MSU-N football season Preview: Northern football set to take the next step

After several weeks of fall camp, it is finally time for the Montana State University-Northern football team to get their fall season started. Throughout the camp, MSU-N head coach Andrew Rolin has been focused on getting his team ready to make a jump in his fourth year leading the program.

“I know our guys are prepared. I know we’ve done a nice job of putting our guys in a position to be successful,” Rolin said. “It’s hard to have expectations but I’m confident. But at the same time, we need to show up and compete. We got a lot to prove.”

The Lights were one of five teams in the Frontier Conference that played a shortened schedule this past spring. While they went 0-4, Rolin believes those four games will be beneficial to his team’s progress.

“It gave us four more games of experience which we need,” Rolin said. “I think it is an advantage. The more game time experience you get, the better team you’re going to be.”

Last season, the Lights were last in both total offense and scoring offense. Rolin hopes that his transfer quarterback Kaymen Cureton, who recently won the four-way quarterback competition in camp, will lead the team to more success this fall. He will need the help of several playmakers such as wide receivers Tyrese Rio and Jake Horner as well as running backs Izayah Boss and Canaan Smith to do it.

The Lights also finished last in both total defense and scoring defense last season but recently hired NAIA legend Mike Van Diest to lead them this fall. With an improved defense, Rolin hopes the unit can be the key to their success this year.

“I want to be a physical football team. You come here to Havre and we want to punch you in the mouth,” Rolin said. “I know we have the capability. We got to be physical. We got to execute at a high level. We got to play really fast.”

Linebackers Dylan Wampler and Joel Hadley return to lead the defense this fall after leading the conference in total tackles in the spring. Second team all-conference defensive lineman Pat Hammond will also return to wreak havoc in their opponents’ backfield. In the defensive backfield, Joshua Rose and Hunter Riley return to limit the other teams’ passing attack.

Both these units must improve as Rolin and the Lights will face another tough Frontier Conference schedule this fall. In the preseason coaches poll, they were picked to finish last in the conference. But if they are going to compete with the likes of Eastern Oregon University and College of Idaho, they must find that consistency

“If we can play consistently and if we can persevere through adversity, I think we’ll be a pretty good team,” Rolin said. “I think we have the ability to do it. We have the guys to do it.”

MSU-N football will begin their fall season when they host College of Idaho on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Tilleman Field.