You can say two things about Stephen F. Austin quarterback Sam Vidlak, the former Griz QB turned Southland Conference player of the year: Awesome stats; vanilla quotes.

Vidlak, for those that don’t remember, started three games at QB for the 2023 Montana Grizzlies. He was supplanted by Clifton McDowell after a 28-14 loss at Northern Arizona in which the Lumberjacks sacked him seven times. 

McDowell started the rest of the season, leading the Grizzlies on a 10-game win streak that ended in the FCS title game — a 23-3 loss to South Dakota State. 

Both quarterbacks hit the transfer portal after the season, and Vidlak ended up with a different squad of Lumberjacks. 

“The guys at Stephen F. Austin hit me up,” Vidlak, who will start against Montana State Friday night, told skylinesportsmt.com. “Coach (Chris) Ross, the offensive coordinator here, flew up to Montana the day after I hit the portal.”  

The rest is history: Vidlak has been a Walter Payton Award finalist both his seasons at SFA. It took him a while, but the senior — who attended Oregon State (after flipping his verbal to the Griz) and then landed at Boise State and UM before SFA — has found his fit, and he kept making that point this week. 

“It starts with Coach (Colby) Carthel,” Vidlak said. “He does a great job and has a great staff. What makes a place is the people, and the people here are top-notch. 

“I truly love that guy and would run through a wall for him, and I think everyone in the locker room feels the same way.” 

The Lumberjacks and Bobcats kickoff Friday at 7 p.m. on ESPN. 

Confident Offenses 

Vidlak reiterated what he said during a press conference earlier in the week at SFA: That the Lumberjacks believe they control the outcome. 

“It doesn’t depend on who we’re playing,” he said. “We present a lot of different things for a defense to account for, and I just believe we really have a good scheme that’s a little bit different than other schools.” 

South Dakota coach Travis Johansen felt his offense, which has been explosive through two road playoff wins, has what it takes against Montana’s blitzing defense. 

“As long as we ID things right up front and get to the right people,” Johansen said. “This group has come a long, long way and they do a good job of being able to move the line of scrimmage.  

“We have to have a great week of understanding Montana’s defense so we can be a technical and fundamental group that plays with an edge up front.” 

Wily Coyotes

Speaking of QBs, when South Dakota played at Montana in 2022, losing 24-7 on Sept. 10, the Coyotes’ Aidan Bouman rode the bench. 

Six games later he was the freshman starter, and Saturday — when USD and Montana kickoff at 1;30 p.m. inside Washington-Grizzly Stadium — will mark his 46th start. 

“Things aren’t going to rattle him,” Griz coach Bobby Hauck said of the lefty. “Mistakes aren’t going to bother him.” 

Bouman is balanced out by the running of LJ Phillips, Jr., the top rusher in all of the FCS. 

“He shows up,” Hauck said. “He’s a really good zone runner, which is what I’d say first of all, which means he has good vision. He hits it, he gets downhill, has good speed and  all the different things.” 

Stopping the run is a key for Hauck and the Griz, who allow an average of 136 rushing yards a game. It’s clear Hauck would like Saturday’s total closer to the 61 yards his team allowed in last week’s 50-29 win over South Dakota State. 

“It’s a fact in football, if a team is balanced and can run it successfully and throw it well, it’s a tough team to stop,” he said. “You have to play hard, tackle well, be fundamentally sound, play with your pads down.  

“Those are things that teams with our record do, or else we wouldn’t be sitting here where we are.” 

Carroll Pipeline 

For the second straight season the Frontier Conference’s defensive most valuable player is transferring to the Grizzlies program. 

Braedon Orlandi, a safety from Carroll College, announced his commitment on Wednesday. He’d announced his intent to transfer on Nov. 30. The 6-foot-1, 200-pounder out of Valley Springs, Calif., led the NAIA in tackles with 136 as a redshirt sophomore. 

Orlandi was first-team all-Frontier the last two seasons and is the second straight Carroll standout to move on to UM: Senior defensive end Hunter Peck, who leads the Griz with 4.5 sacks this season, was the 2024 Frontier defensive MVP with the Saints. 

Aggies Staying Home 

UC Davis, the third Big Sky Conference school hosting an FCS quarterfinal game, had a problem: With finals week ending Friday, the freshman student-athletes were expected to move out of school housing. 

On Tuesday UC Davis coach Tim Plough, whose club expected to be on the road before Illinois State upset North Dakota State last week, protested publicly. 

“I don’t think they deserve special treatment, but I do think they deserve an opportunity to be at their best when they represent their school,” Plough, whose club will play Illinois State Saturday at 3 p.m., said. “The freshmen are moving out of their dorms on Friday. ... so we’ve got 30 guys that have no place to stay Friday night.  

“These are things that most programs don’t have to deal with, but unfortunately right now we do. The only way we get this fixed is that we get back to this game.” 

Late Wednesday the decision was apparently reversed. 

“I am so thankful for our campus leadership here at UC Davis,” Plough wrote on Twitter/X. “Just received word that they will be keeping student housing open throughout the playoffs for our players.” 

Vikings Find Their Guy 

John Canzano reported Thursday that Portland State has hired 48-year-old Chris Fisk to be its next football coach. 

Fisk went 47-21 in seven seasons at Division II Central Washington. He replaces Bruce Barnum, who was dismissed after a 1-11 season.