Lights have one last chance to get win in final game
of the season
By Ryan Divish/Havre
Daily News Sports Editor/rdivish@havredailynews.com
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
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.
"Honestly, I've never been in this situation going into the last game
of the season," he said. "But I really don't have any complaints. The
kids are still working hard. They really want to get that first win."
Still, even with Rocky 1-10 on the season and decimated by injuries, there
is no guarantee that the Lights are assured of a win.
"I know the kids have really looked at this game as an opportunity to
get a win," Samson said. "But Rocky isn't going to simply give it to
us. They are going to be very motivated because they don't want to lose it to
us. They made a big deal about being picked to finish last in the conference
and proving people wrong."
A win over Northern (0-10 overall, 0-9 in conference) would guarantee the
Bears wouldn't finish in the cellar. They already own a 24-12 win over the
Lights on Oct. 2 in
However, the win was far from dominant. Rocky hit on about three or four big
plays and Northern committed some costly turnovers in the loss. The Lights
actually outgained Rocky in total yards.
"Two of their three touchdowns came on big plays and the other came after
we gave them a short field after failing to convert on fourth down,"
Samson said. "Other than those instances, they really didn't do anything
substantial against us."
Indeed, Rocky is last in just about every single offensive team category in
the Frontier Conference. The Bears are last in scoring average (7.9 points per
game), total offense (209.3 yards per game), rushing (103.9 yards per game),
passing offense (105.4 yards per game) and passing efficiency (70.3). In their
last four games, the Bears have scored a total of seven points and committed
over 15 turnovers including nine against
"They haven't done a whole lot offensively in their last few
games," Samson said. "They really have been beaten up by
injuries."
The Bears will be without fullback and leading rusher Clint Franklin and
have been reduced to having just one healthy running back, Justin Venn, in the
backfield. Rocky also has been hurt on the offensive line and was forced to
move a tight end to fill in at tackle.
Still, Rocky does have a few weapons. True freshman quarterback Vance
Vincent has shown signs of potential, while senior wide receiver Jon Owen of
Geraldine is solid.
Defense has been Rocky's strength for most of the
season. The Bears rank third in team defense, allowing 370 yards and 30 points
per game. That average has risen steadily in the past four games.
Still, Rocky has six seniors on its defense, giving the Bears a little more
experience
Senior safety Eric Reis leads the conference in tackles with 120, including
51 solo tackles. Fellow senior Justin Helvik has 83
tackles on the season, while Jesse Daniels has five sacks on the season.
Reis and junior cornerback Chris Colvin, a former Grizzly corner, have three
interceptions each on the season.
"Reis is a very good player and Colvin is
tough," Samson said. "They make plays for them."
But things have been rough lately, as the Rocky defense has given up 147
points in the last four games.
"I honestly think we are playing a little better than they have been
lately," Samson said.
To be fair, the Lights have played pretty well in recent weeks, showing long
stretches of solid play. They just haven't put together four good quarters of
football
"We need to be more consistent than we've been," Samson said
"We did some things in the option game and had some success running the
ball against them in the first game."
What hurt Northern was Rocky's myriad of blitz and
stunt packages that never allowed the Lights' offense to get into a rhythm.
"They stunted the hell out of us," Samson said. "They brought
a blitz or twist on almost every play. The last time we had trouble picking
them up. But if we can pick them up, it leaves us with some mismatches in the
secondary"
Northern desperately needs some big plays to compliment quarterback Kyle
Samson and running back Don Saisbury. Receivers Nick
Arnold, Dan Wirtzberger, Clint Herrera and Todd
Nelson have played well of late, and need to against Rocky.
"We have to find a way to break a few big plays," Samson said.
"It would really open things up for us."
Samson is looking for anything to get his team to change its run of luck. He
hopes the evening game will provide a change for the positive. Northern was
originally scheduled to play on Saturday but moved the game up because of the
Havre High-Libby Class A semifinal football game.
"The kids are excited about playing a night game," he said.
"A lot of them played on Friday nights in high school. Maybe the change
will be good."
But Samson knows it will take more than playing under the lights, to help
the Lights.
"It's a good opportunity for us," he said. "I really believe
the kids are excited to play. They still want to win. This will be our last
chance this season and I think they understand that and are going to come ready
to play."
Northern and Rocky will kick off at