Mitch Beckstead was a redshirt freshman on the Bengals football team in 2011, ISU head coach Mike Kramer’s first season. At the time, Beckstead was a tight end and a contributor on special teams. He caught one pass for five yards and Idaho State went 2-9 with an average losing margin of 18 points.
Beckstead moved to linebacker as a sophomore and was part of the worst defense in Idaho State’s history. The Bengals gave up 53.8 points a game and four opponents scored at least 70 points.
As a junior, Beckstead and ISU’s defense took major steps forward, but the Bengals didn’t win much, finishing with a 3-9 record.
Five games into his senior season, Beckstead has accumulated 248 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, four fumble recoveries, three interceptions and a career win-loss record of eight wins and 31 losses.
But if there is a trait Beckstead and ISU’s defense has conveyed over the past few seasons — especially since Spencer Toone and Roger Cooper joined the staff in 2013 as co-defensive coordinators — it’s that they play with phenomenal energy.
“That’s one of the things we want to portray when they flip on the film,” Toone said. “We want to be seen as a great effort team. That personifies what we’re trying to accomplish.”
Beckstead and the Bengals have slogged through some long, losing seasons. It’s a program, though, that believes it’s changing the culture of losing. Soon all the effort will turn into hard-fought victories.
And not the moral kind. Idaho State starting cornerback Brandon Golden is sick of trying to take any positives out of a loss.
“We feel like we don’t accept the moral victory,” Golden said. “We’re really focusing on getting wins. Now that people are upset about the losses they realize our potential. We’re at a really good spot moving forward for the rest of the season.”
Kramer has challenged his team to go undefeated at home this season. Today, they host Simon Fraser at 2:35 p.m.
Beckstead says the Bengals have changed. They’re better and more confident, but they can’t continue to improve without the support of their fans.
In the tight confines of Holt Arena, ISU fans made a difference with crowd noise against Sacramento State, a game the Bengals won 44-24. Beckstead couldn’t hear Sac State quarterback Garrett Safron yell “hut.” When Beckstead turned to call a timeout to a referee just a few feet away, the official didn’t even notice.
“As players, all we can do is go out there and spill our guts every single play and do everything we can. We’re going to do that. I promise you that,” Beckstead said. “But we need the community’s help. We need to fill those stands. And we will do amazing things together as a community if they do that.”