Lights hit the field Sunday

As of today, the Montana State University-Northern football team has exactly 22 days to prepare for its season-opening game against mighty Carroll College.

The Lights and Saints kick off the 2012 season on Aug. 24 with a night game at Blue Pony Stadium.

So, it's time for the Lights to get ready and the work begins Sunday evening when the 2012 Lights take to the pract

Montana State University-Nrothern's Kyle Johnston (right) runs away from Eastern Oregon defenders during a Frontier Conference football game last fall in Havre. The Lights reoprt to fall camp on Saturday and will hold their first practice of 2012 on Sunday evening.

ice field for the first time. Northern will cram a lot of work into 19 days, which includes 13 practices and two scrimmages, all before Aug. 17. The final week of fall camp, the Lights will prep for the opener against the Saints.

MSU-N returns as many as 15 starters, including all-conference performers as quarterback, running back, wide receiver, tight end, offensive line, linebacker and defensive back, as well as an all-conference kicker. The Lights also return a bevy of young players, some who saw action last year, and some who will be called upon this season. Several highly-touted freshmen and transfers will also add to Northern's depth as the Lights chase a Frontier Conference championship after going 5-5 a year ago and finishing in third place in the Frontier.

All Lights will report to camp on Saturday, then their first practice will be Sunday at 6:30 p.m. On Monday, the Lights go right into two-a-days with a practice at 9:45 a.m. and their first full pads practice at 6:30 p.m. Northern will repeat that schedule on Tuesday and Wednesday, the second Thursday practice will be at 2:30 p.m. That schedule is the same on Friday and the Lights will hold their first fall scrimmage on Saturday, Aug. 11 at 9:45 a.m.

The next week, the Lights will repeat the same schedule and a second scrimmage is slated for 6:15 p.m. on Aug. 16.

Northern and Carroll open the season Aug. 24 at 6:30 p.m. at Blue Pony Stadium in Havre. The Lights then have a bye week before back-to-back road games at Eastern Oregon on Sept. 8 and Dickinson State on Sept. 15. Northern finishes September with home games against UM-Western and Rocky Mountain College, respectively.

Northern also has two home games in October.