Tuesday Morning Quarterback: Time to roll out the red carpet; UI ready for national spotlight

Well, now that that’s out of the way, we can get down to business.

The No. 3 Idaho football team steamrolled Cal Poly 42-14 Saturday at Mustang Memorial Field in San Luis Obispo, Calif., to record its third win in a row and improve to 5-1 overall and 3-0 in Big Sky play.

The Vandals can now turn their sights to their longest-tenured combatant, No. 10 Montana.

The 88th Little Brown Stein rivalry game, which takes place at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the P1FCU Kibbie Dome, is one that fans had circled on their calendars for multiple reasons.

For one, it’s Idaho’s homecoming game, and the Vandal students are known to show up for homecoming whether the team is good or not.

Secondly, Idaho has only played at its friendly confines once this season, downing then-No. 4 Sac State 36-27 on Sept. 23.

The Vandals are the only Division I team up to this point to have played five road games, and they’ve been pretty successful, going 4-1.

Lastly, it’ll be nearly a year to the day from when Idaho earned a 30-23 decision over then-No. 2 Montana at Washington-Grizzly Stadium in Missoula, Mont., last season.

Bringing the Little Brown Stein back to Moscow turned the Vandals from hopefuls to contenders in the eyes of many.

Since the win, Idaho is 8-4 and has steadily garnered more and more national attention.

Up to this point, the limelight has come in small spurts for the Vandals. Whether that’s being a part of Scott Van Pelt’s bad beats segment on ESPN after Ormanie Arnold’s last-second scoop and score against the Hornets or being a steady presence on the popular X (formally known as Twitter) account “No Context College Football,” which has over 200,000 followers.

Saturday’s game will be the first time Idaho will be 100% in the spotlight during the Eck era, as it’ll be broadcast on ESPN2.

This is the first ESPN linear network game for the Vandals since playing on ESPNU against Florida in 2018, and it’ll be the first in the Kibbie Dome since 2010 against Boise State.

Idaho lost both of those nationally televised games, so a win against the Grizzlies would continue its path in the right direction heading into the bye week before it faces No. 2 Montana State on Oct. 28.

This is also a big opportunity for Vandals who have legitimate pro potential to show their stuff in front of more eyes, such as fifth-year junior receiver Hayden Hatten.

Hatten, who is the team’s leading receiver with 35 receptions for 430 yards and two touchdowns, has been a staple in the Vandals’ rebuild.

The Phoenix native earned All-American honors in 2022 after registering over 1,000 yards receiving and breaking the Idaho single-season touchdown receptions record (16).

Hatten was perhaps Idaho’s biggest superstar to come out of last season, and it is clear that opposing defenses have taken note, especially in the red zone.

The junior has been one touchdown grab away from tying the career TD record of 26 set by Jerry Hendren (1967-69) for five weeks. And while he’s been held out of the end zone, he personifies the phrase “playmakers make plays.”

The receiver has two touchdown passes and has been extremely reliable in the short and intermediate passing game, having 15 more receptions than anyone on the team.

“It’s a crazy national stage and something I’ve dreamed about for a long time,” Hatten said in a news conference Monday. “Being in a position where we can control our own destiny in the Big Sky Conference is a special feeling. It’s rewarding, and I’m glad I get to be a part of it.”

For most of the country, the ESPN2 broadcast will be their first taste of Idaho. But for those who are familiar with the team, a.k.a. the fans, they will be showing up to the Kibbie Dome in bunches.

According to an “X” post made by the team, the game is already 95% sold out, a feat Idaho was not close to last season — or any season for the last decade.

The last time the 16,000-seat facility sold out was the 2010 matchup against the Broncos. The Vandals lost 52-14.

This is a huge step in the right direction for Idaho in terms of attendance. The Vandals ranked ninth in the Big Sky in ticket sales in 2022, according to USA Today, earning $400,000. If the Dome is sells out on Saturday, Idaho can break last year’s threshold.

The Vandals have looked sharp up to this point and have played true to their ranking. They deserve a bit of national attention, and Saturday will be a welcomed prize for Idaho and its unthinkable turnaround over the last two years.

Pixley may be contacted at (208) 848-2290, tpixley@lmtribune.com or on Twitter @TreebTalks.