MOSCOW, Idaho — It is homecoming week in Moscow and the No. 3 ranked Idaho Vandals have a tall task ahead facing No. 16 Montana for the Little Brown Stein.
"They are our biggest rival. I think this is a huge game. Both teams are 5-1, so just like in the old days, this game has a lot of implications for the Big Sky Conference race, the national race and playoff positioning, so it is a huge game," Idaho head coach Jason Eck said.
"It is another great opportunity for us. I am glad we finally have them at home, we have not seen them in the Kibbie Dome in quite a while so it will be an exciting time for me, an exciting time for my family and an exciting time for our team," Idaho redshirt junior wide receiver Hayden Hatten said.
The third-ranked Idaho Vandals will be in the national spotlight on Saturday night, but players are treating it as any other game.
"It is very exciting to play in front of a packed house and play in a great environment," Eck said.
"It is a crazy national stage, which is something I have dreamed about for a long time, but you cannot overlook the process just because it is a big game, we have to take the same approach as we do for every other opponent we face," Hatten said.
It will be the final homecoming game in the Kibbie Dome for Hayden Hatten. After five years in Moscow, Hatten is proud to have been a part of the program's turnaround.
"We are rolling, man, the Vandals are rolling. It is good to have the entire community back and loving Vandal football again; a big thanks to Coach Eck and his staff for providing that for us. We have a lot of guys coming back (Saturday), a lot of passionate Vandals fans and a lot of my former teammates who I love and respect, so it is definitely a game I want to go and win for them," Hatten said.
Coach Eck knows this game will be hard fought and wants his team to leave it all out on the field ahead of their bye week.
"My message is we need to empty the tank and play really, really hard and battle. We know this is going to be a hard-fought fourth-quarter game. I hope our fans can not only show up, but make an impact on Saturday," Eck said.
Saturday's battle for the Little Brown Stein at a sold out Kibbie Dome will be broadcast on ESPN2. Kickoff is set for 7:30 PM. Idaho will look to keep the Stein in Moscow for back to back games for the first time since 1999.
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