Lights Football
News
2004

Jan. 20, 2005 Brent Finneman--NAIA Academic All-American

Nov 15, 2004 Nothing like the first one: Lights win
For head coach Mark Samson and his Montana State University-Northern football team, it's not an ending, but a beginning.  The Lights picked up their first win of the season, defeating the Rocky Mountain College Battlin' Bears 33-6 Friday evening at a chilly Blue Pony Stadium.  Not even an icy victory drenching of Gatorade coupled with frigid temperature could dampen Samson's spirit following his first win as the Lights' head coach.

Nov 12, 2004 Lights have one last chance to get win in final game of the season
The Montana State University-Northern football team has simply run out of chances.  One final opportunity remains tonight for the Lights to get that elusive first win of the season as they host the Rocky Mountain College Battlin' Bears at 5 p.m. at Blue Pony Stadium.  Never in his worst nightmares did Northern head coach Mark Samson think he would be staring the possibility of finishing the season winless going into his last game.
Nov. 7, 2004 Lights fall at UM-Western
MT Standard Article

Nov. 5, 2004 Lights wrap up road games with trip to Dillon
With a 0-9 record, many teams could be guilty of overlooking the Montana State University-Northern football team at this point in the season.  However as head coach Mark Samson is quick to point out, playing a winless team is really a no-win situation for opponents.  "Nobody wants to be the first team that loses to us," Samson said. "That's pretty good motivation for most teams. They are going to play to win, or at least not to lose."

Nov. 5, 2004 Frontier Conference Football Notebook
Great Falls Tribune Article

Nov. 2, 2004 Samson brothers garner Frontier honors
MT Standard Article

Nov. 1, 2004 Mistakes spoil Northern's homecoming
To Montana State University-Northern head football coach Mark Samson, the first quarter of Saturday's homecoming game with Montana Tech seemed eerily familiar to the Lights' first meeting with the Orediggers back on Sept. 18.  The Lights struggled with key turnovers at critical times in the earlier contest. Once again, Northern was haunted by the same mistakes on a blustery Saturday at Blue Pony Stadium, as the No. 13 ranked Orediggers raced to a 21-0 first quarter lead, eventually spoiling the Lights' homecoming party 48-22.

Oct. 31, 2004 Lights fall to Diggers
MT Standard Article

Oct. 29, 2004 Lights host Diggers for homecoming
Losses. The Montana State University-Northern football team has experienced its fair share of them this season. Some were tough, some were close, but none of them compares to the 61-0 loss to Montana Tech on Sept. 18 in Butte.  The Lights will get the chance to try to erase the lingering memories of that loss when they host the Orediggers on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Blue Pony Stadium as part of Northern's homecoming festivities.

Oct. 29, 2004 Frontier Conference Notebook
Great Falls Tribune Article

Oct. 24, 2004 Lights fall at Carroll College
Independent Record Article

Oct. 22, 2004 Northern hopes to end road woes @ Carroll
There is no way to sugarcoat it or spin it. The Montana State University-Northern football team is just not very good in games away from Blue Pony Stadium this season.The Lights have lost all four of their road games this season by a combined score of 154-20, while committing 28 penalties for a total of 200 yards and turning the ball over a whopping 17 times.

Oct. 22, 2004 Frontier Conference Notebook
Great Falls Tribune Article

Oct. 18, 2004 Mistakes hurt Lights in 35-8 loss to Eastern Oregon
The Montana State University-Northern football team couldn't escape its road woes in another state.  The Lights committed costly penalties, even costlier turnovers and surrendered big plays in a 35-8 loss to the Eastern Oregon Mountaineers.  As has been the case in all of the Lights' road games, mistakes put the game out of reach.

