The six-game slate gives two weeks — March 20 and April 17 — as bumper weeks in case rescheduling is needed. Every team in the league will play at least one home game and at least one away game in each the first three and the last three weeks of the season.

The first two weeks of the schedule feature contests at the league’s two California schools in UC Davis and Cal Poly — Sac State elected to opt out of the 2021 spring season — or played inside the Big Sky’s three domes: Idaho, Idaho State and Northern Arizona.

The schedule is set to begin on February 27. The much anticipated annual rivalry game between Montana State and Montana is slated for March 27.

The league usually features 13 teams and has played eight league games since the last expansion in 2012. Each year over the last eight, teams have not played four other conference opponents, causing plenty of controversy when it comes to the league title and playoff positioning.

That criticism is likely to heighten even more with each team only playing half the league, the FCS playoff field for the spring shrinking from 24 to 16 teams and 11 conferences receiving auto bids. 

READ MORE – CLICK HERE: Wild, flawed Big Sky race commences…

“We’re excited about the opportunity to play football,” said Montana State coach Jeff Choate in an MSU press release. “We’ve never backed away from competition and we look forward to playing a tough schedule in the spring.”

READ MORE – CLICK HERE: Unbalanced scheduling continues…

“Announcing the schedule is one more step toward football in the spring, and I am excited our student-athletes will have the opportunity to compete,” Montana athletic director Kent Haslam said in a UM press release.

“Late-February is an early start, but this schedule does allow flexibility to complete the season while navigating potential impacts from COVID-19. I look forward to watching our team play.”

Weber State is the defending Big Sky champions after winning a share of the league title for the third straight year. The Wildcats shared with Sac State. The Hornets, the Bobcats and the Grizzlies all earned seeds and first-round byes in the 2019 FCS playoffs.

Here’s a look at the most intriguing game each week of the season’s first half of the prospective 2021 spring schedule plus a few notes about each proposed matchup.

FEBRUARY 27

Game of the Week — Eastern Washington at Portland State — Every single team in the Big Sky could have a new starting quarterback this season compared to last, other than these two teams. Eastern Washington senior Eric Barriere is back for his third season as a starter and hoping to regain the dual-threat form that helped lead the Eagles to the national championship game two years ago. Quarterback Davis Alexander enters his third season as a starter and has his Vikings as a dark horse to make a run at a playoff berth.

This is the annual rivalry game for these two schools. PSU head coach Bruce Barnum has had a hard time recapturing the magic that helped him guide the Vikings to the No. 6 seed in the 2015 FCS playoffs in his first season at the helm. But he’s also overhauled Portland State’s entire recruiting strategy, deemphasizing the pipeline of transfers, FBS or otherwise, that PSU relied on for so long. This Viking team should be strong on both lines, explosive on the perimeter offensively and employing a flex defense that at the very least will be confusing for opponents.

Eastern Washington is entering its fourth year under head coach Aaron Best. Last season, the Eagles led the league in scoring (40.6 points per game) and total offense (525 yards per game). Barriere threw for 3,712 yards, 31 touchdowns and four interceptions. But a 1-3 start that included a surprising 35-27 loss at Idaho along with a 34-17 loss at Montana kept the Eagles out of the playoffs.

EWU did post a 53-46 win over Portland State in the “Battle for the Dam Cup” to finish the season 7-5, including 6-2 in league. The winner of this showdown will have an early leg up in the race for playoff positioning.

Montana at Northern Arizona — Back in 1993, Bobby Hauck took his first full-time assistant coaching job on Steve Axman’s staff coaching outside linebackers at Northern Arizona. Ten years later, he took his first head coaching at Montana. His Griz teams have largely dominated the Big Sky Conference, winning 57 of the 69 league games he’s coached in entering this season over a total of nine seasons in the conference.

The Griz are coming off a 10-win campaign in the second year of Hauck’s second stint leading his alma mater. In the first year since 1997 that any coach other than Jerome Souers led the Lumberjacks, NAU found little success. The Lumberjacks gave up yards and points in spades during a 4-8 season that concluded with four consecutive losses.

NAU gave up 49 points in a loss at Montana State, 51 points on the back of a 328-yard rushing performance by Weber State All-American Josh Davis, 66 points and 468 yards of total offense to Barriere in a loss to EWU, and 60 points in a season-ending overtime loss to Idaho.

The Griz will be locked and loaded on offense this year. The unit will be led by arguably the best pair of wide receivers — seniors Samori Toure and Samuel Akem — in the league and maybe the country. But this will be the first start not provided by injury for Cam Humphrey or any other Griz quarterback who earns to start the opener.

Meanwhile, the Lumberjacks will need to turn a major corner to get Chris Ball’s second season at the helm off to a promising start. And at long last, the Case Cookus era is finally over at NAU. The ‘Jacks will certainly be among the BSC teams with a new signal caller.

Montana State at UC Davis — In 2018, UC Davis rose up in Dan Hawkins’ second season to share the Big Sky title, the first in program history for the Aggies. Last season, the final nail in the coffin of their title defense ending came when Montana State came to Davis and posted a 27-17 victory the second-to-last week of the regular season.

This season will see the Aggies operate with a quarterback not named Jake Maier at the offensive controls for the first time since Hawkins took over at his alma mater.

Choate’s fifth season at the helm is one filled with intrigue for a variety of reasons. The Bobcats return the best offensive line in the league, a unit that features four returning starters and a pair of all-league seniors in Lewis Kidd and Taylor Tuisosopo. MSU’s ranks are littered with talent across the board despite the fact that Montana State graduates two All-Big Sky defensive linemen, two All-Big Sky wide receivers, one All-Big Sky linebacker and two all-league safeties.

Much of the intrigue around the Bobcats centers upon two central points. First, Troy Andersen and Isaiah Ifanse are each expected to redshirt during the spring season. Andersen, a senior who has earned awards and all-league honors at running back, linebacker and quarterback in his unprecedented career, is arguably the most talented player in the FCS. Despite battling injuries, Ifanse has rushed for 1,870 yards and 13 touchdowns over the last two seasons.

Each player scored touchdowns against Davis last season.

The second point of intrigue is that, despite returning Tucker Rovig at quarterback, MSU will once again have a quarterback battling heading into the season. Rovig started a few games in 2018 while Andersen guided MSU to the first of two straight playoff berths. Rovig started the final 12 games of last season, helping MSU to nine wins in those starts, including a six-game winning streak down the stretch to propel MSU to the semifinals of the FCS playoffs for the first time in 35 years.

READ MORE – CLICK HERE: Pocket presence evolution of QB…

With the departure of offensive coordinator Matt Miller, MSU will have its fifth offensive play-caller in as many years in Justin Udy. The Bobcats have also had five different starting quarterbacks during that span. And if Matt McKay, an NC State transfer who started five games as a sophomore for the Wolfpack, beats out Rovig, it will be six starting QBs in the Choate era.

UC Davis’ quest for revenge and to get back into the top half of the league will begin against a physical, hungry Bobcat team that harbors league title aspirations.

Northern Colorado at Idaho — Former NFL standout wide receiver Ed McCaffery has a recognizable name, particularly around the Rocky Mountain region, after starring for the Denver Broncos. Now he’s the head coach at Northern Colorado and will make his college head coaching debut at the Kibbie Dome against a Vandal team that will have a quarterback who is not head coach Paul Petrino’s son, Mason, for the first time since returning to the Big Sky.

Weber State at Idaho State — Weber State has won or shared the last three Big Sky championships. The Wildcats outlasted Montana 17-10 in the quarterfinals of the playoffs to advance to the FCS Final Four for the first time in program history.

In the off-season, quarterback Jake Constantine graduate transferred out of the program, first landing at Towson before ultimately settling on Washington State. Kaden Jenks has starting experience at Weber while Randall Johnson, a 6-foot-5 transfer from Middle Tennessee State, has also received strong reviews.

Idaho State saw Matt Struck transfer out of the program during the off-season. The Bengals brought in Wyoming transfer Tyler Vander Waal. Finding the right trigger man for the run-pass option system run by head coach Rob Phenicie and offensive coordinator Mike Ferriter will be a key of ISU wants to rebound to the form that saw a winning record in 2018 rather than a 3-9 mark last year.

Southern Utah at Cal Poly — Southern Utah’s defensive regression has been profound since the Thunderbirds won their second Big Sky title in three seasons in 2017. Since then, SUU hasn’t been able to stop anybody.

The offensive system employed by Cal Poly is undefined but will certainly be different under Beau Baldwin. Tim Walsh retired after 13 seasons at the helm. Cal Poly has run the triple option since Rich Ellerson was the head coach.

READ MORE – CLICK HERE: Eagles can trace roots of offense back to Erickson…

Baldwin is one of the great offensive minds of this century in the Big Sky. During his nine seasons as the head coach at Eastern Washington (he was the offensive coordinator from 2003 until 2007 as well), the Eagles produced a seemingly endless string of Big Sky Offensive Players of the Year at quarterback, signal callers who guided one of the most prolific passing offenses in all of college football.

This game will be the first glimpse of just how quickly Baldwin can implement those offensive philosophies given the unorthodox nature of the off-season. 

MARCH 6

Game of the Week — Montana State at Weber State: It’s no secret and no surprise that Choate hates to lose. He was particularly frustrated, however, following the first time he led the Bobcats against the Wildcats in Ogden during his debut season in 2016.

A calamity of errors and turnovers caused MSU to fall behind 21-0 before the game was 10 minutes old. MSU scored two second quarter touchdowns but still trailed 42-14 at halftime in a 45-27 loss.

The following year, the Wildcats gutted out a 25-17 victory in Bozeman. The two schools have not played since. Choate has only that disappointing debut to reference when it comes to planning to play at Stewart Stadium.

This game might be the best game on the entire Big Sky schedule, period and certainly the marquee matchup of the first half of the league slate. It’s certainly among the toughest on Weber’s trek; the Wildcats don’t play Montana, Eastern Washington, Portland State, Cal Poly or Idaho.

Choate and Weber State head coach Jay Hill have similar make-up, spending time at powerhouse schools as special teams coordinators and working for influential head coaches.

Choate worked for Chris Petersen at Boise State and Washington along with stints on Mike Leach’s staff at Washington State and Will Muschamp’s staff at Florida. Hill played for Ron McBride and started his career under his former head coach at Utah before working for Urban Meyer in 2003 and 2004. He worked under Kyle Whittingham from 2005 until 2013 coaching the Utes.

A clash between these two teams at the height of their powers should be a treat for fans across the Big Sky Conference.

Montana at Eastern Washington — Listening to Hauck in the post-game press conference following his team’s 34-17 win over EWU despite the absence of senior captain quarterback Dalton Sneed was to hear a man with great satisfaction in his delivery. That’s about all you need to know about the renewal of this rivalry.

