BUTTE, Mont. – Zach McQueary passed for 293 yards and four touchdowns and added 83 yards on the ground, as No. 7 ranked Montana Tech clinched the Frontier Conference regular-season title with a 42-21 victory over the College of Idaho at Alumni Coliseum.
The Orediggers (8-1, 8-1 Frontier) won their eighth-straight game, jumping out to a 28-7 lead and holding off a big comeback effort by the Yotes.
After stopping C of I (3-7, 2-7) on downs inside the Tech 30-yard-line on the Coyotes first possession, the Diggers wasted no time, using a five play drive that was capped by a 36-yard touchdown run by All-America back Nolan Saraceni for a 7-0 lead.
The Yotes answered quickly, as
Darius-James Peterson broke free on a third-and-short run, dashing 57-yards for the game tying touchdown – one of three scoring runs by the freshman on the day.
Tech countered with a 30-yard run by Saraceni, part of a 167 yard day on the ground, setting up a McQueary 14-yard touchdown pass to Dion Williams to give the hosts a lead they would not relinquish.
The Diggers would take advantage of a Coyote fumble near midfield late in the first quarter, with McQueary finding Mitchell Keaton on a 53-yard scoring pass on the first play from scrimmage. Tech would extend the lead to 28-7 midway through the second quarter, as 16 and 20-yard runs from Saraceni set up Williams' second touchdown reception – this one from 18-yards out.
C of I started their comeback on their next drive, marching 11 plays – aided by a roughing the passer call on MT – with Peterson finish the attack with a 6-yard touchdown run to pull the Yotes within two scores.
The Yote defense did their job on the next two Digger possessions, stopping the nationally-ranked foe on downs at the C of I 5-yard-line to end the half, while
Nate Moore forced a fumble inside the MT 20-yard-line on their first possession of the second half.
A 26-yard Peterson-to-
Marcus Lenhardt pass was the highlight in an eight play, 80 yard C of I touchdown drive, with Peterson scoring from five yards out to cut the deficit to 28-21. The touchdown run was his 16th of the season, surpassing Tom Winbigler (1948) and
Teejay Gordon (2014) for the No. 1 spot on the single-season rushing touchdown list.
The hosts, however, proved to be too much, as a McQueary 50-yard run on a bootleg set up a 12-yard scoring pass to Zach Bunney on the final play of the third quarter, and Tech added a special teams score late in the contest after a punt hit a C of I gunner and was recovered by Andy Butcher in the end zone.
Peterson finished with 173 yards rushing on 24 carries – his third-straight 100-yard game, and added 106 yards through the air. Lenhardt had five receptions for 117 yards, including a 42-yard grab in the fourth quarter, while
Charlie Shepherd had a career-high five catches for 56 yards.
Nate Moore went over the 100 tackle mark for the season with a 14 tackle effort, while
Jordan Nero added nine stops.
McQueary was 25-of-32 through the air without an interception, as Keaton had nine receptions for 123 yards and Williams had eight catches for 97 yards. Eddie Smith led Tech with nine tackles.
C of I closes out the 2016 season next weekend with a Noon kickoff at Montana State-Northern.
