FARMINGTON, Utah – The Big Sky Conference announced that Idaho football's contest this weekend against the Montana Grizzlies will be the conference's Game of the Week. 

The Battle for the Little Brown Stein is one of four Big Sky Conference games to air on ESPN Networks this season. As one of the premier brands and programs in the conference, Idaho will be featured in another matchup on The Worldwide Leader in Sports when it competes against Northern Arizona on Halloween in Flagstaff, Ariz. UI also played on ESPN twice last season. 

This is the 90^th meeting between Idaho and Montana, making it the second-longest played series in Idaho football history. The Vandals hold a 56-31-2 overall record against the Griz and won the last matchup in Missoula by a score of 30-23 in 2022. The first matchup in the series happened in 1903 – a 28-0 Vandal victory. A traveling trophy that stands nearly two feet tall, the trophy originated in 1938 prior to the 25^th meeting between the two rivals. Idaho ended up winning the first Battle for the Little Brown Stein 19-6 in Missoula. 

For the Vandals, who had the 11^th-strongest schedule in the nation per Massey Ratings entering the season, this is the third of six scheduled games against FBS or teams who were in the preseason FCS top 25. 

Idaho (2-2), which has appeared in back-to-back FCS quarterfinals, enters the game following a game in which it pushed San Jose State of the Mountain West Conference to the brink, surrendering a late field goal to give the Spartans a late victory. The Vandals are led by first-year head coach Thomas Ford Jr. 

Entering last week, the Big Sky Conference had four teams ranked in the top ten and six teams appearing in the Stats Perform Top 25. 

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TICKETS: Season tickets, mini plans, and single-game tickets are available here or by calling the Idaho Ticket Office at (208) 885-6466.