BILLINGS — During a press conference on Monday, Stephen F. Austin football coach Colby Carthel referred to Montana State as "one of the giants in FCS football."

He also conveyed to reporters how eager he is to make the 1,600-mile trip with his team from Nacogdoches in East Texas to Bozeman for their FCS quarterfinal game on a national stage Friday night. It will be the first game at Bobcat Stadium in Lumberjacks history.

But one key player has gotten at least a peek at MSU and a taste of Big Sky Conference football, and he will be an important piece in No. 7-seeded SFA's effort to pull the upset over the second-seeded Bobcats — quarterback and former Montana starter Sam Vidlak.

Vidlak welcomes the chance to face his former team's archrival for a chance to advance deeper into the postsea

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