Idaho State preparing for Big Sky opener against Northern Colorado

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) - The Idaho State Bengals hit the Holt Arena turf once again Saturday for their Big Sky conference opener against Northern Colorado.

Both teams still seek their first win of the season, and with a gauntlet of a conference schedule for both squads, this might be their best chance to pick up a victory.

But don't tell that to ISU Head Coach Cody Hawkins.

"The next game is always the most important game because that's the only game that matters," Hawkins said. "Everything that you guys remember about last season, about your previous history as a human, it's all lies. It's only in your mind. It's all a memory and it's all bogus.

"We got to focus on beating Northern Colorado and it's not beating UNC the logo. It's saying, hey, we're going against Ed Lamb, who's one of the best coaches in the history of Big Sky, even though he hasn't won as many at Northern Colorado yet. The dude's won Big Sky championships and we have not in a long time."

As for the quarterback position, Hawkins said even with Big Sky play getting underway, fans should still expect to see multiple QBs in action, specifically Jordan Cooke and Hunter Hays at a minimum.

"Jordan does some unbelievable things and he really works at it," Hawkins said. "He's a guy that's going to be in there watching tape and asking questions, and he really wants to be the guy. But he's very young."

On Hays, Hawkins added he would like to see more from him, but he will continue to get reps.

"You have to recognize what he does as a leader for this football team," Hawkins said. "Just how tough he is and he has not been as consistent making some of the plays that we would have wanted in practice. But he shows up on game day and that kid's really tough and I think both those guys deserve to play."

Kickoff Saturday is at 4:00 p.m. MT inside Holt Arena.