Lights football making strides
Havre
Daily News Sports Editor
The Montana State University-Northern
football team would love to start the 2005 season off the way 2004 ended with
a win. That would make it two wins in a row and a small winning streak,
something that hasnıt happened often in the Lights program since its
reinstatement in 1993.
A year ago under first-year head coach
With a host of returnees and several
talented newcomers, Samson hopes that this year his team wonıt wait until the
end of the season to get its first win. Instead, he would like to take care of
that early, when the Lights open the season at home on Sept. 4 against
After the two weeks of fall practice, Samson
believes his team is much further ahead than a year ago at this time. With only
minimal losses to the depth chart, the players have a much better feel for the
system and Samsonıs staff.
³There are some kids that really improved as
football players over the year,² he said. ³I think
overall we are a much better football team than we were a year ago, and we
should be because what we were a year ago wasnıt anything to write home about.²
Besides the 1-10 record, Northern was fourth
in the Frontier in scoring, averaging just 11 points per game, while averaging
just 304 yards of total offense. However, the Lights really got beat up on
defensive. With a first unit consisting of several freshmen, the Lights defense
surrendered a conference-worst 35 points per game, while yielding 385 yards of
total offense to opponents.
It is the defense that has turned heads this
fall. The revamped unit looks much faster, stronger and deeper than a year ago.
³Defensively, I just believe we are a better
team,² Samson said. ³We have much better speed and
quickness and weıre running to the ball.²
With a few position moves among starters, a
few key new players and just overall better understanding of the defense, the
Northern defense looks miles ahead of where it was at the end of last yearıs season.
Leading the way is middle linebacker Kennedy
Anderson. The former
³Kennedy just looks so much more confident
and comfortable out there than a year ago,² Samson
said. ³Heıs played really well.²
Joining
³Dilan has played close to the line of
scrimmage all of his career,² Samson said. ³We started
him at safety and he never felt comfortable back there. He came back 15 pounds
stronger and has just played well.²
But it is the depth that makes the linebacking unit even stronger, with returnees Keith Springer
and Steve Beaty and newcomers Cory Sitch and Sterling Shearer all playing well.
³We just have some better players at that
position this year,² Samson said. ³Weıre going to be
moving them all over the field, slanting, stunting and trying to create
confusion.²
Itıs a necessary ploy considering that
Northernıs biggest question mark defensively is its defensive line. The Lightsı
defense linemen wonıt ever be considered the biggest players in the league.
³We are not very big, but, you know,
The unit does have some experience with
tackles Andrew Leichtnam, Lee Dresch,
Mike Tryon and Joe Coleman returning. Josh Glahn has
played well from his defensive end position, but touted recruit Mason Ophus
suffered a knee injury early in practice and wonıt be back until this week. The
defensive line should be bolstered with the addition of all-conference player Joe
Tusick, who slides down from his position at
linebacker.
³I donıt know how happy he was with the
change, but he has been playing pretty darn good there,²
Samson said.
Perhaps the strongest unit on the defense
will be the secondary, which returns three starters from last season.
Cornerbacks Jake Eldredge and Kyle Elliott are back,
along with all-conference free safety Marc Samson. They will be joined by
touted recruits Kelly McBryan and Khalin
Anderson. McBryan made Saisburyıs move to linebacker
much easier, while Anderson, the younger brother of Kennedy Anderson, is
expected to see playing time as a true freshman.
³I think weıve got so much more depth in the
secondary,² Samson said. ³Weıd like to find a third
safety is our only concern.²
While the Lights defense was maligned at
times a year ago, the Lights offense looks to add a little more variety to a
scheme that relied heavily on one person. Last year, it seemed that for
Northern to move the ball consistently, the responsibility would fall directly
on the shoulders of quarterback Kyle Samson.
He responded by finishing second in the
conference in total offense at 214 yards per game, 71 of those average yards
coming on the ground. He earned second-team all-conference honors.
Samson had offseason
shoulder surgery on a torn labrum. But there appear to be no lingering effects.
³His shoulder is stronger than it has ever
been,² Coach Samson said. ³He had hurt it a couple
other times with some separations. So besides repairing the labrum, they also
tightened it up a little bit. I think heıs throwing the ball as hard as he ever
did.²
With largely unproven backups behind him,
Coach Samson canıt afford for Kyle to get hurt again, even if it means dialing
back his fearless attitude.
³As a running quarterback, heıs as good of a
threat as there has been in this league in a long time,²
Samson said. ³I canıt take it away from him because every time he has the ball
in his hands he can do something with it.
But he has to learn that sometimes a 20-yard
run doesnıt need to be a 50-yard run and get out of bounds. Teams arenıt stupid. They know if they put him out of the
game, it really cripples us offensively.²
One area where Coach Samson wants his son to
improve is in the passing department. A year ago the Lightsı passing offense
was second to last in the conference at 147 yards per game. Northern simply
lacked big play potential through the air. Without a legitimate speed threat on
the outside, receivers Nick Arnold, Dan Wirtzberger
and Clint Herrera found themselves draped with defenders on shorter routes.
³Nick, Danny and Clint are possession-type
receivers that can catch the ball,² Samson said.
³Weıve really worked with them on getting yards after the catch.²
To help find some big play potential, Samson
will have Eldredge and Marc Samson each play about 25
plays on offense a game.
³If you get those two the ball at least four
times a game, somethingıs going to happen,² he said.
³And it takes so much pressure off of our other receivers just having them out
there.²
Samson unveiled a no-back formation,
featuring Samson, Eldredge, Wirtzberger,
Saisbury made some
big plays coming out of the backfield and catching the ball downfield last
year.
³Donny isnıt the fastest running back in the
league, but he runs good routes and catches the ball, which makes him dangerous,² Samson said. ³We need our running backs to be able to
catch the ball out of the backfield this year.²
Joining Saisbury
is talented redshirt Saxton Shearer and
³Saxton is going to be used all over and Wermers is a strong kid that we can use at fullback as well,² Samson said.
³Teams are going to target Kyle to stop him. We can do something schemewise to stop that, but we need to have people step up
and make plays.²
While Northernıs ground game was third in
the conference in rushing at 156 yard per game, much of that yardage was done
outside the tackles on options. Samson would like to see some yardage gained in
between the tackles, especially in short yardage situations. Northernıs
offensive line lost all-conference tackle Garrett Kirpach,
but returns Levi and Cody Wesche,
³Theyıre getting better,²
Coach Samson said. ³We were trying to develop more of a mental toughness up
front. I think theyıre starting to make some strides. Theyıre very smart kids,
know what to do, but need to take that knowledge and put it on the field.²
Coach Samson isnıt allowing any of them to
take their positions for granted. There is competition at every position on the
offensive line.
³We want to get the same unit for every
week, but Iıve got to find five guys that can show me some mental toughness,² Coach Samson said. ³I think weıre plenty big enough.
One of the biggest problems the Lights had
last year was in the kicking game and it may continue
this year. Northern signed two kickers in the spring. CMRıs Luke McKinley was
all-state in Class AA, but failed to gain eligibility this fall. The other
kicker, from
The Lights auditioned for kickers and found
one in receiver Chaz Kountz.
³He can make an extra point and he really
isnıt bad,² Samson said. ³He can probably make a
35-yard field goal. The big thing will be getting him some repetitions in
practice.²
With all that depth and the talented newcomers,
the optimism is high in the program. How high Samson isnıt
about to say.
³I think weıre doing in the right direction,² Samson said. ³We are a much better team than a year ago.
But where that leaves us in the conference I donıt know. There are some good
teams in this league, including the defending national champs. But I really
believe we are going to be competitive and win some games this year.²