‘This is a huge game’: Idaho set to host rival Montana in front of sellout crowd, national TV audience
MOSCOW, Idaho – A sellout crowd, a national television audience, two ranked teams, a 120-year-old rivalry – Saturday’s game at the Kibbie Dome has all the makings of a memorable matchup.
The Idaho Vandals (5-1, 3-0 Big Sky), ranked No. 3 in the STATS Perform Football Championship Subdivision poll, will host No. 16 Montana (5-1, 2-1) in a highly anticipated Big Sky Conference contest in Moscow. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
ESPN2 will air the game. The last time a national TV station made the trip to the Kibbie Dome was Nov. 12, 2010, when ESPN2 and No. 4 Boise State visited Idaho.
That was also the Vandals’ most recent sellout.
Idaho announced Thursday morning the Kibbie Dome will be at full capacity on Saturday for the team’s homecoming game – the 89th edition of the Vandals/Grizzlies rivalry.
“What a great setting and atmosphere it’s going to be,” Idaho coach Jason Eck said. “They’re our biggest rival. This is a huge game. Both teams are 5-1. Just like in the old days, this has a lot of implications in the Big Sky race, the national race and playoff positioning.
“Regional rivalries are what is neat about college sports. I know they’re deciding to get away from that at the Power Five level (with conference realignment), but I think it’s awesome. It’s a big rivalry any year we’re playing, but now that you’ve got teams that are both 5-1 and ranked – that adds a little more spice to the matchup.”
The Vandals will look to retain the 85-year-old Little Brown Stein traveling trophy, which they claimed last season with a 30-23 victory over the Grizzlies in Missoula.
Before that game, Idaho had lost seven straight to Montana between 2000-2021.
Idaho’s win last year over the third-ranked Grizzlies marked a turning point for the program. The Vandals went on to win seven games and earned a postseason bid after failing to qualify for the playoffs between 2018-21 – their first four years back in the Big Sky following a 22-year stay in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
“We’re finally ranked in the top three in the country,” Idaho receiver Hayden Hatten said. “With something like that, this is a crazy national stage. It’s something I’ve dreamed about for a long time. Being in a position where we can control our own destiny in the Big Sky, it’s a special feeling.
“It’s fantastic to have the entire community back and loving Vandal football. I’m thankful to coach Eck and his staff for providing that. It’s exciting to be part of the turnaround.”
Now, Vandals/Grizzlies matchups are again marquee games in the FCS.
Saturday’s game will be the first between ranked Idaho and Montana teams since 1994 – a 45-21 win for No. 1 Montana over No. 3 Idaho in Missoula.
Many fans will remember the height of the rivalry, in the late 1980s and 1990s. In those days, there were plenty of important games between the Grizzlies and Vandals. Both teams were often ranked, Big Sky title contenders.
“I know a ton of old Grizzlies really care deeply about this game,” Montana coach Bobby Hauck said. “In the world of college football, (88 games) is a lot of history between two universities. They’re kind of the neighbor to the west. When you have that history and proximity, and you see each other in recruiting and everything else, it lends itself to external focus on the game.”
Idaho leads the all-time series 56-30-2.
The Vandals last beat Montana in back-to-back seasons in 1989-90.
“To get a victory this weekend would mean a lot, not only to me personally, but to the entire community,” Hatten said.