“We are happy to be 1-0 in the Big Sky right now and we are fired up for homecoming this week in Missoula with Idaho State coming to town,” Montana head coach Bobby Hauck said. “That’s exactly how we look at it. We are 1-0 in the Big Sky.”

Hauck has long preached the importance of treating every game with the same intensity in preparation with a prioritization on execution. As Hauck consistently reminds the media, “big” wins don’t matter if you lose the games you are supposed to win. Or lose any games at all.

Montana must focus on avoiding a letdown against an upstart Idaho State team coached by a Hauck protégé this Saturday on a day Montana celebrates homecoming. Rob Phenicie, an assistant on Hauck’s staff at Montana and UNLV for a total of 12 seasons, is in his third season as the head coach at ISU. He led the Bengals to their first winning record since 2014 last season.

This year’s ISU team is coming off a 51-24 win over Portland State in which quarterback Matt Struck threw for 343 yards and six touchdowns on just 16 completions. Ty Flanagan rushed for 119 yards on 21 carries. Senior wide receivers Mitch Gueller and Mikey Dean each caught 45-yard touchdowns as the Bengals’ run-pass option operated like a well-oiled machine.

“They present a big challenge,” Hauck said. “They have their quarterback back (Struck went down early in ISU’s 31-0 loss at No. 11 Utah). They have played really well with him in the game. They absolutely killed Portland State last week. I think they were up 41-7 at half (41-10). They won going away.”

Under the direction of second-year offensive coordinator Mike Ferriter, a Montana alum, the Bengals have scored at least 37 points eight times in 15 games. ISU is averaging 34 points per game against FCS opponents. 

“I know they feel real strongly about their skill players, particularly on the offensive side of the ball, which I agree with,” Hauck said. “You look at the defensive side (coordinated by former Montana State star Roger Cooper, the 2004 Big Sky Defensive MVP) of the ball and they are only giving up 20 points per game. This is a dangerous, dangerous opponent and they have our attention early on this week.”

QUICK HITS

Location: Pocatello, Idaho

Nickname: Bengals

Founded: 1901. ISU is a Carnegie-classified doctoral research high and teaching institution that attracts students from around the world.

Enrollment: The university has 12,805 and an endowment of $53 million.

Stadium: Holt Arena. The 49-year-old arena holds 12,000. The school replaced its notorious AstroTurf with field turf before the 2011 season. The Bengals are averaging 5,584 fans per game in two home games this season.

THE COACH

Rob Phenicie, third year at Idaho State — Phenicie took over when Mike Kramer was forced into retirement during spring football in 2017. But he is no stranger to the Big Sky.

Phenicie served as Cal State Northridge’s offensive coordinator in the late 1990s before school dropped football in 2001. After coaching for former Montana head coach Joe Glenn at Wyoming for three years, Phenicie joined Bobby Hauck’s staff at Montana in 2003. He helped the Griz to seven straight Big Sky titles before moving with Hauck to UNLV in 2010.

When Hauck resigned following the 2014 season in Las Vegas, Phenicie joined Kramer’s staff as the wide receivers coach, a role he served for two years.

“Rob and those guys do a really good job,” Hauck said. “Their strength coach is someone we are familiar with. They are a fit looking, good looking group. Dan Ryan does a great job in their weight room. They know how we do business and we probably don’t have quite as good an idea of how they do it. We haven’t been immersed in it.  We will have to change a few things to counteract that.”

Dan Ryan was Hauck’s strength coach at UNLV from 2010 until 2015. Idaho State offensive coordinator Mike Ferriter was a three-year starter at wide receiver for Hauck at Montana from 2004 and 2008. He was a captain as a senior. That year, he became the 11^th Griz to reach 2,000 yards receiver in his career. He caught 148 passes for 2,116 yards and 15 touchdowns in his career.

ISU cornerbacks coach J.B. Hall served a similar position for three seasons on Bob Stitt’s staff between 2015 and 2018.

“The programs know each other really well,” Hauck said. “The staffs know each other really, really well. Numerous of their guys are guys who have worked here and or are alums of our place. With that crossover, we will have to change some things and try to keep them knowing ahead of time what we are doing on any given play.”

For less than a week in the spring of 2017, Phenicie was set to join Mark Farley’s staff at Northern Iowa. Then Kramer stepped down and Phenicie got his first shot as a head coach.

He led the Bengals to a 5-6 record that included a win over FBS Nevada and two Big Sky wins. Former ISU athletic director Jeff Tingey, who was fired on August 28, gave Phenicie a three-year contract extension in October of 2017. Last season, ISU posted a 6-5 record that included five Big Sky wins.

ISU enters its matchup with Montana fresh off a 51-24 thrashing of Portland State in Pocatello. The Bengals led 41-10 at halftime and moved to 1-0 in Big Sky play, 2-2 overall with the victory.

“They are extremely well coached,” Hauck said. “Those guys have done an amazing job there. Historically, it’s been a place where it’s been up and down and these guys have done a nice job coaching there. They play hard, they are sound, their scheme is excellent. They are a handful to prepare for.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH – The offense

Mitch Gueller, wide receiver, 6-3, 224, senior — Idaho State brought in Struck to replace Tanner Gueller, a four-year starter under center who ended his career with 9,061 yards passing and threw 74 touchdowns.

Tanner exhausted his eligibility before Mitch even though Mitch is nearly three years older. As a senior of W.F. West High in Chehalis, Washington, in 2012, Mitch was a second-round pick in the Major League Baseball draft by the Philadelphia Phillies.

When his baseball career wrapped in early 2016, the former all-state football player decided to try his hand playing wide receiver catching passes from his brother. That first fall, Gueller showed flashes of his big-play ability. He caught a 57-yard touchdown against Northern Arizona, caught 10 passes for 187 yards against Weber State and caught five passes for 100 yards against Montana. He finished with 36 catches for 509 yards and three touchdowns.

The following season, he again caught 36 passes but this time for 871 yards and eight touchdowns. He went over 100 yards four times, including catching nine passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns against Montana. He earned first-team All-Big Sky honors.

Last season, the athletic, acrobatic, explosive playmaker caught 62 passes for 1,259 yards and nine touchdowns to earn first-team All-Big Sky and Hero Sports All-American honors.

Gueller has battled injuries early during his final season with the Bengals. Yet he is still averaging 18.8 yards per catch on his nine receptions. He’s caught two touchdowns, including a 45-yard last week against Portland State.

For his career, Gueller has caught 134 passes for a jaw-dropping 2,639 yards and 20 touchdowns. He is averaging 19.7 yards per catch in his college career.

 “Idaho State really believes their offensive skill players to be the best in the league, Maybe they are right. They are awfully good,” Hauck said. “(Struck) throws it up to them, he’s accurate and those receivers make plays.”

Mikey Dean, wide receiver, 5-6, 151, senior — Dean is one of, if not THE, shortest player in the Big Sky. He is also one of, if not THE fastest player in the entire conference. During the 2019 indoor track season, Dean won the 60-meter dash at four different meets. He took second at the indoor championships, running a time of 6.74 seconds. He set an Idaho State record with his silver medal finish in the event.

At Chaffey High in Upland, California, Dean was a phenom on the track. He was the league MVP in track and field as a sophomore after winning state titles in the 100 meters, 200 meters, pole vault and in the 4×100 relay. As a senior, he again was an MVP, winning the 100 meters in a blazing time of 10.71 seconds. He long jumped 23 feet, six inches and had the eight-best pole vault in the country with a jump of 15 feet, three inches.

And even with all those accolades, Dean still might’ve been a more impressive high school football player. Dean rushed for 2,555 yards and 37 touchdowns as a senior, setting the Inland Valley regular season rushing record in the process. He led the state of California in rushing yards, a total that ranked third nationally.

He’s parlayed all that potential into one of the most impressive careers for a diminutive player in the history of the Big Sky. The first time he ever played in a game, he ripped off a 91-yard touchdown run against Sac State. He finished that afternoon with 154 yards and two touchdowns on just four rushes.

As a sophomore in 2017, he hauled in 52 catches for 754 yards and eight touchdowns. He caught five passes for 133 yards in ISU’s upset win at FBS Nevada.

Last season, Dean earned second-team all-conference honors by catching 49 passes for 863 yards and 10 touchdowns. He caught four touchdown passes in a 62-28 demolition of Idaho. He set a career high with 210 yards on just six catches in a narrow 48-41 loss at FBS Liberty.

Dean has caught 20 passes for 300 yards and three touchdowns thus far this season. He caught five for 78 yards, including touchdowns of 45 and 15 yards last week against Portland State.

“Against Portland State, once they got it rolling, it was unreal,” Hauck said. “You can go back to their game against Idaho last year or the first three quarters of their game against Davis, they just lit people up. It’s eye-opening.”

Matt Struck, quarterback, 6-3, 209, junior — During Mike Kramer’s first two seasons as the head coach, former junior college transfer Kevin Yost attempted more than 1,000 passes, averaging nearly 47 attempts per game in 2011 and 2012.

Justin Arias joined the Bengals in 2013, breaking Yost’s previous two program single-season highs for attempts in a season, throwing 574 passes after transferring from the College of the Canyons. The following season, Arias threw for 4,076 yards and 38 touchdowns, leading ISU to an 8-4 record and finishing third in the Walter Payton Award voting.

