Over the past 27 years, the Montana football team has played in some crazy games at Idaho State’s cozy little dome in Pocatello.
The place is no longer called Holt Arena, by the way. In 2024, the oldest enclosed stadium on a college campus in the United States was renamed ICCU Dome, as in Idaho Central Credit Union.
To say Montana and Idaho State have a rivalry would be mighty kind to the Bengals. ISU has lost 15 in a row to the Grizzlies, with its last win coming in the dome, 43-40, in double overtime in 2003.
Since then the teams have had two memorable nail-biters in Pocatello. Two games in which Montana came away with wins.
Start with the 2009 donnybrook that finished with a score you’d expect from a park-rec softball game. Second-ranked Montana went into the contest with a perfect 8-0 record and Idaho State was 0-9.
You never would have guessed by the way it played out.
The Bengals’ Kelvin Krosch caught a 21-yard touchdown pass from Russel Hill with 10:29 left to give his team a 10-9 lead. It held up until the final play of the game when Brody McKnight nailed a 33-yard field goal to give the Grizzlies a 12-10 win.
Whew!
“My perspective on it is that John Zamberlin outcoached Bob Hauck,” Bobby Hauck said of Idaho State’s head coach at the time. “I need to do a better job.
“He had his team fired up. They played inspired ball. They should be proud of their efforts. I’m proud of their guys. They’re banged up. Coach Z was the best coach on the field today, and we’re lucky to get out of here with a win.”
Ten years ago, the Bob Stitt-led Grizzlies needed overtime to dispatch the Bengals in Pocatello. You might say UM snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.
With Idaho State lined up for a potential game-winning 34-yard field goal in overtime, a few plays after Griz quarterback Makena Simis appeared to fumble away Montana’s chances, the script flipped. ISU’s snapper fired the ball over his holder’s head and it bounced down the turf.
Griz cornerback JR Nelson and the Idaho State holder raced for it and both fell on it. The ball bounced up, right to Montana’s Eric Johnson, who went 40 yards for the game-ending touchdown. A crazy play that was a fitting end to a wild game.
“Unbelievable,” Stitt said of his team, which improved to 5-4 with the win and kept its playoff hopes alive. “Finally something good happened to the good guys. What an awesome thing to happen to this team right now. We needed it.”
Since then the Grizzlies visited Pocatello twice and each time came away with an eight-point victory. The bottom line is that Idaho State, regardless of how bad its record has looked over the past 16 years, has consistently played the Grizzlies tough in the Gem State.
Expect them to do the same Saturday under third-year coach Cody Hawkins, who came to Pocatello from UC Davis, where he served as offensive coordinator for three years. The Bengals’ record may not impress you, but they pushed two FBS teams (UNLV, New Mexico) on the road earlier this season and they’re coming off a win at Northern Colorado.
Here’s a look at Saturday’s Big Sky Conference games:
No. 4 Montana (1-0, 4-0) at Idaho State (1-0, 2-3), 6 p.m. TV: ESPN+. Interestingly, Idaho State’s skipper (Hawkins) started his coaching career in 2011 as a player/coach for the Stockholm Mean Machines, Sweden’s oldest and most successful football organization. Anyone over the age of 60 that loves football and an occasional movie will forever fondly remember Burt Reynolds as quarterback/coach Paul Crewe of the Mean Machine in the original 1974 movie “The Longest Yard.” Believe it or not, it was actually shot at the Georgia State prison. Anyway, Idaho State has a losing record once again this season but is explosive on offense and will be sky-high to play Montana in Pocatello. I look for the feisty Bengals to stay with Montana for most of Saturday’s game before fading in the second half. Speltz: Montana 38, Idaho State 30. Cashion: Montana 38, Idaho State 17. Gogola: Montana 52, Idaho State 23. Flores: Griz 38, ISU 24.
No. 5 Montana State (1-0, 3-2) at No. 13 Northern Arizona (1-0, 4-1), 2 p.m. TV: The Spot-MTN. This one could go either way, just like the game three years ago in Flagstaff that saw the Tommy Mellott-led Bobcats escape with a 41-38 win. You may recall Montana State raced to a 17-0 lead in that one before the Lumberjacks came roaring back. Maybe it had something to do with playing at 7,000 feet. Maybe the Cats lost a little bit of focus with all the noise in the Walkup Skydome. One thing is certain: NAU is not going to be intimidated by the mighty Bobcats. The Jacks have won four in a row, including a 31-23 home triumph over then-ranked Incarnate Word two weeks ago. It’s worth noting Montana State has played only one road game this season and it was quite forgettable — a 59-13 loss to Oregon, which is coming off a stunning win at Penn State. This time the Cats will be much better on the road but they’re going to need to put up big numbers to snap NAU’s winning streak. Speltz: Bobcats 35, Lumberjacks 32. Cashion: Montana State 27, Northern Arizona 24. Gogola: Montana State 35, NAU 27. Flores: Cats 28, NAU 20.
Portland State (0-1, 0-5) at Eastern Washington (0-1, 1-4), 5 p.m. TV: ESPN+. This is a matchup of teams that might just have new head coaches next season. I mean, really, the Viks have lost 15 of their last 19 games under coach Bruce Barnum. They went 3-8 last season and they’ve been outscored this season, 215-40. The Eagles used to be the class of the Big Sky Conference when Beau Baldwin was head coach. He led them to a national championship 15 years ago. Now Eastern is under the guidance of Aaron Best. His team had four wins last season and will have a hard time getting any more than that this season. Last week’s 57-3 loss for the Eagles at Montana State was an embarrassment. They’ll bounce back with a win this week because they’re playing Portland State. Speltz: Eagles 52, Viks 40. Cashion: Eastern Washington 31, Portland State 21. Gogola: Eags 30, Viks 21. Flores: EWU 31, PSU 21.
No. 7 UC Davis (1-0, 3-1) at Cal Poly (1-0, 3-2), 6 p.m. TV: ESPN+. The Mustangs earned a surprising win at then-21st-ranked Sacramento State last weekend, 32-24. Cal Poly jumped to an 18-7 lead, then fell victim to a 14-0 run, then outscored the hosts 14-3 in the final 33 minutes. Davis has won its last two games and is 3-0 against FCS foes, but it’s hard to tell how good the Aggies actually are this season. Their wins have come against Utah Tech, Southern Utah and Weber State. Davis will have a hard time winning in San Luis Obispo but I’m giving it the nod. Speltz: Aggies 34, Mustangs 27. Cashion: UC Davis 28, Cal Poly 24. Gogola: UC Davis 38, Cal Poly 24. Flores: UC Davis 34, Cal Poly 17.
Bill Speltz is Missoulian sports editor. Contact him at bill.speltz@406mtsports.com or on Twitter @billspeltz
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