2017 MSU-N Football Preview: Talented but inexperienced Northern defense aiming to do its part

College graduation is a special time in many young people's lives. But for football teams like the Montana State University-Northern Lights, it can also serve as a stark reminder of what's ahead.

For the MSU-Northern defense, Northern's 2016 graduating class included a who's who of top Northern defenders, including all-time sack leader Tyler Craig, almost all of the Lights' starting defensive line, and top defensive backs Logan Sprouse and Garrett Jerricoff.

So it goes without saying, the Lights are going to look a lot different on defense come this fall.

Different, though, doesn't mean Northern won't be good, and possibly even better than last season. It's just that, the talented Lights are young, and in many spots, inexperienced.

"We have a lot of young guys out here working really hard," longtime Northern defensive coordinator Jake Eldridge said. "And it's going really well. We're throwing a lot at them, we're going to throw a lot of new guys into the fire so to speak. But the effort they bring every day has been great, and they're picking it up really fast."

And while replacing a player of Craig's stature, or veterans like Pat Barnett and Jordan Brusio, is next to impossible, the Lights know they have to march on without them. And, they also know, they need to be better defensively, even without those great players.

Last fall, Northern's defense started strong, and was among the top teams in the league against the run. However, scoring defense slumped late in the year, and the Lights struggled to hold the top teams down. So for the Lights to have success this season, those things must improve.

"It's kind of the same as the offense," MSU-N head coach Aaron Christensen said. "We've improved from our first year, but we still have to be better. I thought our defense played really well at times last season, like against Carroll. But, the consistency wasn't there every week. That's what we're looking for is just to be more consistent."

Fortunately, the Lights have some veteran leadership on the defense to help drive that consistency, starting with senior linebacker Garet Fowler (5-10, 205). An All-Conference candidate and team captain, Fowler tallied more than 90 tackles a season ago, and he will lead the Northern defense this fall.

The linebacker group also returns starter Alec Wagner (5-11, 225), who had 49 stops a year ago. Together, he and Fowler give the Lights a strong presence in the middle of the defense. Northern will also look to seniors Dakota Schelling (6-0, 185) and Brooks Dunn (5-10, 200), as well as red-shirt freshman Jake Norby (6-0, 200) as impact players on the defense. Norby, a former Chinook standout, has been extremely impressive since last spring.

"We've got some really good football players at linebacker," Christensen said. "Obviously, Garet Fowler is going to have a big year for us. That group is going to be the glue defensively for us. And we've got some young guys who will have roles there, too."

Up front, only senior Elijah Dennison (6-2, 255) returns with any experience in MSU-N's base 4-3 defense. Dennison got multiple starts a year ago, and had a pair of sacks. Fellow senior Mitch Harmon (6-1, 245) will also step into a starting role this season, while sophomore Josh Wright (6-2, 240) and talented freshman Ian Sparrow (6-0, 235) will also be counted upon to play a significant role on an inexperienced Northern defensive line.

In the secondary, the Lights will also be somewhat inexperienced though they do return starting cornerback Cory Lee (5-10, 190). A senior, Lee was highly consistent a year ago, with 22 tackles and three pass breakups. Sophomore safety DeQuincy Bergen (5-11, 200) is also back. Bergen stepped into a starting role midway through last season, and though he's still young, he adds experience to the back end of MSU-N's defense. Others who will play big roles in the secondary include CBs Morgan McCrary (5-10, 190) and Devariej Criss (5-7, 165). Criss is a red-shirt freshman that Eldridge says has been impressive in fall camp. Wylie Novak (6-0, 175) is another young safety making strides, as has Malta's Ostin Welch (6-2, 175) and Arizona freshman Dylan Kelley (5-10, 175).

And while there's young faces all over the Northern defense, the Lights aren't looking at that as an excuse. Instead, they're looking at their youth as an opportunity, an opportunity to come out and be the kind of defense they aspire to be now, rather than later.

"The big thing is, just limiting giving up the big plays," Christensen said. "That's an area that hurt us last year. We are young in spots, or at least, some of those guys just don't have game experience yet. But we know they can play. We see it out there every day in practice. There's a lot of really good football players on our defense. So we just have to get them to be consistent in everything they do. If we can be consistent every week, I think our defense can be really good this year."

It's also good to have leaders like Fowler to set an example of what it takes to play defense in the Frontier Conference.

"We have such great senior leadership," Eldridge added. "Garet Fowler is doing a great job of working with the young guys, and guys like Elijah Dennison and Mitch Harmon, they've done a great job of taking on that leadership role as well. So when some of your veteran players can step up and help a coach coach, like those guys are doing, that's huge.

"I feel really good about where we're at defensively," Christensen added. "We're improving. We've got good depth and we know we have the guys who can play. Now, we have to go out and execute on Saturday's. But you can see it's heading in the right direction."

Special Teams

A huge, but often overlooked part of any college football team is special team's play. And when it comes to kicking, the Lights have a pair of players who can get the job done.

It starts with senior kicker Tommy Langley (5-11, 190). As a junior, Langley was among the Frontier Conference leaders in field goal percentage and was tops in kicks made over 40 yards, as well as in scoring by kickers. So Langley is a real weapon for the Lights for sure.

Northern also brought in junior college transfer Sam Tapia (6-0, 180), so in him the Lights will also have a sound punter to replace Dillon Barnes, who was outstanding a season ago.

In the return game, a lot of Lights will get an opportunity this fall. And in both returns and return coverage, that's an area Christensen wants him squad to make strides.

"Special teams is big," Christensen said. "I thought we gave up too many big plays there last season. We've got to be better there. We're working hard at that one because it's a really important part of the game."

Editor's Note: For a look at the upcoming Lights' season, see Thursday's Havre Daily News. For a preview of MSU-N's Sept. 2 season-opener at Rocky Mountain College, see Friday's HDN.