Northern Notebook: Northern receivers light it up

The Montana State University-Northern football team didn't come away with a win Saturday night at Blue Pony Stadium against Eastern Oregon, but there were still some positive signs of improvement for the Lights.

One of the biggest came with the offense. Despite the fact that Northern lost the game by 34 points, the Lights put together their best offensive performance since the season-opening win over Mayville State. In the last four games against Frontier Conference opponents, leading up to Eastern Oregon, the Lights had scored just a total of 33 points and were held to less than 10 points in three of their last four games. That changed Saturday night when the Lights scored 10 points in the first 16:09 of the game. MSU-N then added two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to finish with 360 total yards and 24 points.

If Northern had taken advantage of a first-and-goal opportunity in the first quarter, it would have added to the point total and possibly made a difference in the final outcome.

"We started fast and that's something that we talk about every day," Wilson said. "We would have loved to get seven on the board but we got that field goal. We got the 10-7 lead and we just need to continue that from here on out."

Wilson's big night

There were a few different reasons for the success of the Lights offense Saturday, but Wilson was probably the biggest. The senior starting quarterback put together a gutsy effort for the Lights and when it was all said and done, he finished with 345 total yards and three touchdowns.

Wilson did throw an interception in the third quarter and was sacked three times but he completed 61 percent of his passes and averaged 7.8 yards per attempt. As a runner, he was also productive, carrying the ball a total of 16 times for 62 yards. He also managed a touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Yet, if you take away the 19 yards he lost on sacks, Wilson would have gained 81 yards on 15 attempts, including a long of 16.

"Tommy is not afraid to run the ball and play physical," Northern head coach Andrew Rolin said. "I think these guys rally around him. He wants to win as badly as I do, and I can't say enough about him."

Even though some of the points came in the fourth quarter for the Lights, Wilson made big plays throughout the game, completing passes of 20 yards or more to three different receivers, including three such plays in the first quarter, as he connected with Keagan Stroop for 29, Seth Roemmele for 21 and Marvin Williams for 46.

Lights have depth at wide receiver

While Wilson was certainly a bright spot for Northern in the loss to the Mountaineers, another was the play of the wide receivers. Bumgardner put together a solid game for the Lights, as he caught four passes for 71 yards, including a 26-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter.

"Bryce has really stepped up for us," Rolin said. "He's emerging as our top receiver right now, there is no doubt about it, he can make plays."

Matching Bumgardner's total in yards and receptions was Stroop, a freshman, who caught two passes for 40 yards on the Lights first touchdown drive. Rolin also dialed up a wide-receiver pass for the old quarterback from Belt.

"Keagan Stroop has really been a pleasant surprise," Rolin said. "He just works hard and does everything that you ask him to do, and that's why he's a good football player."

On top of Stroop and Bumgardner, Williams also had a solid night with five receptions for 69 yards. Sam Mix and Jared Eisenbarth also caught two passes in the game, in addition to one catch for 21 yards for Roemmele. In all, the MSU-N wide receivers accounted for 16 receptions, 250 yards and a touchdown.

"The guys were out there making plays for me," Wilson said. "We have a great group of receivers and tonight, they just did an excellent job and that's all I can ask as a quarterback."