BOZEMAN — No. 2-ranked Montana State is back on the road Saturday, this time to take on Northern Colorado.
The Bears, who are 3-7 overall and 2-5 in the Big Sky, are ranked third in defense in the league.
Bobcats coach Brent Vigen, whose squad is 9-1 overall and 6-1 in the conference, says this year's UNC team continues to improve.
“That's maybe not exactly reflecting their record,” Vigen said. “Each and every year under coach (Ed) Lamb, I think they've taken steps. They're a team that's been a better version of themselves at home this year.”
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1:52The game is now scheduled to kick off at 5 p.m. Saturday at Nottingham Field in Greeley, Colo. MSU's charter flight Friday afternoon was halted due to the national ground stop on all U.S. air travel issued by the Federal Aviation Administration.
The Bears have won their last three home games. Bobcats wide receiver Dane Steel spoke on what he remembered from last year’s matchup in Greeley.
“The energy there is different than obviously Bobcat Stadium, so it's a bring-your-own-juice kind of stadium,” Steel said. “And they're a lot better than they were last year. So we're going to have to take care of business for sure.”
Offensively, the Bears have played multiple quarterbacks while trying to find the best fit, as Vigen has observed.
“They've done a good job of managing (and) playing a bunch of quarterbacks on the offensive side,” Vigen said. “And finding ways to run the football.”
Keep your eyes on UNC's defense in this matchup, as it is ranked third in the conference for a reason.
“I think they've had some really good stretches of defense,” Vigen said. “They're another team that's multiple in what they do, can be aggressive in what they do and they can make it hard on you.”
Quarterback Justin Lamson is prepared for another defensive test.
“I have a lot of respect for Idaho State's defense, then same with Northern Colorado,” Lamson said. “You see their front. They get after people. Their defensive backs are really talented. So I'm just looking forward to another challenge, but it's going to be a great challenge. Each Big Sky defense is really talented.”
“We have a lot of respect for what coach Lamb has been able to do in his time at UNC,” Vigen added.