Oct. 16, 2004 Lights fall at EOU
MT Standard Article

Oct. 15, 2004 Lights travel the extra mile in search of win
The Montana State University-Northern football team is willing to travel the extra mile to get its first win of the season. Or in this case, the extra 800 milesThe Lights will make the long trip to La Grande, Ore., in search of that elusive first victory of the season. They will take on the Eastern Oregon Mountaineers Saturday at 2 p.m. at EOU's Community Stadium.It is the first of many trips that Frontier Conference teams will be making to La Grande, as the Mountaineers will officially join the conference next season.

Oct 14, 2004 Frontier Conference Football Notebook
Great Falls Tribune Article


Oct. 11, 2004 Southern Oregon keeps Lights winless
When you are in the midst of a losing streak, every break and every call seems to go against you, even when you are playing at home.  At least it felt that way for the Montana State University-Northern football team on Saturday in a 10-7 loss to the Southern Oregon Raiders at Blue Pony Stadium.

Oct. 9, 2004 Southern Oregon keeps Lights winless
MT Standard Article

Oct. 8, 2004 Lights still searching for first win, host Southern Oregon
It doesn't matter if it's by one or 100, the Montana State University-Northern football team needs a win. Northern, 0-5 on the season, is in desperate need of a win and the much-needed confidence boost that comes with it.

Oct. 8, 2004 Frontier Conference Notebook
Great Falls Tribune

Oct. 4, 2004 Rocky keeps Lights winless
The Montana State University-Northern football team will have to wait another week to get that elusive first win of the season.True freshman quarterback Vance Vincent tossed a pair of touchdown passes to help lead Rocky Mountain College to a 24-12 win over the Lights Saturday at Herb Klindt Field in Billings.

Oct. 3. 2004 Bears dim Lights 24-12
Billings Gazette Article

Oct. 2, 2004 MSU-N & RMC search for 1st wins
Billings Gazette Preview

Oct. 1, 2004 Northern, Rocky search for elusive first wins
Montana State University-Northern football coach Mark Samson wants more than a moral victory this weekend, he wants a victory that goes down in the win column of the Lights season record.  Samson and the Lights will have a good opportunity for that win when they travel to Billings to face Rocky Mountain College on Saturday at Herb Klindt Field.

Oct. 1, 2004 Frontier Conference Football Notebook
Great Falls Tribune Article

Sept 28, 2004 Sampson receives weekly honor

Sept 27, 2004 Lights' victory hopes sacked by Bulldogs
The Montana State University-Northern football team's scoring drought ended in a big way on Saturday afternoon, unfortunately their winless season did not. The Lights (0-4 overall, 0-3 in conference) saw their hopes for their first win of the season end with seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, as UM-Western corner Ryan Keltz came on a blitz and sacked Northern quarterback Kyle Samson on fourth and goal, to secure a 30-23 win for the 25th-ranked Bulldogs.

Sept 26, 2004 Lights give Bulldogs a scare
MT Standard Article

Sep. 24, 2004 Lights search for win against Bulldogs
Mark Samson and the Montana State University-Northern football team aren't trying to reinvent the wheel, they're just trying to fix it and get it rolling the right direction. That direction would be toward the end zone and that elusive win.

Sept. 20, 2004 Northern miscues lead to third straight loss
It really doesn't matter what team you are, or what team you are playing. If you turn the ball over six times in a football game, a win is almost impossible.  The Montana Tech Orediggers capitalized on six Montana State University-Northern turnovers in a 61-0 drubbing Saturday at rain-drenched Alumni Coliseum in Butte.  "It's like a broken record with us," said head coach Mark Samson. "You can't win a football game when you turn the ball over six times."

Sept 19, 2004 Lights fall at MT Tech
MT Standard Article

Sept 17, 2004 Banged-up Lights travel to Butte to face improved Orediggers
To be fair, no team in NAIA has had a tougher two weeks than the Montana State University-Northern football team.  The Lights are coming off of two weeks in which they faced the No. 5 and No. 1 teams in the nation, resulting in a pair of losses.  Thankfully, this week, Northern's streak of playing teams ranked in the top five, or ranked at all, ends Saturday when they travel to Butte to face Montana Tech at 1 p.m.