Idaho at Idaho State — Idaho made scoring defensive touchdowns look like it was the job of the Vandals’ defense last year in a 45-21 rout in the Kibbie Dome. Neither team has forgotten about the result of that in-state rivalry rout.

Portland State at Northern Arizona — Because NAU plays at Walkup Skydome, the Lumberjacks drew two consecutive home games to start the season. A split could bode well for a resurgence of a team that has a proud tradition in the Big Sky. A 2-0 start could make NAU a contender.

Meanwhile, Portland State could give itself some momentum with a win at one of the venues in the Big Sky that seems to brew unpredictability.

UC Davis at Cal Poly — UC Davis and Sacramento State have played the Causeway Classic rivalry game 67 times. That game won’t take place this year.

But the 46^th edition of the Battle for the Golden Horseshoe will provide the only FCS rivalry game in the Golden State in the spring and give an early gage for both the Aggies and the Mustangs.

Southern Utah at Northern Colorado — Barring major rebuilds, this could be one of the better opportunities for each of these teams to break into the win column.

MARCH 13

Game of the Week — Cal Poly at Montana: Since the first wave of teams leaving the Big Sky began in 1993 and completed in 1996, Montana assumed the role as the premier program in the conference and among the most dominant programs in the subdivision.

The Griz won the national title in 1995 and 2001 and played in five other title games between ’95 and 2009. Montana won 119 games the first decade of the 2000s, including 80 games under Hauck between 2003 and 2009.

Following Montana’s undefeated run to its second straight national title game in 2009 that abruptly ended with a 23-21 loss to Villanova in the title game, Hauck left for UNLV.

In 2010, Baldwin helped Eastern Washington start to overtake the Griz. Baldwin helped orchestrate an offensive assault on the rest of the league under the guidance of eventual Walter Payton Award winning quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell that culminated in an epic hot streak that EWU rode all the way to the first national title in school history. That run also marks the last time a team from the Big Sky has won a national title.

This season marks 11 years since Baldwin led the Eagles to that crown. If a Big Sky team does not go all the way this year, it will match the longest streak since the league joined formerly Division I-AA and now FCS that a Big Sky team hasn’t won the national title. Montana State won the 1984 title and the Griz broke through in 1995, marking the currently longest drought.

All of that is to say: Baldwin’s strong streak at EWU — a national title and four other Final Four appearances — coincided with Montana losing a step among the ranks of the conference and national elite.

Baldwin lost to Hauck 19-3 in 2008 and 41-34 in 2009. The next seven seasons, EWU posted a 5-2 record over Montana and assumed the place as the Big Sky’s premier program ahead of the Grizzlies, the Bobcats and everyone else.

Before the 2015 season, Montana made an honest run at hiring Baldwin. But the two-time Big Sky Coach of the Year declined the opportunity, instead leading EWU to its third FCS Semifinal in four seasons in 2016 with a team that featured future pros like Cooper Kupp, Kendrick Bourne and Samson Ebukam.

Now Baldwin is back in the Big Sky — following the 2016 season, he took the offensive coordinator job at Cal where he spent the last three seasons — and he will make his much anticipated return to Missoula to finish the first half of the spring schedule.

The renewal of the coaching clash between Hauck and Baldwin, two diametrically different figures, will be one to watch in the Big Sky moving forward.

Northern Colorado at Montana State — The Bobcats have one of the more difficult starts to the spring schedule in the league with road games at UC Davis and reigning league champion Weber State. Montana State will be hungry for a victory no matter how those first two contests transpire in their first home game of the spring with the rivalry game against Montana looming.

Eastern Washington at UC Davis — On November 10 of 2018, a No. 4-ranked Aggies team riding a seven-game winning streak got blown out by the fifth-ranked Eagles in Cheney, 59-20. The two teams played three weeks later and Eastern needed a Sam McPherson touchdown with 26 seconds left to play to earn a 34-29 victory.

That playoff victory was the second of three straight by the Eagles as they advanced to the national title game. The rubber match did not happen in 2019 as the Aggies and Eagles missed each other on last year’s schedule.

Portland State at Idaho — The Vandals pulled what was thought of at the time as an upset by beating Eastern Washington 35-27 in a non-conference team between traditional rivals. A 27-24 loss at Northern Colorado, a 41-35 loss to No. 4 Weber State and an embarrassing 24-0 loss at Portland State in which the Vandals gained just 230 yards of offense meant the Vandals’ season was in a tailspin.

This will be a prove it game for both teams, each who are among the top contenders to crack into the top half of the league this season based on the talent on their roster.

Idaho State at Southern Utah — The Bengals posted impressive wins over Portland State (51-24) and North Dakota (55-20) to begin league play. Then former ISU quarterback Matt Struck caught a turnover plague. It began when the Bengals lost 45-21 at rival Idaho thanks in large part to two pick-sixes and a Struck fumble returned for a score.

But the six-game spiral that turned Idaho State’s season on its head was sent into overdrive when a Southern Utah team that had scored only 98 points during a five-game losing streak hung 59 on ISU in a 59-34 win. The Bengals never got back on track. The Thunderbirds only got into the win column one more time.  

Northern Arizona at Weber State — NAU’s defense had a tendency to wear down (and sharp critics would say quit) against the run late in games. But the opposite was on display when Davis rushed for 328 yards in a 51-28 Weber win. The Lumberjacks led the game 21-14 at halftime despite the fact that Davis rushed for 80 yards on the opening possession of the game and had 202 yards at the break. His fumble on a long run helped keep the margin close. In the second half, he pounded in his third and fourth touchdowns of the game on the way to the fifth-highest single-game rushing total in Big Sky history and the most ever by a Wildcat. Perhaps the most ridiculous statistic of the game is that Kris Jackson, Davis’ backup, rushed for 113 yards and three touchdowns as well.

NAU’s once-proud defense has much to prove whenever it takes the field next, but this will be a particularly important test given the level at which Davis and Jackson ran wild last season.

Photos by Brooks Nuanez or noted. All Rights Reserved.

So the last two years have been particularly vindicating for a Montana team that did not take the lure of FBS promises and potential when the Vandals bailed on the Big Sky in 1996.

Idaho bailed the year after Montana captured its first Division I-AA national title. But success at the “top level” of college football almost totally eluded the Vandals. Meanwhile, UM forged a run that was unprecedented until North Dakota State’s utter domination over the last nine seasons.

Even with Idaho playing a level up, the Griz and the Vandals engaged in the Battle for the Little Brown Stein, extending a rivalry that began in 1903. Idaho beat the eventual national-champion Griz 55-43 during that 1995 season and beat the Griz 33-30 in 1999. Between 2000 and 2003, Montana won four straight against UI, culminating in a 41-28 victory in 2003, Bobby Hauck’s first season of his first tenure at the helm at UM.

Idaho refused to play the Griz for the next 15 years. And when UI rejoined the league last season, Montana took great pleasure in blasting Idaho in the Kibbie Dome, 46-27.

In Idaho’s first trip to Washington-Grizzly Stadium since that 2003 game in which Kyle Samson ran the veer option to lead UM to victory, Montana again gleefully beat a Vandal squad more intent on talking trash than executing with discipline in the second half.

The Griz turned the ball over three times in the first quarter, leading to the surprise insertion of senior Dalton Sneed at quarterback. The All-American candidate has missed the last two games because of an ankle injury but junior Cam Humphrey has been more than servicebable in leading the Griz to consecutive wins.

With the Griz trailing 10-0, Sneed entered the action and shredded the Vandals. And a Griz defensive front suddenly swimming in depth constantly, relentlessly pressured UI senior quarterback Mason Petrino, turning the turnover tables in the host’s favor.

By the time Petrino turned the ball over for the fourth time Saturday afternoon, Montana was in full control on the way to a 42-17 victory in front of a surprisingly sparse crowd of 22,333.

“This game has been played 86 times since 1903. I don’t know if Montana has beaten Idaho like we have the last two years ever” Hauck said after his 94^th win at Montana. “That’s a credit to our kids, our team and our assistant coaches. That Idaho team was ready to go. They are well-coached, they are tough, they are physical.”

The win moves Montana to 5-1 in Big Sky Conference play, 8-2 overall, likely securing a spot in the FCS playoffs for the first time since 2015. The victory also sets up a showdown with No. 3 Weber State next week.

The Wildcats survived for a 30-27 win over North Dakota on Saturday to move to 6-0 in league play, 8-2 overall. The winner of next week’s showdown will have an inside track at the league’s automatic bid and a playoff seed.

“That was a good, hard-fought win, a team win,” Hauck said. “We were in bad shape in the first quarter but the defense held the rope, keeping us in it. We were struggling on offense. With the three turnovers in the first quarter, we were lucky we weren’t down 28-0 or something. After we got that fixed, played really well in all three phases.

The loss drops Idaho to 2-4 in the program’s second year since returning to the Big Sky, 4-6 overall. UI is 4-1 at home, 0-5 on the road. The defeat officially eliminates Idaho from playoff contention.

“There’s a lot of things that happened but at the end of the day, they out played us and they out-hit us,” UI head coach Paul Petrino said. “That’s usually who is going to win: the team that hits the most and the team that plays the hardest. I got out-coached, we got out-played. That’s the bottom line.”

Humphrey, a former transfer from Boise State by way of Saddleback College, threw an interception on his second attempt of the game. But the Griz defense stiffened right away.

Montana’s unyielding pass rush featuring an array of contributors began brutalizing Idaho quarterback Mason Petrino right away. A Petrino intentional grounding penalty in the redzone forced a 30-yard Cade Coffey field goal. The first frame closed with UI ahead 3-0.

On the ensuing drive, Montana marched inside the Idaho 5-yard line with a methodical, 15-play drive. But Tyrese Dedmon smacked UM sophomore running back Marcus Knight and forced a fumble for the second turnover in the first quarter.

Idaho wasted away the ensuing possession, leading to a Vandal punt returned 39-yards by Griz senior Jerry Louie-McGee into Idaho territory. Two players later, Dedmon intercepted Humphrey on a heave toward the goal line to Sammy Akem.

UI took over possession 97 yards from the end-zone and executed a 97-yard drive. Petrino sparked he drive with an 11-yard scamper, then hit unstoppable senior receiver Jeff Cotton for 38 of his 98 first-half receiving yards. Two more completions to Cotton pushed UI into the red-zone. Petrino hit Connor Whitney for a 12-yard touchdown to put the visitors up 10-0 with 11 minutes left in the first half.

Cotton nor Idaho starting running back Aundre Carter played in the second half.

“We executed really well on that drive, did a lot of things, ran the ball, passed, a lot to Jeff Cotton so obviously, not having him in the second half hurt,” Paul Petrino said.

A stagnant Griz offense led Hauck to inserted Sneed in the game. And the tables turned instantly.

