BILLINGS — Rocky Mountain College football has a new voice calling the shots, and Randy Bandelow wants to make one thing clear from Day 1:
Winning is a habit.
"Our big thing is creating winning habits right now. How we do anything is how we do everything," the first-year head coach told MTN Sports.
Bandelow and his new staff are also integrating a number of incoming offensive players, with early attention on how the new pieces fit alongside returning contributors.
"A lot of new guys on the perimeter on offense. Receivers and running backs — seeing how they integrate with the guys we had and see how those rotations kind of shake out. And running back specifically; you don't know what you've got until you get the pads on," Bandelow said.
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A quarterback competition is also underway. Bandelow said he hopes to name a starter following Friday's second full team scrimmage. Former starter Trent Nobach has swapped football for golf at Rocky.
Receiver Tyler Abbott said the team's approach to building winning habits extends beyond the practice field.
"Got to win breakfast, win meetings, win practice and then win lifts. Win every small thing and the games will take care of themselves," Abbott said.
When asked about his approach to winning breakfast, Abbott smiled saying, "Go in there, get your nutrients, get your electrolytes and make sure you're ready to go for the day.”
And as expected from a defensive-minded head coach — Bandelow was Carroll College’s D coordinator for the past four seasons — assignments are aggressive.
"Every day we plan to get three takeaways. It's a goal that's hard but it's attainable," safety Miles Wells said.
"It's just a whole different vibe and different energy," Abbott said. "They want to get better and they want to come out here and win."
Rocky opens its season in just over two weeks, Thursday, Aug. 28, against Division II Mary (N.D.) on a neutral field in Glendive at 6:30 p.m.
