Idaho State Bengals host Bobcats with playoff hopes at stake
As November brings colder weather and hotter football, the Idaho State Bengals are ready for meaningful games. The Bengals (6-3, 3-3 Big Sky) welcome the reigning FCS national champion Montana State Bobcats (8-1, 5-1) to the ICCU Dome at 4 p.m. Saturday. Idaho State has had an up-and-down middle of the season and is coming off a thrilling 34-27 road win over Utah Tech. After starting 4-0 and ranking in the top 15, the Bengals went 2-3, dropping in the polls and even falling out of the rankings before climbing back to No. 22. Saturday, though, rankings won’t matter, and the Bengals are excited for the challenge. “We’re excited about the opponent we’re playing, and we are confident,” head coach Cody Hawkins said. “There’s that urgency to button things down because these next three games are going to be heavyweight fights. It’s the three best teams we’ve played, both physically and in the standings. If you look at how things have gone, our guys are excited and ready to go.” They will have to do it without their leading rusher. Sophomore running back Tytan Mason suffered a hamstring injury against Utah Tech and is “probably done for the year,” Hawkins
