SVEN ALSKOG
Staff Writer
Throughout the 2013 season for the Idaho State football team, there was a new sense of energy not present in recent years.
In Mike Kramer’s third season at the helm, the 3-9 record that will show up in the record books is not the important factor. Instead, improvement in numerous areas has shed light on what appears to be a bright future under Kramer. With countless freshmen and sophomore starters over the course of the last couple seasons, the youth movement has already surpassed the stage of gaining experience.
Outside of matchups with Division I-A schools in Washington and BYU and a 55-34 loss to third ranked Eastern Washington, the Bengal defense was an area that for the most part kept ISU in games throughout the 2013 campaign. Last season, the Bengals allowed 53.8 points per game to opposing offenses, while this season, the squad dropped that number to 33.2 per contest.
Leading the way for the defense was junior linebacker Mitch Beckstead. Coming off an injury, Beckstead led the Bengals in tackles with 111 and interceptions with three on the season.
Overall, the front seven for ISU was one of the more improved areas for the team led by the emergence of Austin Graves and Tyler Kuder on the defense line, along with Hayden Stout in the linebacking core.
Unfortunately for the Bengals, they will lose linebackers Jake Pele and Trevor Spence as well as defensive backs Tanner Davis, Jon Davidson and Cameron Gupton to graduation. Losing three of four starters in the secondary will create open competition for playing time next season.
Whoever emerges to replace the trio will have a large say in the success of the 2014 Bengals on defense.
Helping the defense to stay off the field for longer stretches this season was the new emphasis on running the football. That transition was led by the success of running back Xavier Finney. The sophomore from Oceanside, Calif., carried the ball 199 times for 915 yards, good for a 4.4 yards-per-carry average. Finney also tallied five touchdowns on the ground, along with one touchdown reception.
In an offense that threw for over 3,500 yards in 2013, having the ability to run the football as well makes the ISU offense that much more effective. Going hand-in-hand with the success of both the running and passing attack is the offensive line. Continuity up-front was a challenge this season. Injuries to multiple linemen at various points forced young players into action early in their college careers. For the most part, the youth movement on the line was a seamless one for the offense.
Junior tackle Nick Beckman was only able to play one game this year due to injury, while fellow lineman Thomas Vazorka underwent surgery on his shoulder recently due to an injury of his own sustained around the middle of the season. Outside of those two, the men who started the last few games will all return, creating a stockpile of experience and talent on the front line for Kramer to have at his disposal.
Along with the men protecting him, quarterback Justin Arias will also return in 2014 after throwing for over 3,500 yards and tossing 24 touchdowns this season.
With Arias having a year of experience as the starter under his belt, a young receiving core that returns everyone outside of Cam Richmond and Luke Austin will return with him, as they hope to build on a promising 2013 campaign. Arias will hope to reduce turnovers after throwing 14 interceptions this season.
Another offseason to build a rapport with his receivers should help to reduce mistakes on the offensive side of the ball.
The result of a largely returning offensive unit could be headaches for opposing Big Sky defensive coordinators.
It will be a tough beginning of the 2014 schedule, with road trips to Utah and Utah State prior to jumping into Big Sky play. Winning on the road will be the difference between a winning record and a disappointing season for the squad. The Bengals have not won on the road since a 41-13 demolishing of Northern Colorado in the 2006 season.
After six wins over the course of the first three seasons of the Mike Kramer era, ISU will look to break over the hump in 2014 and become a force to be reckoned with in the Big Sky.
