Lights face hungry Dawgs in Dillon

The Montana State University-Northern Lights haven't played a road game yet this season. But that's all about to change. And, Northern's first road test of 2018 will be a big one.

On Saturday night in Dillon, the Lights (0-1, 1-1) will try and bounce back from a 51-7 loss last Saturday at the hands of Rocky Mountain College, but in order to do it, they'll have to beat a very good UM-Western squad under the lights at Vigilante Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.

"It will be exciting to go into that environment," Northern head coach Andrew Rolin said. "We know it's going to be a big challenge for us. But, the great thing about football is, you get more opportunities. The game against Rocky was a wake-up call for us. It was good for us because we know we need to get better. And we have nine more opportunities to do that this season, and Saturday is the first of those opportunities."

And getting better has been a focus this week for the Lights. While Rocky overwhelmed Northern last Saturday at Blue Pony Stadium, Rolin says the Lights didn't do themselves any favors either. And the miscues that hurt Northern against the Battlin' Bears, those are things the Lights will look to fix this week.

"We've got to learn to love the process," Rolin said. "We have to learn from our mistakes against Rocky. They're a very good football team. They are very talented. But we need to learn that, in order to compete and win games against anyone in this conference, we have to execute at a high level, and we didn't do that against Rocky."

Executing at a high level will certainly be required Saturday night in Dillon. The Bulldogs (1-0, 1-0) are coming into their home-opener fresh off a 16-10 win at Carroll College last Saturday. And while Western is a young team overall, the Dawgs, of head coach Ryan Nourse, certainly have the Lights' attention.

"They're a good football team," Rolin said of Western. "Across the board, offense, defense and special teams, they're just really solid. They played very well at Carroll, and we're going to have to do the same against them Saturday night."

Offensively, Western broke in new starters at both quarterback and running back last Saturday. And while the Dawgs didn't put up flashy numbers, totaling just 282 yards and rushing for just 73, new starting QB Jon Jund was efficient throwing the ball, while Kylar Plante rushed for 53 yards and a score. Western also has two home run threats at WR in Melvin Walser and Nate Simkins.

"Their quarterback is very solid," Rolin said. He throws it well, and he moves it really well. He is a real threat offensively, and they also have two really good receivers. So they have some threats on offense, and we'll have to be very disciplined, and very good defensively."

Indeed. Northern's young defense got somewhat tortured by RMC's high-powered offense last week, but Saturday night is a new game for the MSU-N defense, led by the emergence of Chase Gilbert, who has 13 stops and recorded and INT last week, as well as Jake Norby, Ace Morgan, Jaren Maki and Alec Wagner at linebacker.

On the other side of the ball, Western has been stout on defense for years, and, led by star linebacker Jason Ferris, that hasn't changed this fall. But as talented and as stingy as the Dawgs are on defense, Northern's offense will need to execute like it did in its opener against Mayville State, regardless of who is lined up across from them.

And that execution starts with junior running back Jett Robertson, who is off to a tremendous start. Robertson has already rushed for 271 yards and three scores this season, and he has 99 yards receiving to boot. Tommy Wilson has been outstanding at quarterback, and tight ends Jared Eisenbarth and Jordan Pugh have already emerged as top targets.

"Western is young, but very talented on defense," Rolin said. "They're tough up front, and they have really good linebackers. They played really well at Carroll. So it's going to be a good matchup for our offense.

"But we also understand, and preach every day, that it's not about our opponent, it's about us," he continued. "We have to control what we can control, and offensively, that's going out and doing our jobs. Every one of us, if we go out and simply do our jobs, if we execute, we'll get the results we're looking for."

And the result the Lights are searching for is a big road win. It won't be easy, as Western is expecting a sellout crowd for what will by an amped-up Bulldog team. It's a night game, and the Lights are going into a hostile environment and facing a team that's riding high after a rare win at Carroll.

"We're excited for the opportunity," Rolin said. "Western is a very good football team. But I think we have the talent on this team to grow and get better every single week. Nine games from now, I want to look back and say we got better, each and every week. This game is a chance for us to do that."

Saturday night's game between Northern and Western will start at 6 p.m. in Dillon. The Lights will be back home Sept. 15 for their homecoming game against Carroll College.

Night Lights

MSU-Northern Lights (1-1, 0-1) ar UM-Western

Bulldogs (1-0, 1-0)

Saturday, 6 p.m.

in Dillon

Streaming: http://www.msun.edu/athletics

Radio: 92.5 KPQX FM

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