“Dalton wanted to play a week ago and we didn’t think he was ready,” Hauck said. “He didn’t practice on Monday or Tuesday. We just felt like it was Cam’s game to start. Cam has played well. We were very confident in him. But we did have a plan to play Dalton today and we knew he was going to play today.”

A season after throwing for 220 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for 129 yards and a touchdown, Sneed couldn’t run like he did last fall. But he still diced Idaho’s physical, aggressive defense. Sneed completed 17-of-27 passes for 241 yards and a touchdown.

“We thought (Sneed) would play,” Petrino said. “I thought there was a couple of key plays – we had a third down and we didn’t cover the back. I thought that was a big turning point in the game that first drive he was in.”

On his first possession in the game, Sneed led a seven-play, 80-yard drive that included a 16-yard completion to true freshman running back Nick Ostmo on a third down and a 28-yard completion to sophomore Mitch Roberts after the Missoula Sentinel product entered the game in place of Akem, who did not play the last 35 minutes of the game due to injury.

Ostmo’s first career touchdown from seven yards out got the Griz on the board, trailing 10-7.

The Griz kept heating up Petrino and stuffing the Idaho offense, helping the Griz take over with one minute, 49 seconds left in the first half. Sneed hit Samori Toure for a 31-yard gain to spark the drive, then found an unguarded Toure in the middle of the field for a 44-yard touchdown to give Montana a lead it would not relinquish.

“That wasn’t really me. Anybody in here could’ve thrown that ball,” Sneed said about his 16^th touchdown pass of this season. “The coaches dialed that one up. Samori sold the route and the coach dialed that one up.”

“No better feeling than playing football….Sitting out really makes you appreciate the love for the game when you can’t go out there. I have such great teammates and coaches around me. It’s a whole team sport and a whole team game.”

Toure finished with nine catches for 129 yards, adding to his impressive all-league resume.

“He’s made plays all season,” Sneed said. “All you have to do is put the ball in the air and because that guy is going to make plays. When he constantly does that week in and week out, he is going to get the ball a lot more.”

The first of two sacks by redshirt freshman Milton Mamula, one of five sacks on the day foe the Griz, led to a Petrino fumble that sophomore Patrick O’Connell recovered. Eight plays later, Ostmo scored his second touchdown of the day and of his career.

Montana forced a turnover on the next Idaho possession when a blitzing Jace Lewis tipped a Petrino pass at the line of scrimmage that settled into defensive end Joe Babros’ hands for an interception.

“Petrino scrambles out there like a madman and we were chasing him down a lot but we brought it together, talked about it and decided to get after him,” UM sophomore edge rusher Patrick O’Connell said. “We were able to get him down.

“When the quarterback is scrambling back there that long, we were putting the pressure on and there wasn’t a lot of places he can go. The constant pressure was huge for our defense.”

A six-play, 21-yard drive capped by the first of three Knight rushing touchdowns put UM up 28-10. From there, Montana pile drived the visitors.

Petrino hit Cutrell Haywood for an 11-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 28-17 early in the fourth quarter, but the Vandals never got any closer. The Griz answered that touchdown with a 75-yard drive that ended in Knight’s second touchown of the day.

Petrino’s third turnover came when senior captain Jesse Sims smashed the UI quarterback, forcing a fumble that Dante Olson recovered. Montana turned that turnover into a 42-yard drive capped by the team’s fifth rushing touchdown including the three by Knight, giving the former junior college transfer 17 touchdowns this season.

“That was a challenge that got put on us the very beginning of training season,” UM senior center Cy Sirmon said. “The offensive line has to control the line of scrimmage. You have to work really hard to do that. I trust these guys with my life because they bring it every single day. It’s awesome to be able to muscle it in like that.”

Idaho’s final possession of the day when Petrino endured another hard hit that sent an underthrown pass right into the hands of UM sophomore safety Nash Fouch.

Idaho’s struggles were best encompassed by the fact that Dedmon etched a Big Sky Player of the Week in the first 20 minutes and got ejected for two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties by the second half. Idaho committed 14 penalties, the most by a Griz opponent.

“We pride ourselves on playing a good, clean, hard game,” Hauck said. “Our guys are versed on the rules and we try to do a good job with that.”

Now Montana’s attention turns to a showdown with Weber State. The Wildcats won at Washington-Grizzly Stadium for the first time since 1987 in 2015, 24-21 in overtime. WSU beat UM 41-27 in Ogden, Utah in 2017, the last matchup between the charter Big Sky schools.

“It’s a whole team thing,” Sirmon said. “We are taught to be mentally and physically tough. We practice like that through the entire off-season. Football is a game of adversity. We get put in adverse situations all the time and you have to keep pounding.

“I’m really proud of our guys. We have been doing that all year.”

\Photos by Blake Hempstead – for Skyline Sports. All Rights Reserved.

The last time UI played at Washington-Grizzly Stadium, Hauck and the Grizzlies used a triple option attack spearheaded by walk-on Kyle Samson to a 41-28 win in September of 2003. UM and Idaho did not play again until last year’s 46-27 UM win in Moscow.

The Vandals left the Big Sky Conference to move up to Division I-A in 1996.The 2003 matchup marked the 84^th rendition in a rivalry that began with a 28-0 Idaho win in Moscow in 1903. UM went 4-1 against Idaho while Idaho was a member of the FBS, the final victory coming in Hauck’s first season as the head coach at his alma mater.

Saturday, the Vandals return to Washington-Griz for the first time in 15 years.

“This has been a big game in these parts for decades, for a long time,” Hauck said. “They are playing well. They had a big win last week against Cal Poly (21-9). They had a tough loss against Weber State (41-35 in Moscow) and they beat Idaho State (45-21) fairly handily. They have been playing really well lately.”

Last season, Montana quarterback Dalton Sneed threw for 220 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 129 yards and another score. He hit Sammy Akem six times for 130 yards and two scores. And Montana won going away despite forcing one turnover and giving up 477 yards of total offense.

“It was evident last year when we played them, there was a lot of juice on their sideline and our guys were excited to play, too,” Hauck said. “It’s fun to get back playing each other again.”

The loss Montana capped Idaho’s first season back in the FCS with a 3-5 record in league play. The following week, the Vandals took a 63-10 shelling at No. 13 Florida to finish the season 4-7.

The Vandals bookended playing at the Swamp by starting the 2019 season at Penn State in Happy Valley, a 79-7 loss. Idaho’s first win came by emerging with a 41-31 victory over Division II Central Washington. The Vandals showed their physicality and defensive athleticism by hanging tough in a 21-16 loss at FBS Wyoming. And UI broke through for its first FCS win of 2019 by toppling rival Eastern Washington 35-27 in a non-conference game between conference foes.

Idaho lost the next week 27-24 at previously winless Northern Colorado, the first of three straight losses. UI lost 41-35 to Weber State, now the No. 3 team in the nation and the only team without a league loss five games into Big Sky play. And UI lost 24-0 at Portland State as quarterbacks Mason Petrino and Colton Richardson combined to throw four interceptions.

The Vandals are suddenly surging. Despite losing Buck end Charles Akonno to a season-ending injury, UI totaled three sacks and forced four turnovers, returning three of the takeaways for touchdowns in a 45-21 rout of Idaho State.  Last week, Idaho held Cal Poly to 145 yards rushing and 242 total yards, allowing 13 first downs.

“They are very sound,” Hauck said. “Their coaches know what they are doing. They are going to mix coverage on you. They are going to mix pressure, some man, some zone. I think they always have a pretty good blend. Coach will have a good game plan for what our base stuff is, things we do week in and week out. We have all coahed against each other a lot at different places over the years. I think they do a good job of trying to make you beat them left-handed.”

Idaho leads the all-time series 55-28-2, but UM has won nine of the last 11 meetings dating back to 2011.

Montana is coming off a 38-23 win at Portland State that moved the Griz to 4-1 in league play, 7-2 overall and up to No. 6 in this week’s FCS STATS Top 25 poll. The Griz won the second half 24-6 to pull away.

“It was a great job by our guys and I thought it was a great team effort,” Hauck said. “Physically, we got after them. I thought maybe at times during that game, we could’ve gotten away from them a bit more but that’s not important. The important thing is to get one more point than them and we did.”

“Good team win, great mental toughness when things weren’t going well for us and right now, we are kind of on a roll and we would like to keep it going.”

QUICK HITS

Location: Moscow, Idaho

Nickname: Vandals

Founded: 1889. The state of Idaho’s land-grant university also serves as the oldest public university in the Gem State and the state’s primary research institution. UI was the state’s sole university for 71 years until 1963. UI offers 142 degree programs with a strong regional reputation for agriculture, architecture, business, engineering and law.

Enrollment: The university has 11,534 students, including 9,330 undergraduates, and an endowment of $281 million.

Stadium: Kibbie Dome – In 1971, the original outdoor concrete football stadium replaced Neale Stadium. Following the 1974 football season, a barrel-arched roof and vertical end walls were added in ten months and the stadium re-opened as an enclosed facility in September 1975.

The venue has 16,000 permanent seats, making it the smallest home stadium in the Football Bowl Subdivision during the Vandals’ 22-year stint competing at the top level of college football. During basketball season, the dome is reconfigured into a basketball arena known as Cowan Spectrum, which seats 7,000.

The Vandals are 4-1 in five home games, averaging 7,041 this season, including drawing a near-capacity crowd of 10,361 in the win over Idaho State.

The Coach

Paul Petrino, seventh season at Idaho. The son of Treasure State legend Bob Petrino Sr. played quarterback at Carroll College from 1985-1988 for his dad in Helena. Born in Butte, Paul Petrino’s first full-time job came on his father’s staff at Carroll in 1990.

His first Division I job came coaching wide receviers and running backs on John L. Smith’s staff at Idaho from 1992 until 1994. Petrino followed Smith to Utah State for three seasons, then to Louisville in 1998 and 1999.

From 2000 until 2002, Petrino coached quarterbacks on Jeff Bower’s staff at Southern Miss. In 2003, Petrino joined up with his older brother, Bobby Petrino, when Bobby landed the head coaching job at Louisville in 2003.

The Petrino brothers lasted four seasons in Kentucky, the 2007 season with the Atlanta Falcons, and 2008 and 2009 at Arkansas. Paul Petrino went to Illinois in 2010 and 2011 while Bobby was unceremoniously fired in the spring of 2012.

Paul Petrino took over as the head coach at Idaho in 2013. The Vandals finished 1-11 that fall with UI playing as an FBS independent.

In 2014, the Vandals joined the Sun Belt Conference, a league featuring mostly Southern teams two time zones away. UI went 1-10 the first yea in that league. In 2016 however, Petrino earned Sun Belt Coach of the Year honors by leading the Vandals to a 9-4 record that included six Sun Belt wins and a win over Colorado State in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, UI’s third bowl game in program history.