In other words, Bengal quarterbacks have been chucking it around Holt Arena and the Rocky Mountain West for most of this decade. Tanner Gueller’s 74 touchdown passes broke Arias’ school record of 64.

Struck hopes to become the next in the line of prolific gunslingers. After graduating from Crater High in Central Point, Oregon, he spent two years at Riverside Community College but did not play. The junior college also featured Vic Viramontes, the former California Prep Player of the Year who originally committed to Jim Harbaugh at Michigan before playing his freshman season at Minnesota. Riverside’s roster also featured Travis Jonsen, a former four-star recruit who started his career at Oregon and is now a senior captain at Montana State.

Struck transferred to ISU and redshirted last season. In his debut against Western Colorado, he threw for 402 yards and four touchdowns in a 38-13 win. Late in the first quarter of a 31-0 loss to Utah, Struck was on the wrong side of what ended up a targeting penalty in the second quarter. He did not return to the game. Gunnar Amos played the rest of the game and every snap in a 13-6 loss at No. 9 Northern Iowa.

“He (Struck) is good at a lot of things,” Hauck said. “You look at their production when he went out in the Utah game and didn’t play against Northern Iowa, it was a completely different offensive team in terms of their production. With him being back in the mix and healthy, they are a whole different beast.”

Struck broke out last week and Amos left the program abruptly for personal reasons, according to ISU athletics.

PLAYERS TO WATCH – The defense

Kody Graves, linebacker, 6-1, 215, senior — When healthy, the unassuming yet aggressive linebacker has been one of the Big Sky’s most productive players.

After playing as a true freshman, Graves suffered a serious knee injury that cost him the 2016 season.

In 2017, he notched a sack against Nevada in an ISU upset win on the way to totaling 58 tackles, eight tackles for loss and forcing two fumbles. 

Last season, he rolled up 83 tackles and earned third-team All-Big Sky honors. He had two interceptions and a sack.

This season, he leads ISU with 35 tackles and his two tackles for loss are second on the Bengals.

Christian McFarland, safety, 6-0, 194, senior — McFarland and Adkin Aguierre make up one of the more experienced safety pairs in the league. McFarland, a former transfer from Sacramento City College, intercepted a Davis Alexander pass and raced 64 yards for a touchdown. That score gave ISU a 20-0 lead less than 11 minutes into the game.

McFarland finished fourth on the team last season with 75 tackles. He had one interception and six pass breakups his first season with the Bengals. This season, he is fourth on the team with 24 tackles, including 13 solo tackles and a tackle for loss.

Jay Irvine, cornerback, 6-foot-1, 201, junior — In three seasons at Oregon State (including a redshirt year), Irvine played in 14 games and started four. He guarded some of the Pac 12’s best wide receivers.

He’ll face that caliber of player against Montana on Saturday. The Griz feature a collection of the most athletic and most formidable wide receivers in the Big Sky. Senoir quarterback Dalton Sneed is the two-time reigning Big SKy Offensive Player of the Week. He’s thrown nine touchdowns in the last two weeks. Samuel Akem, Samori Toure and Jerry Louie-McGee have combined to catch 86 passes for 1,063 yards and seven of Sneed’s 13 touchdowns.

Irvine will likely draw the 6-foot-4, 215-pound Akem, one of the biggest physical freaks in the league.

What follows is a photo essay of the players Skyline Sports observed as the best at their respective positions in the Big Sky Conference.

Offensive Player of the Year

Troy Andersen, Montana State, sophomore

Defensive Player of the Year

Dante Olson, Montana, junior

Newcomer of the Year

Dalton Sneed, Montana, quarterback, junior

Freshman of the Year

Josh Davis, Weber State, running back

First team offense

Quarterback

Jake Maier, UC Davis, junior 

Running backs

Josh Davis, Weber State, redshirt freshman

Elijah Dotson, Sacramento State, sophomore

Fullback

Joe Protheroe, Cal Poly, senior

Wide receivers

Mitch Gueller, Idaho State, junior

Keelan Doss, UC Davs, senior

Sammy Akem, Montana, sophomore

Tight end

Wes Preece, UC Davis, Junior

Offensive Tackle

Chris Schlichting, Eastern Washington, junior

 Iosua Opeta, Weber State, senior

Guard

Noah Johnson, Idaho, junior

Ty Whitworth, Weber State, sophomore

Center

Spencer Blackburn, Eastern Washington, senior

Kicker

Roldan Alcobendas, Eastern Washington, senior

All-Purpose

Troy Andersen, Montana State, sophomore

Returner

Rashid Shaheed, Weber State, sophomore

First team defense

Tackle

Jay-Tee Tiuli, Eastern Washington, Senior

Tucker Yates, Montana State, senior

End

 Tyrone Fa’anono, Montana State, senior

Adam Rodriguez, Weber State, junior

Edge

Bryce Sterk, Montana State, junior

Outside linebacker

 Mason Moe, UC Davis, senior

Landon Stice, Weber State, senior

Cornerback

Keilan Benjamin, Weber State, senior

Vince White, UC Davis, senior

Safety

Jahque Alleyne, Montana State, junior

Jordan Preator, Weber State, senior

Punter

Roldan Alcobendas, Eastern Washington, senior

Special Teams

Brady May, Weber State, senior

Second team offense

Quarterback

Tanner Gueller, Idaho State, senior

Running backs

Sam McPherson, Eastern Washington, senior

James Madison, Idaho State, senior

Wide receivers

Nsimba Webster, Eastern Washington, senior

Michael Dean, Idaho State, junior

 Emmanuel Butler, Northern Arizona, senior

Tight end

 Charlie Taumoepeau, Portland State, junior

Tackle

Brian Fineanganofo, Idaho State, senior

Mitch Brott, Montana State, junior

Guards

Kaleb Levao, Eastern Washington, senior

Korbin Sorensen, Portland State, sophomore

Center

 Dallen Collins, Idaho State, junior

Kicker

Cody Williams, Portland State, freshman

Returner

Malik Flowers, Montana, redshirt freshman

All-Purpose

Ulonzo Gilliam, UC Davis, freshman

Second team defense

Tackle

Filipe Sitake, Weber State, senior

 Semise Kofe, Portland State, sophomore

End

Larry Ross, Portland State, senior

Keifer Morris, Northern Colorado, senior

Edge

Kaden Ellis, Idaho, senior

Outside linebacker

Chris Ojoh, Eastern Washington, sophomore

Kody Graves, Idaho State, senior

Inside linebacker

Josh Buss, Montana, senior

Ketner Kupp, Eastern Washington, senior

Cornerback

 Khalil Dorsey, Northern Arizona, junior

Josh Lewis, Eastern Washington, senior

Safety

Kam’Ron Johnson, Northern Arizona, senior

Brayden Konkol, Montana State, junior

Robby Hauck, Montana, redshirt freshman

Punter

Jered Padmos, Montana State, junior

Special teams

 Eric Williams, Montana, senior punter

Photos by Brooks Nuanez. To reach Brooks for purchase or questions, email Brooks.Nuanez@gmail.com. All Rights Reserved. 

PART I —THE MATCHUPS: Troy Andersen vs. Griz defense

PART II — THE MATCHUPS: Griz offensive line vs. Bobcat defensive line

UM offensive coordinator Timm Rosenbach has had to tap into his imagination this year to help the Griz mask an inexperienced front. Rosenbach has often put dual-threat quarterback Dalton Sneed in roll out situations to stress the edges of opposing defenses and use Sneed’s athleticism to UM’s advantage.

And while the numbers have not been as prolific for Montana’s wide receivers as the past few seasons operating former head coach Bob Stitt’s up-tempo spread offense, the talent Stitt and his staff recruited and developed has given UM matchup advantages on the perimeter all season.

Photos by Brooks Nuanez and Jason Bacaj. All Rights Reserved. 

With a new offensive coordinator in place and a desperate attitude after another close loss last week at Weber State, MSU went to Pocatello, Idaho for what the Bobcats hoped would be the first game in a winning streak to end the season and end Montana State’s playoff drought.

The Bobcats fell behind 24-7 against an equally hungry Bengals’ squad that entered the game with an identical 4-3 record. The Bobcats won the fourth quarter 10-0 but lost the game, 24-17 in front of 8,851 at Holt on Saturday afternoon.

The early deficit stemmed from several mistakes, including a failed fake punt in the first half and pair of missed field goals.

But has been the case throughout the duration of the Jeff Choate era, the Bobcats buckled down defensively and rallied back. Two weeks after rallying for a 24-23 win over Idaho and a week after blowing a 17-7 lead in a 34-24 loss at No. 7 Weber State, MSU rallied to within a touchdown but couldn’t finish the comeback.

MSU entered the fourth quarter trailing by 17 points. But the visitors turned a Jalen Cole forced fumble into a 33-yard touchdown by sophomore quarterback Troy Andersen to cut the lead to 10. Jahque Alleyne forced fumble leding to a 43-yard bomb thrown by Andersen and caught by junior Kevin Kassis set up Tristan Bailey’s 20-yard field goal, his only hit of the day after missing a pair of kicks from 40-plus earlier in the day. That cut the lead to 24-17 with eight minutes, 24 seconds left to play.

