Michigan Tech running back Kolby Hindenach turns upfield with the ball during a game last season against South Dakota Mines on Thursday, Sept. 6, 2024, at Kearly Stadium in Houghton. (David Archambeau/For the Gazette)

HOUGHTON — With the start of the college football season just two weeks away, Michigan Tech Huskies coach Dan Mettlach has a challenge in front of him this season that he has not had in a few years, getting offense out of a group that does not feature a senior quarterback like Alex Fries, or a receiving corps that doesn’t include the likes of a Darius Willis or Brandon Michalek.

But, that doesn’t mean the Huskies’ cupboards are, by any means, bare.

“To be able to lean on that type of not only leadership, (the) experience on the field was huge,” Mettlach said, “and 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.

“We’ve got, I don’t even want to call it, holes to fill. We’ve got guys that need to step up into new roles that were maybe not counted on as heavily last year. We love their talent. We feel like the last couple recruiting classes have been very good ones. But, at some point, that talent’s got to show up on the field.”

Mettlach said now is that time.

“We’re in a position right now where we’re trying to get them as many game reps as we can in early camp, in our practice settings, so that we’re not learning on the fly, per se,” he said. “But, there are going to be some growing pains. You replace that many guys, that’s part of the deal.

“We have to get these guys to grow up. It’s just going to be a matter of how fast we can get them to grow so we’re not paying the price on Saturdays, learning on the fly, if you will. We have to get guys that know what they’re doing, can execute in a fast manner, and understand what we’re trying to get done scheme wise.”

A big chunk of that falls on redshirt sophomore quarterback Alex Bueno. Bueno saw action in seven games last season, going 7-of-14 through the air for 135 yards and two touchdowns, including one for 71 yards. At the same time, he was the team’s third-best runner, rushing 28 times for 147 yards and one touchdown.

In short, Bueno brings an element with his feet that the Huskies have not had in awhile.

“Any time you’re replacing a ‘Q’ (quarterback), there’s a learning curve from going from the backup to being the guy,” said Mettlach. “At the same time, we’re in a different situation right now when we replaced Will Ark with Alex Fries, because we were able to get ‘AB’ some reps last year in certain packages, or at the end of certain games, where he played actual minutes in GLIAC football games. So, that’ll help.

“The big jump for him is going to be, not that he didn’t prepare before, but the preparation part, going into games, game plan-wise, having a say in what’s going on, the call sheet, where we, or I as a play caller, want the football to go, or think it should go.”

At the same time, Mettlach expects there to be some adjustment as Bueno settles in.

“Him being on the same page as us, so he understands what we’re trying to take advantage of in certain looks, run game or pass game,” Mettlach said. “He’s going to make some mistakes, but he is more dynamic with his feet than we’ve had here in a long time. So, you’re trying to find that balance of letting him be an athlete and have some creativity at the same time.

“That doesn’t mean be a gunslinger, and just put the ball in jeopardy, because you’re trying to make a play on every single snap. Being able to manage the football game is going to be a big part of it, and that comes with reps; at the same time, making sure he knows he’s got the green light if he doesn’t feel like the pocket’s the way it needs to be, or he can go take advantage of something somewhere else with his feet, that he is confident in doing that, so he can play fast.”

While unlike Fries, Bueno will not have Willis or Michalek to lean on, he will have senior receiver Ethan Champney, who has healed from his late-season injury last season. Champney made 40 catches last season for 631 yards and four touchdowns in eight games prior to the injury.

“Ethan’s been doing a great job since he’s been back,” said Mettlach. “He is fully healthy. He’s running around now, and back to his same old self, which is awesome. When it comes to the new ‘Q,’ there’s nothing better than playing that position and having a security blanket with where Ethan fits in our offense, the position he plays, and formationally where we have him quite a bit, he is singled up quite a bit to where you can leave the call on, or you can give him an adjustment, and let him go play 1-on-1 a lot of times. So, that is a huge deal for ‘AB’s’ growth.”

