Jerry Miller
Advisor to the Bengal
One of the most prominent forms of entertainment on the Pocatello campus is athletic events. During the fall, four ISU athletic teams compete against other competition throughout the country and the Big Sky Conference. Admission to these events is free for all ISU students. Here is a look at when you can catch these teams in action.
Football
Head coach Rob Phenicie says this year’s home schedule will allow Bengals fans to see some of the best teams in the Big Sky Conference. ISU opens up 2018 on a Friday night at home against non-conference foe Western State of Colorado, a team that went 1-10 in 2017. It should be a cake walk for the Bengals, who then take a week off before traveling to Berkeley to take on the Cal Bears of the PAC-12. After that it’s off to North Dakota to open conference play against the Fighting Hawks in their last season in the Big Sky. The Bengals open Big Sky home action against Northern Arizona’s Lumberjacks who bring highly-touted quarterback Case Cookus to town for Homecoming. October 6 could be the biggest game of the year though, as the Bengals welcome the Idaho Vandals back to the Big Sky and FCS football following the Vandal’s failed pursuit of Boise State at the next level. These two teams haven’t met in Holt Arena since 1997. After the showdown with the Vandals, ISU hits the road for two games on October 13 and 20 at Cal-Davis, and then a non-conference matchup with Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. ISU comes home on the 27th for the Hall of Fame game against the Montana State Bobcats. November opens with road contests at Portland State and Cal-Poly before the Bengals end the regular season on November 17 against Weber State’s Wildcats. The FCS playoffs come after that.
Soccer
In 2017, the soccer Bengals began the season 3-0 before stumbling and winning only two of their last 17 contests. The 2018 season doesn’t look any easier. ISU opens with two home contests on the pitch at Davis Field on August 13 and 18 against Utah Valley and Westminster before wrapping up the month with road games at Texas El-Paso and New Mexico, then back home against Wyoming on August 30. September brings four more non-conference challenges, starting at BYU on the 1st, then home against Utah State’s Aggies on the 8th and South Dakota State on the 13th. The Bengals close out non-league games at Boise State on September 16, then open Big Sky play at home vs. Northern Arizona on the 21st and Southern Utah on the 23rd. Sacramento State and Portland State host the Bengals on September 28 and 30, then it’s home to host the Lady Griz of Montana on October 5 and the Bears of Northern Colorado on the 7th. ISU’s final Big Sky road games are at Idaho and Eastern Washington before closing out the regular season in style against the tough Wildcats of Weber State.
Volleyball
The Bengals went 11-19 in 2017, but did return to the Big Sky Tournament where they lost to the Idaho Vandals in the opening round. This year, ISU will pack 31 matches into the regular season, with 16 of them away from Reed Gym. ISU opens its season at a tournament in Atlanta with Georgia Tech, Georgetown, Abilene Christian and Winthrop. The first home match will be August 31 when the Bengals host the Idaho State Tournament with Milwaukee, UC-Riverside and Boise State. Big Sky play starts in mid-September and concludes in mid-November with the Big Sky Tournament the weekend before Thanksgiving. The Bengals play all home matches in Reed Gym.
Cross Country
ISU has not released its cross country schedule as of publication. Last season, the Bengals opened at Utah Valley on September 2. ISU’s only home meet was October 14.
