Montana State missed a potential game-tying field goal wide right with 22 seconds left in a loss to the University of Idaho football team last season.
Bobcats senior quarterback Tommy Mellott hasn’t forgotten.
“That’s one of the reasons why we didn’t win the Big Sky last year,” Mellott said at a press conference. “Went down there, we let one slip and we didn’t get started fast. There’s a lot of things we can correct from last year, and we’re excited for the opportunity.”
Montana won the conference last year with a 7-1 league record, while Idaho and Montana State were a game behind, at 6-2. All three teams made the FCS playoffs, with the Vandals reaching the semifinals, and the two Montana schools making the quarterfinals.
This season, the third-ranked and undefeated Bobcats host No. 7 Idaho at 8:15 p.m. Mountain time Saturday in a Big Sky showdown at Bobcat Stadium in Bozeman. The game will be televised on ESPN2.
It is the first game of the season against a ranked opponent for the Bobcats (6-0, 2-0), but the fifth game in a row against a ranked foe for the Vandals (4-2, 1-1). It is also Idaho’s fifth road game of the season.
“Business picks up. This is a great team we’re gonna play against Montana State,” Idaho coach Jason Eck said during his weekly press conference. “One of the great venues, and I think one of the best true home-field advantages in college football, so it’s going to be a great challenge for us.
“I think they are really outstanding on both sides of the ball. They have one of, if not the best, offensive line in FCS football.”
Montana State enters Saturday’s game with the No. 2 rushing offense in FCS, averaging an impressive 303.3 yards per game. The Bobcats average 41.8 points per game — sixth-most in FCS — while allowing just 18.2 (No. 12).
Mellott is among the nation’s most efficient quarterbacks (181.12, No. 3), having completed 78-of-114 passes for 1,058 yards and 12 touchdowns without an interception. Sophomore running back Scottre Humphrey ranks seventh in FCS, with 668 yards and eight touchdowns on 92 carries.
“Hopefully we can make it a four-quarter game, because they are very good,” Eck said. “They certainly can probably blow out anybody if they play their best football.”
Idaho defeated No. 24 Northern Arizona 23-17 last week in Moscow. The Vandals also have wins over then-No. 17 Albany and current No. 10 Abilene Christian, but lost 28-26 at No. 6 UC Davis on Sept. 28. They opened the season against FBS opponents, losing 24-14 at No. 3 Oregon — a game in which the Ducks were favored by 45 points — followed by a 17-13 win over Mountain West member Wyoming.
The Vandals lost starting quarterback Jack Layne to a broken collarbone against the Ducks. Redshirt freshman Jack Wagner has started in his place, but fellow redshirt freshman Nick Josifek has seen more time under center in recent weeks, including a career-best 109 passing yards and one touchdown last week against Northern Arizona.
Eck said he would evaluate both quarterbacks at practice this week to determine who starts, and left open the possibility of playing both QBs again against the Bobcats.
Local News
Comments / 0