George Ferguson Column: It's only a matter of time before the Lights break through

Southern Oregon head coach Craig Howard said it, Montana State University-Northern safety Hunter Chandler said it too following the Lights’ 45-24 loss to the nationally-ranked Raiders Saturday at chilly, rainy Blue Pony Stadium.

And I know it, and I hope the rest of the Lights, and their fans know it too.

What I know, what Howard knows first-hand and what Chandler knows shouldn’t be a secret. But the fact is, the Lights are a hell of a lot better than their record indicates. And if any of them need proof, all they need to to do is go back and watch how well they played in the first half of Saturday’s game against the ultra-talented Raiders.

“We have pretty good players overall on this team,” Chandler, who had a team-high nine tackles said. “I don’t think I’ve ever been on any team that’s 1-4 as good as this one. We are a really good football team, we have a lot of really good football players. We just have to find a way to win some of these games.”

I couldn’t agree with Chandler’s assessment more, or Howard’s, who said Saturday, “That’s a team that’s a heck of a lot better than a 1-4 record, I promise you.”

I mean, just look at what the Lights have and what they’re doing with all of the talent. Northern came into Saturday second in total offense in the Frontier Conference, and the Lights piled up nearly 500 yards more of it against SOU. The Lights are tops in the Frontier in total defense and first against the pass and second against the rush. Those numbers might flip after Saturday’s game against pass-happy SOU, but it’s still very good.

Individually, the Lights, who really weren’t on anybody’s radar to start the season, have had stars emerging from all over the field. Zach McKinley is turning out to be simply the best running back in the Frontier and he’s just a sophomore. Trevor Baum has yet to be stopped at wide receiver, and I don’t think any defense will be able to the rest of the season. Jake Messerly oozes talent and athleticism, and he, too, is just a sophomore.

And the list goes on.

Tyler Craig is becoming, if he isn’t already, the best defensive end in the conference, and maybe one of the best in the NAIA, and he proved that Saturday. With Will DeVos and Patrick Barnett next to him, Northern’s defensive line is arguably as good as anybody’s in the league. Senior quarterback Travis Dean is playing the best football of his life right now, and has been an absolute warrior this season. And Northern’s offensive line has at least three All-Conference-worthy players on it right now. That line is that good.

Jordan Rueschhoff is having an excellent season kicking, and I could go on and on about all the talent the Lights have. No, make no mistake, this team is loaded, and it has so much potential, you can just see it when the Lights play like they played for much of Saturday’s game, against perhaps one of the most talent-ladened teams in the country.

Now, I’m well aware of what matters most in college football. The fact that wins are the only standard by which all college football teams, whether your Northern or Florida State, are measured by. And the Lights haven’t gotten those this season. Yes, I fully understand that.

Chandler said after the game, he’s not big on moral victories, and I doubt anyone else on the Lights’ roster is either. I know Northern head coach Jake Eldridge isn’t big on them either, and that’s why he’ll continue to work so hard with this current Lights’ team, because he, like I do, believes in them. I believe this Lights’ team can win now, not later. I believe this Lights’ team can beat very good teams like Southern Oregon and Carroll.

And I hope they believe it too, because in my eyes, and a lot of others, people who know a lot more about football than I do, it’s true, the Lights are that good.

I saw all I needed to see on Saturday. I saw Northern’s offense, with the likes of McKinley, Baum, Dean and Messerly, racing up and down the field against a fast and talented defense. I saw a Northern defense laying bone-crunching hits on SOU receivers, running backs and even on star QB Austin Dodge. I saw talented kicking from Rueschhoff and talented kickoff returns, good blocking, good tackling and plenty of flashes of what a really good football team looks like. And I saw a coaching staff take risks and chances, showing how much they believe in their players, and the team as a whole.

I know, I know, all of that which I saw on Saturday didn’t amount to win. But I still saw what I saw. Northern is a very good football team. The Lights play hard, they are committed and dedicated and they aren’t at all OK with losing. They are aggressive and hungry and they have great spirit and character. I’ve seen all that with my own eyes.

And you know what? When a team has all those things, and has as many good players as the Lights do, sooner or later, that team is going to break through. And when it comes to these Lights, my money is on sooner.