MSU forced another punt, taking over down a touchdown with 5:28 left. A 41-yard Isaiah Ifanse run got the Bobcats to the edge of Bailey’s range but the Bobcats needed a TD. With possession on the ISU 16 yard line, the Bobcats got flagged for holding.

Two plays later, Aren Manu sacked Andersen, setting up a 2^nd and 23 for the Bobcat offense. On fourth down, Andersen found sophomore Lance McCutcheon for a 21-yard gain, two less than MSU needed to move the sticks for the 21^st time on Saturday. Instead, the Bobcats fell just short again.

“We thought we had a great play call there, Lance popped open and we knew we had to get 22 yards,” Andersen said. “That’s a lot to ask. He put a great effort in, made a move and we did our best.”

A pair of kneel downs from Idaho State quarterback Tanner Gueller and the Bengals found themselves in the thick of the playoff race entering November for the first time in a long time. And the Bobcats found themselves painted into a corner after yet another near rally.

“It seemed like one of the first times we have been down and we fought back, rallied back,” Kassis said after hauling in eight passes for 83. “That’s one positive we can take out of this. It didn’t come out the way we wanted it to come out but I applaud the o-line, Troy and the defense for having two great takeaways at the end. That’s a great effort and it’s unfortunate but that’s football.”

The win moves Idaho State to 4-1 in Big Sky play, 5-3 overall. The Bengals will have to win out to get to seven Division I wins. But an eight-win ISU team with a 7-1 Big Sky record could earn the league’s auto bid to the playoffs.

“Bengals are 4-1 (in Big Sky play), 4-0 at home,” ISU second-year head coach Rob Phenicie said unsolicited before going in on his team in critical fashion.

“We played horrible, absolutely terrible, turnovers, that can’t happen. We have to play better if we want to take this thing any further. We have a lot to improve on this week.

“A win is a win but we have to play better. We can’t go up 21 points and then all of a sudden make it a nail biter. Championship teams can’t do that. That’s not what we are going to do. We had too many stupid penalties, undisciplined penalties (four for 42 yards) that angered me to death. We have to fix this stuff. “

The game had equally impactful but far less positive results for a Montana State team trying to snap a variety of streaks. The Bobcats are now 2-3 in league play following their second straight league loss. MSU is 4-4 overall, outside the FCS playoff picture. Montana State will have to win its remaining three games — home dates against Cal Poly and Northern Colorado before a season-finale in Missoula against Montana — and likely need help to snap a streak that dates back to 2014 of missing the postseason.

“It didn’t come down to the play-calling, it came down to the Cats, us on the field,” Kassis said. “We made mistakes. I thought Coach Miller put us in really good spots and allowed us to have a lot of opportunities that we need to capitalize on on the field. That’s what his job is to do: to set us up for success. He did that I thought.”

In the first game under new offensive coordinator Matt Miller, Montana State marched 75 yards on 14 plays, a drive that lasted 6:41 and ended on Travis Jonsen’s third rushing touchdown this season from one yard out.

Montana State forced a punt after just five plays and 70 seconds of ISU’s league-leading offense. The Bobcats ran 13 plays for 54 yards to the ISU 29. But Bailey’s 46-yard field goal hit the left upright.

Before that attempt, Bailey had a season-long of 50 yards and had hit 10 of his 11 field goal attempts this season. His first long try had the distance but not the accuracy.

“I thought Matt did an excellent job, found some rhythm, moved the ball really affectively but at times we stalled in the red zone,” Choate said after his team notched 20 first downs,425 yards of total offense and possessed the ball for nearly 34 minutes.

Idaho State had the ball for just 2:38 in the first quarter and Montana State had a 7-0 lead. Then Idaho State’s offense got on track. Gueller led a nine-play drive capped by a 38-yard field goal by Campbell Sheidow to get the Bengals on the scoreboard.

Gueller led two touchdown drives in the second quarter as the ISU offense ran 27 plays for 153 yards and notched nine first downs in the 17-point frame. Gueller completed all six of his passes and senior running back James Madison capped the march with his 11^th touchdown of the season from seven yards out.

That score put Idaho State up 10-7 with 6:18 left in the first half. After three unproductive plays, MSU lined up for a punt but instead called a fake. Punter Jered Padmos’ pass was errant although intended receiver Brayden Konkol was open.

“We couldn’t have gotten a better look,” Choate said. “We practice that every single week all the way back to fall camp. That’s a staple for us. What we are looking for is what they gave us. It couldn’t have been dialed up any better. Probably got a little bit excited he was so wide open. He just put a little too much air on the ball and we didn’t make a play.

“We wanted to call an aggressive game going in and when you are backed up and you are somewhere around midfield and it’s time to call that type of play, usually you don’t get the look you want and we got the exact look we wanted. We just didn’t execute.”

Seven plays and 42 yards later — including a crazy underhand pass while getting tackled on a fourth down try by Gueller to running back Ty Flanagan that extended the drive — Gueller hit Austin Campbell for the tight end’s fifth touchdown catch this season from nine yards out to extend the hosts’ lead to 17-7.

“’Is his knee down, is his knee not down’, I don’t know but a tremendous individual play by him,” Choate said. “They are a very talented offensive football team.”

Montana State’s first possession of the second half ended after two plays when Troy Andersen threw an interception picked by Adkin Aguirre, giving the Bengals the ball 33 yards from the end-zone. Gueller, who complied 18-of-29 passes for 218 yards, hit Demonte Horton twice in a row, including for a four-yard touchdown pass for ISU’s final score with 11:16 left in the third quarter.

On the final drive of the third quarter, Montana State held the ball for 6:36, gaining 71 yards in 15 plays to the Idaho State 23. A pair of penalties put the Bobcats into a 3^rd & 14. An incomplete pass brought on Bailey for his second try, this one from 41 yards out. He missed wide left.

“I thought the two missed field goals played consequential in the outcome of this game because the scoring margin had an impact in how we had to call the game down the stretch,” Choate said.

From that point, MSU’s defense forced two fumbles, gave up just three first downs and allowed ISU to gain just 83 yards on 18 plays. But Montana State fell just short once again.

“The defense rose to the occasion over and over again, forced turnovers, got critical stops, had our backs to the wall a handful of times,” Choate said.

Montana State have now played 16 games decided by eight points or less under Choate’s guidance. MSU is 8-8 in those games. But just three of those victories, including two against the rival Griz, came over teams with winning records.

“We came alive a little bit late and our defense kept us close,” Andersen said after throwing for 173 yards and rushing for 106, keeping pace with Madison by scoring his league-best 11th touchdown this season. “Sometimes we have to do a little bit more.”

Big Sky Breakdown: Montana State post game following Idaho State loss

Photos by Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved. 

Idaho State hosts Montana State at Holt Arena in Pocatello, Idaho on Saturday in a game with postseason implications. Following two straight heartbreaking losses, ISU must win out to get to seven Division I wins. The 4-3 Bengals began their season with a Division II victory.

The Bobcats are also 4-3. A loss would not necessarily eliminate an MSU team that will play an 11-game Division I schedule in 2018 but it would certainly paint Montana State into a corner.

Whether it’s Aaron Rodgers pulling the ball and throwing a rope to a streaking Davante Adams for the Green Bay Packers or Carson Wentz using his wizardly ball skills to confuse defenders or Nick Foles throwing bombs set up by play fakes in the Super Bowl for the Philadelphia Eagles, the building trend has had a huge influence all the way to the highest level of the game.

At the college level, the same can be said. Eastern Washington’s revitalized run game has helped EWU add RPO elements to an offense that has established a reputation as the country’s most consistently excellent passing attack, thrusting the Eagles into the Big Sky Conference title hunt once again.

But it’s an offense that includes a four-year starter at quarterback who is blossoming as a senior, a pair of differently built but equally explosive wide receivers and a pair of the league’s most talented running backs blasting through holes plowed by a reinvigorated offensive line that has Idaho State rolling.

“I think Idaho State is more committed to the RPO than anybody in the league,” said Montana State head coach Jeff Choate, whose Bobcats play ISU in Pocatello on Saturday afternoon. “Eastern is the runner-up in that regard. But Idaho State is so committed to the RPO stuff and they run the ball so well that it makes it even more explosive when they are able to get open receivers. (Senior quarterback Tanner) Gueller is extremely accurate. He spots the ball very, very well.”

The RPO has been a key cog in the Bengals ranking second in the nation in total offense (543.6 yards per game) and second in the Big Sky in scoring offense at 41.3 points per outing. ISU is averaging 45 points and 594 yards per Big Sky game, showing a ridiculous balance that has seen the Bengals throw for a league-best 327 yards per outing while also ranking second in the league in rushing yards per game at 267 per game.

Idaho State head coach Rob Phenicie served as the offensive coordinator at Montana from 2003 until 2009, helping the Grizzlies to seven straight Big Sky titles, seven straight national playoffs and three appearances in the FCS national title game. Although under Bobby Hauck’s Griz earned a reputation as one of the most intimidating power run teams in the conference, an early version of the RPO helped wide receivers like Marc Mariani put up prolific stats and gash teams with game-breaking big plays.

“We ran a system that was very similar to these RPOs that were a portion of our offense at Montana. We called it zone check,” Phenicie said. “With that, we would actually look at the defense and call the play.

