Michigan Tech linebacker Owen Watson (8) leaps to celebrate a sack made by defensive lineman Austin Schlicht (9) during a game against South Dakota Mines Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, at Kearly Stadium in Houghton. (David Archambeau/For the Gazette)

HOUGHTON — With their season-opening matchup with No. 16 Bemidji State right around the corner, the Michigan Tech Huskies football program is in the midst of a transition from being a senior-laden squad last season to one with a lot of fresh faces in new roles this season.

“There’s no question,” said head coach Dan Mettlach. “I think you bring up names like (Marc) Sippel, Austin Schlicht, (Hunter) Buechel, Alex Fries, ‘DWill’ (Darius Willis), the list goes on and on of guys that, by the time their careers were over, not only had big roles early in their career, but by the time it was over, that whole group, almost every name we named, was All-Conference, or, Sippel, a year before that, an All-American.

“To be able to lean on that type of not only leadership, but experience on the field, was huge, That’s part of going on to the next year. You always lose bodies. We’re going into a fall where not only are we losing the voices in our locker room, but a huge part of our production on both sides of the football.”

The Huskies got a preview of life without Sippel last season, after he went down with a season-ending injury in the second week of the year. However, defensive coordinator Bryan Thomas liked how his group rallied once the initial shock wore off.

“Obviously, you lose a guy like Sippel, who’s made a million tackles for this program, and the quarterback of the defense for the last three years, it was an adjustment and we saw that,” Thomas said. “The game that he ended up going down, we ended up not playing our best defensively, and we had to rely on a lot of leadership, a lot of senior guys to step up after that.

“I really was encouraged by a couple of the linebackers that ended up stepping in his role. Those linebackers are going to have more of a role this year now, both of them that stepped up. So, hopefully it’s a blessing in disguise. Obviously, you don’t want a person like Sippel or anybody going down, by any means, but those guys getting some live experience, maybe not would not have as much if they did not get it last year.”

The nature of college sports is that you have a player for four to five years, if you are lucky, rather than nine or more at the professional level. That means experience becomes cyclical. While the Huskies graduated nine starters from last season, Thomas believes that it has to be “next man up” this season, right from the first snap.

“The guys right now, they know we can’t take a step back, and we have to replace a lot of guys that played a lot of good football for us,” he said. “But, also, we think we have some talent on the defensive side too. They may have not been starters, but they’ve been learning behind those guys for the last couple years. So, we’re excited. I think the defense is hungry. We do have a couple seniors that we’re going to be led by and everything, but we also have a lot of young guys that haven’t played a lot of meaningful snaps for Michigan Tech.

“I’m excited to kind of see how they’re going to be against Bemidji.”

The new leader of the defense on the field will be senior defensive back Dante Basanese. Basanese led the Huskies in solo tackles (50) and total tackles (84), while also racking up 5.5 tackles for loss and one interception.

“Dante (is a) very gritty, very tough player,” Thomas said. “(A) kid from the U.P. that, bringing him in, we thought he could potentially play and everything. We did not think that he’d develop into the guy that he is today and the leader he is. I think it’s a credit to our coaches in the secondary to make sure he’s coming along. Obviously, he’s a very tough kid.

“We never want our corner being one of the Top 10 tacklers in the league by any means, but if there’s one guy at cornerback in this league that could do it, it’s definitely Dante. So, I’m excited to see how his senior year is going to go. He’s had some really good practices, and he’s really stepped up his practice habits, which I think is going to pay dividends in the long run.”

Two players on the defensive line that Thomas really likes are senior lineman Connor Hindenach and junior tackle Pierce Miller. A third member of the line likely to take a big step is junior Nolan Schopp.

“I think guys that played last year, Connor Hindenach’s played a lot of football for us,” said Thomas. “I think the guy that I’m really looking forward to seeing a person take this step is Pierce Miller. He battled through some ankle injuries last year, probably played half the season, was banged up and everything. He’s had a really good fall camp. Really excited to see what he’s going to be able to do for us at the defensive line.

“Then another guy that was hurt last year, that we thought was going to have a big role, is a guy like Nolan Schopp, who’s going to be a freshman on the field and been in with our program for a couple years.”

Thomas is excited to see Miller put in a full season.

“There’s no doubt in my mind he’s going to put up a full season, until it happens that he doesn’t,” said Thomas. “But, just the way he’s conducting himself in the meeting rooms, and then on the practice field, is different this year. He’s taken on more of a leadership role. Him being in the program more than a year and all that. He understands how we do things, and the culture that’s been set, and just the way he’s conducting himself, is a lot different than him coming in new as it was last year for him.”

With the loss of Sippel and Owen Watson in the middle of the Huskies’ defense, Thomas is looking for more this season from senior linebacker Porter Zeeman and junior linebacker Chase Koch.

“I think the guy that’s played a lot of football for us last year, kind of with Sippel going down, is Porter Zeeman,” Thomas said. “(Zeeman is) a very physical guy, very smart guy. Now he’s taken on more of a role. He used to have a couple plays here and there where he’d lapse with his judgment, and lapse with his technique. I think he’s had a really good fall camp of trying to be a vocal leader out there, too. It doesn’t come naturally to him. But, you talk about his physicalities, people know when he brings it and.

“Another guy, Chase Koch, I think he’s got a chance to be a pretty good player for us, too. Another guy that helped when Sippel went down, and he’s played some meaningful snaps for us. He’s being more vocal out there, and he understands the big picture of what we’re doing defensively.”

Joining Basanese in the secondary, Thomas likes what he is seeing from sophomore defensive back Terrence Martin and redshirt sophomore Jaiden Bolden.

“I think we have a core of young guys,” said Thomas. “We brought in a good freshman class a couple years ago. A guy like Terence Martin, I think is going to be a pretty good corner when it’s all said and done for us. We may rely on him, early on and everything.

“The guy that I really like right now at safety is Jaiden Bolden. Jaiden played in some different packages last year for us. A guy that we converted from corner to safety, played a little nickel for us last year, but kind of going into that full-time role of being a safety. He’s understanding the defense. He’s being the vocal leader out there, making sure all 11 are on the same page.”

Beavers loom

The Huskies open the season on Thursday, Aug. 28, with No. 16 Bemidji State at Kearly Stadium in Houghton. Opening kickoff is set for 6 p.m.