Three days into fall camp, head coach Mike Kramer is figuring out exactly what he has on the football field.

    With a host of newcomers — true freshmen and transfers — plus a number of players that carry various amounts of experience, you never know who’s going to stand out or take a step back. And during Wednesday’s practice, Kramer said the running back duo of Aaron Prier and Xavier Finney were two of the top performers.

    “(They) showed that they’re second year and third-year guys, respectively,” he said. “They have some giddy-up-and-go and have a sense of running downhill. We haven’t talked much about our running game, but those guys really showed today that they’re going to have a good season.”

    Kramer is pleased with the progress of his tailbacks and hopes they can become a crucial part of the offense during the 2013 season.

    “We want to be, not more balanced, but more dangerous,” he said. “To get that done, those guys have to be more effective when their number gets called.”

    As for what he didn’t like about Wednesday’s session, Kramer didn’t point the finger at individuals. Instead he pinpointed the prolonged fitness of the team.

    “After about an hour we started lagging a little bit just because a lot of guys have not been with us for two-a-days, and they’re not sure of how much energy to expend all the time, especially on defense.

    “A new defensive staff is going to require maybe more effort than the previous staff did. The defense got a little tired partway through and ended on a lull.”

    Not that it was a bad thing.

    “I think the main thing is, defensively, you just put your feet on the gas and just go until your car runs out of gas,” Kramer said. “And I don’t think our guys are able to handle that threshold yet.”

    And when it comes to the defense, Kramer can’t seem to stay away. He said he keeps his eye on what happens with that side of the ball. He likes what he sees.

    “Spencer (Toone) and Roger (Cooper) are doing a wonderful job,” he said.

    But, for the first time in his tenure at Idaho State, Kramer is comfortable.

    “I’m in familiar territory. I’m more so this than just running the defense,” he said. “I feel very comfortable. It’s exciting for me to watch a lot of the offense.”

    The Bengals continue practice outside today at 2:30 p.m. It is closed to the public.

    Notes: Kramer likes what he has seen from true freshman Cristian Morris, a slot receiver from Sherwood, Ore. On Morris, he said “he’s also a tiger in terms of learning the offense and getting ready to go.” Kramer also mentioned all three of his quarterbacks have been outstanding so far — Justin Arias, Riley Sessions and James Delacenserie. “Justin Arias is got to be engine that drives this whole ship. He had the kind of day that means we’re going to be pretty darn good again on offense,” he said.