Primetime, nationally televised rematch set at Montana State, Idaho

On By Littum

BOZEMAN — The quarterfinal round of the FCS playoffs is almost here as No. 1-seeded Montana State will host the No. 8-seeded Idaho for the second time this season.

The first time the two met this year was Oct. 12 at Bobcat Stadium, where MSU posted a 38-7 victory over the Vandals.

“Since we’ve played in October, Idaho has won six in a row. . . . Where are we compared to where we were in October? I’d like to think we moved on and improved. I’m sure they would say the same thing,” Montana State coach Brent Vigen said.

“Beating a team twice is never easy,” explained Montana State linebacker McCade O’Reilly. “I remember my junior year of high school (in Bozeman), we killed (Kalispell) Flathead in the regular season and then we lost (to them) in the semifinals. So, you know, I kind of draw on that memory and learn from it, so we’re able to prepare for this game and hopefully go out and beat them as bad as we did the first time.”

Idaho will look a little different this time around as starting quarterback Jack Layne has returned to action. He sat out the first time the Cats and Vandals met this year, missing the game with a broken collarbone he suffered in Week 1 against Oregon

“Obviously getting Layne back at quarterback has been big for them,” Vigen said. “That’s not to say the other two guys, (Jack) Wagner and (Nick) Josifek, didn’t do a good job while they were in there, but there was a reason Layne was their starter out of fall camp.”

Facing undefeated MSU twice in one season at night in Bobcat Stadium is a tall order for any team. The Bobcats are 29-1 at home in four years under Vigen.

O’Reilly explained what it’s like to be on defense with a crowd of 21,000 plus on his team’s side.

“The way I think about it is like when you go to bed at night, you turn on the white noise machine,” he said with a smile. “It just zones everything out. You’re not thinking about anything but what your eyes are on and what you’re going to do in that play call.”

On Montana State’s injury front, tight end Rohan Jones, who was ruled out with an injury against UT Martin in the second round, has been upgraded to questionable to return this week. Running back Julius Davis is still out with an injury suffered against Montana.

The Bobcats and Vandals kick off at 7 p.m. on Friday at Bobcat Stadium. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.