2021 MSU-N Preview; MSU-N defense and special teams ready to make a jump

While the Montana State University-Northern defense showed promise in the spring, they were still last in the Frontier Conference allowing 30 points and 435.3 yards a game. During their short offseason, MSU-N head coach Andrew Rolin made a splash when he hired NAIA legend Mike Van Diest to be the Lights new defensive coordinator. With Van Diest now leading the program, Rolin hopes that gets his defense to play better.

"We got to fly to the football. We got to create takeaways," Rolin said. "Coach Van Diest harps on alignment, assignment and technique. So we got to align correctly and we've got to know our assignment and we've got to use technique and then after that, it's just effort."

Just like any good defense, a strong defensive line is needed to rush the passer and stuff the run. Thankfully for Rolin, he has some pieces on the line that are more than capable. Pat Hammond returns to start on the line after being named second team all-conference this past spring. In the spring he had 16 total tackles and three tackles for loss. Justin Pfeifer will return for his senior season with the Lights to start on the interior defensive line.

The rest of the defensive line will be made up of a rotation of players. Some players that should get significant playing time this season include Sam Sanders, Colt Syzmoniak and Cole Curry. Joe Fehr will also get many snaps rushing the passer after a spring season where he recorded 24 total tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.

"Some guys really stepped up and have done a nice job for us up front," Rolin said.

The Lights also return several linebackers who are coming off a spring season. Dylan Wampler returns after being named second team all-conference after leading the Frontier with 50 total tackles and two forced fumbles. The Lights' sam backer will be Joel Hadley who had a solid freshman season in the spring with 30 total tackles. Blake Lien will also get time playing as the will backer for the Lights this fall.

"We're excited about the linebacking core," Rolin said. "We got to communicate, we got to get guys to do their job and get lined up and do their job and play fast. I think if we do that at linebacker, we're going to be pretty good."

The Lights' defensive backfield will be made up of several returning players. They will have a three-man rotation at cornerback involving Damari Cual-Davis, Aidan Hoyt and Isaiah Paul. In the spring, Paul was third in the conference with two interceptions while Hoyt snagged one of his own.

Some other cornerbacks that should get many snaps this fall are Joshua Rose and Trayvion Rainey. Rose comes into the fall after being named second team all-conference this past spring after recording seven tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack. Johkyreian Shealey should also get many snaps and so should team captain and safety Hunter Riley. With all these players in the defensive backfilled, Rolin feels confident in his team's ability to limit their opponents' passing games.

"We've got a steady rotation of good depth in the defensive back," Rolin said. "You got to play a lot of guys and I think we have the guys to do that."

Sometimes the most overlooked phase of the game by fans, Rolin knows how important special teams can be to a team's success. With some of the players on his roster this fall, he is optimistic that they can make an impact.

Along with the return of Titus Pulliam, who Rolin believes is the best long snapper in the conference, Rolin has two kickers that he feels pretty confident in. Sawyer Zook and Neils Getts have competed to be the starting kicker this fall but Rolin has not decided who it will be yet. Regardless of who he goes with, he feels pretty confident, especially after last season where the Lights lost their kicker at the beginning of the season.

"We have as good of kickers since I've been here," Rolin said about his two new kickers. it's rare to have two really good kickers and we have that."

Along with playing safety for the Lights, Riley will be their primary punter this fall. He was a first team all-conference punter in the spring as he led the conference with an average of 44.2 yards per punt.

The special teams is also important because of the extra yards it can gain. The special teams can help out their offense by giving them good field position with a solid punt or kickoff return. To get those returns, Rolin will use a rotation of his offensive playmakers such Izayah Boss, Dylan Vongphachanh, Dorian Miles and Canaan Smith.

"We've got a stable back there. Whoever's fresh is going to be able to go and make plays," Rolin said. "Excited about the return game because I think we've got a great scheme and we've got talented athletes back there to make plays."

With a solid special teams unit and an improved defense, Rolin hopes that can help the Lights make the jump this fall after they went 0-4 in the spring season. The MSU-N football season will begin against College of Idaho at Tilleman Field on Saturday at 1 p.m.