FARMINGTON, Utah (Sept. 23, 2026) – Football teams return to Big Sky play in Week 4, as two of the six slated games feature Top 20 matchups. Below are news and notes for Week 4 of the football season.
Big Sky Football Weekly Notebook (Week 4)
PAIR OF TOP 20 MATCHUPS HIGHLIGHT WEEK 4
No. 5 Montana travels to No. 10 UC Davis, while No. 1 Montana State hosts No. 18 Northern Arizona to highlight Week 4 in the Big Sky.
The matchup between the top-ranked Bobcats and Lumberjacks will be aired on ESPN2, which will mark the second of five ESPN linear games for the Big Sky in 2026.
The league will have three of those games come in the next two weeks, with the game in Bozeman kicking off that exciting stretch.
Big Sky ESPN Linear Games for 2026
Saturday, Aug. 28: Idaho at Cal Poly // 8:00 p.m. MT (ESPN) (Cal Poly 38, Idaho 34)
Saturday, Sept. 26: NAU at Montana State // 8:30 p.m. MT (ESPN2)
Friday, Oct. 2: Montana State at Idaho // 8:30 p.m. MT (ESPN)
Saturday, Oct. 3: EWU at UC Davis // 8:30 p.m. MT (ESPN2)
Saturday, Nov. 14: Idaho State at Montana // 8:30 p.m. MT (ESPN Network TBD)
MONTANA-UC DAVIS FEATURED GAME ON "THIS WEEK IN BIG SKY FOOTBALL"
The Top 10 showdown between No. 5 Montana and No. 10 UC Davis in California will be the Game of the Week for "This Week in Big Sky Football” which airs each Thursday on @BigSkyConf’s YouTube and every Saturday on Scripps Sports.
The last four meetings have featured both teams ranked, with the most recent coming in 2024, when the then-No. 4 Aggies defeated No. 7 Montana 30-14 in Missoula. The loss marked just the third time since 2011 that Montana had lost a night game at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
Last 4 Meetings for Montana-UC Davis
2026: No. 5 Montana vs. No. 10 UC Davis (Davis, CA)
2024: No. 4 UC Davis 30, No. 7 Montana 14 (Missoula, MT)
2023: No. 17 Montana 31, No. 20 UC Davis 23 (Davis, CA)
2019: No. 18 Montana 45, No. 4 UC Davis 20 (Davis, CA)
FCS Rankings: Stats Perform
IDAHO STATE ON BEST START SINCE 1995
Idaho State has opened the season 3-0, which is the best start for the football program since 1995. The 1995 Bengal football team had a 5-0 start to the season. Overall, Idaho State is on a seven-game winning streak which is the program’s longest since the 1981 team won seven straight en route to a national title.
TEN BIG SKY QBS RANK IN TOP 50 FOR PASS YARDS PER GAME
The Big Sky has some of the best passers in the nation this season, as evident of 10 quarterbacks ranking in the Top 50 for passing yards per game in 2026. The Big Sky’s 10 QBs in the Top 50 far outnumbers any other FCS conference, with the next closest having six in the Top 50.
Big Sky QBs Ranking in Top 50 for Pass YPG
Rk. Name, School // YPG
13. Jordan Cooke, Idaho State // 269.3
17. Keali’i Ah Yat, Montana // 252.0
18. Joshua Wood, Idaho // 251.3
20. Treynor Cleeland, UC Davis // 248.8
22. Anthony Grigsby Jr., Cal Poly // 245.8
26. Nate Bell, Eastern Washington // 232.8
27. Justin Lamson, Montana State // 230.8
40. Will Burns, Southern Utah // 212.8
46. Gabe Downing, Portland State // 204.7
T49. Ty Pennington, Northern Arizona // 202.0
Number of QBs Ranking in Top 50 for Pass YPG
Big Sky - 10
Pioneer - 6
Ivy League, MVFC - 5
CAA, SoCon - 4
NEC, Patriot, SWAC, UAC - 3
OVC, Southland - 2
MEAC - 0
NORTHERN ARIZONA LEADS FCS WITH 12 TAKEAWAYS
The Northern Arizona defense has been on an impressive run to start the 2026 season, with the Lumberjacks topping the FCS in takeaways after forcing 12 turnovers. NAU has earned six interceptions and six fumble recoveries to total their 12 takeaways this year.
The 12 takeaways nearly double the next closest Big Sky team, as Idaho State, Montana State, and UC Davis all have seven this season.
MONTANA’S GILLMAN HAS SIGHTS SET ON BIG SKY RUSHING RECORD
Eli Gillman scored three touchdowns in Week 2, giving the Montana standout 56 rushing TDs for his career to tie the all-time mark in the Big Sky. Gillman’s 56 career rushing TDs tie him for the Big Sky record set by Charles Roberts in 2000. The Montana back will have a chance to break that record this Saturday against UC Davis.
