The last time the Vandals visited Bozeman, Chris Tormey was in his first season as the head coach, Bill Clinton was the President of the United States and “Fantasy” by Mariah Carey was the No. 1 song in the country.
On October 7, 1995, Cliff Hysell’s Bobcats beat Tormey’s Idaho squad 16-13 at Reno H. Sales Stadium. The Bobcats would go on to finish that season 5-6, the Idaho victory serving as one of just two in Big Sky Conference play.
The Vandals overcame a 1-3 start to surge into the playoffs thanks in part to a 55-43 win over No. 6 Montana, the eventual Division I-AA national champion that season. Idaho also beat No. 13 Northern Arizona, No. 15 Northern Iowa and No. 16 Boise State in consecutive weeks to sneak in before losing 33-3 to No. 1 McNeese State in the first round of the tournament.
That season marked the end of Idaho’s first stint in the Big Sky Conference. The Vandals won the league nine times, including eight times between 1982 and 1992 before making the jump to the Big West before the 1996 season.
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