BOZEMAN — On Saturday, No. 3 Montana State hits the road again to face No. 22 Idaho State in a ranked Big Sky Conference football matchup in Pocatello, Idaho.
Idaho State is a team that Bobcats coach Brent Vigen said has had some impressive wins this year as the program continues to grow.
"Offensively, a really talented quarterback (Jordan Cooke), one of the more talented quarterbacks probably in the country," Vigen said. "And when he's on, he's on, and they spread the ball around well.
"I think they know what they want to do. They find ways to move it, they find ways to score points each and every week."
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One of the biggest things to look for in this game will be how Montana State's young cornerbacks respond to facing Idaho State's talented passing offense.
No matter what quarterback they're facing, though, linebacker Brock Steel said that MSU's defensive approach stays the same.
"The expectations don't change," Steel said. "It's play fast, play physical and be assignment sound. Heading into Idaho State, it's a good football team and we've got to continue to play better."
The same goes for the Cats' offense in terms of the expectations not changing, according to offensive tackle Titan Fleischmann.
"We're going to run the rock, that's what we do," Fleischmann said. "That's what we've been always doing since I've been here, and that's what we're going to continue to do."
While the Bengals' offense has found success this season, Vigen said it's their defense that's been more of the story this year.
"They continue to get better and better on defense," Vigen said. "They're giving up less than 22 points right now, (they're) really good against the run and the pass, really good on third down.
"And (they're) really good at taking it away. (In) this last game defensively they scored two touchdowns to really make that work out for them down at Utah Tech."
Vigen has been impressed with the way Idaho State bounced back after the team lost a few conference games in a row.
"We'll look forward to the opportunity to go down there this week and for us to take another step forward," Vigen said.
The game kicks off at 4 p.m. Saturday and will be broadcast by Scripps Sports on The Spot – MTN across Montana. The game will also be available on ESPN+.