“What the RPO has transitioned into, we call the play and it encompasses everything, the run and the pass. We don’t have to call it. It’s kind of weird how the evolution has come out but it utilizes your practice time a lot better. Our receivers don’t block. We don’t have a 10-minute stock blocking period. Now you spend time working your routes. It helps to have two good running backs, a group of good receivers and a quarterback who understands what we we are trying to do.”

And Phenicie said “the main reason we can do it is because of Tanner.”

The Bengals are off to a 3-1 start in league play thanks to an offense led by Gueller, a fifth-year senior who has thrown for 2,072 yards and 18 touchdowns this season, his fourth at the controls of the offense. A physical offensive front spearheaded by junior honors candidate center Dallen Collins has helped plow holes for senior tailback James Madison (741 yards, 10 TDs) and junior Ty Flanagan (621 yards, six TDs).

“The offensive line has been unbelievable,” Gueller said. “What (offensive line) Coach (Roman) Sapolu has been able to do with those guys and seeing what a veteran offensive line can do when they’ve seen every look you can throw at them, they are just competitors. They have a little nasty to them and they work their tails off on every single play.”

Idaho State’s 239 rushing yards per game helps soften opposing defenses, forcing opponents to stack the box and leaving defensive backs on islands, just like what happened to Idaho in ISU’s 62-28 dismantling of its in-state rival the first Saturday of October.

“Idaho State’s run game opens up their pass game,” MSU secondary coach Mark Orphey said. “If you can run the ball, you can do anything you want. That’s probably why they had so much success with the RPO stuff. Their run game, that’s more dominant and prominent than anything on the field.”

When they draw man coverage, junior wide receivers Mitch Gueller and Michael Dean punish opponents. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound Gueller is the older brother of the ISU quarterback but is a year behind in eligibility because he spent four years in the Philadelphia Phillies minor league system after getting selected in the first round of the MLB draft in 2011. Dean, a former California track champion, leads the Bengals with seven touchdown receptions despite standing just 5-foot-6.

“We had a lot of success running the football early in the season, which forces teams to get more hats in the box and try to stop the run, which then gets you in a lot of one-on-one matchups on the outside and you have to be able to attack that,” Idaho State first-year offensive coordinator Mike Ferriter said. “Our personnel at the receiver position, we’ve done a good job of beating those man to man matchups and our quarterback has done a good job of seeing things. There are multiple times this season where he checks out of things and gets to his own play and he makes me look like a genius when in fact I have a terrible play call on and he made me right.”

The Montana connections don’t stop at Phenicie. Ferriter was an All-Big Sky wide receiver for the Griz, finishing his career in 2008 as one of 11 Griz to surpass 2,000 career receiving yards. Ferriter got his coaching start at UNLV under Hauck and Phenicie as a graduate assistant before coming to Idaho State as a wide receivers coach for Mike Kramer in 2012.

Ferriter spent the last three seasons coaching for Bob Stitt at his alma mater. At its essence, aside from the prolific play count and the four-receiver formations and the fly sweeps, Stitt’s up-tempo box count offense is triggered off the inside zone run and at its best thrives off downfield shots on RPO reads.

“I think this is a little bit of a hybrid of what they were doing at Montana and the places that Coach Phenicie has spent,” Choate said. “Coach Phenicie on the run game and the RPOs, it shows up heavily. But there’s a lot of 3×1, 2×2 sets, the run game with the inside zone, they do push the ball down the field more vertically than Coach Stitt did at Montana. But I do see some similarities.”

Tanner Gueller first got thrown to the wolves as a redshirt freshman in 2015 after learning former offensive coordinator Don Bailey’s scheme while sitting out in 2014. Gueller operated Sheldon Cross’s offense a year before Matt Troxel, another former Montana wide receiver, took over calling plays in 2016. Troxel took a job at Oregon State in the off-season, opening up the position for Phenicie to hire Ferriter, a decision the head coach calls “a no-brainer.”

“When I took this job, I fell into a good situation,” Ferriter said. “We have a pretty experienced team, pretty veteran team top to bottom.

“The biggest challenge initially in taking this job was the thing this offense hasn’t had in the past four to five years is any consistency. With another coordinator change, that was my No. 1 goal: coming in, taking what they’ve had here in the past, the terminology, conceptually the meat and potatoes of what they’ve done and keeping that the same, then coming in with a fresh set of eyes and reviewing the seasons of the past, seeing what they’ve done, tweaking it and putting in my own little twists on things.

“My thought on this offense was that toward the end of the season, it dries up. So you always have to keep adding different, fresh ideas, different looks, things that make a defense think a little bit.”

That flexibility and wiliness to cater to the formidable pieces already in place has helped Ferriter win over the Idaho State offense quickly, in turn leading to the eye-popping production.

“A lot of what we are doing on offense is just Coach Ferriter’s personality,” Tanner Gueller said. “You really feel the confidence he has in us to do what we do. As an offense, guys on the offense feeds off of that when a coach believes in you and draws things up for you. Playing confident is key for us.

“He is very smart, very analytical and I feel like he is really on top of the game right now in terms of what he is seeing.”

The results have turned heads around the league even if ISU enters the MSU matchup on a two-game losing streak. Tanner Gueller is averaging more than 17 yards per completion, the high water mark a 492-yard, eight-touchdown rip through Idaho’s defense on just 19 completions.

ISU rushed for 243 yards and totaled 562 yards of offense in a 44-37 overtime loss at No. 6 UC Davis two weeks ago. Last week, Idaho State earned 28 first downs and surpassed 600 yards of total offense before falling just short to FBS Liberty in Lynchburg, Virginia, 48-41.

Mitch Gueller is averaging a gaudy 22.1 yards per catch. He has 40 grabs for 885 yards and seems well on his way to first-team All-Big Sky honors for the second straight season. He had eight catches for 175 yards against Davis. He had nine catches for 125 yards and two touchdowns against Liberty.

Dean is averaging 18.3 yards per catch thanks to 604 yards on 33 catches and four of his seven touchdowns have gone for at least 42 yards. He hauled in six passes for 210 yards and a 57-yard touchdown against Liberty.

Montana State, particularly the Bobcat secondary, is keen on Idaho State’s abilities as MSU heads to Holt Arena.

“No. 20 is super fast,” MSU junior safety Jahque Alleyne, a Virginia Tech transfer, said. “I like his quickness. I feel like he will be a problem. No. 2 is a physical big receiver. Nothing that I haven’t seen before but they will definitely through some jump balls to him because that’s obvious.

“RPO is always a challenge, I don’t care what anybody says. I hate RPOs as a DB because you have to read run but be careful for the quick slant, the short pass. We are willing to step up to the challenge but it’s definitely going to be just that: a challenge.”

Photos contributed or by Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved. 

The premise of a regular season contest serving as an elimination game becomes more real as the Big Sky Conference enters its final month of competition for 2018.

Weber State’s come from behind 34-24 win over Montana State gave the Wildcats their highest national ranking ever this week at No. 4 following the program’s 18th Big Sky victory in its last 22 league outings on Saturday. Idaho State lost a hard-fought battle in Lynchburg, Virginia 48-41 at Liberty. The losses pushes both teams to 4-3 and on the brink of the FCS playoff bubble entering Saturday’s showdown at Holt Arena.

North Dakota stayed on the inside track by winning its third game in four tries against Big Sky competition. UND is playing as an FCS independent this season but is playing an eight-game Big Sky schedule. UND’s 41-14 win over Montana two weeks ago pushed the Grizzlies to 4-3, making Saturday’s battle with No. 6 UC Davis a crucial game for Montana.

A 7-4 Bobcat or Griz team could get in but an eight-win UND squad might steal a spot for the league, particularly if the three teams in the Top 10 — Weber, Eastern Washington and UC Davis — hold, each securing playoff berths.

EWU will hope to keep pace in the league title race with the renewal of a rivalry. Idaho plays in Cheney for the first time since 1994. Northern Arizona (3-4) will have to win out and get help to get into the 24-team tournament, meaning Saturday’s game against Cal Poly (2-5) is a big one.

This week marks the fifth of eight editions of Skyline Sports’ Big Sky Conference power rankings. These rankings are based on strength of schedule, quality of wins and most recent performance. Included are our weekly picks from the previous and upcoming weeks.

For the rest of the season, Skyline Sports will include North Dakota in its now 14-team weekly power rankings. The Fighting Hawks are going to continue having a profound influence on the league race and have an inside track to steal a playoff spot from a league striving to consistently get four bids.

PICKS FOR BIG SKY GAMES OCTOBER 20

*Montana State at Weber State (ROOT)

*UC Davis at Cal Poly

*Northern Arizona at Northern Colorado L

Southern Utah at Idaho**

$North Dakota at Sacramento State

Idaho State at Liberty

* league games, $ UND games count as Big Sky games for opponent

SKYLINE SPORTS 2018 PICKS FOR PRESEASON POLLS

WEEK: 5-1

OVERALL: 51-14

BIG SKY PLAY: 20-10

PICKS FOR BIG SKY GAMES OCTOBER 27

*Montana State at Idaho State (ROOT)

*UC Davis at Montana

$Weber State at North Dakota

*Cal Poly at Northern Arizona

*Portland State at Sacramento State

*Idaho at Eastern Washington (ROOT)

*Northern Colorado at Southern Utah

BIG SKY POWER RANKINGS

1. UC Davis (4-0 in Big Sky play, 6-1 overall)

Unlike their fellow former Great West Conference members who joined the Big Sky in 2012, the Aggies have received national recognition right away during their rapid rise. Behind a high-powered offense that is averaging nearly 48 points per game against FCS competition, UC Davis is the lone undefeated team in conference play at the midpoint of the Big Sky season. And that surge — including an FBS win over San Jose State and a win over a San Diego team that ousted a Big Sky team in the FCS playoffs each of the las two seasons — has Davis ranked No. 6 in this week’s STATS FCS Top 25 poll.