While he is literally a senior in terms of eligibility, he is also the senior voice in a wide receivers room that includes some talented young players like redshirt sophomores Ethan Hull and Bryce Kurncz, who both saw some action last season, and sophomore Jaxon Lippert, who had a huge punt return last season for a touchdown.

“I think any time you’ve got a guy that’s been a starter essentially for three years, he’s seen every coverage we’re going to see, whether it’s just press, man, zone coverages, if they’re trying to bracket him, which we see sometimes where they’re playing one in his face and another one over the top. He’s seen it all,” Mettlach said. “So, he can, of course, give the guys advice, or as much as anything, let those guys know to be patient, because there’s going to be times where there’s only one football, and if they’re going to try to double cover you or whatever, you jave to do your part to take eyes away from yourself, to maybe free up somebody else.

“That part of being a wide receiver, where you’re not touching the ball, can get frustrating. He knows that as well as anybody, and how to battle through that, what to do, where else I can help out at, so on and so forth. Along those same lines, he’s going to have to be a guy, like we’ve used ‘DWill’ in the past, maybe not some of the same schematical things, but we will move him all over the place to try to get him in different spots where we’re not just leaving him on the backside of a lot of the calls. There’s going to be more on his plate this year than there has been, but I think he’s excited about that as well.”

Another weapon in Bueno’s arsenal this season will be redshirt sophomore Nic Nora, who missed all of last season with an injury.

“Since he’s walked on this campus, we don’t have a guy in our locker room that works harder than he does,” said Mettlach. “We have plenty that are right there with him, but he loves the weight room. He loves the agility, the ‘plyo’ (plyometrics). Anything that has to do with working out to make him a better football player, he loves.

“He’s a football junkie, so constantly trying to figure out, where am I supposed to sit in this void, or when do I stay on the move. (He’s a) very coachable kid. He’s capable of doing the Jet Sweep stuff we would have done with ‘DWill.’ He can run in any route, and then maybe the thing we like the most about him is he loves contact.”

In front of Bueno is an offensive line that has had to learn on the fly the last two seasons. Anchored by junior Brandon DeVries, the Huskies have spent a lot of time the past two seasons making adjustments to the line as necessary. Mettlach wants the unit to take the next step this season.

“We’re further along,” said Mettlach. “They have all played next to each other most of the end of last fall, all of the spring. The excuses of being young and inexperienced are gone. They know every front. We’re going to see how our combos work, what the communication is in pass, pro, so on, but we can always get better with the physicality part.

“Right now, it’s not a question of do they know what’s going on, or where they’re supposed to be. They’re good with that part, but it’s, ‘Can I stay engaged in this block when I’m pulling, am I inside out or am I logging it,’ so on and so forth. All that kind of stuff that comes with playing that position, based off the bodies moving, and doing it for fast and physical. That’s what we’re harping right now.”

While Bueno’s foot speed and elusiveness are both impressive, the Huskies, as a team, have struggled the last couple of seasons with their running game, which has allowed teams like Ferris State and Grand Valley State to make them one-dimensional. While that can work against other teams, it does not work against teams that consistently make the NCAA Tournament.

This year, the Huskies will look to junior running back Jake Rueff to make a leap this season.

“He’s coming,” Mettlach said. “I thought he was good last year. Jake knows this, the rest of the backs know this, at some point, things are not always going to be blocked perfect. It’s not always going to be a clean path. Where we need to get better is those guys, if there’s one at the point of attack, or maybe it’s a third-level guy, we have to be able to make somebody miss at some point to where it doesn’t have to be perfect every single time for it to be a big one. So, they know that we’re working on it.”

Like Nora, Mettlach likes what he sees in Rueff off the field.

“Jake is like Nic Nora, right? Loves the weight room, loves everything about working out now,” said Mettlach. “His vision, and that patience in the backfield, is that next phase of becoming a good tailback. That’s where we need to see the big jump for him this year.”

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.

Michigan Tech tight end Drew Collins carries the ball during a game last season against South Dakota Mines on Thursday, Sept. 6, 2024, at Kearly Stadium in Houghton. (David Archambeau/For the Gazette)