POCATELLO, Idaho – No. 3 Montana State opens conference play at Idaho State on Saturday, and the setting offers a challenge as no current Bobcat players have faced the Bengals at the ICCU Dome, formerly known as Holt Arena.

The last game between the two in Pocatello was on October 27, 2018, a 24-17 loss to the Bobcats, snapping the Bengals’ 11-game losing streak in the series. Montana State is 50-31-3 all-time against Idaho State, but the Bengals lead 22-18-2 in games in the dome.

Montana State coach Brent Vigen noted that this team will not only be playing in a new atmosphere, but one that is unique because it is a dome.

“When you play in a dome, you have to assume that noise is more of a factor,” he explained. “Okay, so we’ll definitely go over the noise part a little bit. I know the (outside) elements have been eliminated, so I guess that part is positive.”

The Bobcats enter conference play 4-0, including an FBS win over New Mexico in Week 0. Offensively, the team continued to dominate the run game and showed off its vertical play, especially against Mercyhurst.

The Bobcats limited quarterback Tommy Mellott to 23 total rush attempts, which Vigen said was intentional.

“A fairly balanced outfit, as we intended, but we were still able to run the football effectively,” Vigen said. “And with that said, we haven’t had to put a lot of strain on Tommy. I think he’s under 25 right now, and not that he won’t carry the ball, but that was intentional as we went through the non-conference season.”

The defense has also shined for the Bobcats. It allowed no offensive goals in the second half against New Mexico, and no first downs through three quarters against Utah Tech. It shutout Mercyhurst in the first half.

“Not much has been given up,” Vigen said. “We didn’t take the ball away, which hopefully will happen, but you know, I think we played really well defensively.”

Idaho State’s offense could prove challenging as it has solid vertical passing and also showed an explosive run game in a win over Southern Utah last week.

“They’ve put a lot out there that you have to worry about, and you know, it’s not just about, ‘Hey, they have this whole plan,’” Vigen explained. “They have guys that can make plays in their receiver group and their size at receiver, I think that’s really something we’re going to have to address.”

The game starts at 4:00 PM and will be broadcast by Scripps Sports. To find out how you can watch, click here.