Lights set to play Rocky Mountain in another tough outing

The Montana State University-Northern football team is a young team and it has shown as the Lights are 0-3 to start the year. The road ahead does not get easier as they will have another tough contest with a game against 25th-ranked Rocky Mountain College in Billings on Saturday. While the ride has been tough so far, MSU-N head coach Jerome Souers hopes to see continued improvement this weekend as the Lights try to rebuild their program.

"The primary focus is improvement and we have to continue to improve so we can be competitive and a winning team," Souers said. "We've been doing everything we can, planning to put our best foot forward on Saturday. I love the attitude of this group."

The Battlin' Bears enter the game with a 2-1 record in the Frontier Conference this year. They are coming off a 28-20 victory over Montana Tech in Butte this past weekend. With their win over the Orediggers, the Bears moved into the Top 25 poll in NAIA football.

The Bears have many playmakers that the Lights will need to watch out for. Quarterback Nathan Dick returns for another year to lead the Bears on offense. In three games this season, Dick has completed 54.6 percent of his passes for 591 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions.

Dick has several options to throw to in the passing game. DeNiro Killian Jr. leads the Bears with 170 yards on nine catches this year. Trae Henry's name should be called quite a bit as he has 12 catches for 169 yards this season. In the ground game, the Bears will be led by running back Zaire Wilcox, who has 239 yards and two touchdowns on 4.5 yards a carry this fall.

The RMC defense will also provide challenges to the Lights. Defensive back Brail Lipford leads the Bears with 22 total tackles this season. His teammate in the secondary, Kaysan Barnett, will look to make plays as he is tied for first in the Frontier Conference with two interceptions. With the experience they bring, Souers expects the Bears defense to be a formidable obstacle this weekend.

"They're a more mature team. They've got a lot of experience," Souers said. "Defensively, they've been really solid. They've always been a great attacking defense. A lot of movement and a lot of changes in coverage."

Through three games this fall, the Lights offense is still finding its footing. In the last two games, Brenden Medina and Kaymen Cureton have both gotten significant playing time at quarterback. In his three starts, Medina has completed 49.1 percent of his passes for 227 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions.

Cureton has gotten many snaps over the last two games. So far this year, he has completed 44 percent of his passes for 100 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He has also ran for 44 yards on 20 attempts.

The Lights will need to get both the passing and the running game going this weekend if they want to compete. Mason Dionne leads all rushers with only 54 yards on 31 carries, good for an average of 1.7 yards a touch.

In the passing game, Cannan Smith leads the Lights with 61 receiving yards on five catches. Tight end Levi Keltner has seven catches for 53 yards and the lone offensive touchdown for the Lights this year. But Souers believes the key to their offense this week will be their offensive line, so he hopes to see more growth in that position group.

"We're trying to continue to improve on offense. To take these young, inexperienced offensive linemen and develop a unit," Souers said.

The Lights have already been through much adversity this season. They have lost all three of their games by at least 28 points and have only managed five points a contest. But Souers believes he has seen improvement and he believes that his players have the right attitude as they continue to grow as a team.

"The guys we have, they're giving it their all, keeping a positive attitude and every day coming out and working hard to improve their fundamental skills," Souers said. "I'm proud of the staff for staying positive and the players for maintaining their work ethic."

The MSU-N football team will kick off against RMC this Saturday at 1 p.m. at Herb Klindt Field in Billings.