A top eight matchup highlights the Week 5 FCS slate.
No. 5 Montana and No. 8 Idaho battle for the Little Brown Stein. It’s the 90th meeting between Montana and Idaho in a series that dates back to 1903.
Montana vs. Idaho On TV
The matchup between Montana and Idaho will air nationally on ESPN2.
The game kicks off at 9:15 p.m. CT (8:15 local time in Montana) on Saturday, Sept. 27. The contest is taking place at Washington-Grizzly Stadium in Missoula, Montana.
Montana vs. Idaho Preview
Big Sky at Dark returns.
There is plenty to be excited about for both squads, which is an obvious statement considering they are ranked in the Top 10. But still, some unknowns remain.
Montana is 3-0, looked great last week against Indiana State (a 63-20 win), and already has one ranked win, a comeback victory over North Dakota. However, questions could point to an underwhelming first half vs. D2 Central Washington, Montana not looking good for 75% of the UND game, and Indiana State being a struggling program with its starting quarterback sidelined due to injury. The Grizzlies have looked exceptional in their last five quarters. How good are they overall? We’ll find out Saturday.
Idaho is 2-2 overall and 2-0 vs. the FCS. The FCS wins were OK performances, beating non-scholarship St. Thomas by seven points and Utah Tech (now 1-3) by 14. Idaho’s two losses were both three-point games at FBS opponents — Washington State and San Jose State — two contests the Vandals had opportunities to win. SJSU is now 1-2, and WSU is 2-2. Is nearly beating two FBS opponents a great gauge of how good Idaho is? We’ll find out Saturday.
Eli Gillman continues to be special for the Griz, rushing for 400 yards and six touchdowns for a blistering start. It’s Keali’i Ah Yat who could take this offense to another level. We perhaps saw his breakthrough moment when he led Montana to its epic comeback win over UND. Ah Yat, just a redshirt sophomore, parlayed that into last week vs. Indiana State, going 22/27 passing for 313 yards and two scores, plus a rushing TD. Granted, ISU came into the game with the No. 75 FCS passing defense, allowing 239.0 yards per game. Idaho is gettable too, though, currently fielding the No. 60 passing defense (210.8 YPG). The Vandals have shown a tougher run defense, led by linebackers Dylan Layne (31 tackles) and Isiah King (27 tackles, four TFLs), but have been more leaky defending the pass.
Idaho’s offense is led by QB Joshua Wood, a 6-foot-3 redshirt sophomore and a 2025 transfer from Fresno State. He was handed the keys and has flashed his potential to be one of the better signal-callers Idaho has had due to his multiple skill sets. He’s completing 62.7% of his throws for 665 yards, six touchdowns, and one interception. Wood also leads the Vandals in rushing (314 yards, three TDs) as the running back room has battled through some injuries. They’ll go up against what looks like a more cohesive Montana defense compared to last season.
It seems Idaho plays up to its competition and down to its competition. So I expect a sharp performance from the Vandals in hostile territory. But there are some vibes building around this Montana squad that it’s about to go on a run. And the crowd will feed that momentum for the Griz to grab ranked win No. 2 early in the season. I think both defenses play a solid game overall, but Montana has a better chance to generate a key turnover and pop an explosive play offensively or on special teams.
Prediction: Montana 28-24