Overall, Petrino is 27-53 at Idaho, including 5-8 in Big Sky games.

“They are really well coached,” Hauck said. “These coaches know what the heck they are doing. They will have their team ready. We know they spent time on us in spring ball and fall camp. So they will be well prepared, ready to go and fired up to play this weekend in Missoula and we know that we better be the same.”

Mason Petrino, quarterback, 6-0, 208, senior — The son of Idaho’s head coach saw time at running back and wide receiver in 2016 and 2017 upon joining the Vandals after prepping at nearby Pullman High eight miles away from Moscow.

Last season, Petrino started 10 of 11 games, completing 59.8 percent of his passes for 1,933 yards, 15 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He also rushed for 245 yards and three scores.

“He’s a smart player,” Hauck said. “He runs well. He has a good understanding with what they are doing on offense. He has the ability to extend plays. He’s very accurate throwing on the run. And he’s your typical coach’s kid. He’s tough as heck and has a great understanding of the game.”

This season, Petrino has started eight of nine games, throwing for more than 200 yards four times. He has thrown for 1,371 yards and nine touchdowns against seven interceptions. He went 8-of-15 for 70 yards, no touchdowns, two interceptions and was sacked three times in a 24-0 loss to Portland State. He did not play in Idaho’s win over ISU. He returned last week to throw for 138 yards and a touchdown in UI’s win over Cal Poly.

Jeff Cotton, wide receiver, 6-2, 204, senior — The former junior college All-American at Pima CC made an impact last fall, catching 49 passes for 656 yards and a team-best seven touchdowns.

This season, Cotton has exploded multiple times and given himself an inside track on All-Big Sky honors.

He caught 16 passes for 145 yards and two scores in a win over Central Washington. He had 10 catches for 110 yards and a score against Eastern Washington. Cotton hauled in 10 passes for a career-high 192 yards and a touchdown against Idaho State.

“I think he’s their best player on offense,” Hauck said. “He’ makes a ton of plays. He’s all over the place. They do a nice job of trying to find different ways to get him the ball. He’s just a talented kid.”

Aundre Carter, running back, 5-9, 241, redshirt freshman — The Starke, Florida finished as the state runner-up in the 2017 5A Florida Mr. Football voting. He made his Vandal debut against the Gators, getting two carries against Florida.

With the graduation of Isaiah Saunders, Carter is now Idaho’s workhorse running back. He rushed for 123 yards and two touchdowns aginst Central Washington. He had two more touchdown runs against Eastern Washignton. Last week, Carter had his most productive game, finishing 179 yards on 23 carries and scoring twice more.

This season, he has 557 yards rushing on 96 carries, good for 5.8 yards per carry. He has scored seven rushing touchdowns.

THE DEFENSE — Players to Watch

Tre Walker, linebacker, 6-1, 235, sophomore — Despite only starting two games last season as a freshman, the Dos Palos, California native showed how incredibly productive he can be. He had 41 tackles and three tackles for loss.

This season, Walker has been a tackling machine. His 103 tackles rank second in the Big Sky to Montana’s Dante Olson (107) but Walker has 17 more solo tackles than Olson does. Walker has 7.5 tackles for loss, one more than Olson and the 13^th-best total in the Big Sky.

Walker had 13 tackles against Wyoming, 14 tackles against Eastern Washington, 12 tackles and two tackles for loss against Northern Colorado, 13 tackles against Weber State, 14 tackles against Idaho State and 11 tackles last week against Cal Poly.

Christian Elliss, linebacker, 6-3, 233, junior — Elliss is one of 12 children of Luther Elliss, the former NFL All-Pro defensive lineman who played at Utah and now coaches defensive line at Idaho. Last season, Kaden Elliss was one of the best players in the country off the edge, earning first-team All-Big Sky honors before getting drafted ty the New Orleans Saints.

Christian Elliss had a standout sophomore season, earning third-team All-Big Sky honors by rolling up 81 tackles, four tackles for loss, forcing a fumble and blocking a kick.

Elliss had just 17 tackles through UI’s first four games before notching 13 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss against Weber State. The following week, he had 14 tackles, three tackles for loss and a sack against Portland State. After his 13-tackle performance against Cal Poly, he had four straight double-digit tackle games that also including at least one tackle for loss. He has 68 total tackles, 10^th in the Big Sky, to go with 10 tackles for loss, tied for the fifth-most in the conference.

Lloyd Hightower, cornerback, 5-11, 189, senior — Last season, Hightower ranked third in the Big Sky and eighth nationally with 13 pass breakups to go with 44 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and an interception.

This year, he’s been Idaho’s primary cover cornerback, reflected in the fact that 15 of his 22 tackles are solo tackles. Against Idaho State, Hightower returned an interception 45 yards for a touchdown, one of two picks he’s snared this season. He also returned a fumble 49 yards for a score, the second of three defensive touchdowns as the Vandals blasted their in-state rivals. Hightower has two interceptions, five pass breakups and two forced fumbles.

Photos by Idaho Vandal Athletics, or Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved.

Idaho, fresh off an upset win over No. 11 Eastern Washington, took a 17-7 lead into halftime and held a 24-10 lead with 10 minutes left in the third quarter over previously winless Northern Colorado. The Bears entered the game near the bottom of the entire FCS in scoring offense and scoring defense. But UNC scored 17 unasnwered points in the final 25 minutes of the game to post a 27-24 win and thwart any chance Idaho covers -9.5.

Montana State won just like they thought we would. But far from the fashion we needed with a pick of Northern Arizona +12. The Lumberjacks raced out to a 21-0 lead by the second quarter. NAU led 31-14 early in the second half. But Montana State scored 35 unanswered points, including 28 in the fourth quarter to emerge with a 49-31 victory.

On the FCS Speculators podcast, Colter picked Montana to not only cover +7 at UC Davis but to win outright. Sam picked Davis -7 and lost horribly. The Griz destroyed the No. 4 team in the FCS, building a 38-7 lead before cruising to a 45-20 victory that vaulted Montana into the Top 10 of the STATS FCS rankings.

And Sam’s lock of the week didn’t go so well. Everyone at Skyline Sports agreed Portland State +4 was a near surefire pick. Welcome to the Big Sky Conference. Idaho State ripped the Vikings, racing to a 41-10 halftime lead before cruising to a 51-24 victory.

Other than that, last week went well.

Thanks to a powerful rushing attack that piled up 284 yards, including 134 yards and three touchdowns from senior Antoine Custer Jr., Eastern Washington overcame the nasty elements in Cheney to easily cover -7.5 with a 35-20 win over North Dakota.

Despite nauseating wind conditions in Cedar City, Utah, Cal Poly took care of +1.5 and won outright in a 24-21 victory.

And in the only non-conference game for a Big Sky school last week, No. 5 Weber State posted a signature 29-17 win over Northern Iowa to easily cover -2.5. That picked helped us close the week at 3-4.

Week 5 Record: 3-4

Overall Record: 23-25-1

THIS WEEK

(All lines provided by 5dimes)

Lock of the Week: Northern Arizona -12.5 (Season: 3-2)

Best Investment: Sacramento State -145

Over Under Lock: Cal Poly/Montana State: Over 62 (Season 1-4)

UC Davis at North Dakota (+4.5)                                  O/U 50.5                   12:00 PM

UC Davis looks to rebound from a manhandling last week against the red-hot Montana Grizzlies. After facing reigning national champion North Dakota State and then the surging Griz, UND gets some reprieve. The Aggies will cover in Grand Forks +4.5

Pick: UC Davis +4.5

Idaho State at Montana (-8.5)                                     O/U 56.5                   1:00 PM

Montana is on a roll. The Griz are averaging 477.8 yards per game are scoring 46 points per game against FCS opponents. Idaho State has a stout defense and runs into a Top 10 opponent for the second time in three weeks. They allowed 13 points to Northern Iowa, but the Panthers do not have the fire power on offense that the Griz have. Idaho put up 509 yards of total offense last week in quarterback Matt Struck’s return to the starting lineup.

The line opened at 7.5 and should move up more. This could be a letdown game for the Griz coming off a huge win on the road last week against No. 4 UC Davis. But I like the veteran led Griz to win in Missoula on Saturday and cover. Montana -8.5.

Pick: Montana -8.5

Southern Utah @ Portland State (-9.5)                     O/U 61                      2:05 PM

Portland State will try and find a way to get back on track after a terrible performance against Idaho State. Luckily for the Vikings, Southern Utah is not a very good football team. The Thunderbirds have struggled the last two years, winning just two of their last 17 games. Portland State’s quarterback Davis Alexander will need to return to form this week. I think the Vikings cover this at home.

Pick: Portland State -9.5

Weber State at Idaho (+7)                                             O/U 47                      3:00 PM

I wonder what Vandal team we will see. They had a second half meltdown against a BAD Northern Colorado team. To quote the late Coach Dennis Green: “They are who we thought they were.”

Weber State has a very good defense. Idaho has a good offense, not a great one. I’m still not a believer in senior quarterback Mason Petrino. I look for the father-son duo to lose by more than a touchdown at home. Give me Weber State -7 at the Kibbie Dome.

Pick: Weber State +7

Northern Colorado at Northern Arizona (-12.5)     O/U 52.5                   5:00 PM

Northern Colorado used a second half come back to earn their first home win of the season last week against Idaho. Look for the Bears to come back to earth this week. The Lumberjacks gave up a 21-point lead last week in Bozeman and are hungry for a big home win. Senior quarterback Case Cookus is going to have a huge day in the Walkup Skydome. I like Northern Arizona to win big at home. This is my lock of the week.

Pick: Northern Arizona -12.5 (Lock of the Week)

Montana State @ Cal Poly (+6)                                     O/U 62                      6:00 PM

Battle of the running teams. Cal Poly’s triple option meets the Montana State physical run game, which currently leads the league with 275 yards per game on the ground. Montana State is coming off a 21-point comeback against NAU. They can’t afford to spot Cal Poly that many points this week.

The ‘Cats have started off slow multiple times this season, but they seem to find their stride in the second half. Look for MSU to pull away late, and don’t be afraid if they trail at half. Senior hybrid quarterback Travis Jonsen and the Bobcats will keep it rolling this weekend.

Pick: Montana State -6          

Eastern Washington @ Sacramento State (-2.5)   O/U 64                      7:05 PM

To me, this is the most intriguing game of the week. Eastern got back on track last week at home against North Dakota. Sacramento State has been rolling this season, but against mediocre talent. The big question is: Can Eastern’s defense keep up with the Hornet offense? My thought is no, but I think Eastern’s offense can keep up. Look for a good offensive showing from both sides. Eastern still has talent and it’s only a matter of time before quarterback Eric Barriere finds his stride. I’ll take the Eagles +2.5 in Sacramento.

