A year ago, when Idaho took down Montana State in Moscow, 24-21, the Vandals got out to an early lead, forced the Bobcats to pass to try to catch up, defended well and limited MSU to fewer than 50 plays on offense as the Bobcats failed to convert a game-tying field goal in the game's final seconds.
Barring a similar fortunate convergence of events Saturday in Bozeman when the 7th-ranked Vandals (4-2) face the 3rd-ranked Bobcats (6-0), much of the burden of controlling MSU's dominating ground game will fall to Idaho's linebackers, Jaxton Eck, Zach Johnson and Isiah King.
Eck is the son of Vandals coach Jason Eck, and is the Big Sky Conference co-defensive player of the week after making 10 tackles and intercepting a pass against Northern Arizona, which Idaho beat 23-17 at homecoming Oct. 5.
Johnson, from Coeur d'Alene, is the legacy Vandal. His father, Eric, was an offensive lineman for Idaho from 1992-96 when the Vandals never had a losing season and won nine games twice. His mother, Leah (Smith) was a volleyball and tennis star from that era, and one of her volleyball teams is in the University of Idaho Hall of Fame.
King, from San Diego, has emerged this year as a starter.
Collectively for them, job one will be corralling Montana State quarterback Tommy Mellott. Mellott has been a four-year starter, and he is a force as a runner with a career 6.5 yards per carry average, 2268 yards in 348 attempts, with 30 touchdowns. The Bobcats also challenge opponents with sophomore running back Scottre Humphrey, who has run for 409 yards in 50 attempts this year, with six touchdowns.
What this will demand of Idaho's linebackers, according to Jason Eck is "we have got to get aligned really well. We have got to fit our gaps really well, and we have got to tackle really well."
The message seems to have been successfully transmitted. Jaxton Eck and Johnson both emphasized the need to follow defensive keys against the Bobcats, and King added that in addition to "we have got to lock in on out assignments" the linebackers will need to bring "physicality."
In practice this week, Idaho scout team quarterback Rocco Koch impersonated Mellot with a steady dose of play action and motion looks.
"They do a lot of motion to get your eyes," Jaxton Eck said of the Bobcats.
"They try to get the quarterback in space.
"We have to make them one dimensional. Make them throw more."
The Vandals in the past decade have fashioned a tradition of stellar linebacking with the likes of All-Sun Belt Conference linebackers Tony Lashley, Ed Hall and Kaden Ellis, and All-Big Sky Conference honorees Christian Elliss, Tre Walker and Fa'Avae Fa'Avae.
Johnson says while the history of those former Vandals does not weigh on the current crew, they are mindful of the responsibility to post similar accomplishments.
"It is not a legacy thing," says Johnson, "but as linebackers we take it on ourselves to lead the defense. It kind of goes through us."
All three can anticipate more seasons representing the Vandals. King is a redshirt junior, Eck is a sophomore, and Johnson is a redshirt freshman. Nonetheless, King marvels at the pace of Idaho's season.
"It is going good. But it is going by so fast, week by week," he says.
"It's going really fast. It's October already," Eck agrees. He was born in Moscow when his father was an assistant coach at Idaho but went to high school in Brookings, S.D., where Jason Eck was the offensive coordinator at South Dakota State University before becoming Idaho's head coach in 2022.
"It is kind of amazing that I was born here. It is special to be back," Jaxton says.
The player of the week honor was the product of "just playing free. Just flying around," he says, and King hopes that vibe carries over among all the linebackers when they take on the undefeated Bobcats and Mellott.
"It's about getting people on the quarterback," he says.