POCATELLO — Idaho State’s first practice pulsed with enthusiasm and roared with spirit. Football season. Time to get it on.
Freshmen got their first taste of Division I college football, veterans were back on the field after a long offseason and coaches yelped, hollered and screamed during drills.
Idaho State, ranked No. 24 in the preseason FCS coaches poll, enters the season as Big Sky Conference title contenders and anything seemed possible Wednesday during the opening practice of the fall.
But head coach Mike Kramer had a message for anyone caught up in rankings or preseason All-American lists.
“We have not hung a banner as a championship, and we haven’t gotten a ring as a conference champion,” Kramer said. “So all that other stuff is great. It’s good for our program. It’s good window dressing. But the substance of this football program is still yet to be decided because we have not found a way to make those eight points that deterred us from the Big Sky Conference title last season.”
Kramer likes bringing up the fact that ISU’s two conference losses last season were by a combined eight points. Eastern Washington knocked off ISU 56-53, and Montana State escaped the Bengals in a thrilling 44-39 victory.
This season is about finding a way to win those contests — games against ranked opponents when the difference is one or two plays.
And there are two factors that will go a long way toward determining ISU’s success. The first is junior Michael Sanders. Kramer tabbed him as his starting quarterback in the offseason — weeks before he had even seen the Phoenix native throw a pass in a Bengals uniform.
Factor No. 2: Idaho State’s defense. ISU signed a bevy of freshmen and junior college transfers in the offseason with the intent and purpose to bolster a defensive unit that has shown signs of improvement the past three years, but still hasn’t come close to playing well enough.
“I want to see great communication by our defense,” Kramer said. “I want to see a veteran defense line up, adjust, make plays and be awe-inspiring like we were in parts of the spring.”
Kramer wants players like senior Tyler Kuder raise their level of play and production to the point that ISU’s defense is as feared as the Bengals offense. Kuder acknowledged Idaho State’s defense has been like the “red-headed stepchild” in the past. But not this year.
“We’re feeling pretty confident that we’re just going to come in and stick it to teams,” Kuder said.
Of course, it’s early. There’s a lot of work for the Bengals to accomplish in the next few weeks before hosting Black Hills State on Sept. 5 in their season opener.
But go to an ISU practice and listen to bellowing coaches and players, absorb the excitement of a new season, soak in the energy, and the future seems limitless.
“Physically, we’re as good as we’ve ever been, which means now as a coaching staff we have to be able to manage that physicality to the point where success is just going to come,” Kramer said. “I love our chances. I just hope the coaching staff doesn’t screw it up.”