The Chadron State College football team will move up a division Saturday while playing the Idaho State Bengals in Pocatello. Kickoff will be at 2:35 p.m. (MDT).
 
Idaho State is affiliated with the Football Championship Subdivision that was known as NCAA Division 1-AA until 2006. FCS members can offer 63 full scholarships, more than double what NCAA Division II schools such as Chadron State provide. But the Eagles will receive a check from Idaho State that will cover the cost of the trip to Pocatello and some additional funds to supplement the football budget.
 
The Bengals are often on the other side of the situation. They opened this season by playing at the University of Utah and Utah State, both full-fledged Division I teams. The game with the Eagles will be Idaho State's third of the season and its first at home.
 
Home for the Bengals is Holt Arena, the nation's second domed stadium, preceded only by Houston's Astrodome. Holt Arena, which was built for $2.8 million, opened in 1970. It seats 12,000 for football. It also is used by the Idaho State basketball and track and field teams.
 
This will be the third meeting between the Eagles and the Bengals. The first was on Thanksgiving Day, 1949, when they played in the Bean Bowl in Scottsbluff. What was then known as Idaho State College won 20-2.
 
That was the Eagles' first postseason game. Their first contest against an NCAA Division 1-AA team also was against Idaho State. That was in 1993, when CSC visited Pocatello and was beaten by the speedy Bengals 52-3.
 
Since then, the Eagles have played seven more games against Division I-AA, or Football Championship Series, opponents and are 2-6 overall against the larger programs.
 
Interestingly, one of CSC's victories against the "bigger schools" was in 2006, when the Eagles shocked the football world by upsetting Montana State in Bozeman 35-24 the next week after the Bobcats had also sent shock waves through the sport by knocking off the Colorado Buffaloes in Boulder.
 
The Montana State coach then was Mike Kramer, who is now in his fourth season as the Idaho State mentor.
 
The Bengals were 3-9 a year ago with two of their wins coming over Division II foes—Dixie State 40-14 and Western State of Colorado 29-3.  They also defeated Northern Colorado 40-26.
 
Several of Idaho State's losses last year were by narrow margins. They were outscored by just a 399 to 271 margin and had 269 first downs compared to 255 for the opponents.
 
This year's team lost to both of its Utah foes but press releases from the games say the coaching staff is pleased with the progress the Bengals appear to have made. Utah topped Idaho State 56-14 on Aug. 28 and Utah State won 40-20 last Saturday night.
 
The Bengals boast of a veteran quarterback and a high-quality running back.
 
Quarterback Justin Arias, a 6-foot, 213-pound senior from Agoura Hills, California, completed 322 of 574 passes for 3,547 yards and 24 touchdowns in last year's 12 games. He was intercepted 14 times.
 
So far this season, Arias has hit on 44 of 87 passes for 465 yards and four TDs. He has been picked off three times.
 
The running back is Xavier Finney, a 5-11, 196-pound junior from Oceanside, Calif. He averaged 4.4 yards while gaining 868 yards last fall. CSC defensive coordinator Jeff Larson calls Finney "a slashing ball carrier who will put his shoulder down and get an extra yard or two."
 
Finney rushed 46 times for 221 yards in the first two games this year.
 
Arias and left tackle Jim Bagley are the only seniors among Idaho State's probable starters on offense, but the defense lists six seniors on the top unit.