POCATELLO, Idaho — No. 3 Montana State opens conference play at Idaho State on Saturday, and the setting provides as a challenge, as no current Bobcat player has faced the Bengals at the ICCU Dome, formerly known as Holt Arena.
The last matchup between the two in Pocatello was Oct. 27, 2018, a 24-17 loss for the Bobcats, which snapped the Bengals' 11-game losing streak in the series. Montana State is 50-31-3 all time against Idaho State, but the Bengals lead 22-18-2 in games at the dome.
Montana State coach Brent Vigen noted how this team will not just be playing in a new atmosphere, but one that is unique in it being a dome.
"Playing in a dome, you have to assume noise is more of a factor," he explained. "OK, so we’ll work through the noise piece a little bit for sure. I know the (outdoor) elements are eliminated, so I suppose that part is a positive."
The Bobcats enter conference play 4-0, which includes an FBS win over New Mexico in Week 0. Offensively, the team has continued to dominate the run game and flashed its vertical game, especially against Mercyhurst.
The Bobcats have limited quarterback Tommy Mellott to 23 total rushing attempts, which Vigen notes was intentional.
"A fairly balanced outfit when we’ve intended to be, but we’ve still been able to run the football effectively," Vigen said. "And all the being said, we haven’t had to tax Tommy a whole lot. I think he’s under 25 carries right now, and not that he won’t carry the ball, but that was intentional as we went through the non-conference season."
The defense has also shined for the Bobcats. It allowed no second-half offensive scoring against New Mexico, and no first downs through three quarters to Utah Tech. It posted a first-half shutout against Mercyhurst.
"There hasn’t been a lot that’s been given up," Vigen said. "We haven’t taken the ball away, which I hope will come, but you know, I think we’ve played really sound on the defensive side."
Idaho State’s offense could prove challenging, as it has a solid vertical passing game and also flashed an explosive run game in a win over Southern Utah last week.
"They put a lot out there for you to have to be concerned about, and you know, it’s not just concerned about, 'Hey, they’ve got all this scheme,'" Vigen explained. "They’ve got guys that can make plays in their receiver group and their size at receiver, I think is really something we’re going to have to do a job with."
The game kicks off at 4 p.m. and will be televised by Scripps Sports. To find out how to watch click here.
