Rematch Time: Lights host Battlin' Bears

When the Montana State University-Northern Lights walked out of Herb Klindt Field after a gut-wrenching 32-25 loss to the Rocky Mountain College Battlin' Bears Sept. 2, there was one silver lining for the Lights. They knew they'd see the Bears again.

Northern twice led Rocky in the final minutes of that season-opener in Billings, before Sam Sparks broke the Lights' hearts with an 86-yard kickoff return for a score that sealed MSU-N's fate.

But thanks to the Frontier Conference' unique schedule, the Lights (0-5, 1-5) get another crack at the Bears (3-2, 3-3), and it comes this Saturday when the two teams meet inside Blue Pony Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.

"They've been excited about this game for a while," Northern head coach Aaron Christensen said. "They knew after that game, that they'd get another chance. Credit Rocky, they did things right at the end of that game, and we didn't. But that's one we felt we should have won, and I think our guys are looking forward to playing them again."

Northern is also looking forward to just being home. The last two weeks combined, the Lights have spent 44 hours on a bus, including a trip to Eastern Oregon, where the Lights fell 41-12 last Saturday, in a game Christensen said was much closer than the score appeared.

"Defensively, I felt like we played a really good game, maybe our best of the season," Christensen said. "We were much closer and stayed in that game well into the fourth quarter, before they kind of pulled away from us. I thought we did a lot of good things defensively in that game, and we need to continue to do that."

The Lights will need to continue to play sound defense against a Rocky team that has certainly been ferocious running the ball. RMC, led by running backs Mason Melby (71 ypg), Jade Olson (30 ypg), Sparks (60 ypg) and quarterback Jacob Bakken (52 ypg) are averaging 219 yards rushing, which is third-best in the Frontier. And while the Lights have struggled against the run this season, Northern, led by the linebacker group of Garet Fowler, Alec Wagner, Steven Fernandez and Chinook's Jake Norby, is gaining confidence as a whole. Fowler has 61 tackles, three tackles for loss and two interceptions in a stellar senior season, while Fernandez, Wagner and Norby have combined for 106 more stops.

"Those guys are all playing really well," Christensen said of the linebackers. "But with Rocky, the first thing that jumps out at you is you have to contain the running game. They are a big, physical team, with a great offensive line. And they've pretty much run the ball really well on every team they've played. They're going to come in here and pound the ball right at us, and they've had a lot of success doing that this season. So that's going to be a big key for our defense."

The running game has certainly helped the Bears, of head coach Jason Petrino. Rocky averages 31 points per game, which is third in the Frontier, and if not for a close call against Montana Tech and a season-opening loss at Dickinson State, the Bears would be knocking on the door of being a true Frontier title contender right now.

And while RMC's running attack will challenge Northern's defense, the Bears' defense will put similar pressure on the Lights' offense. Rocky is allowing just 24 points per game, and the Bears are especially good against the run, allowing just 133 yards per outing. With a stout linebacker group itself, led by Billy Williams, Ryder Rice and Chase Bertelsen, the Bears are stingy and physical.

"Defensively, Rocky is quick and physical," Christensen said. "But no matter what type of defense we're up against, the issue for us is consistency. We have to stop shooting ourselves in the foot offensively. That's something I feel has really held us back. We just have to be more consistent."

Indeed. Northern is last in the Frontier in turnover margin. The Lights have been opportunistic on defense, creating eight turnovers, but they've given the ball away 17 times. And that has held back what has otherwise been an explosive Northern offense, led by junior QB Tommy Wilson, who has thrown for 1,193 yards and seven touchdowns this season. Thanks to an outstanding group of receivers, led by Marvin Williams' 306 yards on 23 catches, as well as Caymus Thomas, Seth Roemmele and Sam Mix, along with tight end Kagen Khameneh, the Lights have been explosive in the passing game. Northern's run game has also started to emerge with Trey Blanchard and B.J. Peters, and that's why the Lights are fourth in the Frontier in total offense, averaging nearly 400 yards per game.

In other words, if the Lights don't stop themselves offensively, they're hard to stop.

"It's the little things, the details," Christensen said. "Those things we have to keep improving on because, you've seen, when we eliminate those mistakes we have moved the ball really well and have been pretty dynamic on offense. Hopefully, we'll be able to do that Saturday."

Of course, the Battlin' Bears will have something to say about that. A straight-forward rushing attack and a defense that has held even the top teams in the Frontier down this season is a recipe for success. Rocky is a team that certainly is threatening the top half of the Frontier right now, and while Christensen knows his Lights will have their hands full Saturday, he also believes they're up to the challenge.

"I think Rocky has gotten better and better every week," Christensen said. "They're playing really good football in all phases right now. But our guys are excited to get out there and play them again. They're excited to be back home and playing in our stadium. They're fired up for this game, and I expect us to come out and play very well."

Saturday's Frontier Conference rematch between Northern and Rocky kicks off at 1 p.m. inside Blue Pony Stadium. Northern is right back on the road next week with a trip to Montana Tech.

Back Home

MSU-Northern Lights (0-5, 1-5) vs Rocky Mountain Battlin' Bears (3-2, 3-3)

Saturday, 1 p.m.

at Blue Pony Stadium

Streaming: http://www.msun.edu/athletics

Radio: 92.5 KPQX FM

Twitter: Twitter/Havredaily