Southern Utah won the Big Sky title outright in 2015 behind a roster featuring future NFL Draft picks safety Miles Killebrew and cornerback LeShaun Sims along with future NFL defensive end James Cowser. Yet the T-Birds didn’t break into the Top 25 until November and had to go on the road to Sam Houston State in the first round of the playoffs.

Cal Poly started 7-0 in the 2012 seasn, shared the league title with Eastern Washington and Montana State and finished the regular season 9-2. The Mustangs climbed as high as No. 11 and also had to play at fifth-seeded Sam Houston State team on the road in the first round of the FCS playoffs.

North Dakota got snubbed from the 2015 playoffs despite a 7-4 record that included a win over FBS Wyoming and Big Sky wins over ranked Big Sky teams No. 16 Portland State and No. 19 Montana State. The following season, UND went 8-0 in Big Sky play yet did not break into the Top 10 until the week after the regular-season ended. North Dakota took the No. 8 seed into the playoffs before losing in the second round at home to Richmond.

The point is that UC Davis’ talent, production and brand-name head coach in second-year mentor Dan Hawkins have thrust the Aggies to the forefront of the FCS this fall. Now Davis will have to prove it belongs in the conversation of a playoff seed and a first round bye with a tough final month that starts with Saturday’s matchup at Montana. Davis hosts Northern Arizona, a team that boasts one of the most athletic and experienced secondaries in the league, before playing at No. 5 Eastern Washington on November 10. UCD finishes its season with the Causeway Classic against rival Sac State.

2. Weber State (3-1 in Big Sky play, 5-2 overall)

A horrendous break might’ve sparked the Wildcats to their best offensive stretch of the season.

Weber’s stout, speedy defense and its sharp, talented special teams have been the key factors to WSU chasing a second straight Big Sky title this season. The offense has largely struggled and that was the story again Saturday night against Montana State. Jake Constantine threw two early interceptions that helped MSU build a 10-0 lead. After his second pick, the junior was pulled in favor of redshirt freshman Kaden Jenks. Following a Weber interception. Jenks scored a touchdown to cut the lead to 10-7.

Troy Andersen’s long touchdown run pushed the visitors’ advantage back to 10 when disaster struck for Jenks. The physical runner was met by a host of Bobcats after a six-yard run, the force of the pile of MSU defenders causing Jenks’ right foot to turn completely backward. Brett Hein of the Ogden Standard-Examiner confirmed Jenks’ gruesome injury today.

No compound. Broken fibula and dislocated ankle is the official word.

— WeberHQ Brett Hein Weber State Sports (@WeberHQ) October 24, 2018

Following the stomach-churning play, Constantine reentered the game with a revitalized ability and led Weber State to a torrid comeback. Constantine threw for 176 yards, Treshawn Garrett scored three one-yard touchdowns and Weber State out-scored MSU 27-7 over the final 36 minutes of the game, a 34-24 WSU victory.

The return of Garrett, a senior captain and three-year starter, bolsters an already dangerous Weber State backfield which has been led by breakout redshirt freshman Josh Davis, one of the top five rushers in the league. That duo behind a veteran offensive line anchored by All-American tackle Iosua Opeta and a quarterback in Constantine that no longer has to look over his shoulder could be a turning point for the Wildcats.

Last season, Weber sat at 4-2 coming off a 32-16 home loss to Southern Utah. The following week, WSU posted a 17-3 win over Cal Poly, the first of seven straight wins to ignite a run to the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs. This season, WSU lost 28-24 to Northern Arizona due in large part to five turnovers. Weber bounced back by handing Eastern Washington its first Big Sky loss, then rallying against the Bobcats. If the MSU win is a similar launch point, Weber State could be an increasingly dangerous national threat down the stretch.

3. Eastern Washington (3-1 in Big Sky play, 5-2 overall)

The Eagles did not play last week, yet still moved up four spots in the national poll to No. 5. That upward movement could be particularly accurate if All-American senior quarterback Gage Gubrud returns from the injury that has cost him his last two starts.

The three-year starter suffered an undisclosed injury in EWU’s 34-17 win at Montana State on September 29. He missed Eastern’s next two league games, a 55-17 win over Southern Utah and a 14-6 loss at Weber State. Eastern had its bye week last week and could know that Gubrud will return to the lineup after his physical evaluation on Wednesday.

EWU QB Gage Gubrud is back in full pads and taking reps with first-team offense.

Aaron Best said he’ll know about Gubrud’s status tomorrow.

— Ryan Collingwood (@rwcollingwood) October 23, 2018

Sophomore Eric Barriere looked good against Southern Utah and overwhelmed against Weber State. Gubrud’s savvy and arm talent both will instantly thrust Eastern Washington back into the inside lane for the Big Sky title. If EWU can get past Idaho in the Vandals’ first trip to Cheney since 1994 and win at Northern Colorado, it will set up a showdown with playoff ramifications with UC Davis in Cheney on November 10. Gubrud will certainly need to be healthy by that point if Eastern hopes to keep up with the surging Aggies.

4. Idaho State (3-1 in Big Sky play, 4-3 overall)

A pair of heartbreakers have all of a sudden forced the Bengals’ backs against the wall. But ISU is playing at such a high level offensively and the last two losses were so close, it feels like Idaho State is still very much alive in the playoff picture despite possessing just three Division I wins with four games to play.

ISU’s 25-21 win in Grand Forks looks better and better with each passing week and each impressive performance by North Dakota. Northern Arizona and Idaho’s position in the middle to lower half of the Big Sky standings doesn’t do much for the Idaho State resume. But the Bengals have a chance to get rolling this week with a Montana State team in a similar situation coming to town. After that, road trips to Portland State and Cal Poly precede a rivalry game that could have serious playoff implications attached to it in Pocatello against Weber State.

Despite falling 44-37 in overtime at UC Davis and 48-41 at FBS Liberty last week, Idaho State will still be a dangerous opponent down the stretch. Having a fifth-year senior quarterback in Tanner Gueller behind a physical offensive line that paves the way for a devastating run game highlighted by the best 1-2 punch in the league (James Madison, Ty Flanagan) AND Gueller has two of the hardest perimeter players in the league to guard in his brother Mitch and junior speedster Michael Dean to chuck it to and ISU will keep pace with anyone offensively.

Tanner Gueller is currently averaging 17 yards per completion. He threw for 492 yards and eight touchdowns on 19 completions in a 62-28 win over Idaho. Mitch Gueller has 40 catches for 885 yards and six touchdowns. Madison is a leading candidate for All-American honors, Flanagan is the best complimentary back in the Big Sky and the Bengals are averaging 41.3 points and 543 yards per game.

The Bengals will have to keep up its offensive pace to win the four straight it will likely require to get into the playoffs for the first time since 1981, beginning Saturday against an equally hungry Bobcat squad.

5. North Dakota (3-1 in Big Sky play, 5-2 overall)

The Fighting Hawks enter the rankings for the first time because, well, they are already having an impact on the Big Sky race. Although UND left the league following last academic year. But North Dakota is playing eight consecutive Big Sky opponents. The UND players and coaches are familiar to the rest of the league.

That influence will be even greater if the Fighting Hawks can knock off No. 4 Weber State in Grand Forks, North Dakota on Saturday. A UND win would knock the Wildcats off of the inside track to both a second straight Big Sky title and a third straight berth in the FCS playoffs. North Dakota, the unbeaten co-Big Sky champions in 2016, already has a powerful resume that includes a win at No. 5 Sam Houston State and two blowout victories in a row to enter the final weekend of October on a three-game winning streak. North Dakota forced four first-half turnovers and built a 41-0 lead in a 41-14 win over No. 22 Montana, then rushed for 480 yards in a 41-15 win over Sac State.

With five wins, including two ranked opponents, North Dakota likely needs to split its remaining four games, a slate that also includes trips to Idaho and Northern Arizona sandwiched around a home finale against Portland State. UND is ranked behind Idaho State this week because of the Bengals’ win at the Alerus Center.

6. Montana State (2-2 in Big Sky play, 4-3 overall)

The Bobcats have won all the games they were supposed to win, lost all the games they were supposed to lose. Now the most pivotal four-game stretch of the Jeff Choate era begins in Pocatello on Saturday. Will Montana State find a way to rise and win the three games it needs to stay in the playoff picture? Or will an experiment offense featuring running back/linebacker Troy Andersen at quarterback that has soured keep the Bobcats out of the postseason for a fourth straight season?

Miller replaces Armstrong as Bobcat OC, Cole no longer at MSU

Choate made headlines this week with the reorganization of his staff, the end result meaning former wide receivers coach Matt Miller will call plays on Saturday. It remains to be seen who plays quarterback, although Choate said he would’ve made a change under center instead of on his staff if he thought that would cure MSU’s offensive woes.

