Bemidji State Football Looks to Bounce Back Against SMSU | Lakeland News
Watch on YouTubeVideo summary
Bemidji State University's football team faced a challenging start to their season, falling just two points short of mounting a fourth-quarter comeback against Michigan Tech in their opening game. Head coach Brent Bolte noted that early mistakes, largely attributed to first-game jitters, allowed the opposition to build an insurmountable seventeen-point lead. However, Bolte expressed confidence that once the team settled into a rhythm, they played a much cleaner game and are now looking to apply those lessons against their next opponent.
This week, the Beavers will host Southwest Minnesota State in the first round of NSIC play, a matchup where Bemidji State cannot afford to be complacent despite not having lost to the Broncos in over a decade. Coach Bolte emphasized that while he is proud of his team's effort last week, they must perform better against an opponent that has already proven they can win. Southwest Minnesota State enters the game with a tempo-based offense and a 3-4 defensive base that relies heavily on blitzing, presenting a different style of play that requires careful preparation and execution from Bemidji State's defense.
The Beavers aim to clean up their errors by staying focused on every single play and executing their assignments perfectly throughout the game. They plan to counter Southwest Minnesota State's offensive strategy by running the ball heavily against them while looking for opportunities to pass when possible. The upcoming contest kicks off tomorrow at 3:00 p.m., marking a slight change from the team's usual 1:00 p.m. start time, and will feature highlights available after the game concludes.
Ultimately, the focus for Bemidji State is on bringing the intensity and discipline learned from their recent experience into practice and applying it immediately to this new challenge. The coaching staff stresses that every player must do their job at all times to avoid the pitfalls of last week's opener. With a well-coached opponent ready to compete, the team looks to bounce back from their season-opening stumble and secure a victory in front of their home crowd.
Read the full video transcript
Well, BSU football fell two points shy
of a fourth quarter comeback in their
season opener against Michigan Tech. Of
course, one could say there'd be no need
for a comeback if you take care of
business in the first three quarters,
but some early game mistakes put the
Beavers in a 17-point hole they could
not overcome. Head coach Brent Bolte
attributed some of those mistakes to
first game jitters and said that after
they took a breath, he thought they
played a much cleaner game. This week,
Bemidji State opens NSIC play hosting
Southwest Minnesota State, a team they
aren't overlooking despite not having
lost the Broncos in over a decade.
>> Well, they're one and oh, and we're oh
and one, so that's the biggest part to
our guys to go out and perform better
than we did last week. You know, proud
of their effort last week,
but obviously Southwest is going to they
found a way to win.
They are definitely going to be a
tempo-based offense, so create some
challenges. A little bit different
defensively, they're a 3-4 base and be a
little bit more blitz-oriented, so a
little bit different. So,
they yeah, they're well-coached and
they're going to come in here and
compete and think they can win the game.
We can't take this team lightly. They
show a lot of like light box
boxes, so just running the ball heavy on
them and
pass them when we can.
>> We just got to clean up a few things,
just stay dialed in every play and just
execute our jobs and then just bring
that into practice and
just do your job at all all the time.
>> SMSU beat Valley City State 10-7 in
their season opener, a game where they
averaged nearly five yards a play but
were penalized eight times for 70 yards
and they were only two for five in the
red zone. You can see how Bemidji State
stacks up on their end. Game
>> kicks off tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. and
we'll have the highlights for you.
>> All right, 3:00 p.m. kickoff, huh?
>> Yeah, a little different. Normally they
do a 1:00, but for whatever, 3:00 p.m.
this time.
>> All right. Thanks, Charlie.
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