2019 MSU-N Football: Lights aim to be dangerous on the scoreboard

Andrew Rolin knows exactly what he wants when it comes to offense. And he knows what it takes to be an offense that executes with power, precision and a quick-strike mentality.

And while in his first season as the head coach of the Montana State University-Northern Lights, his offense showed flashes of that, he knows, the Lights are capable of so much more. And, they're out to show that in 2019.

"I thought we had our moments last season as an offense," Rolin said. "But we just shot ourselves in the foot too many times. We had a really good leader at quarterback in Tommy Wilson, and at times, we executed just how I thought we would. But we just didn't do it often enough. I think, coming into this season, we have the tools to be the offense we all believe we can be. It's just going to come down to execution."

Indeed. Northern has a lot of powerful tools on offense. Whether it be a stacked wide receiver room, a stable of exciting running backs, or a much-improved offensive line, the Lights have the weapons to be an offense capable of so much more than they did a year ago when they averaged just 17 points and 344 yards of total offense per game.

However, as full as the cupboard is at Northern, the one position that many may have questions about coming into a new season just happens to be the one with the biggest spotlight - quarterback.

Wilson was a two-year starter at Northern, but he has graduated and is now assisting the Lights. That left red-shirt freshman Brendan Medina as the heir apparent, and after battling true freshmen Oakley Kopp and Tre' Long in fall camp, Medina emerged as the starter he came to Northern to be. And while Medina is young, Rolin, a high-level college quarterback himself, doesn't quite see it that way.

"He traveled with us to every away game," Rolin said of Medina. "He had a headset on for every game. He worked really closely with Tommy. Then, he took every single rep in spring ball, and then he just went through his second fall camp. So, he's as ready to be a starter as any red-shirt freshman I've ever seen.

"He knows our system like the coaches do," Rolin continued. "He's improved a ton over the last year, and he's got the three things you really want in a quarterback. He's got the physical skills to be a really good quarterback, he's really got the mental part down and he's already taken on a leadership role within this team. So he's got the things I want in a quarterback. Brendan came here to be a starter someday, and now he is. And I just think he's a really talented player, and he's going to turn a lot of heads."

Medina no doubt looks the part. And yet, with any young quarterback, there will be growing pains. Fortunately for Medina though, he has a wide cast of talent around him to help him through those growing pains.

On Northern's first depth chart, eight offensive starters return, while even more backups have either experience with the Lights, or they are talented transfers.

But perhaps no unit is more talented than MSU-N's pass catchers.

Led by senior Bryce Bumgardner (6-2, 165), who hauled in 65 catches for 875 yards a year ago, the speedy Marvin Williams (5-9, 160), now a three-year starter, talented tight end Jared Eisenbarth (6-1, 210), sophomores Jake Horner (5-10, 170) and Keagan Stroop (5-10, 160), and newcomers like Damari Caul-Davis (6-0, 175), Cal Holgate (5-9, 180) and Hunter Lane (6-2, 190), the WR room at Northern is as good as it gets.

And, the running game isn't too shabby either.

Senior Jett Robertson (5-11, 200) and sophomore Andrez Trahan-Proctor (5-9, 195) are both back for Rolin's run-first offense. Robertson racked up a career-high 732 yards and four touchdowns last season, while Trahan-Proctor saw more and more carries as last season went on. Transfer Cameron Taylor (5-9, 180) is another back to keep an eye on this season.

"I feel really good about where our receivers and running backs are at," Rolin said. "There's a lot of talent there. Bryce Bumgardner and Marvin Williams are just flat-out studs. They are so talented. But, you'll see a bunch of guys at receiver who can play every spot on the field. So we have a lot of depth there.

"We have Jett back at running back and he's a workhorse," Rolin continued. "He's a team leader. But, Andrez Trahan-Proctor is going to get a lot of touches. He's really maturing. He's very talented. So we have guys that can carry the ball, and that's what we want to do."

Running the ball is something Northern should do well this season, especially considering the Lights are much-improved on the offensive line.

Starting center Darius Alexander-Jones (6-3, 280) is back for his senior season, while senior Trenton Woodward (6-5, 275) is now a veteran for the Lights at right tackle. Tristin Willis (6-5, 260), will start at left tackle, while Spencer Kolody (6-3, 285) moves into the left guard spot. Josh Hutchins (6-1, 285), will start at right guard, while the Lights have built depth on the OL, with the likes of Ronnie Chavez, Trevor Yuhas and others.

"I think we have improved a lot on the offensive line," Rolin said. "We have too. It all starts up front. But more importantly, we have built some really good depth there. We feel really good about those five starters, but we have seven or eight linemen we are confident in that go out there and do the job. And you have to have that. It's a tough position. So we really like the depth we've developed there."

No doubt, the Lights have more depth and talent on the offensive side of the ball than they've had in a long, long time. And while Medina will need time to get his feet wet, Rolin thinks his offense can do damage this season, no matter the opponent - though, there's improvements to be made for sure.

"We need to have more explosive plays," Rolin said. "We need more passes of 15 or more yards and more runs of 10 or more yards. We can't just dink and dunk down the field all the time. And we have to put the ball in the endzone. That sounds boring, but it's true. Last year, we shot ourselves in the foot too many times, especially in the redzone. So we have to do a much better job in the redzone, and we have to score more touchdowns."

Northern did stumble on too many scoring drives last season. The Lights were last in the league in third down conversions, and last in both turnover margin and redzone efficiency. So, while the Lights moved the ball, and Wilson, Robertson and Bumgardner were all explosive players, it didn't add up on the scoreboard, and that, being the bottom line in football, is something Rolin said he's sees changing this season.

"We have all the pieces in place to be a very good offense," Rolin said. "We have the guys who will execute and do their jobs. We have the quarterback to lead this team. It's all there. I've seen it. They've been doing it every day in practice. These guys can all execute our offense. They know our system, they know what we want to accomplish. So, my expectations are very high for this offense. I think they can be special, and should be special."

Rolin also noted that, the Lights have the pieces in place to be much-improved on special teams, something he said was a must this past offseason.

"Our new defensive backs coach Jake Crane has been a huge asset, he's running our special teams, and doing a great job," Rolin said. "Special teams is one-third of the game, it's huge, and I wanted to find the best coach I could to help us out there. So you're going to see us make some huge improvements on all four special teams units this season."

The Lights have two new specialists this year, with transfer kicker TJ Dayak (6-4, 195), who Rolin said has an extremely strong leg, and punter Hunter Riley (5-10, 186). Northern will also being giving opponents fits in the return game with the addition of speedster Japerri Powell and veteran returners Jett Robertson and Marvin Williams.

"It's an area we felt we really needed to improve," Rolin said. "And we worked hard at it. I started a new "Northern Special Ops" unit, which a player who plays on at least three special teams units gets to be a part of it. We felt like we needed to take more pride in our special teams. And the guys have bought in. They're working hard it. If you win on special teams, you have a better chance to win games, and that's what we're setting out to do this season."

The Lights open the 2019 season Saturday at Arizona Christian. For a look at Northern's entire upcoming season, see Thursday's Havre Daily News.