ST. GEORGE, UTAH — Although it’s only Week 1 of college football, Montana State already has a 1-0 record. The Bobcats are coming off a comeback 35-31 win over New Mexico in Week 0 and have now turned the page to focus on their opponent this week in Utah Tech.

The Bobcats hope they can show the same confidence the rest of the season as they did during the two-minute drill, led by quarterback Tommy Mellott, that helped them win the game against New Mexico.

“I think it’s extremely important to execute in those tight moments,” Montana State coach Brent Vigen said. “Whether you believe it or not, to be a guy that puts that out there, that’s who Tommy is, so I’m sure our guys had a real sense of confidence going into the final stretch because of who’s steering the ship.”

The team’s ability to recover from a deficit in both halves is thanks to the effort it put in during the off-season.

“We’ve been dealing with challenges this whole offseason, with our backs against the wall,” Montana State cornerback Simeon Woodard said. “You know, coach Sean (Herrin), our strength coach, definitely didn’t make it easy for us, so I think we just came together and found a way to overcome adversity and get the job done.”

Last season, Montana State played their season opener, the Gold Rush, against Utah Tech, which they won 63-20.

But this year, Utah Tech presents a similar challenge to New Mexico, as it also has a new coaching staff and a handful of new faces on the roster.

“You definitely have to look at what coach (Lance) Anderson did at Stanford,” Vigen said. “You know, he was a defensive coordinator there for a long time and they were really good during that period. A lot of big bodies, a little different than they looked last year. But there were definitely some guys that were on that field last year that did some good things against us.”

“Going into this week, we’re feeling a little more comfortable, but they’ve got new coaches, so we know their personnel, it might not be their game plan,” Montana State wide receiver Ty McCullouch explained. “We’re going to scout them this week. We actually started doing that during fall camp.”

Offensively, the Trailblazers have two quarterbacks with “or” ratings on the depth chart: Iowa transfer Deacon Hill and Syracuse transfer Luke MacPhail.

“They brought in some quarterbacks, so I think on offense, like last week, we’ll have to see how they want to build their offense,” Vigen explained.

It’s two weeks in a row of hot temperatures for the Bobcats, as St. George will have a high of 101 degrees on Saturday. It’s a late kickoff, scheduled for 8 p.m. for that reason, so it should have cooled off a bit by then.

“That’s a late game, but we’re ready for anything, honestly,” McCullouch said. “We’re going to hydrate and rest. It’s going to be hot out there. We felt that last week, but I feel like we’re ready for anything. We’re a good, old team and we’re tough, so I think we’re ready either way.”

The game at Greater Zion Stadium will also be streamed on ESPN+ at 8 p.m.