Michigan Tech coach Dan Mettlach steps onto the field as he looks to address a play during a game against South Dakota Mines Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, at Kearly Stadium in Houghton. (David Archambeau/For the Gazette)

HOUGHTON — The Michigan Tech Huskies football team started Spring practices on March 18, but given the way the weather has gone, things have been challenging, to say the least. However, that hasn’t stopped the Huskies from getting to work on the transition from the Alex Fries era to the Alex Bueno era in terms of offense.

“We feel like we’ve got his (Fries) replacement in line,” said Huskies coach Dan Mettlach. “I think Alex Bueno is ready to go. Joe Hartley was banged up last year. We kind of used him in an emergency role, because of where his shoulder was at. He’s back healthy now and we feel really good about where we’re at in that room.

“Some of the things that we’ll do offensively with Alex, rather than Fries, is we’ll do some stuff to fit his skill set different than what we did with Fries. So, I kind of feel like that’s a challenge and it’s a fun one.”

A former Huskies quarterback himself, Mettlach loves the challenge of figuring out each season what will work best with the players he has on the field.

“Every year is trying to adapt what you do offensively, defensively, or special teams-wise to the personnel you have, rather than trying to take certain guys and fit them into spot, just because that’s what we are,” he said. “Our offensive philosophy will not change, but some of the schemes, formations, that kind of stuff, will be adapted to fit what ‘AB’ can do, and what he does well. So, we’ll look a little bit different in terms of what we did last year, but a lot of stuff will stay the same. It’ll just be dressed up a little bit different.”

Bueno will go into 2025 as a redshirt sophomore who saw action in seven games last season going 2-of-3 against Wisconsin-Oshkosh and again against Saginaw Valley State in the last game of the season. His longest touchdown pass was a 71-yard throw against Oshkosh, and his other touchdown pass was a 36-yard throw against Northern Michigan.

Against the Wildcats, he showed ability to break tackles as he ran the ball four times for a career-high 70 yards, including a 34-yard touchdown run.

While Bueno is entering his third year with the Huskies, Mettlach is not worried about whether or not Bueno is mature enough to handle the task in front of him.
”Yeah, you’d always like to have an older guy taking over that role,” said Mettlach. “At the same time, I’ve said this about all the positions, high school football now, with the training that they get, the 7-on-7s, a lot of these kids are playing year-round at all positions. Guys are ready earlier now than they were 20, 15 years ago, just because of what football is now around the country. So, I’m not necessarily concerned with that.

“Physically he is ready to go. There are always going to be growing pains in your first year as a starting ‘Q’ (quarterback). He did a lot of good things last year when we brought him in those packages for a series here and there.”

According to Mettlach, where the challenge comes in is when you are tasked with playing the entire four quarters, rather than just a series at a strategic point in the game.

“That’s different than playing football four full quarters and everything’s on your shoulders,” Mettlach said. “There’s going to be some mistakes, we know that. But, at the same time, he’s a pretty dynamic athlete to where he’s going to make a lot of things better for us as well, in terms of if there’s a protection that breaks down, or he gets out on the edge, he’s got a little wiggle to him, and, of course, he can run.

“So, he’ll bring a different dynamic to our game that way. We’ll get him as many reps as he needs this spring to hopefully help that part of it in an early camp, and then we’ll let it rip when Bemidji (State) gets here (in August). He’s a smart kid, heady kid, understands the game well.”

While Mettlach was more a stay-between-the tackles quarterback, he is excited to see how Bueno adjusts to making plays with his feet, as well as his arm.

“The only thing that’s going to be a challenge right now is that the stuff that ‘AB’ does different, or better, than what Alex did,” said Mettlach. “He’s faster. He’s quicker. He’s better with the ball in his hand. So, the last couple years, ‘Friesy’ was more comfortable with drop back, play action, and in the pocket stuff. He made some plays with his feet, don’t get me wrong. But ‘AB’ is going to be the type of guy that, your nakeds, your sprint out, dash concepts, some RPO stuff. Whether it be run reads, or run, he handles that stuff really well. So, he’s going to be a guy that we may call a pass concept to get him out of the edge.”

For now, Mettlach’s biggest worry about Bueno, is more that his staff tries too hard to over-coach him, rather than let him develop his own instincts.

“So, if I just don’t screw him up, then we’ll hopefully negate some of those mistakes that would come as a first year starting ‘Q,'” Mettlach said. “But, there’s got to be some. It is what it is, and our locker room knows that, and we’ll coach it as we go.”