Jerome Souers looks to build culture in first year with the Lights

The first kickoff of the college football season is almost here as the Montana State University-Northern football team gets ready to start the season. This fall, the Lights will be led by new head coach Jerome Souers. The Lights have fallen on hard times in recent years, so Souers looks to develop a culture this season that will lead to success down the road.

"We're looking for a team that develops an unselfish attitude, that's real tough and has a hard work ethic," Souers said. "We need to come out and compete every play and that's something we're going to demand as coaches. I really believe the players have bought in and the guys that are here are working their tails off to get ready."

As the Lights try to build a culture, they will have to compete in a tough Frontier Conference. The Lights start the season this weekend on the road with a game against the College of Idaho. The Lights lost to the Yotes, 42-14, in their season opener last year at home.

Then on Sept. 3, the Lights will hold their home opener at Tilleman Field with a game against Southern Oregon University. Last year at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon, the Lights suffered a 42-7 loss to the Raiders.

After a week off, the Lights will then compete in another home game Sept. 17 with a contest against Montana Western. The Lights and Bulldogs played twice last season, with the Bulldogs winning, 42-28, in Dillon and then winning, 63-7, at Tilleman Field.

The Lights will then head to Billings Sept. 24 for a game against Rocky Mountain College. Last year at Tilleman Field, the Lights held a lead in the fourth quarter before the Bears came back to win 31-28. The Bears then defeated the Lights, 19-7, in Billings later in the season.

On Oct. 1, the Lights open the month on the road in Butte with a game against Montana Tech. The Lights played twice against Tech last fall, with the Orediggers winning, 23-13, in Havre and then winning, 41-0, in Butte to end the season. The Lights will return to Havre Oct. 8 for a contest against Carroll College. In Helena last fall, the Fighting Saints got the better of the Lights with a 34-0 victory.

After a bye week, the Lights head west to La Grande, Oregon, to play Eastern Oregon University. Last year at Tilleman Field, the Lights won, 22-20, in a five-overtime thriller against the Mountaineers. The win was the Lights' first in the Frontier Conference in five years.

Over the last three weeks of the season, the Lights will play in rematches against opponents from earlier in the season. In Dillon Oct. 29, the Lights will play against Western. The Lights will then end the season with two home games at Tilleman Field. On Nov. 5, the Lights will play Rocky Mountain College and then Nov. 12, the Lights will play Tech to wrap up the regular season.

For a rebuilding program, competing in the Frontier Conference is no easy task. With a new head coach leading the program, the Lights are already behind the more established programs. The other programs have been working on conditioning through the winter and spring sessions with many players on their roster. Meanwhile, the Lights have only been able to get their recruits on campus for fall camp to get them ready for the season.

"From the standpoint of volume training, we are low," Souers said. "The stronger the amount of preparation that you have, the more durable you'll become."

The Lights also have a much smaller roster compared to their opponents in the Frontier Conference, so depth will be an issue as well for the Lights. With all these factors and a tough schedule, Souers is in for a lot of adversity in his first year with the Lights. But if the Lights can be resilient this season, it will go a long way toward setting them up for success down the line.

"We just got to keep grinding and stick with the process. I think we know how to get there. We just got to stay at it," Souers said.

The MSU-N football team kicks off the season this Saturday at 1 p.m. with a game against the College of Idaho in Caldwell, Idaho.