Idaho 35, Montana State 34: How the Vandals Ended the Bobcats' 19-Game Win Streak
- 🔑 Idaho beat Montana State 35-34 at the Kibbie Dome in Moscow, Idaho, on Friday, October 2, 2026. Quarterback Joshua Wood threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Jezioro as time expired, then ran in the two-point conversion for the win.
- Montana State led 34-20 early in the fourth quarter. Idaho cut it to 34-27 on a one-yard Wood run with 9:54 left, then took over at its own 20 with 49 seconds and no timeouts and scored on the fifth play of its final drive.
- Wood finished 19-of-25 for 315 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, and Jezioro caught six passes for 147 yards and both touchdowns. For Montana State, Patrick Duchien threw for 249 yards and two touchdowns without an interception and ran for 92 yards and a score.
- The loss ended Montana State’s 19-game winning streak, which began after a double-overtime loss to South Dakota State on September 6, 2025. The Bobcats, the defending FCS champions, entered ranked No. 1 and fell to 5-1 overall and 2-1 in the Big Sky; Idaho moved to 1-4 and 1-1.
- Next up, as of Saturday, October 3, 2026: Idaho plays at Weber State on October 10 and at Montana (the Grizzlies) on October 17, while Montana State has a bye on October 10 and visits Eastern Washington on October 17. No betting odds or win probabilities are used anywhere on this page.
Idaho beat Montana State 35-34 on Friday night, October 2, 2026, when quarterback Joshua Wood threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Jezioro as time expired and then ran in the two-point conversion for the win. The game at the Kibbie Dome in Moscow, Idaho, ended the Bobcats’ 19-game winning streak and gave the Vandals, who had started 0-4, their first victory of 2026. This recap is current as of Saturday, October 3, 2026.
What was the final score of Idaho vs. Montana State?
Idaho won 35-34 at the Kibbie Dome in Moscow, Idaho, on Friday, October 2, 2026. Kickoff was listed for 7:30 p.m. Pacific (8:30 p.m. Mountain, 10:30 p.m. Eastern), the game aired nationally on ESPN as “Big Sky After Dark,” and the announced attendance was 9,231. By quarter, Idaho scored 7, 13, 0 and 15 points, and Montana State scored 10, 14, 3 and 7. Montana State led 24-20 at halftime.
How did Idaho win the game on its final drive?
Idaho won with a 25-yard touchdown pass from Wood to Jezioro on the last play, followed by a Wood run for the two-point conversion. Trailing 34-27, the Vandals took over at their own 20 with 49 seconds left, according to the Associated Press and the Montana Sports Network, which adds that Idaho had no timeouts. Wood ran for 16 yards and then 6, threw 10 yards to Tony Harste to the Montana State 48, and then completed a 23-yard pass to Noah West-Baranco at the Montana State 25.
What happened with the clock at the end of the game?
According to the Montana Sports Network, the clock appeared to run out after the 23-yard catch, officials ruled that one second remained, and Montana State coach Brent Vigen then called a timeout. ESPN’s play-by-play logs a Montana State timeout with one second on the clock, and a Spokane newspaper’s game story describes the same sequence. On the next play Wood threw 25 yards to Jezioro for the touchdown as time expired, which made it 34-33. Wood then ran in the two-point conversion, and the final was 35-34.
How did Montana State build a 14-point lead?
Montana State took a 24-20 halftime lead on a 15-yard touchdown pass from Patrick Duchien to Dane Steel with 1:12 left in the second quarter, then stretched it to 34-20 early in the fourth. Wood hit Jezioro for a 75-yard touchdown on Idaho’s first play from scrimmage, and the Associated Press counts six lead changes in the first half. A 15-play, 8:24 drive produced a field goal and a 27-20 lead in the third quarter. Linebacker Neil Daily intercepted Wood late in that period, and Duchien ran in from two yards out with 13:29 left.
Wood answered with a one-yard touchdown run with 9:54 left, cutting it to 34-27. According to the play-by-play, Montana State’s next drive ran 12 plays and ended with a missed 52-yard field goal attempt at 3:22. Idaho then went three plays for minus-5 yards and punted. Montana State took over with 2:05 left, gained 15 yards on five plays while Idaho used three timeouts, and punted for a touchback with 49 seconds to go.
Which Montana State players were out?
Montana State was without quarterback Justin Lamson, running back Adam Jones and receiver Taco Dowler, according to the Montana Sports Network. Duchien started at quarterback for the second straight week, the recap says, and finished 23-of-32 for 249 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions, plus 92 yards and a score on 14 carries. Carter Dahlke, who the same recap says is filling Dowler’s role, caught 10 passes for 126 yards and a touchdown.
How did the teams compare in the box score?
Montana State had more total yards, first downs and time of possession, while Idaho had the bigger passing day and the game’s only turnover.
| Stat | Vandals | Bobcats |
|---|---|---|
| Total yards | 443 | 469 |
| Passing yards | 315 | 249 |
| Rushing yards | 128 | 220 |
| First downs | 23 | 29 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| Penalties | 8 for 48 | 4 for 35 |
| Possession | 28:28 | 31:32 |
Wood finished 19-of-25 for 315 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, and added 41 yards and a score on 15 rushes. Jezioro had six catches for 147 yards and both touchdown receptions, and Damonte Bias ran seven times for 46 yards and a 15-yard touchdown.