Pick: Eastern Washington +2.5

THE PICKS

Week 1

Lock of the Week: Texas Tech -25

Best Investment: Montana +145

Over/Under Lock of the Week: Weber State/San Diego State OVER 36.5

Thursday August 28

Missouri State at Northern Arizona (-3.5)           O/U 58                  7:00 PM

NAU quarterback Case Cookus is back. He did not participate in the 40-8 shellacking that the ‘Jacks took last year in in Springfield. MSU returns quarterback Peyton Huslig, who threw for 4 interceptions in that win. NAU’s first year head coach Chris Ball will have his hands full with Missouri State running back Donovan Daniels who has had a strong fall camp. Cookus’ return is the deciding factor. Northern Arizona (-3.5) will cover at home on Thursday.

Pick: Northern Arizona -3.5

Northern Colorado at San Jose State (-10.5)       O/U 59.5               7:00 PM

UNC quarterback Jacob Knipp has had an injury bug for the past three years, but the talented quarterback is healthy for this year’s opener in San Jose. SJSU is coming off of a 1-11 year where their offense averaged 17.5 points per game and started the season with a loss to eventual Big Sky champion UC Davis. The projected 2019 Mountain West Conference last-place team will be put to the test in the only game they are a favorite in this season. The Bears have a realistic chance to cover the 10.5-point spread.

Pick: Northern Colorado +10.5

Saturday Saturday 31

Eastern Washington at Washington (-21)            O/U 54.5               1:00 PM

The FCS runner-up starts out with an FBS powerhouse to start the season. Eastern Washington lost 15 All Big Sky players from last year’s team, but they always seem to reload. The Jacob Eason era begins in Seattle this weekend and UW head coach always covers against FCS teams in season openers. EWU sophomore quarterback Eric Barriere will keep it close in the first half, but Washington (-21) will cover on Lake Washington.

Pick: Washington -21

Montana at South Dakota (-3.5)       O/U 69.5                 1:00 PM

Dante Olson & Dalton Sneed. These two seniors have a pretty bad taste in their mouth from the end of last year’s season. Head coach Bobby Hauck has had enough time to get his fingerprints on this program and I think that will show this season. South Dakota returns a lot of talent on a defense that gave up 30 points per game last year. Montana has too much returning talent and should win this game outright. Take Montana (+3.5).

Pick: Montana +3.5

Idaho at Penn State (-36.5)                                    O/U 58.5                1:30 PM

Seventh- year head coach Paul Petrino returns more than half of his starters from an underwhelming season in Idaho’s return to the Big Sky last year. Trace McSorley era is over at Penn State, and James Franklin is taking his time announcing a quarterback. However, Idaho walks into Beaver Stadium with a 5-foot-10 starting QB. That’s all you needed to know. Penn State (-36.5) is the pick.

Pick: Penn State -36.5

Montana State at Texas Tech (-25)                   O/U 60                  2:00 PM

Montana State redshirt freshman quarterback Casey Bauman will make his first career start on the road against Texas Tech and first-year head coach Matt Wells. Wells took over a talented roster and will be out to get a hot start to the 2019 season. MSU new defensive coordinator Kane Ioane and his cornerbacks will have to try and keep up with TTU’s WR talent and depth if they want to keep it close. Bauman is talented but don’t expect much success for the freshman on the road in front of 60,000 fans.Texas Tech (-25) will cover at home.

Pick: Texas Tech -25

Portland State at Arkansas (-28.5)                   O/U 60.5             2:00 PM

Portland State’s defense struggled last year, and there doesn’t seem to be much improvement coming this year. They have a strong 2019 recruiting class coming in, but youth never helps on the road. Arkansas has a new head coach in Chad Morris and will be announcing a new quarterback shortly. They return some key defensive players and look to be much better than last year. Arkansas (-28.5) will pick up a big win at home.

Pick: Arkansas -28.5

San Diego at Cal Poly (-7.5)                             O/U 67.5                   3:00 PM

Cal Poly is coming off of a 1-10 season and faces a Pioneer League powerhouse in San Diego. San Diego hasn’t lost a conference game since 2015, but has to replace their starting quarterback. They have a defense that returns a majority of starters. Cal Poly is replacing a lot in their backfield and offensive line, but has a veteran defense. Quarterback is a big question for San Diego, but they are consistent. I like San Diego (+7.5) to cover on the road.

Pick: San Diego +7.5

UC Davis at Cal (-13)             O/U 50.5                   4:30 PM

Cal head coach Justin Wilcox has a challenge with UC Davis. UCD beat San Jose State last year and was competitive with Stanford. Cal has a lot of question marks at quarterback and has a weak offensive line. Dan Hawkins is a veteran coach and will have his team ready to play. They should be better than they were last year. We like UC Davis (+13) to cover and potentially win this game outright.

Pick: UC Davis +13

Weber State at San Diego State (-7.5)   O/U 36.5                   7:00 PM

Weber State begins the road to three straight Big Sky conference titles on the road against an offensively talented San Diego State team. Weber State is forced to reload on defense this year, but returns quite a bit of talent on offense. San Diego State returns Senior QB Ryan Agnew and the advantage seems more than 7 points. I like San Diego State -7.5 to cover at home. And I’m betting the ranch on the Over 36.5.

Pick: San Diego State -7.5. Over 36.5.

Southern Oregon at Sacramento State (-19.5)    O/U 58.5    7:00 PM

Troy Taylor starts his campaign at Sacramento State with an NAIA opponent. Sac St didn’t win a conference game last year and looks to rebound with an experienced offense. There are questions on defense but I think Sacramento State has the talent to cover this one. I like Sacramento State (-19.5).

Pick: Sacramento State -19.5

Southern Utah at UNLV (-24)                   O/U 70.5          8:00 PM

Southern Utah looks to get back on track after a 1-10 season last year. Seven starters return to a defense that really struggled last year (117th in FCS). There are a lot of questions at QB for the T-Birds but there are none for UNLV. Starting QB Armani Rogers returns behind a stable offensive line this year. UNLV boasts a very talented defensive front. I don’t see this game being close. UNLV -24 at Sam Boyd Stadium.

Pick: UNLV -24

Sam Lewis is a native of Moscow, Idaho who moved to Bozeman, Montana in 2011 to attend Montana State. He graduated from MSU with a master’s in accounting in 2016. Sam works in the accounting profession in Bozeman. He grew up attending games at Washington State and Idaho, developing his life-long love of sports. He is very interested in sports gambling and the impact it will have on the state of Montana.

Photos by Brooks Nuanez or noted. All Rights Reserved.

Montana State has thrown for 107 yards or less in six games so far this season. The Bobcats are 5-1 in those contests, averaging 33.5 points per game in those games.

MSU enters the 118^th showdown with its arch rivals from the University of Montana with the 12^th-ranked passing offense in the 13-team Big Sky Conference. But the Bobcats have their first winning record since 2014 and are in the playoff hunt as Jeff Choate’s third season winds down.

The coaching staff has been under much scrutiny for playing what many consider an All-Big Sky linebacker at quarterback. But with the Grizzlies looming, what was once considered a stopgap and then a weakness is now considered perhaps the Bobcats’ greatest advantage against the fast, aggressive, Griz defense.

Troy Andersen is certainly limited when throwing the football. And Montana State’s offense has been largely one-dimensional with last year’s Big Sky Freshman of the Year at the controls. But Andersen’s efforts have earned him Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Year consideration despite playing out of position under center.

With 154 more rushing yards, the 6-foot-3, 23-pound sophomore will break the 2014 Big Sky single-season record by a quarterback of 1,245 yards, held by former Cal Poly triple option guru Chris Brown. Andersen has 16 touchdown runs, the most in the league and the third-most in a single campaign in MSU school history.

Andersen is the most dangerous when he lines up in the shot gun and either sees an opening against a blitz or he finds an open gap and runs to daylight. The former state champion sprinter has scored six touchdowns of at least 49 yards, five additional touchdowns of at least 34 yards and a total of 13 touchdowns of more than 24 yards.

When the darting, powerful former running back gets in the open field, he can bowl over and through tacklers. When he sees open space, he’s almost always taking the opportunity to the house.

Montana, who enters Saturday’s rivalry game with an identical 6-4 record, has not played a running quarterback like Andersen this season. UM defeated Cal Poly 48-28 but the triple option is not similar to the gun-run elements of MSU’s spread power run attack. Portland State’s Davis Alexander and Idaho’s Mason Petrino can extend the pocket with their legs. But no one in the Big Sky, opponent of Montana this season or not, compares to the electrifying, unorthodox Montana State quarterback.

“We were kind of trying to figure that out: who is the most like us that they have played,” said Choate, who watched Andersen score a pair of touchdowns as a running back in MSU’s 31-23 win over Montana in Bozeman last season, the second straight win in the rivalry for the Bobcats. “They really haven’t played anyone who has a runner like Troy. You talk about the Cal Poly game but that’s a completely different animal. I know they will have a good scheme for us. It’s a little difficult for us to know if that’s going to change.

“But I will say this: just like anything else, we are who we are after 10 games. What you see on film is what you are going to get. They aren’t going to invent a new defense to stop what we do and we aren’t going to create a new defense to stop what they do.”

If Montana does have the answer of how to slow down Andersen — he’s rushed for more than 100 yards in seven of his eight starts — it will likely be in the form of its star linebacker duo.

All-American Josh Buss entered his senior year as the preseason Big Sky Conference Defensive MVP. Montana junior Dante Olson is the leading candidate for the league’s postseason MVP award.

“I think they have two excellent linebackers in Olson and Buss who are playing at an extremely high level,” Choate said. “The Olson kid is a tackling machine. He’s a physical guy and once he gets his hands on you, you are probably on the ground. Buss is dynamic, can track guys down. He’s got excellent speed.”

In his first year as a starter, the 6-foot-3, 240-pound Olson is leading the conference in tackles by a wide margin. He has 133 total stops, breaking Kendrick Van Ackeren’s 2015 school record. His tackle total is 41 more than any player in the league. His 11 tackles for loss are tied for fourth, as are his team-leading six sacks.

“He is a really good football player,” said Choate, who also questioned the validity of Olson’s tackle numbers simply based on basic play count and number of opportunities. “He creates a lot of turnovers. He’s an excellent tackler. When he gets his hands on you, you are on the ground. He’s more physical than you think. I think their scheme lightens him up and also Josh, gives those guys opportunities to make plays.

“And they are two of the best players they have on their team. It’s wise how they approach it. You can see the thought process that goes into the coaching. They are going to allow two of their best players to have some freedom and keep them clean and moving a lot of guys a the line of scrimmage and not letting those linemen climb to the second level. Those guys are taking advantage of it.”

