BOZEMAN — The quarterfinal round of the FCS playoffs is almost here, as No. 1-seeded Montana State is set to host No. 8-seeded Idaho for the second time this season.
The first time the two met this year was on Oct. 12 in Bobcat Stadium, where MSU stamped a 38-7 win over the Vandals.
"Since we’ve played in October, Idaho has won six in a row. ... Where are we at compared to where we were in October? I’d like to think we moved forward and improved. I’m sure they would say the same thing," Montana State coach Brent Vigen said.
"Beating a team twice is never easy," Montana State linebacker McCade O'Reilly explained. "I remember my junior year of high school (at Bozeman), we killed (Kalispell) Flathead in the regular season, and then we lost (to them) in the semis. So, you know, I’m kind of drawing on that memory and learning from that so that we’re able to prepare for this game and hopefully go out and beat them just as bad as we did the first time."
Idaho will look a bit different this time around, as starting quarterback Jack Layne has returned to action. He was out when the Cats and Vandals first met this year, missing the game with a broken collarbone he sustained Week 1 against Oregon
"Obviously getting Layne back at quarterback has been big for them," Vigen said. "It’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."
To face undefeated MSU twice in one season at night in Bobcat Stadium is a tall task for any team. The Bobcats are 29-1 at home in four years under Vigen.
O’Reilly explained what it is like to be on defense with a crowd of 21,000-plus on his team's side.
"The way I kind of think about it is like when you’re going to bed at night, you put that white sound machine on," he said with a smile. "It just zones everything out. You’re not thinking about anything else but what your eyes are on and what you have 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 for this week. Running back Julius Davis is still out with an injury sustained against Montana.
The Bobcats and Vandals kick off at 7 p.m. on Friday in Bobcat Stadium. The game will air on ESPN.