Friday, October 2
Moscow, ID
8:30 pm MT
Montana State University
at
Idaho
Colson Coon
Photo by: Colter Peterson
GAME #6: Bobcats Head to Idaho for Friday Night Showdown
10/1/2026 11:09:00 AM | Football
Montana State faces rested Vandals that pose problems
BOZEMAN, Mont. (Sept. 30, 2026) – Montana State hits the halfway point of its season on Friday, when the Bobcats visit Idaho for a second straight late-night, nationally-televised showdown.
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Friday's game is likely to generate much less drama and mystery than Montana State' 28-14 win over No. 18 Northern Arizona last weekend, when injuries cost MSU the services of its starting quarterback and leading receiver and (except for two carries) rusher. Each of those three – Justin Lamson, Taco Dowler and Adam Jones – are out for this week's game.
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There are also other wrinkles when the Bobcats (5-0 overall, 2-0 Big Sky) visit Idaho for the 8:30 pm MT (7:30 pm PT) tilt against the Vandals (0-4, 0-1) slated for ESPN.
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"Idaho's coming off a bye, so that's an advantage for them," said MSU head coach Brent Vigen. "They certainly know the state of our roster right now and how that played out on Saturday. We have to go in there and expect their best. They haven't won a game yet, but they've played three one-score games so they're more than capable."
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Last week's personnel shuffle led to starting debuts from seniors Patrick Duchien at quarterback and Colson Coon at running back. Freshman Carter Dahlke also stepped into an elevated role. "We had a lot of players show up and perform well," Vigen said.
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In the Vandals, Vigen said most people see a team that has struggled through the season's first month. But he sees something different. "They're extremely explosive on offense, the passing game in particular. Defensively, they've shown some stretches of good play throughout the season. This is a capable team and we're going to get their best."
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Quarterback Joshua Wood drives the Vandas offense that averages 30.0 points and 407 yards per game against their three FCS opponents. Wood throws for 251.3 yards and rushes for 24.5 yards per game, accounting for nine total touchdowns. He leads UI in rushing. Tony Harste's 96.0 yards per game paces a Vandals receiving corps that includes former Bobcat Lonyatte Alexander Jr.
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Linebacker Cruz Hepburn leads the Vandals with 34 tackles through four games, including 1.5 behind the line of scrimmage. Idaho has registered only six sacks in three games, but averages 4.8 tackles-for-loss. UI has only one takeaway this season.
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The Bobcats played NAU without three core offensive stars, and also without defensive starters Caden Dowler, a safety, and defensive end Dom Solano were each out, as well. Vigen said he was pleased with how new starters responded to the opportunity.
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"Offensively that was guys stepping up," he said. "That's Patrick (Duchien), that's Colson (Coon), that's Carter Dahlke." Those three backups each turned in career-best performances. Duchien threw for 204 yards and rushed for 77. Coon gained 197 yards on the ground. Dahlke turned in a 117-yard receiving yard night.
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Vigen was impressed with Duchien's performance in his starting debut. "I think he went out there with confidence, and his confidence grew as the game went along," he said. "I think he led well, I think he carried himself well, and my hope for him is to build off this one game of experience as a starter."
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Montana State's defense gave up a pair of second quarter touchdowns, with those drives covering a combined 109 total yards (plus 15 by penalty). The rest of the night, NAU gained just 266 yards. Bobcat Bryce Grebe made one of the game's big plays by knocking out an NAU fumble that was recovered by teammate Blaine Downing.
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"Defensively, just hanging in there and making plays when we needed to, keeping them off the board in the second half, was beyond critical," he said. "The one takeaway we had was at a really key point in the game."
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The resulting victory against No. 18 Northern Arizona was Montana State's 19th in a row, a program record. It also gave Vigen his 27th win against a nationally-ranked foe in his sixth season as the Bobcats' head coach. It also raised his record to 39-3 in Big Sky games, but one of those losses was at Idaho during the 2023 season.
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Vigen said the environment inside Idaho's P1FCU Kibbie Dome can pose a challenge, but he's more concerned with Friday's opponent. "Ultimately it comes down to the team you're playing," he 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."
Â
Playing the game on Friday also presents a wrinkle, but Vigen said previous experience in short weeks offers a road map. "It's not super complicated. We've played on Friday nights four of the (previous) five years I've been here, but I think we know the formula for how to get ready for those games. But it does come at you fast."