In defensive coordinator Kent Baer’s 4-2-5 stack defense, the defensive linemen move often both before and after the snap, using twists and crashes to eat up blocks and let UM’s linebackers, particularly Olson, roam free. The scheme employs a variety of pressures that more than one opposing coach has called “exotic”.

Those pressures have helped Montana register 17 of its 24 sacks with non-defensive linemen. Buss and Olson have combined for 11.5 sacks and if you add in sophomore Jace Lewis’ 2.5 sacks, UM’s top three linebackers have accounted for 60 percent of Montana’s quarterback takedowns.

But Montana State has given up a league-low nine sacks and Andersen is averaging 7.9 yards per carry. When teams have blitzed Andersen, he has often exploited the pressure.

On a third down blitz, Idaho missed a gap and Andersen took off for a 60-yard go-ahead touchdown in a 24-23 win. Against Weber State, the league’s leading team in sacks, Andersen exploited a blitz to the tune of a 71-yard touchdown. Against Cal Poly, despite tweaking his knee earlier in the game, Andersen found a gap in a broken pressure and coasted in for a 49-yard touchdown.

“He’s a good athlete, a good player,” Buss said. “We are excited to get our assignments today and focus on doing our jobs. That’s really all it comes down to: doing our job and our assignments.”

When posed a question framed through the statement that Montana State’s strength is its defensive front, Montana head coach Bobby Hauck cut the media member off to give his opinion during his press conference on Monday.

“I think the quarterback is the strength of their team,” Hauck interjected.

Andersen has accounted for nearly half of MSU’s runs or passes this season despite missing two starts at quarterback because of surgery following a 26-23 victory to open the season for the Bobcats. He is closing in on a variety of records and his sophomore season will go down in Big Sky lore, particularly if he finishes career playing another position.

“He’s a good athlete and he’s a good player but we have to go play,” Hauck said. “That’s what it’s about. There are 10 other guys out there too that are helping him. We just gotta go play hard and hope to play well.”

Because Andersen is naturally wired to play a physical position like running back or linebacker, Choate has consistently talked about his quarterback’s need to calm down and find poise. Choate said he recognized right away in his high-strung pupil during MSU’s team meetings on Sunday that he would need to keep Andersen steady this week before unleashing him on the Griz on Saturday afternoon.

“Talking to the team yesterday and I’m looking at him and going, ‘We are going to have to reel this guy in,” Choate said. “He is so amped up right now. He’s just going to have to play within himself and he’ll calm down eventually. But when he does, he’ll be hard to bring down.”

Photos by Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved. 

It was the first time the two rivals had played since 2003. With the win, the Griz kept the Little Brown Stein, the traditional rivalry trophy, and Bobby Hauck became the all-time winningest coach in Montana history, recording his 86th victory to surpass Don Read.

One week after blowing out Southern Utah 57-14 in Cedar City, Montana was once again dominant in all phases of the game.

UM junior quarterback Dalton Sneed was 12-of-20 passing for 220 yards and three touchdowns, hitting two big plays to Sammy Akem and one to true freshman Gabe Sulser. The quarterback also carried the ball 14 times for 129 yards and a touchdown, leading the Griz in rushing.

The win, coupled with Montana State’s 35-7 win over Northern Colorado, kept a little bit of outside intrigue in next week’s rivalry showdown between the Griz and the Bobcats. Both the ‘Cats and the Griz are sitting at 6-4 heading into the finale, and the winner would be on the FCS playoff bubble.

A 37-14 Cal Poly win over Idaho State likely pushed the Bengals out of the playoff picture. ISU is now 5-2 in league, 6-4 overall but one of the wins is a Division II victory. ISU plays at No. 3 Weber State, a 31-18 winner over Southern Utah to move to 6-1 in league, 8-2 and solidify a postseason bid for the third straight season.

No. 5 Eastern Washington dismantled No. 6 UC Davis, posting a 59-20 victory that moves EWU to 6-1 in league play, 8-2 overall. The loss is Davis’ first in conference play and dropped the Aggies to 8-2 overall.

North Dakota stayed alive in the playoff picture with a 17-10 win over Portland State to move to 6-4.

Saturday in Moscow, Montana’s big-play ability put the game out of reach early.

After an opening field goal from Cade Coffey gave Idaho a 3-0 lead, Sneed bought time and found a wide-open Sulser in the middle of a broken defense for a 59-yard touchdown. That started a run of five straight touchdown drives for the Griz.

Junior rover Josh Sandry stepped in front of an Idaho pass and returned the interception 29 yards to the Vandals 27, setting up a 2-yard touchdown run by redshirt freshman tailback Adam Eastwood.

Following an Idaho punt, Sneed stepped up and took a hit while delivering a beautifully-placed 52-yard touchdown to Akem. Holder Reid Miller ran in a 2-point conversion to make it 22-3 early in the second quarter.

Akem continued his run of big plays, catching a 40-yard deep ball with a defender all over him on the next drive and finishing the series with a 5-yard touchdown catch, on which he motioned through the backfield and was wide-open in the flat, for a 29-3 lead. The 6-foot-4 sophomore now has 12 touchdowns this season, the most in the Big Sky Conference. 

After another Coffey field goal, the Griz capped the half appropriately, with Sneed breaking a 62-yard run and junior wide receiver Jerry Louie-McGee finishing the drive with a 13-yard touchdown run. The scoring burst marked the first rushing touchdown for the Idaho native this season. 

With running back Jeremy Calhoun out due to what was described as a “player decision,” Montana stayed away from its running backs almost completely in the first half, using Sneed and Louie-McGee’s shiftiness in the run game instead. Eastwood had just four carries in the first half.

With a 36-6 lead at halftime, Montana coasted in the second half.

Vandals quarterback Mason Petrino and Sneed traded 1-yard touchdown runs in the third quarter. Idaho scored two touchdowns in the fourth, but it wasn’t enough to bring the game back to competitiveness. In the fourth quarter, Hauck played sophomore Cam Humphrey and redshirt freshman Tanner Wilson at quarterback. True freshman Garrett Graves, a Eureka product who quarterbacked Lincoln County High School to consecutive Class B championships, got his first action as a Griz at running back. 

Akem had over half of Montana’s receiving yardage, with six grabs for 130 yards and the two scores. It was his fourth straight game with two touchdowns. The Broken Arrow, Oklahoma native up to 53 catches for 735 yards and 12 scores this season, all tops on a Griz team that returned its three top pass catches from a year ago in senior Keenan Curran, Louie-McGee and sophomore Samori Toure. 

Dante Olson led the Griz with 10 total tackles, breaking Kendrick Van Ackeren’s Montana single-season record of 130 tackles in a season in the process. Olson has 133 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and six sacks so far during a Buck Buchanan Award-caliber season. 

Petrino threw for 310 yards on 45 attempts and Isaiah Saunders ran for 123 on 20 for the Vandals, who actually out-gained Montana 457 to 420 thanks to their garbage-time efforts.

Hauck is now 86-21 as his eighth season at his alma mater winds down. He is 51-9 in Big Sky play. He will gun for his sixth win in eight matchups against the rival Bobcats in Missoula next week.

Photos by Jason Bacaj, Russ Hons & Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved. 

No. 6 Davis raced to a 21-0 lead by the end of the first quarter before cruising to a 42-20 win over Northern Arizona to move to 6-o in Big Sky play, 8-1 overall.

No. 5 EWU continued the evolution of its style by notching six sacks and three interceptions in a first half shutout of Northern Colorado on the way to a 48-13 win in Greeley to move to 5-1 in league play, 7-2 overall.

No. 4 Weber State has struggled to put together a complete game yet likely stamped its playoff resume for the third year in a row with a 26-14 win over Sacramento State to move to 5-1 in league play, 7-2 overall.

ISU won a shootout against the league’s two most surprising teams in Portland, moving to 5-1 in Big Sky play, 6-3 overall with a thrilling 48-45 victory at Portland State. The result snapped PSU’s three-game losing streak, dropping the Vikings to 3-3 in league, 4-5 overall and ending Portland State’s already dim playoff hopes.

Idaho scored 17 points in the fourth quarter to rally from a 27-17 deficit for a 31-27 win over North Dakota in the first game between the two teams since 2011. Idaho moved to 3-4 in league play, 4-5 overall including 4-0 at home. The loss drops North Dakota, playing as an FCS independent this season, to 5-4 overall.

For the first time since September 22, Montana and Montana State won on the same day. The Griz halted its turnover purge, instead scoring in bunches in a 57-14 win over struggling Southern Utah. Montana State, like the Griz, moved to 5-4 overall, 3-3 in league play with a 49-42 win over Cal Poly.

DAVIS, Calif. – Senior running back Tehran Thomas finished with a single-game career-high 24 carries for 94 yards and a pair of scores (another single-game record), while senior wide receiver Keelan Doss caught eight balls for 103 yards and two touchdowns for his 16th career 100-yard performance, leading the No. 6 UC Davis football team to its sixth consecutive victory, 42-20, over Northern Arizona in a Big Sky Conference battle on Saturday afternoon at Aggie Stadium.

Combined with his 56 receiving yards, Thomas finished with 150 all-purpose yards, another career high.

Eastern Washington 48, Northern Colorado 13

Fast starts – and a stingy defense — suit the Eagles just fine.

Eastern Washington opened up a 20-0 halftime lead and went on to beat Northern Colorado 48-13 Saturday at Nottingham Field in Greeley, Colo., in the start of three November Big Sky Conference games that will determine EWU’s postseason playoff fate.

A week after leading 31-0 at halftime versus Idaho, Eastern pitched another shutout in the first half against the Bears and led 20-0. With the offense piling up 562 yards, the defense had three interceptions and six sacks to hold UNC to 259 yards on the day. Senior D’londo Tucker had two of the interceptions for the Eagles, who have now held all six of its Big Sky opponents to 17 points or less with shutouts in 12 of 24 quarters this season.

“I feel good, really good,” Eastern Washington head coach Aaron Best. “Much like last week, I thought we dominated in the first half on both sides of the ball and on special teams. They were very similar games. We took a step forward in this game – even after a few lulls in the third quarter we got out of it and put some more points on the board and stretched the lead even further.”

On a blustery day with sustained winds of 25 miles per hour and gusts of up to 40, Eastern took advantage for a fast start in the first quarter to take a 13-0 lead. The Eagles dominated early with a 169-28 advantage in total offense in the first quarter, and scored after punts of just 27 and 11 yards by the Bears.

Sophomore quarterback Eric Barriere accounted for 309 yards of total offense for EWU – 245 passing and 64 rushing. He had one TD pass and a pair rushing.

Eastern has now won all 10 Big Sky Conference meetings between the two schools, including all five in Greeley. But the last two times they played Eastern had to rally in the fourth quarter to pull out wins – 35-28 during EWU’s National Championship season in 2010 and 43-41 in 2015.

