Lights host Mounties for the second time in 2021

The Montana State University-Northern football team only has four opportunities left this season to pick up a win. Two of those games will come at home at Tilleman Field, including the Lights' next game which will be against Eastern Oregon University this Saturday afternoon.

"They're hungry just like we are," MSU-N head coach Andrew Rolin said about the Mountaineers. "It should be a good challenge for us and we need to bounce back."

The Mountaineers enter the game with a 3-3 record but are on a three-game losing streak. Over the past three weeks, the Mountaineers have only averaged nine points a game so they will look to get back on track against the Lights.

The EOU offense is led by quarterback Kai Quinn. In his six games this season, Quinn has completed 53.51 percent of his passes for 1,130 yards, five touchdowns and eight interceptions. Over the past few weeks, Quinn has not thrown a touchdown pass while throwing six picks.

If Quinn is going to get back on track, he will need to connect with his primary receivers. Tyler Brown leads the Mountaineers with 308 receiving yards on 18.12 yards a catch this season while Saige Wilkerson leads the team with 23 catches for 251 yards.

If the Lights are going to slow down the EOU passing game, the Lights secondary will need to continue making plays. Last week against Simon Fraser University, safety Hunter Riley recorded two interceptions. Defensive back Isaiah Paul will also try to make plays as he leads the Lights with five interceptions this season.

But even if he is slowed down throwing the ball, Quinn can also hurt the Lights on the ground as he leads EOU with 259 rushing yards this season. Other leading runners for the Mountaineers include Jordan Eggers and Victor Rosas who each have two rushing touchdowns this season.

If they are going to defeat the Mountaineers, the Lights will need to get their own offense going. After scoring 28 points in back-to-back games against Montana Western and Rocky Mountain College in September, the MSU-N offense has only averaged eight points a game in its last three games so Rolin will be focused on getting a more consistent performance on that side of the ball.

"We got to put them in position to execute and we got to give them a game plan thatI think highlights our talents and what we do offensively," Rolin said. "We need to just focus on what we need to do and what we can control and play with great technique and great execution."

The Lights will need to get solid quarterback play if they are going to put up points. The Lights have two options at quarterback to start this weekend. Kaymen Cureton, who started the first five games of the season, has completed 45 percent of his passes for 577 yards, three touchdowns and six interceptions this season. He has also ran for 239 yards and two scores this fall. The other option at quarterback is Devonte Armstrong who has started the past two games for the Lights. This fall, he has completed 43.8 percent of his passes for 372 yards, one touchdown and six interceptions.

Whoever gets the start at quarterback for the Lights will need to overcome the EOU defense. EOU has a pair of linebackers who could give the Lights some trouble. Zak Donato leads the Mountaineers with two interceptions this season while Solo Taylor leads the team with 50 tackles this fall. The MSU-N quarterback will also need to watch out for defensive lineman Chase Van Wyck who has four sacks this season.

The Lights enter the game with an 0-7 overall record and 0-6 record in the Frontier Conference. Last week at home, the Lights lost, 30-3, to DIvision II school SFU in their lone non-conference game of the season. After what he considers to be a poor performance against SFU, Rolin believes the Lights have responded well in practice over the week.

"We've had great energy at practice and we're competing. We just got to carry that over to Saturday," Rolin said.

The Lights's next two games will be at Tilleman Field with matchups against EOU and Montana Western. If the Lights are going to win a game in front of their home crowd this season, they will need to play better starting this weekend.

"It comes down to playing together and putting all three phases of the game together," Rolin said. "You got to do your job every single play or it could cost you."

The Lights will play EOU at Tilleman Field this Saturday at 1 p.m.