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After Friday night's game, the Bobcats don't play again until visiting Eastern Washington on October 17. This week's game, in addition to ESPN, is available on the Bobcat Radio Network around Montana, with Keaton Gillogly and former Bobcats Leo Davis and Dan Davies on the call, and on Learfield's Varsity app.
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#GoCatsGo
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Friday's game is likely to generate much less drama and mystery than Montana State' 28-14 win over No. 18 Northern Arizona last weekend, when injuries cost MSU the services of its starting quarterback and leading receiver and (except for two carries) rusher. Each of those three – Justin Lamson, Taco Dowler and Adam Jones – are out for this week's game.
Â
There are also other wrinkles when the Bobcats (5-0 overall, 2-0 Big Sky) visit Idaho for the 8:30 pm MT (7:30 pm PT) tilt against the Vandals (0-4, 0-1) slated for ESPN.
Â
"Idaho's coming off a bye, so that's an advantage for them," said MSU head coach Brent Vigen. "They certainly know the state of our roster right now and how that played out on Saturday. We have to go in there and expect their best. They haven't won a game yet, but they've played three one-score games so they're more than capable."
Â
Last week's personnel shuffle led to starting debuts from seniors Patrick Duchien at quarterback and Colson Coon at running back. Freshman Carter Dahlke also stepped into an elevated role. "We had a lot of players show up and perform well," Vigen said.
Â
In the Vandals, Vigen said most people see a team that has struggled through the season's first month. But he sees something different. "They're extremely explosive on offense, the passing game in particular. Defensively, they've shown some stretches of good play throughout the season. This is a capable team and we're going to get their best."
Â
Quarterback Joshua Wood drives the Vandas offense that averages 30.0 points and 407 yards per game against their three FCS opponents. Wood throws for 251.3 yards and rushes for 24.5 yards per game, accounting for nine total touchdowns. He leads UI in rushing. Tony Harste's 96.0 yards per game paces a Vandals receiving corps that includes former Bobcat Lonyatte Alexander Jr.
Â
Linebacker Cruz Hepburn leads the Vandals with 34 tackles through four games, including 1.5 behind the line of scrimmage. Idaho has registered only six sacks in three games, but averages 4.8 tackles-for-loss. UI has only one takeaway this season.
Â
The Bobcats played NAU without three core offensive stars, and also without defensive starters Caden Dowler, a safety, and defensive end Dom Solano were each out, as well. Vigen said he was pleased with how new starters responded to the opportunity.
Â
"Offensively that was guys stepping up," he said. "That's Patrick (Duchien), that's Colson (Coon), that's Carter Dahlke." Those three backups each turned in career-best performances. Duchien threw for 204 yards and rushed for 77. Coon gained 197 yards on the ground. Dahlke turned in a 117-yard receiving yard night.
Â
Vigen was impressed with Duchien's performance in his starting debut. "I think he went out there with confidence, and his confidence grew as the game went along," he said. "I think he led well, I think he carried himself well, and my hope for him is to build off this one game of experience as a starter."
Â
Montana State's defense gave up a pair of second quarter touchdowns, with those drives covering a combined 109 total yards (plus 15 by penalty). The rest of the night, NAU gained just 266 yards. Bobcat Bryce Grebe made one of the game's big plays by knocking out an NAU fumble that was recovered by teammate Blaine Downing.
Â
"Defensively, just hanging in there and making plays when we needed to, keeping them off the board in the second half, was beyond critical," he said. "The one takeaway we had was at a really key point in the game."
Â
The resulting victory against No. 18 Northern Arizona was Montana State's 19th in a row, a program record. It also gave Vigen his 27th win against a nationally-ranked foe in his sixth season as the Bobcats' head coach. It also raised his record to 39-3 in Big Sky games, but one of those losses was at Idaho during the 2023 season.
Â
Vigen said the environment inside Idaho's P1FCU Kibbie Dome can pose a challenge, but he's more concerned with Friday's opponent. "Ultimately it comes down to the team you're playing," he 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."
Â
Playing the game on Friday also presents a wrinkle, but Vigen said previous experience in short weeks offers a road map. "It's not super complicated. We've played on Friday nights four of the (previous) five years I've been here, but I think we know the formula for how to get ready for those games. But it does come at you fast."
Â
After Friday night's game, the Bobcats don't play again until visiting Eastern Washington on October 17. This week's game, in addition to ESPN, is available on the Bobcat Radio Network around Montana, with Keaton Gillogly and former Bobcats Leo Davis and Dan Davies on the call, and on Learfield's Varsity app.
Â
#GoCatsGo
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