The aftermath of Saturday’s Montana-Idaho State game at Holt Arena and its lead-up have spilled over into this week.

Montana head coach Bob Stitt and ISU head coach Rob Phenicie traded what came off as sarcastic jabs during the week of the game.

Phenicie said ISU was “just lucky to be on the field with” Montana, while Stitt, who hired ISU offensive coordinator Matt Troxel to coach the Griz’s wide receivers in the offseason, before Troxel later returned to ISU, said Troxel was provided a “three-month internship” by UM.

Phenicie and Troxel both have history at Montana, and several of Montana’s assistant coaches have ties to Phenicie, Troxel and Idaho State. Phenicie rose to the peak of his assistant-coaching career as the Grizzlies’ offensive coordinator from 2003-09, helping the team play for three FCS national championships.

Phenicie and Stitt shared a brief midfield handshake following Montana’s 39-31 win, after which Phenicie said Griz players “were being extremely dirty” and caused an injury to Bengals linebacker Mario Jenkins. Stitt denied any unsportsmanlike play by his team and fired back by calling Phenicie’s integrity into question.

“Those accusations, you know, people get in trouble when they talk and they don’t think,” Stitt said Monday at his weekly press conference. “... When you decide to become a head coach, you gotta act like a head coach. You’re not an assistant coach anymore and you have to represent your program.”

Post game "hand shake" btw Stitt and Phenicie. Interesting words from Phen+Troxel thing = great post game handshake video pic.twitter.com/NFsi6i8OkK

— Shaun Rainey (@ShaunRainey) October 8, 2017

Stitt also spoke to Missoula television media about the postgame handshake, Phenicie’s comments and Troxel’s departure from Montana to ISU.

“It was a quick handshake,” Stitt told ABC FOX Montana. “I think in the head coaches’ manual, there’s certain ways to do things when you’re hiring people, when you’re talking to the media, all the public stuff. It was disappointing how a few things went about with us and coach Troxel’s hiring. I didn’t agree with how that went, and I didn’t agree with some of the comments mocking our program and myself, and that’s just the way it went. Didn’t want to talk to (Phenicie).”

At Phenicie’s Monday press conference, he put the supposed bad blood to bed, saying he congratulated coach Stitt on the win during their postgame handshake, and denying any lingering frustration regarding the loss. ISU slot receiver Michael Dean was also publicly reprimanded by the Big Sky Conference for an inappropriate gesture he made toward Montana fans during the game.

“Bottom line, it’s a Big Sky game,” Phenicie said. “We have eight chances in the Big Sky, and not one game is any bigger than the other. … As soon as that was over, it was done. I have no use for (Montana), they have no use for us. We’re onto (Sacramento State).”

Phenicie was asked again about the public feud with Stitt and Montana during Wednesday’s Big Sky Conference coaches teleconference.

“I didn’t pay attention to it because I was over it,” Phenicie said Wednesday. “Not going to address it, don’t need to address it, and we’re onto Sac State. It’d be nice to have rivals in the conference.”

MILLER, JEPPESEN OUT FOR SEASON

ISU junior safety Jayson Miller and redshirt senior defensive lineman Clark Jeppesen will not play the rest of the season, ISU confirmed to the Journal on Wednesday.

Miller, who played in a combined 20 games his first two seasons at ISU, was limited throughout fall camp. He recorded four tackles in the 2017 season opener against Western Oregon and has not played since. Miller will use his redshirt and have two years of eligibility remaining.

Jeppesen, who transferred to ISU last year after spending three seasons at Utah State, was injured on the final play of ISU’s spring game and has not played this season. Jeppesen played in six games last year, recording two tackles. His future with the program is unknown.

Kicker Cougar Coburn and running back Mason Farnsworth are no longer with the program. Both players redshirted as freshmen last season.

Coburn was a two-time first-team All-Idaho 1A kicker and punter for Butte County High School in Arco. Farnsworth was the All-Idaho 3A player of the year after leading Emmett to an 11-0 record and the 3A state title in 2015.