Four games into the season, Idaho football has yet to find the finish it has been searching for. The Vandals (0-4, 0-1) will get another chance Friday.
Idaho returns from its bye week for its Big Sky Conference home-opener against No. 1 Montana State (5-0, 2-0) at 7:30 p.m. in the P1FCU Kibbie Dome. The game will air nationally on ESPN and marks the first meeting between the two teams in Moscow since 2023.
The Vandals enter at 0-4, but their two most recent losses came by a combined eight points. Idaho fell 23-17 to Lamar before a 41-39 loss to Abilene Christian in which the Vandals rallied late but came up short.
For head coach Thomas Ford Jr., the bye provided an opportunity to address the details that have kept Idaho from putting together a complete game.
“I think the biggest things are, are you getting healthy? Are you getting scheme stuff in that you want to get in? Are you cleaning things up every single day?” Ford said.
Idaho had three extra practices during the bye week. Ford said the additional time allowed the Vandals to get healthier, focus on fundamentals and spend more time preparing for Montana State.
The Bobcats present perhaps the most difficult test of the season.
Montana State enters Friday ranked No. 1 in the FCS after winning the national championship last season. The Bobcats opened the season with a 54-0 win at Utah Tech, followed with wins over Butler and Nevada, and then defeated Northern Arizona 28-14 last Saturday.
Montana State’s latest win came without several established stars. Quarterback Justin Lamson and receiver Taco Dowler were sidelined, while All-American running back Adam Jones was limited.
Despite the injury issues, the Bobcats posted 491 yards of offense, including 287 rushing yards. Patrick Duchien made his first start of the season at quarterback and accounted for 281 total yards and three touchdowns, while Colson Coon rushed for a career-high 199 yards. Freshman receiver Carter Dahlke added 117 receiving yards and a touchdown.
That depth is part of what makes Montana State such a difficult opponent.
“They had a bunch of starters out last week, and their backups are just as good,” Ford said. “Those guys can make plays, and they stepped up in major ways.”
Ford said Montana State’s physicality stands out on film regardless of which players are on the field.
That physicality will be particularly important for an Idaho team that has made improving its running game a priority. The Vandals offense relied solely on Joshua Wood against Abeline Christian, as the senior quarterback accounted for 363 of Idaho’s 444 total yards and all five of the team’s touchdowns.
Ford said Idaho must continue building on its progress in the running game while also putting Wood and the rest of the offense in favorable situations.
The Vandals will need that offensive efficiency against a Montana State defense that Ford described as sound and confident in its personnel.
For Idaho, the key may be avoiding the situations that have repeatedly put pressure on the team late in games.
“We’ve had a problem maintaining four quarters of that finishing attitude,” Ford said.
The Vandals have shown an ability to play well late. Ford pointed specifically to Idaho’s three FCS games, saying the team has generally played its best football toward the end of those contests. The issue has been consistency across all four quarters.
“We’ve got to be more consistent in all four quarters,” Ford said. “And we’ve got to do a much better job playing complementary football where all three phases are complementing one another.”
That starts with the early downs on both sides of the ball.
Offensively, Idaho cannot afford to get behind the sticks against Montana State’s defense. Defensively, the Vandals will need to prevent the Bobcats from establishing favorable situations.
The bye week also gave Idaho an opportunity to recreate more game-like situations in practice. Ford said the team emphasized competition and physicality, with the goal of making every practice rep matter.
Idaho’s last home meeting with Montana State came in 2023, when the Vandals defeated the then-No. 2 Bobcats 24-21 on a late touchdown pass from Gevani McCoy to Hayden Hatten.
Montana State’s ranking isn’t something Ford wants his players dwelling on once the game begins.
“When you take the field on Friday, there’s no ranking,” Ford said. “It doesn’t really matter who shows up because it’s less about our opponent than it is about us.”