CALDWELL, Idaho – Despite a school record-setting performance by
Marcus Lenhardt, the College of Idaho could not overcome three touchdown runs from Dylan Green, as Carroll College topped the Coyotes, 28-25, before 4,986 fans at Simplot Stadium.
Lenhardt had career-highs of 11 receptions and 161 yards, including a pair of touchdowns, surging past the legendary R.C. Owens for the No. 1 spot on the all-time C of I receptions list – finishing the day with 117 career catches, eight more that Owens had from 1952-55.
Unfortunately, the Saints (2-3, 1-3 Frontier) took advantage of an interception and a blocked punt, scoring touchdowns on a pair of short drives to end a three-game losing streak. Green rushed 25 times for a career-high 112 yards – the first 100-yard rusher for Carroll in nearly a year.
Carroll opened the scoring midway through the first quarter – following a Vince DiGiallonardo interception – as J.T. Linder found Connor Fohn in the end zone for a 34-yard scoring pass and a 7-0 lead.
The Yotes (2-4, 1-4) answered back, marching 69 yards in 12 plays, as
Tyler Cox found Lenhardt three times on the drive, including from 15-yards out for the tying touchdown.
Linder took over midway through the second quarter, finding Troy Arntson on 26 and 43-yard receptions – setting up a Green 11-yard touchdown scamper to regain the lead. The Saints would extend the lead late in the period, as a C of I punt was blocked out of bounds at the 1-yard-line, with Green punching the ball into the end zone, giving the visitors a 21-7 lead at the break.
C of I turned up the heat in the third quarter – driving 62 yards on their opening drive, as Cox found the end zone on a 9-yard scramble to cut the lead to a touchdown. Following a Carroll 3-and-out, the Yotes marched to the red zone, but the Saints defense stiffened, with the hosts settling for a
Kyle Mitchell 22-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 21-17.
Carroll answered in a hurry, as Linder found Arntson for 20 yards and tossed a 45-yard strike to Fohn to the Coyote 1-yard-line. Green blasted in from one yard out on the second play of the fourth quarter to extend the margin to 28-17.
After an exchange of interceptions, the Saints rattled of a 14-play drive that took nearly seven minutes off the clock, before C of I stopped Carroll on a fourth down try at the Coyote 24-yard-line with less than two minutes remaining.
The Coyotes ran the 2-minute drill to perfection, as Cox found
Griffey March three times on the drive before a double-pass from Cox to
Broch Cliff to Lenhardt from 30-yards out got C of I in the end zone. A two-point conversion strike from Cox-to-Lenhardt got the Yotes with a field goal, but on the ensuing onside kick, Fohn recovered the bounding football to ensure a Carroll win.
Cox established a single-game school record with 29 completions, finishing 29-of-39 for 281 yards – as the Yotes finished with 467 yards of total offense. Eight different receivers caught passes, including March, who had seven catches for 40 yards. Both Cox and
Darius-James Peterson led the team with 39 yards rushing.
Linder was 15-of-24 for 236 yards through the air – with Fohn recording seven catches for 92 yards and Arntson setting a career-high with six receptions for 120 yards.
The Yotes hit the road next weekend with a tilt at Montana Western – with kickoff from Vigilante Field at 2 p.m. – live on ESPN Boise.
NOTES – The 11 receptions from Lenhardt was the third-highest total by a C of I player in program history – as Owens had 15 receptions vs. the Seattle Ramblers semi-pro team in 1954 and 12 receptions vs. Lewis & Clark in 1953 – part of a career he parlayed into an 8-year NFL career, where he made 206 receptions for 3,285 yards and 22 touchdowns with the 49ers, Colts and Giants; C of I set a school record with 34 pass completions on the day (previous record, 27 vs. Montana Western in 2015), with the 353 total passing yards the fourth-highest total in program history; safety Tucker Anderson led Carroll with 16 tackles, with linebacker David Anderson recording 15 tackles for the Saints; defensive end
Carlos Murana led C of I with a career-high 11 stops, with Nik Lyons recording eight tackles and his second career interception – the 12th on the season by the Yotes.
