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Big game looms for ISU
After playing two road games against teams from the Western Athletic Conference, the Idaho State football team finally gets to debut its new all-black home uniforms Thursday at Holt Arena.
Not only is it the first game of the season in the mini-dome for the Bengals, it will be the first time all year they'll be playing a team that competes at the same level as they do -- Championship Subdivision newcomer North Dakota. Naturally, though, players insist they're not treating this game any differently than their first two. "Football is football, and we've just gotta play how we play, regardless," said sophomore quarterback Russel Hill.
It's hard to argue with the starting signal-caller, but I'll do it anyway. The tilt against the Fighting Sioux means more to Idaho State than the road trips against Boise State and Idaho, and Thursday's game will prove to be a major barometer of the 2008 season. Look at the schedule. An 0-2 start was the most likely scenario at the start of the campaign based on the disadvantages Idaho State faced in the opening games, but for the Bengals to have any chance at a winning season and at keeping the interest of casual fans, they must beat North Dakota.
Such is the danger of a schedule that features no Southern Oregon or Fort Lewis. It's their only home nonconference game of the year, and it's also their easiest. But playing a team that has five straight seasons of double-digit wins in Division II and is looking to prove itself at the next level certainly is no gimme.
Should coach John Zamberlin's squad stumble against the FCS newbie, it's easy to imagine the season going downhill fast. With the Big Sky opener at Eastern Washington the following week, a loss to North Dakota most likely would mean the Bengals would be 0-4 when they next return to the Gate City to play Montana State. The attendance would drop faster than foot-long sandwich prices during the recent battles between Subway and Quiznos.
While it's impossible to imagine a Zamberlin-led team giving up, an early hole heading into an always-daunting conference schedule would be hard on morale and the team's winning percentage. However, a strong showing against the Sioux would energize the opening-night crowd -- which traditionally is one of the best -- and keep people coming back at least once or twice more.
The momentum of a win also would give a needed shot of confidence to the Bengals as they embark on league play. Fortunately, Idaho State will enter the North Dakota game with more advantages than just having support from the crowd.
Surely the game will appear slower to the Bengals after playing up the two previous weeks. "It really is an advantage for us to play Boise and Idaho, getting to play some good competition," senior corner back D.J. Clark said. "We should be able to carry it through and play these teams on our level."
As for the Sioux? Well, they've fattened themselves up on three cupcakes from lower divisions at home, including Division III Wisconsin-LaCrosse, which North Dakota pounded 45-7 Saturday. In their first official year at the FCS level, Sioux coaches haven't had much of a chance to fully benefit from the move to the higher division in recruiting. It would seem, then, that Idaho State should have a larger collection of better athletes.
So, yes, Idaho State certainly is capable of putting on a good show in its first appearance at Holt. That's good for the Bengals, because they need to. Tim Flagstad's column appears Mondays. With comments or story ideas, contact him at 239-3124 or by e-mail at tflagstad@journalnet.com. Article RatingReader CommentsSubmit a CommentCommenting RulesWe encourage your feedback and dialog. All comments are subject to deletion by our Web staff.
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