Eastern remained ranked fifth in this week’s STATS NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Top 25 poll and fourth by the coaches. Right behind the Eagles are Weber State (4/5) and UC Davis (6/9). The loss to Weber State knocked Eastern down a bit in the nationally rankings, after EWU equaled its highest rankings in the past four seasons with rankings of fourth and third, respectively.

Now 7-2 overall and 5-1 in the Big Sky in 2018, Eastern closed the 2017 season with a 7-4 record overall and was 6-2 in the Big Sky Conference in the first season under Best. This is the 12th-straight season the Eagles will have finished 5-3 or better in the Big Sky, with a 12th-straight winning season and 21st in the last 23 years guaranteed. But winning a 10th Big Sky title and making a 13th appearance in the FCS Playoffs is the quest for the 2018 Eagles, who are hungry to make that happen.

The Bears are 2-8 overall and 2-5 in the league, and had won its second-straight game on Oct. 27 with a 42-39 victory at Southern Utah. Northern Colorado also had won 42-14 over Northern Arizona in its last game at Nottingham Field on Oct. 20. Eastern also played NAU, but won only by a 31-26 score.

No. 4 Weber State 26, Sacramento State 14

OGDEN – The fourth ranked Weber State football team won its fourth-straight game on Saturday afternoon as the Wildcats defeated Sacramento State 26-14 at Stewart Stadium.

With the win the Wildcats improved to 7-2 overall and 5-1 in Big Sky play with two games remaining in the regular season.

Weber State has now won seven or more games in three-straight seasons for the first time in school history. The Wildcats also won their eighth straight home game and finished the regular season undefeated at home for just the third time in school history. The Wildcats have won 11 of their last 12 games at home.

Weber State jumped out to a 19-0 lead early in the third quarter in Saturday’s win after two Trey Tuttle field goals and touchdown passes from Jake Constantine to Darryl Denby and Rashid Shaheed.

Sacramento State recovered a fumble and returned it for a touchdown midway through the third quarter, but Josh Davis responded with a three-yard touchdown run to make it 26-7. The Hornets added a touchdown run with less than a minute to play.

.@CoachJayHill after today’s win@UtahEyeCenters #WeAreWeber pic.twitter.com/ACdCPP8tQh

— Weber State Football (@weberstatefb) November 3, 2018

The Wildcats held Sacramento State to just 170 yards, the fewest yards allowed by the Wildcats this season. Weber State also held the Hornets to 72 yards rushing and 98 yards passing, while the Wildcat defense finished with 377 yards.

Constantine finished the day 23 of 27 passing for 197 yards and two touchdowns and senior Rathen Ricedorff was 3 of 4 passing for 18 yards.

Josh Davis had his fifth game of rushing for at least 100 yards as he finished with 18 carries for 129 yards and a touchdown. Davis now has 935 yards on the season.

Shaheed led all receivers with six catches for 49 yards and a touchdown. Isiah Jackson had four catches for 61 yards and Denby finished with four catches for 36 yards and a touchdown. Eight different Wildcats caught passes for Weber State.

On defense, Jawian Harrison finished with eight tackles, while Parker Preator, Landon Stice, McKade Mitton and Jordan Preator each had four tackles. The Wildcats had two sacks and eight tackles for loss.

Saturday’s game was Senior Day, as Weber State honored its 16 seniors in the final regular season home games.

Idaho State 48, Portland State 45

Hillsboro, OR – A Portland State comeback ran out of time as the Vikings lost to Idaho State in an offensive showcase, 48-45, at Hillsboro Stadium.

Trailing by 10 points in the fourth quarter, the Vikings scored a touchdown with just over three minutes remaining, then got the defensive three-and-out they needed. PSU started its final drive at its own 12-yard line with 2:31 to play and no timeouts.

The Vikings’ final march included a fourth-and-nine conversion pass from Davis Alexander to Emmanuel Daugbe. Later, on third-and-21 play Alexander made a 20-yard completion to Charlie Taumoepeau. The officials marked the play just short of a first down at the ISU 36 and the Vikings had to race to get a final play off. But the scramble to snap the ball with the clock running out ended as a sack.

The loss for the Vikings ended a three-game winning streak and dropped their record to 4-5, 3-3 in the Big Sky Conference. Idaho State improved to 6-3, 5-1 in the Big Sky, and kept playoff hopes alive.

PSU had 597 yards of total offense to 518 for Idaho State.

“We grew up tonight. I saw some kids make some big plays and we were resilient. The offense picked up the defense tonight. It had been the other way around earlier this year,” said Viking Coach Bruce Barnum.

Idaho State took the opening drive 79 yards, benefitting from a fourth-down penalty by the Vikings midway through. The Bengals went for it on a fourth-and-one play from their own 49-yard line. Tanner Gueller attempted a quarterback sneak but the snap was fumbled. However, the Vikings were ruled as being offsides, extending the drive for ISU. Later Gueller hit brother Mitch on a 23-yard touchdown pass and the Bengals had the early lead.

A 54-yard run by Carlos Martin highlighted the Vikings’ opening drive. The Bengals were able to hold inside the 20 though as PSU settled for a 30-yard field goal from Cody Williams.

Late in the quarter Gueller found Michael Dean on a 63-yard touchdown pass. The gave the Bengals a 14-3 advantage at the end of the first quarter.

Portland State came back to tie the game 17-17 with a pair of early second-quarter touchdowns. Darian Green caught a 44-yard touchdown pass from a scrambling Alexander on a broken play. Then, a few minutes later Alexander sprinted to the right pylon from 10 yards out. His touchdown was set up by a 47-yard flea flicker pass to Mataio Talalemotu.

Dean had his second long touchdown catch later in the second quarter, a 28-yard grab from Gueller, and ISU went back ahead 24-17.

Again the Vikings responded with a score. Alexander led a 12-play, 73-yard drive that chewed up 6:22 on the clock. He hit Emmanuel Daigbe on a nine-yard, back shoulder throw in the left corner of the end zone. Again, the game was tied at 24.

But the Gueller brothers had one last score in them before halftime. Tanner connected with Mitch on three straight passes. The last was from 12 yards out and the Bengals went up 31-24 with 40 seconds left in the half.

As expected, the offensive numbers were impressive at halftime. ISU had 333 yards and Tanner Gueller had thrown four touchdown passes. PSU had 305 yards at halftime while Alexander had thrown for two scores and run for a third.

Portland State tied the game for the third time when they opened the second half. PSU had the opening series and Alexander led the way, scoring his second rushing touchdown. His eight-yard run knotted the score at 31-31.

A 21-yard pass to Ty Flanagan on a fourth-and-eight play from the Viking 26-yard line set up yet another go-ahead touchdown for the Bengals. On the next play, Tanner Gueller broke through the line on a five-yard TD run.

On his first touch of the game, Antwone Williams made a big play for the Vikings. He broke away on a 54-yard touchdown run and again the score was tied at 38-38.

Just before the end of the third quarter, the Bengals went back ahead 41-38 on a 27-yard Campbell Sheidow.

The Bengals got a big break on PSU’s next series. The Vikings drove to the ISU 30 but were forced into a field goal attempt. Williams’ effort from 47 yards had plenty of distance but hit the right upright.

From there, Idaho State finally got a two-score separation. The Tanner-to-Mitch Gueller connection featured a 45-yard play in a 70-yard scoring drive. Ty Flanagan eventually scored on an eight-yard run and ISU led 48-38 with 10:27 to play.

Portland State battled to stay in the game though. A lengthy 13-play, 78-yard drive pulled PSU within 48-45 with 3:06 to go. Alexander converted a fourth-down with a five-yard completion to Carlos Martin. Then, Jacob Bystry made his biggest play of the season with a 34-yard reception. Alexander later scored on a three-yard run.

On Idaho State’s ensuing drive, the Vikings got their defensive stop and a punt. That set up the frantic closing drive for PSU that came up short.

Alexander threw for 273 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 64 yards and three scores. The Vikings also got a career-high 105 rushing yards on 10 carries from Carlos Martin.

PSU gained a total of 316 yards on the ground on 49 carries, an average of 6.4 yards per carry.

ISU was led by Tanner Gueller, who finished 15 of 30 for 344 yards and the four TDs. His brother Mitch caught six passes for 144 yards and two scores, while Dean had five catches for 152 yards and two scores.

Idaho 31, North Dakota 27

MOSCOW, Idaho – Mason Petrino found Jeff Cotton in the corner of the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown with 27 seconds to play, lifting Idaho to a 31-27 win over North Dakota Saturday, at the Kibbie Dome. The Vandals (4-5, 3-4 Big Sky) scored 17 points in the fourth quarter, including a blocked punt returned for a touchdown.

Idaho took possession on its own 43 with 2:45 remaining, trailing 27-24. After Petrino connected with David Ungerer to move the sticks on a fourth down play and again on a third and short, the Vandals were inside the 10. Two plays later Petrino took advantage of one-on-one coverage against Cotton on the outside, hitting the fade route in the back of the end zone for an eight-yard touchdown and the game-winning score.

Cotton set career highs with 10 receptions and 137 yards, his second consecutive game cracking the 100-yard mark. Petrino finished with 277 passing yards and two touchdowns on career highs of 27 completions and 50 attempts.

The Vandal defense registered eight tackles for loss, including four sacks, led by D.J. Henderson’s two sacks and four tackles for loss. Lloyd Hightower recorded three of Idaho’s seven pass breakups, while Denzal Brantley – Idaho’s leading tackler with eight stops – pulled down his first interception.

North Dakota (5-4) entered the week ranked No. 25 in the AFCA FCS Coaches’ Poll. It is Idaho’s first win since 2007, over a team ranked in either poll (media or coaches) in either the FCS or FBS.

The Vandals improved to 4-0 at home and will have a chance to finish with a perfect home record next week against Montana. Idaho’s last season without a home loss was 1996. Kickoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. Saturday (Nov. 10), and will be televised on ROOT Sports.

Idaho struck first with a 43-yard touchdown run by Isaiah Saunders on the Vandals’ second possession of the game. It was the longest run of Saunders’ career and the longest by a Vandals this season. The senior running back finished with 94 yards on 17 carries, eclipsing the 2,000-yard mark for his career.

The Fighting Hawks got on the board in the first quarter with a long run of their own. Brady Oliveira went 68 yards down the sideline to tie it up. Idaho answered right back with a six-play, 75-yard drive in 2:22, capped by a 10-yard pass from Petrino to Ungerer to put the Vandals back on top before the end of the first quarter.

An Idaho fumble set North Dakota up with a short field early in the second quarter. It took 12 plays to go 36 yards, but eventually a four-yard touchdown pass evened the score at 14. That’s where the score remained headed into halftime.

The Fighting Hawks took their first lead of the game with 2:19 remaining in the third quarter on a three-yard touchdown run by Oliveira, but the extra point sailed wide.

