After ‘butt whooping’ earlier in season, Idaho gets rematch with No. 1 team in playoffs

University of Idaho football coach Jason Eck was perfectly frank during a news conference Monday ahead of the Vandals’ FCS playoff game against undefeated Montana State this week.

“I’m proud of this team to get back to the quarterfinals after a lot of adversity and things we’ve had to go through,” Eck said. “And probably one of the biggest bits of adversity was getting this butt whooping by Montana State the last time we played them.

“We’re excited to have another opportunity, but obviously it’s gonna be a great challenge. I think they are a great team. I really don’t think they have any weaknesses. We’re going to probably have to play the perfect game to pull this off, but our guys will be motivated. We want to play hard. We got embarrassed last time and definitely want to have a better showing.”

The eighth-seeded Vandals (10-3) will travel to top-ranked Montana State (13-0) for an FCS quarterfinal matchup at 7 p.m. Mountain time Friday at Bobcat Stadium in Bozeman. The game will be televised on ESPN.

Idaho, which made the FCS quarterfinals last season before losing to Albany, has won six straight games since a 38-7 loss to the Bobcats on Oct. 12. The Vandals played that game without starting redshirt sophomore quarterback Jack Layne, who broke his collarbone in the season opener at Oregon.

Layne returned to the lineup against Eastern Washington on Oct. 26 and has since completed 80-of-125 passes for 1,233 yards and 12 touchdowns, with just three interceptions.

“Since we played in October, Idaho’s won six in a row and they had an impressive win themselves this past Saturday night,” Montana State coach Brent Vigen told SWX. “Getting Layne back at quarterback I think has been big for them. I think he throws with great touch. I think he throws with anticipation.”

The Vandals, who defeated Lehigh 34-13 last weekend, know they’ve got their hands full against the Bobcats, who blasted UT Martin 49-17 in the round of 16.

Montana State ranks No. 1 among FCS teams in scoring offense (41.3 points) and total offense (496.5 yards), and No. 2 in rushing offense (308.9 yards). Senior quarterback Tommy Mellott, the Big Sky offensive player of the year, ranks No. 1 in the country for pass efficiency (183.94) and is a finalist for the Walter Payton Award, which is presented annually to the top offensive player in FCS.

And the Bobcats aren’t slouches defensively. They are tied for sixth in the nation in scoring defense (17.0 points) and No. 14 for rushing defense (112.2 yards).

“Football’s football at the end of the day. Every defense has its strength and its weakness,” Layne said. “It’s my job as QB to diagnose that defense and then make the best play available and the play that coach calls. ... They’re a great defense, great at stopping the run, really sound on the perimeter, but I think we can attack them, and it just starts with me making sound decisions.”