MOSCOW, Idaho - The Vandals travel to Missoula to play to play the Grizzlies for the Little Brown Stein Saturday afternoon at Washington-Grizzly Stadium. Montana is ranked third in the country with a 5-0 record while Idaho is unranked but 3-0 against FCS teams. It is the 88th meeting of these two teams in Idaho's oldest Big Sky rivalry playing for the oldest traveling trophy in the Big Sky.  The Vandals lead the series 55-30-2, but Montana has won seven straight.

ABOUT IDAHO: The Vandals are 3-2 and 2-0 in league play for the first time since 2009. Idaho in back-to-back Big Sky wins over NAU and Northern Colorado. Gevani McCoy is 40-47 (85.1%) with five touchdowns and no interceptions in two Big Sky games. Fa'Avae Fa'Avae has a team-high 50 tackles and has led the Vandals in that category every game this season.

ABOUT MONTANA: The Grizzlies started the year near the top of the FCS rankings and have done nothing to say that they don't belong there. They are outscoring opponents 201-57 so far this year while ranking third in offensive scoring and first in defensive scoring. Patrick O'Connell leads the Big Sky in Sacks and Tackles for Loss and Lucas Johnson has thrown for 1027 yards and 11 touchdowns with just two interceptions.  1. QB PERFORMANCE: After a four-wide QB battle throughout the fall, Gevani McCoy has cemented his starting spot on the field with efficient play. He has improved every week, and his completion percentage is third in the FCS at 73.1% He has thrown for 1073 total yards and 10 touchdowns. He has already thrown more touchdowns than any Vandal quarterback in 2021. Idaho still has a pair of quarterbacks with game experience to back him up in CJ Jordan and J'Borre Gibbs. True freshman quarterback Jack Layne was given time at the QB position against Drake in a chance to get him playing experience while preserving his redshirt. 

2. WELCOME FRESHMEN: True freshmen running back Anthony Woods jumps into the top spot on the depth chart after a stellar performance against Drake. Jordan Dwyer notched a pair of receiving touchdowns in the first two games. The two players made their debuts against Washington State. Four other true freshman, Jack Layne (QB), Dylan Layne (LB), Tigana Cisse (OL) and Ayden Knapik (OL) played against Drake with a plan to preserve their redshirts. 

3. TURNOVERS: Despite playing games against Power Five opponents, the Vandals are up big time in the turnover margin. Idaho has 10 takeaways to just two turnovers. Good enough for the third-best turnover margin in the FCS. In just five games, the Vandals topped the takeaway number from a season ago.  Combined with the best time of possession mark in the FCS, Idaho is controlling the ball. 
 
4. IMPACT TRANSFERS: Six new transfers are listed on the Vandal defensive two-deep, two transfers are listed on the offensive list and one special teams player a and made an immediate. Paul Moala, a linebacker transfer from Notre Dame  forced a fumble against WSU, made a goalline stop against Indiana and has two interceptions on the season. Juliano Falaniko, a defensive end transfer from USC had seven tackles and a sack so far. Mathias Bertram a safety from New Mexico had nine total tackles in the season opener. Former NAIA All-American Jason Hahlbeck, a transfer from Morningside College, was back in the lineup after missing the WSU game.  Junior college transfer Ricardo Chavez is 10-10 on the year for field goals and leads the FCS in made field goals and percentage. JC transfer Murvin Kenion III forced a fumble against Indiana and has two interceptions.

5. RECEIVERS: Jermaine Jackson has emerged as a big play receiver. He leads the Big Sky at 21.43 yards per reception. He is the emotional and vocal leader for the Idaho receivers. He played limited action in 2021 because of injury but looks to make an impact this season, but has already shown his big-play ability, including a receiving touchdown and a punt return touchdown against Drake. Hayden Hatten had a breakout game against Northern Colorado with 131 yards receiving and two touchdowns. Terez Traynor and Jordan Dwyer have all had big impacts, but have had injuries that have limited their availability. 

6. NEW BUT VETERAN STAFF: With the coaching staff change, head coach Jason Eck changed the entire staff. Among the 10 assistant coaches, seven have served as a coordinator in a college football setting and running backs coach Thomas Ford is a former DII head coach. Stanley Franks Jr. and Matt Linehan both had outstanding careers as players at the University of Idaho.