But that’s as far as the conversation goes.

“You acknowledge it, but your preparation and your process can’t change and be different for any game, really, even though it’s a big-time game. I feel like we try to prepare our guys like they’re all big-time games,” Kjar said. “So that’s really our approach as we go into it.

“We talked about it on Monday, that it is a big opportunity for us. But they’re all big opportunities week in, week out in the Big Sky. Trying to win football games is a big task, so you have to be up for it no matter who you’re playing.”

The banged-up Bobcats (6-1, 3-1 Big Sky) lost at Idaho when the Vandals scored as time expired, and went for two to successfully finished the upset. MSU got a week off, then went to Eastern Washington and blasted the Eagles 56-20.

MSU, Northern Arizona and Weber State are atop the Big Sky as the three teams with just one loss. Even still, WSU will be a three-touchdown underdog going up against the mighty Bobcats.

Kjar says his team understands generally what the task is, but considerations like having already beat Cal Poly and Idaho State as underdogs don’t really come into play.

“That’s too far into it for our guys to pay attention to things like that. But we get it, too. We understand (Montana State) being who they have been and what they’ve done,” Kjar said. “They have a successful program and have been winning a lot of football games over the last five or six years. They have a great tradition, and we understand most people are going to think we’re an underdog.

“We’re just focusing on playing our best football, being competitive, play our butts off and give ourselves the best chance we can to win, like we would any game.”

Five of WSU’s eight games have been decided by one score and/or in overtime. Among the other three is an 11-point win over Idaho, sandwiched between the games in which Idaho beat Montana State and Montana.

The Wildcats are already on the cusp of the program’s best season since 2022, and Kjar says it comes down to investment during the week.

“Overall, their process — whether it’s practice, strength training, our meetings — they’re being very consistent in their approach and they’re working their butts off in all those facets, the things you do to try and prepare a team to win a football game,” the coach said. “They’re doing a really good job of being diligent, working hard, they’re paying attention; they’re active in all those opportunities they get to prepare for a football game, and I like that.

“I think that’s what’s helped us more than anything is that process,” he continued. “Obviously in games, they’re playing hard and competing and fighting to the end, but I think that process is what’s making the difference. I think that’s why you do that stuff, why you push so hard, because if they do that, it’s tough for them to let games go. They’re going to hang on and fight to the end because they know they’ve worked and battled, and they’ve invested a lot through the process.”

INJURY REPORT

Kjar said fifth-year safety Trevian Tribble will be back after missing the Idaho State game. Tribble had contracted strep, he said, and encountered some unusual complications during recovery. But Kjar said Tribble is ready to go, and his defense’s effort against Idaho State without him can only help the unit.

“That’s what you have to do. You’re going to have some guys have some interesting things happen like he did, that you don’t count on, non-football stuff,” Kjar said. “Jayden (Mayberry) and Tommy (Romano) stepped up and played really well; the backers stepped up with (Tinirauarii’s) pick and everything. Overall, the guys picked it up and played team football.”

Fifth-year receiver Marvin Session is day-to-day in recovering from an injured hamstring, but is close to returning, Kjar said. After his 175-yard day against Portland State, he’s missed two of the last three games and played only a couple snaps against Idaho.

At quarterback, Devin Brown continues to work back from his hand injury following a setback that came after the initial surgery to repair damage from a dislocated pinky on his throwing hand suffered in the season opener. Brown could be cleared before this week’s game, but it will either be him or sophomore Kingston Tisdell at No. 2 behind freshman Nate Dahle.