The Bobcats have been either a big play (mostly made by Andersen with his legs) or completely irrelvant the last three weeks. The Bobcats beat Idaho despite possessing the ball for just 21 minutes and eanring just 12 first downs. Last week, MSU managed just seven first downs and got all of its 24 points in the 10-point loss to Weber on either capitalizing on short fields from MSU takeaways, Andersen’s long run and Munchie Filer’s pick-6.

MSU will likely be favored in consecutive home games against Cal Poly and Northern Colorado, respectively. So a win in Pokey on Saturday could then give the Bobcats  chance to enter its annual brawl with rival Montana already with seven wins instead of needing a victory in Missoula to get to seven wins. That could be the difference if MSU hopes to snap a playoff drought that goes back to 2014.

7. Montana (2-2 in Big Sky play, 4-3 overall)

First-year head coach Bobby Hauck has not hesitated to express his opinions and frustrations when it comes to his team’s unbalanced roster and their recent inability to hang on to the football. Analyzing a Montana team that put the league on alert with a scorching 4-1 start but that lost consecutive games entering last week’s bye week is actually simple. If the Griz offense can mask the massive deficiency that is the offensive line and in turn help win the field position battle, Montana’s aggressive defense can light up opponents.

But when the offensive line is confused, ineffective, or irrelevant as it has been at times this season, Montana’s offense becomes stagnant, the defense has to play too many snaps and implosions like the offensive disaster that trademarked UM’s 22-20 loss to Portland State occur. Entering the bye, UM no-showed in Grand Forks, letting the hosts race to a 34-0 halftime lead. Seven lost fumbles in the last two weeks hasn’t helped the Griz.

When asked if he changed anything over the bye week, Hauck deadpanned Monday “Yes, we are going to hang on to the football. That will be a change.” If will have to if Montana wants to have any chance against a UC Davis offense averaging 48 points per game against FCS competition on Saturday.

8. Northern Arizona (2-2 in Big Sky play, 3-4 overall)

Northern Arizona lost to the last-place team in these power rankings last week. But the Lumberjacks don’t plunge out of the top 10 because of a 28-24 win over Weber State earlier this month. But falling out of the top 10 of these rankings might not be far way. And another loss will certainly eliminate a team that entered the season with high exceptions from the playoff race.

All-American quarterback Case Cookus suffered what will likely end up being a season-ending injury in NAU’s 31-26 non-conference loss to Eastern Washington. Last week, backup quarterback Daniel Bridge-Gadd was either suspended for the first several possessions against Northern Colorado or was injured. Either way, he entered the game in place of freshman Gino Campiotti and suffered what appeared to be a bad knee injury.

Man, #NAU football is really tempting their season this game. Suspending Daniel Bridge-Gadd the first three drives has led to two-three and outs which set up a blocked punt, muffed snap and just 11 passing yards on one completion

— Kade Gilliss (@KadeGilliss) October 20, 2018

https://twitter.com/matthewjarecki/status/1053773366404907008

Northern Colorado played without 12 suspended players, yet still ripped NAU for a 49-14 win, UNC’s first of the season.

Because of a 30-10 win over FBS UTEP to open the season and the Weber State win, if UND were to win this week against Cal Poly, then run the table in a November schedule that includes games against playoff contending UC Davis and North Dakota, wins over three ranked teams and seven total wins might still get the Lumberjacks into the postseason for the second straight season.

9. Portland State (2-2 in Big Sky play, 3-4 overall)

Despite not playing last week and Idaho winning, Portland State holds at No. 7 because PSU’s best win (Montana) is better than Idaho’s best win (Southern Utah). Although Idaho did beat Portland State 20-7 in Moscow the first weekend of October.

Sac State is all of a sudden in a spiral, meaning if PSU can pull out a win in Sacramento this weekend, the team picked to finish last in the Big Sky could take a .500 record into November.

10. Idaho (2-3 in Big Sky play, 3-4 overall)

Mason Petrino has operated Idaho’s offense well since becoming the Vandals’ only quarterback after Colton Richardson went down with a head injury. UI might’ve pushed the Bobcats to overtime in Bozeman if a game-tying extra point would not have been called no good in a 24-23 loss. That defeat came on the heels of a 62-28 whipping at the hands of Idaho State.

The Vandals bounced back in impressive fashion against struggling Southern Utah, racing to a 31-0 lead in a 31-12 victory. In their first year back in the league since 1995, UI can make a statement this weekend if they can win in Cheney. Easier said than done.

11. Cal Poly (1-3 in Big Sky play, 2-5 overall)

Cal Poly has not really rebounded from a 35-21 home loss in the first round of the 2016 FCS playoffs. That Cal Poly team lost three of its last four games. The Mustangs went 1-10 last season, meaning CP has won just five of its last 22 games. Fullback Joe Protheroe’s quest for his second Big Sky rushing title — he has 935 yards and nine touchdowns — has been one of the bright spots.

12. Northern Colorado (1-4 in Big Sky play, 1-7 overall)

Despite senior standouts like wide receiver Alex Wesley, running back Trae Riek and defensive end Keifer Morris not playing — UNC head coach Earnest Collins suspended 12 players for their game against NAU but did not release their names — UNC raced past the Lumberjacks for their first win. The Northern Colorado forced four turnovers, Keaton Mott threw three touchdowns and Milo Hall rushed for 119 yards to lead the Bears to the 49-14 victory.

The Bears will have three more chances to earn win No. 2, including Saturday’s matchup at Southern Utah. UNC has its bye the last week of the regular season.

13. Southern Utah (1-3 in Big Sky play, 1-6 overall)

Southern Utah has had arguably the most success of the four teams that joined the league in 2012. SUU has had just one losing season while qualifying for the FCS playoffs in 2013, 2015 and 2017. SUU shared the league title in 2015 and 2017 as well. Last week’s 31-12 loss at Idaho clinched a losing season for the Thunderbirds. SUU and Northern Colorado in a matchup of the league’s two most desperate teams.

14. Sacramento State (0-4 in Big Sky play, 2-5 overall)

After pushing Montana in a 41-34 loss in Missoula to open Big Sky play, Sac has taken its lump as injuries have mounted. The most consequential losses have been the injuries suffered by senior All-Big Sky defensive end George Obinna and senior quarterback Kevin Thomson. Coming out of their bye, the Hornets gave up 492 yards rushing in a 41-27 loss to Cal Poly. The following week, Southern Utah snapped its five-game losing streak with a 48-27 win in Cedar City, taking out Thomson in the process. It didn’t get any better last week. The Hornets gave up 490 rushing yards, including 213 yards to James Johannesson and 171 more to Brady Oliveira, in a 41-15 homecoming loss to North Dakota. The Hornets host a Portland State team looking for its first three-game winning streak since 2015.

Photos by Brooks Nuanez or noted. All Rights Reserved. 

Montana State hits I-15 South for the second straight week for a pivotal matchup against Idaho State. The Bengals, like the Bobcats, are 4-3 overall, although ISU is a game ahead of MSU’s 2-2 Big Sky Conference mark at 3-1. Idaho State has lost two straight, including an overtime heartbreaker at league-leading No. 6 UC Davis two weeks ago and a 48-41 defeat at FBS Liberty last week.

But the Bengals have been explosive and prolific no matter who they have played. Under the direction of first-year offensive coordinator Mike Ferriter — a Helena native who was an All-Big Sky receiver at Montana and spent the last three seasons as UM’s wide receivers coach — ISU leads the league in total offense at 543.6 yards per game. The Benagals are third in the league in rushing at 239.3 yards per outing on the ground and rank second in passing at 304.3 yards per contest. ISU is averaging 41.3 points per game, second only to Davis in scoring offense.

In conference play, the numbers are even better. Idaho State is averaging 45 points, 594 total yards, 267 rushing yards and 327.2 passing yards per game. The Bengals are tops in the league in scoring offense, total offense and passing offense while ranking second to Cal Poly in rushing offense against Big Sky competition.

“It’s one of the best offenses in the country and we have to go down to their place,” Choate said during his Monday news conference. “The offense is just clicking at a really, really high rate.”

Montana State has been occasionally explosive but mostly non-existent offensively over the last three games. Choate called MSU’s 43-23 win at Portland State “the high water mark offensively” for the Bobcats thus far this season. Montana State rushed for 323 yards in that game.

Troy Andersen has been good for at least one and sometimes as many as three large gains per game over the last three weeks. He hit a 50-yard shot on the first play of the game against Eastern Washignton, then ripped off a 25-yard touchdown run on the second play of the afternoon. He scored on runs of 35 and 60 yards against Idaho while adding a 71-yard touchdown last week against Weber.

Take away those big plays and a short touchdown conversion following a Jahque Alleyne interception in the first quarter by Weber State, Greg “Munchie” Filer III’s interception return for a touchdown in the third quarter in Ogden and a field goal set up by Alleyne’s pick against Idaho and the MSU offense has manufactured 20 points in three games combined. Andersen’s four touchdown runs of 25 yards or more have accounted for 191 of MSU’s 568 rushing yards during that time, while the quarterback has thrown for just 302 yards, no touchdowns and four interceptions during that same span.

