Lights hope to turn it around in Mayville

The Montana State University-Northern Lights get a break from the rigors of Frontier Conference play this week. But the Lights won't get a break from their ongoing search for their first win of the 2017 season.

Northern (0-4) heads east this Saturday for a non-conference game against Mayville State (0-4). The Comets, of the North Star Athletic Association, are also in search of their first win of the fall. The game kicks off at 1 p.m. M.D.T. in Mayville, North Dakota.

And while the Comets have struggled thus far this season, the Lights are going to have to regroup and play at a high level if they want to return from North Dakota with a much-needed victory.

MSU-N was bludgeoned by UM-Western in last Saturday's homecoming game, 61-7, where the Lights turned the ball over five times in the first 30 minutes. Northern was never able to recover from the disastrous start, and with back-to-back road games looming, the Lights need to take better care of the football, no doubt.

"It was frustrating because we were able to get some things going offensively," MSU-N head coach Aaron Christensen said of the loss to Western. "It just seemed like we always end up shooting ourselves in the foot with penalties or turnovers. Those are just things you can't do if you want to win football games."

At times, the Lights' offense has been a juggernaut, led by the passing game, which averages 275 yards per outing. Northern is also fourth in the Frontier in total offense, piling up nearly 400 yards per outing. However, after last Saturday's game, the Lights are -7 in turnover margin. They've given the ball away 14 times on the season, and that's something that has to be corrected moving forward.

"It's hard enough to win in the Frontier Conference," Christensen said. "But it makes it even harder when you turn the ball over five times in the first half."

The Lights will also look to shore up a struggling defense, which is allowing 49 points and 542 yards of offense per game. Northern has also struggled against strong running attacks, as the Lights, even with star senior Garet Fowler leading the Frontier in tackles, are allowing 301 yards per game on the ground.

And Northern is hoping this week's trip to Mayville gives it the opportunity to turn some of those things around. The Comets scores 22.5 points per game and average 400 yards of offense. Mayville is a strong passing team with quarterback Creighton Pfau averaging 300 yards passing and having thrown for 1,206 yards and nine touchdowns on the season. The Comets runs a wide-open passing attack, while running back Obie Wilder averages just 45 yards a game, so that may play into MSU-N's strength, as the Lights, led by safety Dequincy Bergen and cornerbacks Jarrod Lucas and Devariej Criss, who have three picks between them, have been strong against the pass.

However, as prolific as Mayville's offense has been, the Comets have had a rough season defensively. They allow 45 points and 468 yards per game, and they are last in the North Star in passing defense - which could also bode well for Northern and its strong passing attack.

But again, Saturday's game will come down to what it has been about since the Lights' season began with a narrow loss to Rocky Mountain College - taking care of the football and putting points on the board, as well as eliminating mistakes on defense and on special teams. It's those things that have haunted the Lights, and they'll look at Saturday's non-conference road trip as a chance to move things in the right direction.

Northern and Mayville State kick off at 1 p.m. M.D.T. Saturday in Mayville, North Dakota. The Lights also travel to Eastern Oregon for a night game Oct. 7, before returning home to host RMC Oct. 14.

A New Foe

MSU-Northern Lights (0-4, 0-4) at Mayville State Comets (0-2, 0-4)

Saturday, 1 p.m.

in Mayville, N.D.

Streaming: www.msun.edu/athletics

Radio: 92.5 KPQX FM

Twitter: Twitter/Havredaily