Most Career Rushing TDs in Big Sky History
T-1. Eli Gillman, UM (2022-26) – 56
T-1. Charles Roberts, SAC (1997-00) – 56
2. Charles Dunn, PSU (1997-00) – 54
T-4. Charvez Foger, NEV (1985-88) – 52
T-4. Chase Reynolds, UM (2007-10) – 52
MSU'S DOWLER BREAKS BIG SKY PUNT RETURN RECORD
Montana State’s Taco Dowler broke the Big Sky record for most punt return yards in a career after his performance in Week 0 for the Bobcats. Dowler surpassed Montana’s Levander Segars who had 1,441 yards on 143 returns. Dowler now sits at 1,579 yards on 117 returns, with the FCS record of 1,668 yards by Hampton’s Marquay McDaniel in sight.
FOUR BIG SKY HONOREES NAMED AS CAMPBELL TROPHY SEMIFINALISTS
The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced its semifinalists for the 2026 William V. Campbell Trophy, college football's premier scholar-athlete award. The Big Sky had four semifinalists make the cut for the Campbell Trophy, which recognized an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation for combined academic success, football performance, and exemplary leadership. There were 206 semifinalists overall, representing every NCAA division and the NAIA. The group is the largest in the history of the award, while collectively boasting a 3.64 average GPA and includes 130 team captains, 24 All-Americans, and 98 players who have already earned their undergraduate degrees.
William V. Campbell Trophy Semifinalists (Big Sky Only)
Ben Voigtlaender, Eastern Washington
Titan Fleischmann, Montana State
Ezra Ekuban, Northern Colorado
Terence Loville, Portland State
BIG SKY PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONOREES FOR WEEK 3
Offensive Player of the Week
Samuel Gbatu Jr., UC Davis (WR, 5th Year, Temecula, Calif.)
Samuel Gbatu Jr. caught 10 passes for 172 yards and a touchdown in the 45-7 win for UC Davis over Stetson on Saturday night. The fifth-year wide receiver set career highs in receptions and yards in the victory. Overall, Gbatu has had three games this season with 100 yards or more receiving.
Others Nominated: Kenveon Stone (NAU), Marcus Mozer (UNC), Mark Bails Jr. (SUU), Seth Rigtrup (WSU)
Defensive Player of the Week
Porter Connors, UC Davis (LB, 5th Year, Pleasant Grove, Utah)
Porter Connors tallied 10 tackles, one tackle for loss, and a forced fumble in the 45-7 win for UC Davis over Stetson on Saturday night. The fifth-year linebacker had a highlight moment in the game, tracking down the Stetson quarterback from behind and punching out the ball to record his first career forced fumble. Connors and the Aggies held Stetson to under 100 yards rushing and below 300 yards of total offense in the win.
Others Nominated: Dominic Butts (UNC), Parker Vance (SUU), Shaun Niu Jr. (UTU), Tre Turner (WSU)
Special Teams Player of the Week
Zach Jones, UC Davis (PR, Sr., Daly City, Calif.)
Zach Jones had two punt returns for 140 yards, which were both touchdowns, in the 45-7 win for UC Davis over Stetson on Saturday night. The two touchdowns were of 79 and 61 yards, as Jones became the first Aggie in the program’s modern era to record two punt return scores in a single game.
Others Nominated: Soren McKee (EWU), Landon Richardson (UNC), Jayden Rogers (SUU), Ryan Marks (UTU), Teni Worthen (WSU)
NON-CONFERENCE GAMES FOR BIG SKY FOES
New members Southern Utah and Utah Tech will both play Big Sky foes in non-conference action this season, due to previously contracted games dating back to previous years. The final non-conference game between Big Sky foes for the regular season concluded in Week 3, as Northern Arizona defeated Utah Tech, 35-23.
Non-Conference Games Featuring Big Sky Foes
9/5 Weber State at Southern Utah (SUU 47, WSU 42)
9/12 Utah Tech at Montana (UM 35, UTU 14)
9/19 Northern Arizona at Utah Tech (NAU 35, UTU 23)
BIG SKY ADDS TWO MORE FBS WINS FOR 2026
Montana State downed FBS foe Nevada 20-7 in Week 2, leading for nearly 57 minutes of the game. The win for MSU was its second over an FBS foe in the last three years, with its last coming in 2024 against New Mexico, also from the Mountain West.
Idaho State defeated FBS foe and PAC-12 member Utah State, 29-17, in Week 1, as the Bengals picked off four passes and led for the majority of Saturday’s game in Logan. The victory for Idaho State was its first over an FBS foe since 2017 and the Big Sky’s eighth overall against Utah State.
The Big Sky has defeated 12 FBS foes since 2021, which is the most of any FCS conference during that same timespan.
FBS Wins for FCS Conferences Since 2021
Big Sky: 12
CAA, UAC: 6
MVFC: 4
NEC, Patriot, Southland: 3
OVC: 1
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2026 Big Sky Football Schedule (Week 4)
Saturday, Sept. 26
Cal Poly at Eastern Washington* // 5:00 p.m. MT (ESPN+/SWX)
#14 Idaho State at Southern Utah* // 6:00 p.m. MT (ESPN+)
Portland State at Weber State* // 6:00 p.m. MT (ESPN+)
Utah Tech at Northern Colorado* // 6:00 p.m. MT (ESPN+)
#5 Montana at #10 UC Davis* // 8:00 p.m. MT (ESPN+/Scripps)
#18 Northern Arizona at #1 Montana State* // 8:30 p.m. MT (ESPN2)
All Times Mountain
* - Big Sky Conference Game
FCS Rankings: Stats Perform FCS