POCATELLO — Rob Phenicie sees James Madison and Ty Flanagan as interchangeable.

The two running backs are chess pieces for Idaho State’s head coach to shift in and out of the lineup as featured backs in a dynamic Bengals offense. Madison and Flanagan have split time in the backfield this season, dishing out body blows to opposing defenses.

The two pillars of consistency continued their breakout campaigns Saturday at Holt Arena in Idaho State’s 59-30 win against Portland State. Madison carried the ball 23 times for 160 yards and one touchdown, while Flanagan rushed 21 times for 108 yards and four touchdowns, tying a school record for most rushing touchdowns in a game.

Saturday was also the first time the Bengals had two running backs rush for more than 100 yards in a game since the Bengals’ 66-14 win Oct. 11, 2014 against Simon Fraser.

“They both run hard and push the pile forward,” Phenicie said. “They are the same type of guys. … They say Ty has more shake than James. James is going to make one cut and slam in it there. They ran with an attitude (Saturday). It was awesome.”

This season, Madison has 129 carries for 726 yards and four touchdowns, with Flanagan adding 85 carries for 417 yards and nine touchdowns. Idaho State’s top two rushers have shouldered the load, starring on their own or shining as a committee.

Madison has received more carries than Flanagan in the last six games after Flanagan was the team’s leading rusher after the first two games. Flanagan was unavailable to play against Northern Colorado and Cal Poly, when Madison burst onto the scene with 54 carries for 331 yards and three touchdowns in place of his counterpart.

In the team’s last three games, with both ball carriers healthy, Madison and Flanagan have combined for 55 and 39 carries, respectively.

“We’re not selfish players,” Flanagan said. “We take great leadership to anyone behind us. When it comes to me and him getting the ball, we pump each other up, we help each other out.”

Flanagan and Madison, along with some assistance from quarterback Tanner Gueller — who has been unchained as a rusher — have helped Idaho State tally 100 yards rushing or more in six of eight games this season, including a season-high 364 yards Saturday against the Vikings. The Bengals are averaging 186.6 yards rushing per game this season, with 16 rushing touchdowns so far. Coming into the game, Idaho State was seventh in the 14-team Big Sky Conference in rushing offense.

In 2016, the team averaged 123.5 ypg, with 14 rushing scores. Madison’s and Flanagan’s impact has been immediate, as the two have stepped into starting roles after coming into the season with a combined 85 career carries.

“We do what we have to do to make the team better,” Flanagan said. “It’s great because we’ve been waiting for a long time. We’ve been behind great backs and it’s our time to shine.”

The emergence of the two running backs has helped mold a consistent Idaho State offense that can attack defenses in a variety of ways. The presence of Madison or Flanagan in the backfield draws attention, forcing defenses to load up the box to stop the run or sit back to protect against the Bengals’ electric passing game, led by Gueller’s 285.4 ypg.

Saturday’s game was the blueprint, as the Bengals had 691 yards of offense and 31 minutes, 57 seconds of possession. Idaho State (4-4, 2-3 Big Sky) has its plan. Now, it’s time to see it in action over the final three regular-season games.

“What are (defenses) going to do?” wide receiver Mitch Gueller said. “If they play the run, that helps out the pass. We can make a couple big plays in the passing game and then all of a sudden the run game is open.”