LA GRANDE, Ore. – Playing on the road, under the lights, in a driving rainstorm, the College of Idaho scored 20 unanswered points to stun No. 10 ranked Eastern Oregon, 20-7, before 1,100 fans at Community Stadium.
Darius-James Peterson scored on a pair of short second half touchdown runs to erase a 7-6 halftime deficit, with the Coyotes (2-1, 1-1 Frontier) defense limiting Eastern to just one yard of offense in the third quarter. It marked the Yotes first-ever road victory against a Top-25 team and the first time C of I has recorded back-to-back road wins since the 1974 season.
Early on, momentum was in the Mountaineers (2-1, 2-1) favor, quickly marching 71 yards in nine plays, with Skylar Williams making a juggling 31-yard touchdown reception from Zach Bartlow. EOU forced C of I to punt on their first possession and the Mountie offense kept the pressure on, driving deep into Coyote territory – before Bartlow was stood up by
Forrest Rivers and
Jacques Carter on a fourth down play at the C of I 10-yard-line.
Following an exchange of punts, the Yotes mustered their best drive of the half, going 82 yards in nine plays – including two key third down conversions – capped by a
Tyler Cox 20-yard touchdown dart to a wide open
Marcus Lenhardt. However, the snap on the extra point was high and the attempt failed, allowing Eastern to maintain a 7-6 lead.
EOU had two chances to add to their lead in the second quarter – but each time the Yotes defense stood tall.
Nate Moore stopped Bartlow behind the line of scrimmage on a 4th-and-2 at the 25 yard line midway through the period, with
Ben Ceccarelli dropping Bartlow on a 4th-and-goal at the three yard line inside the final minute of the half.
The third quarter belonged to the Yotes – limiting EOU to just eight offensive snaps. C of I took advantage of a poor Eastern punt to start a drive at the Mountaineers 29-yard-line – and took the lead after an eight play drive which included a
Mike Kirby fourth down conversion, as Peterson darted over the right side from three yards out. The point-after attempt was blocked, keeping the score 12-7.
The Coyote defense sealed the victory in the fourth quarter, as
Tristen Alesi recorded C of I's second interception of the night with 12 minutes to play. The visitors methodically moved the ball down field, converting a pair of fourth down chances, with Peterson ended the 13-play, six minute long drive, with a one yard run. A two-point conversion pass from Cox to Lenhardt capped the scoring.
Eastern had two final gasps, driving to the C of I 28-yard-line before failing on a fourth down play, while inside the final two minutes, got to the Coyote 15, before Ceccarelli and
Josh Price dumped Bartlow on a fourth down play to close the victory.
Cox finished 19-of-27 for 160 yards and a touchdown in the rainy conditions, adding a team-high 63 rushing yards. Kirby carried 16 times for 61 yards and
Colby Brown added 58 yards on 13 rushes.
Lenhardt established a career-high with 10 receptions for 79 yards – becoming just the fourth C of I player to record double-digit receptions in a game. He also eclipsed the 100 reception mark for his career.
Defensive, Moore recorded a career-high 16 tackles, with both
Trevor Henderson and
Carlos Murana adding nine stops.
Hunter Temple joined Alesi with an interception, as the Coyotes held EOU 33 points under their season scoring average.
Alfred Gross led EOU with 150 yards on 27 carries, as the Mountaineers rushed 52 times on the night. Bartlow struggled in the conditions, going just 13-of-31 for 190 yards and two interceptions.
The Yotes return home next Saturday, hosting Rocky Mountain at 1 p.m.