The fourth quarter began with a 24-yard field goal from Cade Coffey to bring Idaho within three points at 20-17. North Dakota needed just five plays to find the end zone again and extend its lead to 10.

The defense stood tall twice more before the offense put its game-winning drive together. With a lead to protect once again, Charles Akanno recorded two sacks on North Dakota’s final drive, including the final play of the game.

Montana 57, Southern Utah 14

Griz beat down SUU to end skid; Hauck ties Read for most wins in UM history

Montana State 49, Cal Poly 42

Ifanse leads Bobcats to 49-42 win over Cal Poly

Montana State press conference: Bobcats beat Cal Poly 49-42

The second of those crucial mistakes came after a potentially game-swinging interception by MSU junior cornerback Greg “Munchie” Filer III. Montana State sophomore wide receiver Lance McCutcheon let a deep pass that would’ve netted a gain of more than 40 yards slip through his hands.

On Montana State’s second possession of the second half, the Bobcats had sputtered all but one possession. Idaho sat in man coverage on the perimeter, content to load the box to slow down battering ram quarterback Troy Andersen and MSU’s potent run game.

After an eight-yard Andersen rush that moved the ball to the MSU 46, the running back turned quarterback took a shot down the field for McCutcheon, who beat his defender and had nothing but daylight in front of him. Andersen overthrew the pass as he was taken to the turf by an Idaho rusher. The play drew a roughing the passer penalty.

The flag proved to be of no consequence. On the next play, Montana State head coach Jeff Choate told passing game coordinator Bob Cole to dial it up again.

Photos by Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved. 

Choate’s Bobcats managed just 12 first downs, possessed the ball for just 21 minutes and converted just four third downs against a familiar opponent playing in Bozeman for the first time since before most of the current Bobcats were born.

But Choate’s exhale had nothing to do with the disappointment of defeat. Because of a relentless defensive front that eventually wore Idaho down, the latest addition to Troy Andersen’s highlight reel, an errant extra point by an honors candidate and a group of Vandals without a timeout in the fourth quarter, Choate’s Bobcats finally snapped a streak of what were becoming oh-so-close heartbreaking losses at home.

Instead, Montana State celebrated a homecoming victory in front of an announced crowd of 19,177 that was noticeably less because of a sudden Bozeman blizzard that had temperatures below freezing all afternoon. Andersen gave the hosts their first lead in the third quarter by ripping off a 60-yard touchdown a play after a failed Idaho fourth down try, Tristan Bailey drilled a 42-yard field goal three plays after a Jahque Alleyne fourth-quarter interception to push the lead to a touchdown and Cade Coffey missed the potential game-tying extra point attempt with three minutes to play to boost Montana State a 24-23 win.

“Coach Choate always talks about being a finisher versus a front-runner, finishing games like we did,” Montana State senior nose tackle Tucker Yates said after helping MSU’s defensive front create chaos at the line of scrimmage for the entire second half to spark a rally from a 17-7 hole. “When we are down, we have a veteran team with a veteran d-line. I know Troy is a competitor, O-line competes every play, we have competitors on this team. We don’t panic and at halftime, we know we are going to come out and play hard.”

As Montana State enters the stretch run of Choate’s third season at the helm, the Bobcats have physically dominated the Montana Grizzlies in a pair of signature wins that have highlighted the Choate era thus far. Almost every single one of the other 26 games under Choate and his staff come down to the final quarter.

The Bobcats lost their first game ever under Choate 20-17 in Moscow to Idaho, at the time an FBS team that would go on to win nine games, including a 61-50 win over Colorado State in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. The season continued in the same fashion with the Bobcats losing the first three Big Sky games of the Choate era by 11 combined points.

Last season, MSU lost to No. 4 South Dakota State by four, eventual Big Sky champion Weber State by eight and eventual national quarterfinalist Kennesaw State by two, all at Bobcat Stadium. Add in a one-point loss because of a failed two-point conversion at Northern Arizona and Saturday’s win felt that much sweeter.

MSU beat Bryant by three points in Choate’s home opener, hit a game-winning field goal to beat Northern Colorado on the road and outlasted Western Illinois for a three-point win to open this season. But Saturday’s triumph marked Montana State’s first close Big Sky Conference victory at home in the last three seasons, a breakthrough that pushed Montana State to 2-1 in league, 4-2 overall.

“I said coming into the game that I thought this was going to be a war and I knew Idaho would have their best,” Choate said. “I thought they played really well.

“Hard-fought Big Sky win. Good ol’ Montana State football here today at beautiful Bobcat Stadium. I’m really proud of the way our guys fought.”

Idaho held what seemed like a commanding 17-7 lead with 8:41 left in the third quarter. The game resembled the slugfest in Moscow two years ago. But this version of the Bobcats responded resoundingly to come all the way back.

On MSU’s second possession of the second half, Andersen finally exploited Idaho’s man coverage on the perimeter by hitting sophomore Lance McCutcheon for a 37-yard gain to set up Isaiah Ifanse’s two-yard touchdown run to cut the lead to 17-14 with 6:46 left in the third quarter.

Four minutes later, Andersen showed off his prodigious speed, taking a broken pass play and turning it into a footrace to the end-zone to give MSU its first lead. The latest long touchdown run his brief, spectacular career already packed full came one play after Idaho failed to convert a fourth down try from 40 yards from the end-zone.

“Huge momentum swing right there,” Choate said. “That was probably one of the most critical stretches in the game for us.”

MSU senior Tyrone Fa’anono pressured Idaho quarterback Mason Petrino into his lone turnover of the day as he threw a pick right to Alleyne with 8:21 to play. Montana State went 3-and-out for the fifth time in 13 possessions, but were close enough to settle for a 42-yard field goal from Bailey, his ninth make in 10 attempts this season.

“If I had the answer (to why MSU starts slow), we would start a lot faster,” Choate said. “We talk about it a lot and even the way we practice, we practice with a lot of our team drills early in practice to really emphasize that idea of starting fast.

“But the one thing I know is we have a group of young men that are going to fight hard regardless of the situation and they don’t panic. At halftime, I think our coaching staff does a good job of bringing them back together and focusing on what needs to be done. I think if we are within two scores of any game, we are going to be able to punch our way back into it and we did that this evening.”

Idaho’s deliberate offense continued churning. Petrino completed four passes, including three first down strikes, to move Idaho to the Montana State 9. On third down with just over three minutes remaining, Petrino pitched to wide receiver Jeff Cotton on fly sweep. Cotton pitched to David Ungerer, who looked for Petrino, a former wide receiver, in the corner of the end-zone.

Montana State had Petrino covered but no one to stop the shifty Ungerer’s cutback as he burst in for a nine-yard touchdown that most thought would tie the game with 3:07 left on the clock.

Instead, Coffey, a first-team All-Sun Belt selection last season in Idaho’s last year playing in the FBS barely missed the PAT.

“I thought the PAT was good by quite a distance to be honest,” Ungerer said. “I guess we will see it on tape. But I’m really sad for my teammates, the seniors and the coaches.”

Because of a combination of the crowd noise as Bobcat Stadium and the dysfunction of the offense — Idaho head coach Paul Petrino lit into his quarterback son on two of UI’s three second half timeouts, all used before the third quarter ended — Montana State needed to get just one first down to erase the final three minutes of game time.

“Heartbreaking,” said Paul Petrino, a Helena native who starred at Carroll College in the late 1980s. “I feel awful for the players and the coaches. We talked all week about playing for each other, playing our hearts out and I think we did. We just came up one point short.

“What we tried to do, what our game plan was we did. We just didn’t get a win. We wanted to keep possession of it, not let them be on the field. We did that for the most part…We just came up one point short and I don’t have all the answers.”

The loss drops Idaho to 1-2 in league play, 2-4 overall in the Vandals’ first year playing back in the Big Sky since 1995.

“I’m just really sad for my teammates and our coaches because we battled our asses off today,” said Ungerer after finishing with game highs of eight catches for 70 yards. “We came into a tough environment and we really wanted this one today. Unfortunately, it didn’t go our way.”

The Vandals burned all three of their timeouts on the first drive of the game, a nine-play scoring match capped by Isaiah Saunders’ four-yard touchdown run.

Montana State answered with an eight-play drive on its second possession capped by Andersen’s 35-yard touchdown run, one of five runs of at least 16 yards by Montana State’s bullish quarterback. The sophomore from Dillon looked out of place at times, spectacular others as the 6-foot-3, 225-pound converted running back/linebacker continues to navigate his time under center. He finished with 159 yards rushing on 14 carries, while completing 11-of-21 passes for 91 yards. The Bobcats rush for 225 yards on just 31 rushes.

The MSU offense notched just 12 first downs, converted just 4-of-12 third downs and possessed the ball for less than two minutes on seven of its possessions. But the Bobcats came up with big plays when needed, including Andersen’s two long scoring runs and McCutcheon’s long grab to set up Ifanse’s fourth touchdown of his rookie year.

Choate praised Petrino for his operation of Idaho’s offense, saying he could see that the Vandals “put a lot on his shoulders at the lien of scrimmage”. With sophomore quarterback Colton Richardson not on the trip because of a concussion suffered in a 64-28 loss to Idaho State, Petrino helped the Vandals to 23 first downs, 9-of-18 conversions on third down and nearly 39 minutes of possession. He completed 21-of-35 passes for 162 yards.

But Montana State’s defensive line had him under constant duress. Derek Marks notched MSU’s only sack Saturday but Fa’anono hit Petrino at least four times, junior Bryce Sterk smacked Idaho’s quarterback three times and Yates helped flush the deceivingly elusive Vandal signal caller.

“We got a lot of hits on the quarterback, we flushed him from the pocket a lot and one of the things we did was we stopped going with our speed rush and squeezed him a little bit and that allowed us to condense the pocket and not let him get out,” Choate said. “Even when it wasn’t a sack, he didn’t have the opportunity to extend the play with his legs. That was critical.”

With a converted running back and linebacker playing quarterback, Montana State notched a crucial win coming out of its bye week to enter the stretch with one less win than MSU totaled last season.

The Bobcat victory seems even more crucial given Saturday’s results around the rest of the conference. Weber State held Eastern Washington to 250 yards of total offense in a 14-6 win, meaning the Bobcats could engage in another slugfest in Ogden against the defending Big Sky champions next weekend. Montana State is ready to test its mettle once again coming off a critical win as MSU continues its quest to snap a playoff drought that dates back to November of 2014.

“If we just play as a team like we do in the second half of every game, we can put a solid game together all four quarters and we would be a really tough team to beat,” Yates said.

“This builds confidence. We have a huge game next week. I think we are just going to move on to that now, prepare for them. They are a great football team, a tough environment to play in so we are going to have to have a great week of preparation to go down there and finally play our best football.”

Photos by Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved.