MSU-Northern football schedule announced

This upcoming season for the Montana State University-Northern football team will begin the Jerome Souers era for the program. Under the new head coach, the Lights will be looking to begin the transition into a competitive program in the Frontier Conference. Now the Lights have a clear path this fall as their 2022 schedule has been released.

The Lights begin the season Aug. 27 on the road in Caldwell, Idaho, to face the College of Idaho. The Coyotes finished tied for first atop the conference standings as they went 7-3 in conference play.

The Lights and Yotes played each other in the season opener last season at Tilleman Field. While the Lights played competitively the first three quarters, the Yotes pulled away in the fourth quarter to win 42-14.

The Lights will then hold their home opener at Tilleman Field against Southern Oregon University Sept. 3. The Raiders had a tough season last year as they went 3-7 to finish second to last in the conference. But one of the bright spots for them last year came in a 42-7 win over MSU-N at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon.

The Lights then head north of the border to Burnaby, British Columbia, to face Simon Fraser University in a non-conference game Sept. 10. The SFU football team went 1-7 last year but their lone win was a 30-3 upset over the Lights at Tilleman Field.

MSU-N will return home for a conference game against Montana Western Sept. 17. The Bulldogs were one of the better teams in the Frontier last year as they went 7-3 in conference play and 8-4 overall. They even qualified for the postseason where they lost, 48-21, to No. 1 seed Lindsey Wilson in the opening round.

The Bulldogs and Lights faced each other twice last season and will do so again this year. At Tilleman Field last year, the Bulldogs got the better of the Lights with a 63-7 victory.

The Lights will then begin their season series against Rocky Mountain College in Billings Sept. 24. The Battlin' Bears are another tough team that the Lights will face as RMC went 7-3 last year to finish tied atop the conference standings. The Lights tend to play the Bears competitively but in Billings last season, the Bears won 19-7.

MSU-N continues its road trip Oct. 1 with a game in Butte against Montana Tech. The Orediggers were in the middle of the conference last year with a 5-5 conference record. But in the season finale last year in Butte, the Orediggers ended 2021 strong with a 41-0 win over the Lights.

The Lights then return to Tilleman Field to face Carroll College Oct. 8. The Fighting Saints are coming off a solid year where they went 6-4. In Helena last season, Carroll defeated MSU-N 34-0.

After their bye week, the Lights head to La Grande, Oregon, to face Eastern Oregon University Oct. 22. The Mountaineers finished fifth in the conference with a 4-6 record. The game will be a rematch of an exciting game last year that resulted in the Lights' lone win of the year and their first conference victory since 2016. Last October, the Lights and Mountaineers went back and forth until the Lights made a defensive stand to win 22-20 after five overtimes.

The Lights will then end the year with three games against teams they would have faced earlier in the year. On Oct. 29, the Lights will face Western in Dillon. In last year's game in Dillon, the Lights played competitively but lost 42-28.

The Lights will then end the season with two home games. On Nov. 5, the Lights will host RMC. In last year's version of this game, the Lights had a late lead but the Bears drove down the field for a touchdown in the closing minutes to win 31-28.

MSU-N's 2022 season will close with a home game against Tech Nov. 12. When the Lights and Orediggers faced off at Tilleman Field last year, the Lights struggled on offense as Tech pulled out the 23-13 win.

The Lights went 1-10 last year to finish last in the Frontier Conference. While Souers has proved himself at Northern Arizona University, the Lights have a tough road ahead of them as they try to compete in the Frontier Conference.

The Lights kick off the season against College of Idaho in Caldwell, Idaho, Aug. 27 at 1 p.m.

MSU-N Football Schedule

Aug. 27: MSU-N @ College of Idaho

Sept. 3: MSU-N vs. Southern Oregon

Sept. 10: MSU-N @ Simon Fraser University

Sept. 17: MSU-N vs. Montana Western

Sept. 24: MSU-N @ Rocky Mountain College

Oct. 1: MSU-N @ Montana Tech

Oct. 8: MSU-N vs. Carroll College

Oct. 22: MSU-N @ Eastern Oregon

Oct. 29: MSU-N @ Montana Western

Nov. 5: MSU-N vs. Rocky Mountain College

Nov. 12: MSU-N vs. Montana Tech