CALDWELL, Idaho – Teejay Gordon tied a school record with 21 pass completions, three going for touchdowns to Marcus Lenhardt, leading the College of Idaho to a 38-17 victory over Rocky Mountain College, before 4,295 fans at Simplot Stadium.
Gordon passed for 260 yards, with his completion total equaling the 1969 total of Lon Troxel in a win over Whitman. His scoring toss to Lenhardt, following a Rocky (3-4, 2-4 Frontier) turnover, broke a 17-17 deadlock, as C of I scored the final 21 points of the game to win their second-straight contest.
The Yotes (3-4, 3-3) capitalized on four Battlin' Bears turnovers in the second half – including interceptions by Ben Ceccarelli and Marcus Kroma – to pull even in the Frontier Conference standings and equal their league win total from 2014.
C of I never trailed on the afternoon, jumping out to a 10 point first quarter lead. The Coyotes took the opening kickoff, getting a 19-yard run from Zach Garzoli and a 14-yard Gordon pass to Tyler Higby, setting up a 25-yard Hartvig Bondo field goal.
After stopping Rocky on a fourth down attempt, the Yotes marched 63 yards in 10 plays, as Lenhardt 21-yard third down reception prolonged the drive, with Higby scoring on a 20-yard end-around to make it 10-0.
The Bears finally got on the board late in the first half, as a 47-yard pass from Chase White to Tyrell McGee set up a 31-yard Evan Connolly field goal, but C of I answered just before the break. Gordon connected with Lenhardt on 23 and 21-yard pass plays, with the duo capping the drive with a 14-yard scoring pass on a fade route to the right corner of the end zone.
RMC turned the tables in the third quarter, as White heaved a 48-yard bomb to Andre McCollouch to get the Bears into the red zone, with White scoring on a quarterback sneak to cut the margin to 17-10. After forcing a C of I punt, Rocky rode tailback Jade Olson, who carried five times for 38 yards on a the drive, with Olson barreling in from 6-yards out to tie the score.
The game turned on one play, as a poor punt snap by the Bears was recovered by C of I's Chris Waters on the RMC 18-yard-line. Gordon found Lenhardt in the end zone on the next play, giving the Yotes a lead they would not relinquish.
Rocky would try to answer, driving to C of I's 30-yard-line, but Jacob Bakken was stopped short on a fourth down run, turning the ball over. The Yotes capitalized, as a pass interference call and a Kyle Merritt 27-yard run set up Lenhardt's third touchdown reception, a 21-yard grab, to extend the lead to 31-17.
C of I's defense took over from there, as Ceccarelli's interception led to a Merritt 21-yard touchdown run, with RMC turning the ball over on three-straight fourth quarter possessions.
Lenhardt had eight receptions for a career-high 143 yards, with Higby making five catches for 62 yards.
Gordon was 21-of-27 through the air, connecting with seven different receivers. Merritt had 75 yards on the ground, with Garzoli rushing for 66 yards on just 11 carries.
White finished 22-of-43 for 320 yards for RMC, with McGee catching six balls for 131 yards. The Bears rushed for 143 yards as a team, with Kodee Varner leading the squad with 97 yards on the ground.
C of I hits the road next Saturday for a match-up at No. 2 ranked Southern Oregon. Kickoff at Raider Stadium is set for 2 p.m. (MT)
YOTE NOTES
- Four different Coyotes had at least 10 tackles in the win, led by 12 tackles from both Nate Moore and Troy Carr; Moore recording three passes defended and Carr adding a fumble recovery midway through the fourth quarter
- B.J. Newman had a huge afternoon, recording 11 tackles, four pass break-ups and a forced fumble
- The 143 receiving yards by Lenhardt were the most by a C of I receiver since Cisco Limbago recorded 169 receiving yards against Whitman in 1969
- Bondo's field goal was his sixth successful kick of the season, equaling the school record set by Jeff Harris in 1973
- Gordon surpassed the 3,000-yard passing mark for his career, with his 3,201 passing yards ranking third all-time (behind Troxel's 3,812 yards from 1966-69 and Charlie Alvaro's 3,602 yards from 1956-59
- Kevin McLemore had a career-long 59-yard punt and had three punts downed inside the Rocky 20-yard-line
- After allowing an opponent to score 24-or-more points in each of the first 16 games since the program returned in 2014, the Coyote defense has allowed just 17 points in each of the past two wins
