kang@journalnet.com

Jeff Tingey knows it. John Zamberlin knows it. Any rational Idaho State football fan knows it.

The featherweight Bengals likely are going to hurt in a few places after their beating by the heavyweight Oklahoma Sooners, fresh off a run to the BCS National Championship Game and returning their Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Sam Bradford.

The Bengals aren't masochists, though. Tingey, Idaho State's interim athletic director, agreed to the game, thereby finalizing its nonconference schedule, largely because of the economic woes of the university and state as a whole.

Having already secured an Aug. 29 home game against Montana Western and a $400,000 guarantee game at Arizona State for the following week, Tingey has agreed to a $500,000 paycheck in return for the Bengals' visit Sept. 12 to Norman, Okla.

Tingey got word earlier this month that state budget holdbacks were going to slash 12 percent, or about $400,000, from the athletic department's budget. That, coupled with estimated dropoffs of up to $90,000 in corporate sponsorships, gave Tingey little choice but to accept Oklahoma's lucrative offer.

"It would have been devastating to us," Tingey said of the state holdbacks. "We began negotiating on some revenue figures, and when they said yes to a number I thought they'd say no to, we began moving forward to a game."

But hey, it's not going to be all bad. For one, the Bengals open their season against an NAIA squad that should provide less resistance toward their second 1-0 start in three seasons.

The Bengals also will get the chance to tackle a Heisman Trophy winner for the first time in program history, assuming Bradford plays.

Zamberlin acknowledged some concern about the Bengals risking injury and a blow to their confidence by playing such elite athletes. The Sooners last season set NCAA records by scoring 716 total points and racking up 60 in five straight games.

But he believes the guarantee games - and the trip to the Sooners' legendary, 82,112-seat Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, in particular - will be experiences to cherish.

"It's going to be difficult. It doesn't leave you room for error," Zamberlin said by cell phone. "(But) it will be a great experience for our guys to play in an environment like that."

In any case, Idaho State didn't have the option of going with another nonconference schedule like last year's slate of Boise State and Idaho, which netted Idaho State less than $400,000.

Tingey hasn't decided how he will distribute the football revenue, he said. He would like to leave the budgets for every sport intact, but he will also try to reward the football team handsomely for making these sacrifices.

"We would really like to be able to give a good chunk of that to John because he's taking a bullet for the department," Tingey said. "We'd really want to make things better for him."

In order to take on Oklahoma, Tingey found a way out of playing Cal Poly without having to pay its $150,000 buyout. Tingey called other Big Sky athletic directors and found out Weber State was still looking for a Championship Subdivision or Division II team to complete its schedule. The schools then agreed Cal Poly would play at Weber State, with Idaho State still paying $30,000 for the Mustangs' travel expenses to Ogden, Utah.

Tingey earlier had bought out the return leg of Idaho State's two-game contract with North Dakota as well for $25,000.

Idaho State might still tinker with its Big Sky schedule. It is currently scheduled to travel to Weber State on Sept. 19 for its conference opener, but Tingey has offered to move the game to the end of the season so Weber State can play Cal Poly that week. That would also give the Bengals two weeks of rest after its Bowl Subdivision gauntlet.

Idaho State will yet again play just five home games, but that's really the least of the Bengals' sacrifices.

"We're being a team player," Zamberlin said. "We're doing our share, and we're doing it in a big way."

Breakout

Idaho State schedule

Aug. 29 vs. Montana Western

Sept. 5 at Arizona State

Sept. 12 at Oklahoma

Sept. 19 at Weber State

Sept. 26 Bye

Oct. 3 vs. Eastern Washington

Oct. 10 at Sacramento State

Oct. 17 Northern Colorado

Oct. 24 at Northern Arizona

Oct. 31 at Montana State

Nov. 7 Montana

Nov. 14 Portland State

Times to be determined

Dates subject to change