defense that ranks third in the Frontier against the run, which they'll need to do well against Saraceni, and fourth in the league in total defense.

Yes, there's no question the Lights have already proven they can play good football. They just have to do it for a full 60 minutes, just like they did when they bumped off Carroll College last month. And there's no better time to prove it than against the best team in the Frontier Conference, on homecoming.

"We just have to eliminate those big mistakes," Christensen said. "We're playing better and better but, our expectation is to win our next game. And in order to do that, we have to play a complete game.

"Tech is a very good football team, and when you're playing a team for a second time, it's always interesting," he continued. "They know what we're going to do for the most part, and we know what they're going to do. That's the unique thing about this conference. But, at the end of the day, it's going to come down to execution and playing good football for a full four quarters. And our guys are excited about the opportunity they have to do that this week against a very good football team. Our guys will be ready to play this game, that's for sure."

Saturday's homecoming game between the Lights and Orediggers kicks off at 1 p.m. inside Blue Pony Stadium. The Lights will then head out on the road for back-to-back games at Carroll College next Saturday and Southern Oregon Nov. 5.