ASHLAND, Ore. – Second-ranked Southern Oregon jumped out to a three touchdown lead in the first nine minutes and cruised to a 56-21 victory over the College of Idaho before 2,900 fans at Raider Stadium.
The Raiders (6-1, 6-1 Frontier) won for the sixth-straight time, taking advantage of four C of I fumbles – two returned for touchdowns – while recording 499 yards of total offense.
Quarterback Tanner Trosin had 251 yards of total offense – rushing for a score and adding two touchdown passes in the victory for Southern.
The loss for the Yotes (3-5, 3-4) ended a two-game win streak and spoiled the fifth 100-yard rushing game by Teejay Gordon in his C of I career.
SOU took the opening kickoff and drove 76 yards in 11 plays, with Melvin Mason scoring from 5-yards out to give the hosts a 7-0 lead. On the ensuing kickoff, the Raiders recovered a C of I fumble – with Sean Tow scampering in from 10-yards out on the second play of the drive for a 14-0 lead. After a Coyote 3-and-out, a 39-yard halfback pass from Jeremy Scottow to Teran Togia found the end zone, giving Southern a three score lead just eight and a half minutes into the game.
Trailing 28-0 late in the half, C of I used a 12-play drive to get on the board, as Gordon used runs of 21 and 11-yards to move the chains, calling his own number from 14-yards out to cut the gap at 28-7 at the break.
The teams traded scores in the third quarter, as Scottow caught a 32-yard scoring pass from Kamerun Smith, while the Yotes countered with an A.J. Martin 21-yard touchdown pass to Marcus Lenhardt.
Late in the period, Trosin found Togia from 16-yards out to extend the lead to 42-13, with Trosin on a keeper on the first play of the fourth quarter to extend the margin to 49-13.
The C of I offense found its rhythm in the fourth quarter – but three fumbles derailed the drives – including touchdown returns of 94-yards by Julius Rucker and 43-yards by Kevin Bluefield.
The Yotes closed their scoring on an 11-play, 65-yard drive, as Martin rushed for 50 yards on the drive, capped by a 9-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Higby on a fourth down attempt.
Trosin was 15-of-20 for 168 yards through the air for SOU, with Smith finishing 5-of-8 for 109 yards. Togia was the top Raiders receiver, catching five passes for 105 yards and the two scores.
Gordon carried 16 times for 103 yards for the Yotes, while finishing 11-of-19 for 113 yards through the air. Martin had a season-high 65 yards rushing and along with his two scoring strikes, with Higby leading C of I receivers with four receptions for 39 yards.
The Yotes return home on Saturday, hosting Montana Western at 1 p.m.
YOTE NOTES:
- The four turnovers by C of I was a season-high – with the four fumble recoveries by SOU the first by a Coyote opponent since Sept. 12
- Cory Brady recorded his eighth career interception with a fourth quarter pick, while leading the team with six tackles
- Punter Kevin McLemore had a great afternoon, averaging 44.5 yards a boot, including a long of 54-yards
- Kicker Hartvig Bondo had two streaks snapped – missing a 41-yard first quarter field goal, ending a string of 5-straight makes; while a third quarter blocked extra point ended a school-record streak of 23-straight conversions – his three missed PAT's in 2015 have all been blocked
- C of I recorded their first made 2-point conversion since 1977, as Levi Elsberry completed a pass to Ringo Robinson in the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to 56-21
- Despite the loss, the Yotes have scored 20-or-more points in all eight games this season