Photos by Idaho State Athletics or Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved.

Dean, a wide receiver, had six receptions for a career-high 210 receiving yards for the Bengals on the road versus FBS Liberty. He averaged 35.0 yards per catch – the second most in the FCS this season of anyone over 200 yards and the most by any FCS player versus an FBS opponent. Dean pulled down a 57-yard touchdown reception that gave ISU a 24-20 lead over the Flames in the third quarter. The Bengals fell to Liberty by a touchdown, but not before posting 631 yards of total offense.

Nelson, a linebacker for the Bears, helped guide Northern Colorado to its first win of the season in a 42-14 win over Northern Arizona. He finished the game with nine tackles, eight of them solo as the Bears held the Lumberjacks scoreless in the second quarter.

Nelson forced a fumble that led to a team safety to begin the second half and tie the game at 14-14. He also had an interception that led to a touchdown, as it aided in a 36-14 lead. The Bears outscored the Lumberjacks 30-0 in the second half.

Coffey, a sophomore, had a standout day for the Vandals as they beat Southern Utah 31-12 at home. He converted all four of his point after attempts and connected on an 18-yard field goal for Idaho. Coffey averaged 51.8 yards on eight punts. Three of which traveled at least 50 yards, another three were downed inside the 20, and one resulted in a touchback. Coffey booted an 80-yard punt – the longest punt in the Big Sky this season and tied for the longest punt in the FCS. Continuing with his kicking duties, he had six kickoffs for 390 yards and an average of 65.0 yards per kick – five resulting in a touchback.

Other Nominees for ROOT SPORTS Offensive Player of the Week: Cutrell Hayward, UI; Troy Andersen, MSU; Keaton Mott, UNC; Austin Ewing, SUU; Treshawn Garrett, WSU.

Other Nominees for ROOT SPORTS Defensive Player of the Week: Denzal Brantley, UI; Adkin Aguirre, ISU; Taylor Nelson, SUU; Jordan Preator, WSU.

Other Nominees for ROOT SPORTS Special Teams Player of the Week: Noah Sol, UNC; Rashaan Miller, SUU; Trey Tuttle, WSU.

Two of the league’s four ranked teams — No. 7 Weber State and No. 14 Montana — lost for the first time in Big Sky Conference play. Meanwhile, with All-American quarterback Gage Gubrud on the shelf, No. 4 Eastern Washington continued sitting in the driver’s seat in the league race by rolling still-winless Southern Utah.

In front of a crowd that approached the first sellout at Holt Arena since 1984 (11,105), Idaho State dismantled its in-state rivals, breaking multiple offensive records in dispatching the Idaho Vandals. No. 16 UC Davis took care of business against Northern Colorado, keeping the Bears winless and joining EWU and ISU as the three teams with 3-0 records in league play. The 3-0 start for the Bengals is the first time ISU has been in this position since 1995. Davis’ No. 16 national ranking is already the highest in the school’s Division I history.

Northern Arizona’s 28-24 win over Weber State kept the Lumberjacks’ playoff hopes alive, while Sac State’s took a hit with a loss to in-state rival Cal Poly. Portland State’s last-second field goal to beat the Griz marked PSU’s first win in Missoula since 1987.

Vikings earn historic win in Missoula over mistake-prone Grizzlies

Montana State (1-1 in league play, 3-2 overall) was the lone member of the Big Sky idle this week. FCS independent North Dakota, a team playing eight games against Big Sky teams that count as league games for UND’s opponent, also had a bye.

PICKS FOR BIG SKY GAMES OCTOBER 6

*Portland State at Montana

*Weber State at Northern Arizona – L

*Cal Poly at Sacramento State – L

*UC Davis at Northern Colorado

*Southern Utah at Eastern Washington (ROOT)

*Idaho at Idaho State

SKYLINE SPORTS 2018 PICKS FOR PRESEASON POLLS

WEEK: 4-2

OVERALL: 43-10

BIG SKY PLAY: 10-6

BIG SKY ROUNDUP

No. 4 Eastern Washington 55, Southern Utah 17 (click for box score)

Even without their All-America signal caller, the Eagles didn’t miss a beat in Cheney against the defending Big Sky champions.

Junior Eric Barriere replaced injured starting quarterback Gage Gubrud, and he used his arm and feet to lead the Eastern to its fifth win in six outings this season. With James Madison’s 27-24 loss to Elon, EWU will likely move up to the Top 3 in the FCS when the newest polls are released on Monday.

Barriere made his second career start, and he completed a 48-yard pass on the first offensive play of the day for the Eagles, then later had an 85-yard rush for a touchdown – a school record for a quarterback — to give the Eagles a 31-10 lead in the second quarter.

He accounted for three of EWU’s seven touchdowns, rushing for 98 yards and two scores and passing for 233 and a TD. EWU ran for 380 yards and averaged more than nine yards per carry against a Southern Utah defense that has been the key factor in SUU claiming two of the last three Big Sky titles.

“From start to finish I was a proud coach of Eric Barriere,” said Eastern head coach Aaron Best. “He’s one individual that no matter how much I yell or how much I hug him, he looks the same no matter what. He has the same unflappable personality, which is a great trait to have as a quarterback. There are going to highs and there are going to be lows, but he had a great day today at the office.”

In the first of two-straight Big Sky Conference games versus opponents EWU lost to last season, Gubrud didn’t play because of a lower leg injury suffered last week in a victory at Montana State. It was supposed to be a milestone day for the Eagle senior, who is just 16 passing yards from reaching the 10,000-yard plateau in his illustrious career.

Instead, Gubrud watched as the Eagles had its 10th-most yards in school history with 648 and equaled the 23rd-most points all-time. Eastern had 380 yards rushing and 268 passing, and averaged 9.4 yards per play compared to just 4.4 for the Thunderbirds.

Defensively, Eastern had seven passes broken up, an interception and a sack, and won the turnover battle 2-1. Eastern is now 44-0 since 2010 when it wins the turnover battle.

Eastern jumped out to a 14-0 lead with a pair of long scoring drives that took just eight plays to complete, but unlike a year ago, EWU poured it on from there. The Eagles scored 20 points in the second quarter and 21 in the third quarter – 31 unanswered in all — for its fifth lopsided victory of the season. Last year, EWU jumped out to a 14-0 lead before the Thunderbirds held Eastern scoreless for a 35-minute stretch and won 46-28 in Cedar City.

“It’s never going to be perfect – we still had some red zone mishaps,”‘ said Best. “We have things to work on, but we scored 55 points at home and for the third-straight game the defense has only allowed 17 points. I’m very proud of our team – it was a very gritty effort.”

Eastern was in a tie for fourth with South Dakota State in the American Football Coaches Association Top 25 poll this week and was fifth in the STATS poll of sportswriters, broadcasters and sports information directors. Weber State, EWU’s next opponent, was ranked right behind EWU in sixth by STATS and seventh by the AFCA, with Montana (14/15) and UC Davis (16/21) also ranked in the top 25. The Eagles don’t face Montana but host UC Davis on Nov. 10.

In a match-up of two Big Sky Conference heavyweights, Eastern travels to Ogden, Utah, to face a Weber State team on a roll with a league championship and deep playoff run on its resume. The co-Big Sky champions went 11-3 last season but enter next week’s matchup coming off its first Big Sky and FCS loss of the season at NAU.

Northern Arizona 28, No. 7 Weber State 24 

At Flagstaff, NAU quarterback Daniel Bridge-Gadd led a drive into the red-zone on the first drive of the game only to throw an interception in the end-zone to Weber State true freshman Marque Collins to spark a turnover barrage on both sides in a whacky game that resulted in Weber State’s first Big Sky loss since falling to Southern Utah last October.

After snaring the pick, Collins raced up the sideline with just Bridge-Gadd to beat, but an inadvertent whistle called the play dead. Collins likely would’ve scored after the interception.

“They just flat apologized to me. The refs said they blew it, they apologized,” WSU head coach Jay Hill told Brett Hein of the Ogden Standard-Examiner following the game. “What a huge play that could’ve been.”

Weber State forced three first-half turnovers but converted none in to points as the sputtering Wildcat offense gained just 176 total yards on Saturday. NAU marched into the red-zone late in the first half before All-Big Sky senior linebacker Landon Stice stripped Bridge-Gadd. Preston Smith scooped the fumble and raced 86 yards for a touchdown. WSU converted the two-point conversion to take an 8-7 halftime lead.

In a game that included nine total fumbles, six fumble recovers and five total interceptions, equaling 11 total turnovers, turned into a shootout during a third quarter that lasted more than one hour, according to Hein. Jake Constantine threw a 46-yard touchdown pass to Darryl Denby early in the second half but the period ended with the score tied 21-21.

NAU All-Big Sky safety Kam’Ron Johnson intercepted WSU reserve quarterback Jake Constantine on the third play of the fourth quarter, returning the ball to the WSU 29. A personal foul on Weber defensive end Jonah Williams and two Corey Young runs led to Young’s eight-yard touchdown burst to put NAU put up 28-21.

WSU All-American Trey Tuttle drilled a career-long 52-yard field goal with 8:20 to play but Weber gained 16 more yards and suffered a second Constantine interception in losing its first Big Sky game since October 14, 2017. WSU plays at No. 4 Eastern Washington on Saturday.

