Rob Phenicie sat in a room full of media and appeared to have his answer planned out. No one knew how to react.
It was Monday of Montana week – five days before Idaho State's first-year head coach was playing his former employer for the first time as captain of his own program. Would he downplay the matchup and its history, droll on with coach-speak about faceless opponents and ignore the carryover between the coaching staffs? Phenicie hasn't started any wars of words in his first few months as head coach.
“Rob, you're coaching against your old school, Montana,” one reporter inquired.