An imposing foe for the Vandals, no matter who is healthy
Montana State at Idaho • Tonight, 7:30 p.m. • TV: ESPN • Radio 1230 AM, 107.1 FM
By MARK NELKE
Sports editor
It has all the makings of an upset.
A hungry, albeit winless, team at home, coming off a bye, playing in what could be a raucous P1FCU Kibbie Dome against an undefeated team coming to town on a short week.
And it's a visiting team coming to town without its starting quarterback, its leading rusher and its top receiver/punt returner, for starters.
Then again, these are the defending FCS champion Montana State Bobcats (5-0, 2-0 Big Sky), so we'll see what kind of difference that makes when they line up against the Idaho Vandals (0-4, 0-1) tonight at 7:30 on ESPN.
"They had a bunch of starters out last week, but their backups are just as good," Idaho coach Thomas Ford Jr. said earlier this week, in his weekly meeting with area media.
Without quarterback Justin Lamson and wide receiver/punt returner Taco Dowler for the entire game, and with running back Adam Jones leaving after just two carries (and also without safety Caden Dowler, Taco's twin and last year's Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year), Montana State scratched out a 28-14 win over Northern Arizona at home last Saturday night.
But Patrick Duchien completed 16 of 20 passes for 204 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 77 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries.
Colson Coon finished with 197 rushing yards on 17 carries.
Carter Dahlke caught seven passes for 117 yards and a touchdown.
Lamson, Jones and the Dowler twins are not expected to play this week, per Montana State.
"Even with those key guys out, their system has been pretty similar," Ford said. "Their OC (Pete Sterbick) does a phenomenal job of putting those guys in the best position possible. And their backups are no sloucheds; these are players you could start on a number of teams throughout the FCS level, including the Big Sky. I don't think it changes how much in our preparation, because at the end of the day, we've still got to execute."
Execution throughout the game has been an issue with the Vandals. Slow starts in some games, miscues at key times in others.
The result has been losses to Cal Poly, Lamar and Abilene Christian by a combined 12 points.
"We can't take turns making mistakes," Ford said. "We're three to five plays away from winning all of our FCS matchups, but we've got to make those plays."
Idaho defensive coordinator Lee Stalker said the Vandals' defensive focus doesn't change no matter who is playing for the Bobcats, a focus that includes controlling the run and containing the quarterback run.
"What has plagued us on defense are those small mistakes that have turned into explosives," Stalker said.
Idaho offensive coordinator Ian Shoemaker said his unit hopes to make Montana State's defense uncomfortable with the Vandals' RPO game, led by quarterback Joshua Wood, Idaho's leading rusher who is in the top 10 in FCS in total offense.
"You're going to have to squeeze some yards out of them," Shoemaker said of Montana State's defense. "The plus-one (quarterback) run is our advantage ... but you can't depend on it if you're trying to keep your kid upright."
Ford noted the last time Montana State visited Moscow, in 2023 before 13,073 at the Kibbie Dome, the Vandals handed the visitors a 24-21 loss.
Brent Vigen, in his sixth season as Montana State coach, said he's more focused on the opponent than the setting.
"Ultimately it comes down to the team you're playing," Vigen said, "and I think for a team that hasn't won a game they are very scary. It's a team you can see making strides. The quarterback, Joshua Wood, can make a ton of plays every which way. He's a runner, he has a knack for the big play, he has a big arm. So it comes down to the player more than the environment."