What did the loss end for Montana State?
It ended Montana State’s 19-game winning streak, which the Montana Sports Network calls a school record. The Bobcats had not lost since a 30-24 double-overtime defeat to South Dakota State on September 6, 2025. By our count of season results, the streak was 14 straight wins to finish 2025, including the 35-34 overtime win over Illinois State in the national title game in January 2026, plus five wins in 2026. The same recap says the loss also ended an 18-game Big Sky Conference winning streak and that Montana State has not won in Moscow since 1990. The Bobcats are now 5-1 overall and 2-1 in the Big Sky.
Was this Idaho’s first win over a No. 1 team?
Yes, the Associated Press and a Spokane newspaper both report it was the first time Idaho has beaten a No. 1-ranked team in program history. Montana State entered ranked No. 1 in the FCS Coaches Poll of September 28, and the Associated Press reports it also led the Stats Perform poll. The Vandals also beat Montana State 24-21 at the Kibbie Dome on October 28, 2023. Idaho had opened 2026 with four straight losses, three of them by six points or fewer, and the win moved it to 1-4 overall and 1-1 in the Big Sky. By our count it also ended a seven-game Idaho losing streak dating to November 2025, a figure the Spokane newspaper reports as well.
New FCS rankings are due Monday, October 5, so this page describes Montana State as ranked No. 1 entering the game and states no new ranking for either team.
What’s next for Idaho and Montana State?
As of Saturday, October 3, 2026, Idaho plays at Weber State on October 10 and at Montana on October 17, while Montana State is off on October 10 and plays at Eastern Washington on October 17. The Bobcats’ game at Eastern Washington is set for 5 p.m. Mountain, per the Montana Sports Network. Idaho’s October 17 opponent is the University of Montana Grizzlies, a different school from Montana State; the Bobcats and Grizzlies meet on November 21.
Idaho 35, Montana State 34 came down to one 49-second drive, a 25-yard touchdown pass and a two-point run, and as of Saturday, October 3, 2026, it stands as the Bobcats’ first loss since September 2025.
How we verified this
Final score and line score. The 35-34 result was checked against four independent sources: the broadcaster’s raw game data (status Final), the Associated Press game story, a regional sports network’s recap and a Spokane newspaper’s game story. All four agree. The per-quarter scoring (Idaho 7-13-0-15, Montana State 10-14-3-7) and the 24-20 halftime score come from the raw line score and scoring plays, and they sum to the final totals. A compiled public listing matched the quarter scores and the 9,231 attendance. Numbers were taken from raw game data and raw article text, not from automated page summaries, several of which returned wrong records and dates during research.
Kickoff time. The raw game data lists a 02:30 UTC start on October 3, which is 7:30 p.m. Pacific, and a compiled listing gives 8:30 p.m. Mountain, the same moment. Moscow is on Pacific time. A school or conference press release could not be read directly, so this is the only kickoff check available.
Final-drive timing. Idaho got the ball with 49 seconds left: the raw play-by-play, the AP story and the regional recap agree. The Spokane newspaper says 55 seconds, and we followed the figure three sources share. That newspaper also places the start of Idaho’s three-play, minus-5-yard possession at 2:05 and describes a penalty on its first play differently from the play-by-play, so this page follows the play-by-play for sequencing and says nothing more about that penalty.
The one-second clock ruling is reported only as attributed fact. The regional recap says the clock appeared to run out after the 23-yard catch, officials ruled one second remained and Montana State’s coach called a timeout. The raw play-by-play logs a Montana State timeout with one second on the clock, and the Spokane newspaper describes the same sequence. Editorial characterizations in those stories are not repeated, and this page takes no position on the ruling.
Streak and ranking. The 19-game streak was recomputed from raw season results (14 straight wins after the September 6, 2025 loss, through the January 2026 national title game, plus five in 2026) and matches AP’s figure. The school-record label, the 18-game Big Sky streak and no Montana State win in Moscow since 1990 come from the regional recap alone and are attributed as such. The first win over a No. 1 team is reported by AP and the Spokane newspaper. The No. 1 ranking is confirmed twice: the FCS Coaches Poll of September 28 in the raw rankings data, and AP’s note that the Bobcats led the Stats Perform poll. Idaho’s 24-21 win in the 2023 game and its seven-game losing streak were recomputed from Idaho’s season results and match what AP and the Spokane newspaper report.
Absences and names. That Montana State was without Justin Lamson, Adam Jones and Taco Dowler, that Patrick Duchien started for a second straight week and that Carter Dahlke filled Dowler’s role all come from the regional recap alone. The page says they were out and gives no cause or timeline. The spelling Neil Daily matches the raw box score, and the linebacker label comes from the regional recap.
Still moving at write time (as of Saturday, October 3, 2026). New FCS polls are expected Monday, October 5, a date inferred from the weekly Monday cadence of the September 28 poll. Records, Big Sky standings and the October 10 and 17 schedule lines will change. This page states no new ranking and makes no predictions.
No betting odds, spreads, or win-probability models appear anywhere on this page.