2017 MSU-N Football Preview: New Season, New Attitude

When the Montana State University-Northern Lights beat the Carroll College Fighting Saints last September inside Blue Pony Stadium, it must have felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off Northern's shoulders.

It can feel that way when you haven't won a football game in a while.

And while that was a joyous day for sure, and one that will be a big part of Northern's history for many years to come, it was just one victory in a 10-game season, and the only one the Lights have had in the last two years.

So as the 2017 seasons dawns for a very new, and in many ways, young Lights' football team, winning is something they want to do more of. It's not something they're building toward anymore, it's something they want to do this fall - right now.

"I think, the kids we have returning this year, they've now seen, with all we've gone through, what it takes to win football games," Third-year Northern head coach Aaron Christensen said. "They now know that it's not given, they see how hard it is. They see how you have to practice, how hard you have to work, that you can't keep doing the same things over and over again and just get the results.

"So from that standpoint, coming into this season, the attitude of this football team is so positive," he added. "They come to practice every day ready to work hard, they come with a great focus and energy and they want to be better, they want to improve because they have seen that winning isn't easy. They understand every single game is so tough, especially in this (Frontier) conference. So, from that standpoint, there's a huge difference this year, and it's been really good.

"In the spring, we all said, we're gonna do this. We're gonna play as one team. We're gonna do it together. And that's carried over into this fall," veteran MSU-N tight end Kagen Khameneh said. "It's all been about the team. There's no one out here saying I. It's all team. And everyone has the mentality that we're here to win and win together, and not just get by."

Of course, attitude and work ethic is one thing, but Christensen also believes he has a team that can do what it takes physically, in between the lines, to get more wins this season. Even against a schedule that has the Lights playing defending Frontier champion Montana Tech twice, as well as Carroll and Rocky Mountain College twice, while playing tough road games at Eastern Oregon, Mayville State and College of Idaho. Oh, and a loaded Southern Oregon and powerful UM-Western squad also come to Blue Pony Stadium this season.

And, with all of that, the Lights also graduated the greatest offensive player to ever suit up in Zach McKinley, and the incredible Tyler Craig among others. And still, Christensen is highly optimistic about what his team can achieve this season.

"You can't replace those guys (McKinley and Craig)," Christensen said. "But, when you look at where we're at right now with our roster, we know we have talent, we know we have guys who can step in and play. We have had more depth and competition in this camp than we have had the two years before, and when you have that, it makes you a better football team. Last year, we had some really talented senior starters, some of the best players we've ever had. But, behind those guys, we didn't have any depth at some spots. Now, there's not much difference between our ones and twos, and that's going to make a big difference on Saturdays."

And differences are needed if the Lights are going to make big strides this fall.

Offensively, Northern will miss the 1,000 yards, 37 carries per game and nine touchdowns McKinley had last year, as well as his overall presence. But, Christensen feels good about Trey Blanchard and B.J. Peters stepping into that role.

Northern is also breaking in a new starting quarterback this fall, as last year's starters Caleb McLaren graduated, and Jess Krahn moved to tight end. But, whoever is calling the signals for the Lights, does have a bevy of offensive weapons to throw to, including Sam Mix, Donovan Garner and Kagen Khameneh. MSU-N also has as strong as an offensive line as its had in quite some time, anchored by junior left tackle Clint Willis, while kicker Tommy Langley is one of the best in the Frontier.

Defensively, there's also talent and reasons to be optimistic. Senior linebacker Garet Fowler and junior Alec Wagner will be the heart of the middle of MSU-N's defense, while senior Elijah Dennison will be a force at defensive tackle. In the secondary, Northern also returns starters Cory Lee and DeQuincy Bergen.

So there's no doubt, MSU-N has talent and leadership, but, there's also no doubt, a lot of new, and young players are going to step into prominent roles this season for a Lights' squad looking to improve on things such as being dead last in turnover margin and last in both scoring offense and scoring defense.

"We have the guys who can step in and make the plays and do the job," Christensen said. "A lot of them are young, or just haven't been on the field as much, so for them, it's going to be about gaining that experience.

"Last year, we weren't good enough," he added. "We had some good games, but then we had games where we just didn't play well at all. So it's about consistency. We know we improved from our first year to last year, but we also know, it wasn't good enough. So this season, we know we have talent, we know we have players who can play, we as coaches see it and talk about it every day in practice. We just have to be consistent, every game, we have to execute and do things the right away. If we do that, we'll find success."

And success on the scoreboard is no doubt what the Lights are after. But, in many ways, now in the third year of Christensen, the Lights have already found success. Look at their roster, and sure, big names like McKinley, Craig, Pat Barnett and others aren't there anymore, and those players will be forever missed. But, the sheer numbers, the depth and the young talent emerging, those are things that two years ago, the Lights were sorely lacking, and having those things now, Northern expects to see it pay dividends.

"The first day I was here, I looked at our roster and we had three DBs and five WRs, total," Christensen said. "Now, coach Eldridge and I stop once in a while and laugh about it, and you realize how far we've come. From where we started to where we are right now, it's completely different. We're developing young players, we're getting better every fall and every spring, and our last two recruiting classes, we believe those were really good and are full of kids who are going to have a big impact on this program.

"Like I said, the last two years, we had some very talented players, but we didn't have depth, and when you don't have depth, there's not a lot of competition in practice," he continued. "So I feel like we've built that depth and competition level up and it's making us a much better football team. And that's what we want to continue to do, build up that talent and depth at every single position, because good football teams don't have just one thing. You have to be able to run the ball, throw the ball, catch the ball, tackle, kick it, all of it. You have to be good at every phase of the game, and that's the direction I think we're heading."

No doubt, the Lights are building up. With young players, like Justin Pfeifer, Peter Hamilton, Jake Norby, Bryce Missey, Dylan Cook, Jake Horner, R.J. Henry, Joe Fehr and so many more, brighter days appear to be ahead for the Lights. But, they also want to shine bright now, too. That's the goal. As Christensen preaches often, the Lights always want to be 1-0. And that includes every week this fall.

And while there are question marks and unproven players all over Northern's depth chart, Christensen is not only excited about this season, but is confident the Lights will be a better football team in 2017 than they were in 2016.

"I do. I do believe we're a better overall football team right now," Christensen said. "We see it every single day in practice. I think this team can accomplish plenty this season. Now, we have to go out on Saturday's and do it. We have to go out and execute. We have to cut down on mistakes, make more big plays, limit the big plays we're giving up, not turn the ball over, score when we're in the redzone, make tackles when we are supposed to, all of it. We have to be consistent and we have to execute.

"But I know we have guys who can step up and do that," he continued. "I believe we have a team that can do all those things this season."

Northern will get its first chance to show that on Saturday when the Lights head to Billings to face the Rocky Mountain College Battlin' Bears. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Herb Klindt Field. The Lights' home opener will come Sept. 9 when they host defending Frontier champion Montana Tech inside Blue Pony Stadium.