Thursday, August 31, 2006
Lights Football ready to shine bright in 2006
George Ferguson
Havre Daily News sports editor
gferguson@havredailynews.com
The end of the 2005 Frontier Conference football season was only nine months ago. But to the Montana State-University-Northern football players, new and old, and its coaching staff, it seems like it was years ago.
That’s because even before the 2005 campaign ended for the Lights in a loss to Montana Tech last November, they knew that 2006 had the potential to truly be the year of the Lights.
Northern went 5-5 last season in head coach Mark Samson’s second year. The .500 record and third-place finish in the final conference standings were both firsts since MSU-N reinstated football almost a decade ago.
And with a host of talented players returning, some exciting recruits and transfers now in a Lights’ uniform, Northern is poised for a run at even bigger and better things.
“We knew that we would have a good chance to do something pretty special this season,” Samson said. “Last year was a great year, and actually we lost a couple of games, that if they had gone our way, we could have realistically been 7-3 and possibly in the playoffs.
“And now we have the most veteran team we have ever had here,” Samson added. “Plus we have a lot of speed and a lot of skilled athletic kids. We are just way farther ahead in all aspects of the program going into a season than we ever have been before.”
And the firsts for MSU-N keep coming. The Lights begin the 2006 season ranked No. 14 in the first NAIA poll of the year. MSU-N hasn’t been ranked in the top 15 ever.
Of course, in order to compete for a conference championship and a coveted NAIA playoff berth, the Lights will have to navigate a difficult schedule that includes a season-opening game at No. 6-ranked Dickinson State University, two games against five-time defending national champion Carroll College and tough road trips to Montana Tech, UM-Western and Eastern Oregon University.
But the Lights may have enough talent, experience and leadership to do just that.
Offensively, the Lights return perhaps the conference’s best player in senior quarterback Kyle Samson. The 5-8 speedy former Helena Capitol star and University of Montana transfer was second in the conference in almost every offensive category last season, and led the league in, and was in the top 10 in the nation in total offense. He will also have the luxury of the return of an all-conference running back in junior Don Saisbury, who is expected to have a big season out of the Lights’ backfield. Tailback Zach Wermers is also back, making the MSU-N backfield extremely formidable.
However,
two areas where MSU-N
is revamped this season is at receiver and on the offensive line.
Northern had to replace its top four receivers from a year ago. The Lights
brought in former
But the Lights suffered a setback as Bodeman is presently ineligible and his status for the season is clouded at this point. To help bolster the receiving corps, former quarterback Jeff Van Nest had been moved to wideout earlier this year, and now with Bodeman out, running back Saxton Shearer will be converted to receiver, and cornerback Jake Eldridge will now play both ways.
“It certainly hurts to have not have Nick Bodeman available to us right now,” Mark Samson said. “But we still have a good group of receivers. Coda is adjusting well and we have a freshman from Cut Bank in Matt Stuart that has really had a great fall camp and will be in the mix for playing time. We would love to have Bodeman out there, but it is a situation where we just have to go on, and I think we’ll be ok. We still have a lot of speed and talent out there.”
The offensive line is another story. In the spring, and even going into fall camp, the O-line was probably the Lights’ biggest concern. However, Samson said that as the opening game approaches, he thinks a solid starting five has emerged. Northern should be very efficient with the road graders up front.
“I think we
are going to be pretty solid up front,” Samson said. “
“And Russ Hilton and Jake Byl have also both emerged and are doing very well,” he added. “Actually, I think we just have a really consistent starting five up there. They are all very mature, and if we had to, we could move them around and they would adjust just fine. Like everyone else I suspect, depth is where the concern is. But I think we are going to be very good up front.”
And for Northern’s offense to run, the offensive line needs to be good. Last year, the Lights were one of the most efficient offenses in the league, and with Kyle Samson behind center, Saisbury in the backfield, and a lot of speed on the outside, the Lights should be even more deadly this year.
“I think the big thing is just the we have matured so much,” Samson said. “Having veteran kids like we do allowed us to put our offense in a lot quicker this year. And these kids have really learned everything we have put in. I think offensively, we are just a lot more prepared at this point than we ever have been. And I think, as long as we stay healthy, we are going to move the football pretty well.”
With MSU-N’s offense poised to be better than the one that averaged nearly 450 yards per game last season, it’s scary to think how good the Lights could actually turn out to be this year.
That’s because as good as their offense is, the Lights defense might be even better.
Northern returns a host of starters and potential all-american candidates on the defensive side of the ball. On the line, the Lights have veterans like Joe Coleman and Andy Leightnam returning as well as a solid linebacking group led by all-conference performers Dilan Saisbury and Kennedy Anderson. Josh Glaun is another all-conference player back for the Lights’ defense.
And the lights get even better in the defensive backfield. Eldridge is a shut down corner who can cover any wide receiver in the conference one-one-one. And junior safety Marc Samson has started every game in his two-year MSU-N career. Both defensive backs could be legitimate all-american candidates this season.
“Again, I think it is the fact that we are so experienced on defense that makes a world of difference,” Mark Samson said. “These guys worked hard all summer even though they were pretty darn good last year. And they came back bigger and stronger than they were before. We have a lot of proven guys on defense. We have a lot of speed and strength too. I just think they are going to be a real salty group this season.”
And the Lights will need their defense to be good in 2006. It’s no secret, with a quarterback like Samson at the helm, that Northern will score points. But with all of the powerful offenses in the Frontier, it is a team’s ability to stop opponents that makes them tough to beat.
And that is
what
If Northern wants a shot to dethrone the Saints, this might be their best opportunity, and coach Samson said his team is well aware of what lies ahead.
“Carroll is still going to be pretty darn good,” Samson said. “But losing as many players and all of that leadership like they did, that is just really hard to replace. Guys like Tyler Emmert and others started for four years and you just can’t replace that kind of leadership and experience.
“Our guys certainly believe that with the team we have, we have a good shot at them,” Samson said. “But they also know we have to go out and play each game and not look ahead. I think that is where our experience and our leadership comes in to play. These guys are going to be prepared for a battle every week, and I know one thing, we are going to play hard every single game.”
With so much hype and high expectations surrounding the Lights’ football program, it might be easy to get caught up in it. Even if you’re the head coach. But Mark Samson said that is where the maturity comes into play, and while his team is excited at the prospect of a historic season in Havre, the Lights know that they are still working their way up the ladder of success.
“I know our goal is to win a conference championship and make the playoffs,” he said. “And I definitely think we have the talent to do those things. But when your building a program you have to take things by steps.
“Last year we took a big step forward, and already this preseason we have continued that step by just being so much farther ahead than we ever have been before,” Samson added. “But all we’re going to do is look at each game and prepare for each opponent and not look ahead. The enthusiasm on this team is at an all-time high, and these guys are ready to play football. Hopefully, we can go out there every week, play well and get some breaks to go our way. If that happens I think we’re going to end up in pretty good shape at the end of the season.”