Big Sky notes: Get ready for Big Sky After Dark II

Big Sky Conference After Dark put on a great show last Saturday; it figures to do the same this weekend.

Second-ranked Montana State’s game at No. 3 Sacramento State kicks off, like Montana’s game at Idaho last week, at 8:30 p.m. Mountain on Saturday, and again on ESPN2.

The Bobcats go to California having swamped Cal Poly 59-19 last week, while the Hornets had a bit of a struggle in Greeley, Colo., before prevailing 21-13 over the Bears.

“I’m certain that trip to Greeley is not exactly what they had planned,” MSU coach Brent Vigen said, adding that the Hornets keep finding ways to win close games.

Now come the Bobcats, and for the first time in a while: The teams haven’t played since 2019 — Sacramento State’s 16-0 run in Big Sky games in 2021-22 included no matchups with MSU — and the Hornets last hosted the Cats in 2016.

Gone from last season are the Hornets’ dual quarterbacks, though the mobile Kaiden Bennett is putting up good numbers (1,167 yards passing, team-high 324 rushing) in 2023. Running back Cam Skattebo transferred out, and as an ASU Sun Devil recently gashed USC for 111 yards on 20 carries.

Also missing is 2022 Big Sky defensive MVP Marte Mapu, now an outside backer for the New England Patriots. No matter: The Hornets can still tackle. “They might not have a guy that’s going to start in the NFL next year, but they don’t have any weaknesses,” Vigen said.

Northern Colorado fell to 0-6 with its loss but MSU might be served to study the tape. Bennett managed 198 yards of total offense, a flat 100 below his season average. When the Hornets beat Stanford, he threw for 279 yards and rushed for 100.

Seeing Blue, not Red

Meanwhile MSU continues to put up cartoonish rushing totals. The Bobcats averaged 9.6 yards a carry against Cal Poly and still lead the FCS in yards per attempt (7.88) and touchdowns (25) on the ground.

Things are going so well the Cats brought in true freshman Adam Jones and on his first collegiate carry he tore off a 49-yard touchdown run.

Which brings us to the new NCAA redshirt rule adjustment: It used to be you’d keep a player’s redshirt year if he played less than a third of the season; now playoff games will not count against that total.

Vigen noted Monday that the FBS adopted the rule a year ago on the eve of its postseason. It made sense for the FCS to follow suit and the decision came down last Thursday.

“We’re really pleased that it happened. It’s a good rule because you can potentially, if you’re a playoff team, have depth that looks different,” Vigen said. He noted that if the rule had been in place two years ago, backup linebacker McCade O’Reilly would be a sophomore right now and not a junior.

“He played a handful of reps in a bunch of games,” Vigen said, singling out his play on special teams in the 2021 semifinal win over South Dakota State. “We made the choice, and he was all about it, to play in the national championship game. This (rule) does right not just by the program but by those student-athletes.”

Onside Reversal I

Idaho coach Jason Eck had to handle a take-those-points question early Sunday, after his Vandals lost 23-21 at home to the Montana Grizzlies.

At issue was a decision to go for it on fourth down from Montana’s 12-yard line, on Idaho’s first possession of the second half, instead of trying a field goal.

The play ended in an interception.

“We were just kind of in a max-aggression mode right there,” he said. “Knowing what I know now, you didn’t have to score 30 points to win, that might have changed my thought. But at that time I was anticipating we were going to have to score 35.

“I thought we had to be aggressive, and try to find points. That was really only our second trip down close.”

It didn’t matter until Hayden Hatten slipped on a two-point conversion attempt after his second TD catch of the game closed the gap to 23-21. He tried to throw a ball up for grabs and that didn’t work, either.

“I was pump-faking and it backfired on me,” Hatten said. “TJ Ivy, who was supposed to get to the flat, got mugged. “There’s not really a second read on that…. Not the most athletic looking play I’ve ever had.”

Idaho’s sports information director asked the assembled press not to ask about the ensuing onside kick that Hatten appeared to recover, only to be ruled offside, lest he run afoul of Big Sky Conference leadership. But the fifth-year senior addressed it, in a way.

“You’re sad and frustrated and full of emotions when you can’t pull out a game like that,” Hatten said. “Especially when you feel like you had it.”

Onside Reversal II

Over in Pocatello, Idaho State and Eastern had the opposite happen in ISU’s stunning 42-41 comeback win.

The Bengals scored the last 28 points of the game, in the final 15:46, and key was an onside kick after Aaron Blancas hauled in a TD pass to cut the gap to 41-35 with 3:28 remaining.

Eastern Washington recovered but was called for a blindside block — so the Eagles re-kicked from their 20 and Idaho State recovered. Seven plays later the Bengals scored, and tacked on the PAT.

Also notable: Eastern took the opening kickoff to the house, but had it called back; and the Eagles missed two field goals, a 38-yarder at the end and a puzzling 50-yarder on fourth-and-2 from ISU’s 32 with 5:58 left in the game.

The Bengals, getting 389 passing yards from Jordan Cooke and another 134 from Hunter Hays, prevailed.

“If you can make people play basketball and live on three-pointers, you’re going to have a shot,” Bengals coach Cody Hawkins told the Idaho State Journal.

Quotable

“An Idaho kid to make the game winning play? So smooth.”

— Montana’s Levi Janacaro, after Coeur d’Alene product Kale Edwards’ forced fumble to clinch the 23-21 win over the Vandals.

Quotable II

“Credit Vonny (Gevani McCoy) for finding me. That ball was tipped. It was very close to Scary Larry, as I like to say, but it worked out.”

— Idaho’s Hayden Hatten, whose second TD catch was deflected by Griz safety Garrett Graves.