Idaho State 62, Idaho 28 

Behind a career and record-setting day by quarterback Tanner Gueller, Idaho State ripped its nemesis in front of 11,015 in Pocatello.

Idaho State racked up 754 yards of total offense, 518 coming through the air and 236 on the ground. Gueller passed for a career-high 492 yards and a school record eight touchdown passes. He was 19-30 and had nine completions of 20 yards or more.

Mitch Gueller caught six balls for 184 yards and one touchdown. Five of his receptions were for longer than 20 yards and Michael Dean caught six passes for 156 yards and a career-high four touchdowns. The four touchdown receptions also tied a school record.

https://www.facebook.com/IdahoStateAthletics/videos/533817180365060/

Demonte Horton had two receptions for 113 yards and one touchdown.

Christian Holland led the defense with 10 tackles. Jayson Miller and Joe Martin each had nine. Christian McFarland recovered a fumble and Caleb Brown had an interception.

The Bengals trailed 7-0 with 10:53 left in the first quarter. ISU tied the game at seven on an Austin Campbell 11-yard touchdown reception with 8:35 left in the quarter. The Bengals never trailed the rest of the game.

Later in the quarter Dean caught his first touchdown, a 14-yarder from Gueller to give Idaho State a 14-7 lead. Idaho State put up 21 second quarter points to lead 35-14 at the break. Mitch Gueller caught a 29-yard strike with 13:12 left and Horton scored on his 87-yarder with 10:27 remaining until halftime.

Following an Idaho touchdown to make the score 28-14, Dean extended the lead on a 62-yard strike with 1:27 to play.

The Vandals got within 14 points early in the third quarter at 35-21 and 13 points at 41-28 with 5:25 left in the third but ISU scored the 21 points to put the game away

Idaho State returns to the field, Saturday, Oct. 13 for a 5 p.m. mountain time contest at UC Davis.

https://www.facebook.com/IdahoStateAthletics/videos/239656936903087/

No. 16 UC Davis 49, Northern Colorado 36 

Northern Colorado scored 26 points in the last six minutes, 42 seconds but it wasn’t enough as Davis continued its march through the Big Sky Conference and the Bears lost their sixth straight to start the season.

In Greeley, interceptions from seniorMason Moe and redshirt freshman Jordan Perryman — the second and first of their respective careers — each led to touchdowns in the first quarter for UC Davis, helping spark a 14-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

After junior tight end Wesley Preece scored the first of his three touchdowns, redshirt freshman running back Ulonzo Gilliam collected his team-high eighth TD of the season, Northern Colorado cut the Aggies’ lead in half to 14-7 by scoring its first points of the afternoon.

UC Davis responded with another two scoring drives, which included Preece’s third career multi-TD game when junior quarterback Jake Maier found him in the back of the end zone from nine yards, followed by sophomore tailback Tehran Thomas bulldozing his way for another six points with 21 seconds before the break, which pushed the Aggies’ lead to 28-10 at halftime.

A jaw-dropping play from senior All-American wide receiver Keelan Doss set up the Aggies’ last-minute scoring effort since it was he who dragged his toes inbounds on a diving catch, to give UC Davis four opportunities to reach the end zone from Northern Colorado’s one-yard line with 28 seconds remaining until the break.

That reception, the sixth of Doss’ afternoon at that time, pushed him over 100 receiving yards for the second time this season, and the 14th time of his career, tying Charley Enos (1980-2001) for the most 100-yard games in program history. Doss ended his day with 11 receptions for 161 yards and a touchdown.

If UC Davis’ quick-strike offense and suffocating defense did not take the wind out of the fans in attendance before halftime, a fumble recovered by the Aggies on the opening drive of the second half, which led to a 25-yard catch from Doss for another six points on the subsequent drive, broke the spirits of everyone wearing Northern Colorado blue and yellow.

With its 49-36 victory, UC Davis will enter next Saturday’s 4 p.m. Homecoming game vs. Idaho State with records of 4-1 overall and 2-0 in league play. Northern Colorado, a team that faced nationally ranked teams, or teams receiving votes in every game played this season, falls to 0-6 and 0-3 after losing to the Aggies during its Homecoming weekend.

This Big Sky matchup also marked the first time this season that Northern Colorado did not enter the last five minutes of a game with an opportunity to tie the score, or take a lead — a situation created by an Aggie squad that dominated its first true road game for all 60 minutes.

UC Davis’ first two matchups outside of Aggie Stadium took place within driving distance at San José State and No. 9 Stanford. With Saturday’s result, the Aggies now lead the all-time series, 7-3.

This game also continued a unique trend for UC Davis this season: It has now scored at least 40 points in four games this season. By comparison, the Aggies posted 40 or more on the scoreboard in 10 games from 2012 (its first year in the Big Sky) through 2017.

Cal Poly 41, Sacramento State 27 

In Sacramento, a struggling previously struggling Cal Poly team took care of the ball and rolled over a Hornets team coming off a bye.

Junior wide receiver J.J. Koski scored twice, once on a punt return and the other on a long run on an end around, and five Cal Poly ball carriers rushed for over 60 yards as the Mustangs defeated Sacramento State 41-27 in a Big Sky Conference football game Saturday night inside Hornet Stadium.

Drew Hernandez earned his second consecutive 100-yard game, rushing for 113 yards on 12 carries, and Joe Protheroe added 128 yards on 32 trips for his fourth consecutive 100-yard game and 18th of his Mustang career, scoring once, for the Mustangs, who improved to 2-4 on the year and 1-2 in Big Sky games.

Despite 322 passing yards from Kevin Thomson and 149 yards rushing by Elijah Dotson, Sacramento State fell to 2-3 and 0-2.

Cal Poly, which had two 100-yard rushers in a game for the second week in a row, built a 21-14 lead in the first half on two touchdown runs and its first punt return for a score in 10 years.

The two teams traded a pair of touchdowns in the first quarter, which ended tied at 14-14.

Dotson capped a quick 70-yard, six-play drive with a 10-yard run for the Hornets and Cal Poly answered with a 16-play drive, all rushes, covering 72 yards. Protheroe dove the final yard for the score and a 7-7 tie.

Sacramento State put together another quick drive, this time 75 yards on five plays, capped by Pierre Williams’ 54-yard reception from Thomson and a 14-7 Hornet advantage

Again, Cal Poly answered. An 88-yard march required just seven plays, quarterback Khaleel Jenkins scooting 13 yards around left end for the score and tying the game at 14-14 with a minute to play in the opening period.

Hernandez broke off a 56-yard run with a pitch around right end to help set up the tying score.

The second quarter was not quite as explosive offensively. In fact, neither team scored on offense. Instead, Cal Poly produced its first punt return for a touchdown since Tre’dale Tolver returned a Wisconsin punt 40 yards for a score on Nov. 22, 2008, inside Camp Randall Stadium.

Koski broke the long drought, returning an Owen Hoolihan punt 70 yards for a touchdown and a 21-14 lead with 9:31 to play in the first half. Koski fielded the punt on one hop, broke left, cut right at the Hornet 45, raced down the right sideline and, thanks to a block by Quentin Harrison, cut left at the 20 and scampered untouched into the end zone.

After giving up two touchdowns on two Hornet possessions in the first quarter, Cal Poly’s defense forced two Sacramento State punts and a pair of field goal attempts in the second period. Devon Medeiros’ first try from 50 yards missed wide right and the second attempt never got off the ground due to a low snap. Kitu Humphrey tackled the Hornet holder for a nine-yard loss.

Cal Poly added two field goals in the third quarter, Alex Vega hitting from 31 and 20 yards, and the Mustangs scored two more touchdowns in the final period on an 11-yard run by Jenkins and a 68-yard run by Koski with a pitch from Jenkins down the left sideline.

The Mustangs led by at least seven points throughout the second half.

Cal Poly rushed for 462 yards on 70 plays while holding the Hornets to just 171 yards on the ground. The Mustangs completed just one of six passes – a key 16-yarder from Jenkins to Koski on a third-and-eight play late in the third quarter – while Sacramento State gained 322 yards through the air.

Jenkins finished with 73 yards on 19 carries while Koski added 68 yards on his one trip. Redshirt freshman CJ Cole contributed 67 yards on three carries, including a 63-yard run down the right sideline to set up one of Vega’s field goals.

Linebacker Matt Shotwell made nine tackles and notched his first interception as a Mustang. Nik Navarro and Myles Cecil each earned a sack. Cal Poly’s offensive line did not allow a sack, breaking a string of 15 consecutive games by the Hornets with at least two sacks.

Immanuel Anderson earned 14 tackles for Sacramento State and Caelen Barnes added 10.

Cal Poly, which lost nine fumbles in its first five games this season, did not turn the ball over against the Hornets, winning on the road for the first time since October 2016, also at Sacramento State, snapping a nine-game road losing streak.

The Mustangs have won five of the last six meetings against the Hornets and 10 of 12, extending their seris advantage to 21 wins against 17 losses.

Cal Poly has a bye next week and hosts UC Davis in the Battle for the Golden Horseshoe on Mustang Family Weekend, Saturday, Oct. 20. Kickoff inside Alex G. Spanos Stadium is set for 4:05 p.m.

Game recaps courtesy of Big Sky Conference sports information department. Photos attributed. All Rights Reserved.