HAVRE, Mont. –
Zach Garzoli rushed for a career-high 163 yards and
Marcus Lenhardt became the first 1,000-yard receiver in College of Idaho history, as the Coyotes closed out the 2016 season with a 31-13 victory over Montana State Northern at Blue Pony Stadium.
Garzoli had a 58-yard yard run in the first quarter and added a 16-yard second quarter scoring run, as the Coyotes jumped out to a 17-3 halftime lead and were never headed.
Lenhardt capped an amazing junior season with 11 receptions for 148 yards – surpassing R.C. Owens' single-season receiving yard mark of 905 yards with a first quarter grab, and eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark for a season with a third quarter catch.
C of I took the opening kickoff and marched 83 yards in seven plays – as
Darius-James Peterson found Lenhardt on a 32-yard strike early in the drive, and following a third down conversion on a roughing the passer penalty,
Colby Brown scampered in from 15-yards out for a 7-0 lead.
The Lights (1-9, 1-9) got on the board midway through the quarter, as Tommy Langley booted a 51-yard field goal to cap a nine-play drive, while a Garzoli 58-yard run helped the Yotes answer with a
Kyle Mitchell 26-yard field goal to extend the lead to 10-3.
Northern had their best drive of the first half to start the second quarter, as a Zach McKinley 28-yard run got the Lights into the red zone, only to see the Yotes Nik Lyons pick off a Caleb McLaren pass at the goal line to end the threat.
C of I answered with an 88-yard drive, including a Garzoli 22-yard reception on a 3rd-and-14, with
Tyler Cox finding Lenhardt on a 32-yard grab to flip the field position. Garzoli capped the drive with a 16-yard touchdown run to make it 17-3 at the break.
MSUN got a Langley 41-yard field goal to open the second half, but C of I grinded out a 13-play, 78-yard drive – with Peterson scoring his 18th touchdown of the season on a two-yard plunge. The Yotes would extend the lead to 31-6 in the fourth quarter – as a
Nate Moore fumble recovery set up a quick five-play, 70-yard drive, as Garzoli had a 26-yard dash and
Kellen Copeland ended the surge with a 27-yard touchdown run.
The Lights closed out the scoring late in the contest on a McKinley two-yard touchdown run, finishing with 178 yards – surpassing the 1,000-yard mark for the fourth-straight season.
Peterson finished 9-of-19 for 107 yards through the air, adding 58 rushing yards in the victory – as C of I rolled up 481 total yards of offense – including 282 rushing yards.
McLaren was 10-of-28 for 75 yards in the loss for MSUN, as Dylan Rychtarik had four receptions for 31 yards.
NOTES:
Nate Moore had 14 tackles in the win, finishing the season with a school record 119 stops; Ryan Texeria broke the single-season punt average record with a 44.4 yard average on 24 punts; the Yotes broke the single-season pass yardage mark, finishing 2016 with 2,469 yards through the air.
