CALDWELL, Idaho – Back-up quarterback Tyler Cox celebrated Senior Day in a big way, recording career-highs with 320 passing and 113 rushing yards – tying a school record with four touchdown passes – as the College of Idaho capped a remarkable late season run with a 45-22 victory over Montana State-Northern at Simplot Stadium.
 
The Coyotes (6-5, 6-4 Frontier) ended the year on a three-game win streak, their first since 1975 – logging their first winning season since 1969. C of I recorded their first six-win season since 1959 and will take a four-game home win streak into next season, their first four-game home win streak since 1962-63.
 
Playing in the place of injured quarterback Darius-James Peterson, Cox picked apart the Lights (1-10, 0-10) secondary, completing 19-of-23 passes – recording the fifth 300-yard passing game in program history. He hit four different receivers for touchdowns – tying Cal Farley (1948), Charlie Alvaro (1958) and Len Lutero (1961) for the single-game school record for passing scores.
 
C of I started quickly, as Cox found Wes Fitzpatrick on the third play from scrimmage on a 34-yard touchdown pass for a quick 7-0 lead.
 
Northern used their pass game to stay in the contest through three quarters – as Tommy Wilson connected with Marvin Williams on a 13-yard touchdown pass midway through the opening quarter to pull the Lights within 7-6. 
 
The teams traded scores, as Cox used runs of 8 and 19-yards to set up a 15-yard scoring pass to Keegan Crafton, but MSU-N answered with a long 84-yard touchdown connection between Wilson and Williams.
 
The Yotes responded with a pair of big plays – as freshman Ben Hruby broke multiple tackles on a 52-yard touchdown reception, while Nik Lyons returned a Northern punt 72-yards for a score, as C of I took a 28-16 lead to the locker room.
 
C of I dialed up the run defense in the second half, limiting the Lights to just 21 rushing yards in the second half – with the offense breaking the game open. A 52-yard completion from Cox to Fitzpatrick set up a 22-yard Kyle Mitchell field goal, followed by an 11-play, 80-yard touchdown drive, capped by a Nick Calzaretta 4-yard run to extend the lead to 38-16.
 
Malik Whitfield stopped a MSU-N drive with a fourth quarter interception – with the Coyotes driving 95 yards in 13 plays – taking over six minutes off the clock, with Cox connecting with Shayne Robinson on a 31-yard touchdown pass.
 
Cox finished with 433 yards of total offense – the third-highest total in program history – helping C of I establish a new single-season total offense mark of 4,854 yards.  Calzaretta had 66 rushing yards, part of a 241-yard rushing day by the Yotes – their fifth-straight game with 200 or more rushing yard – as C of I finished the season with 2,519 yards, their most since 1948.
 
Fitzpatrick had four catches for 115 yards – his second career 100-yard receiving game – while Robinson made five grabs for 80 yards.
 
Wilson led Northern, going 17-of-28 for 276 yards and three touchdowns – with Williams making five catches for 157 yards and two scores.
 
C of I finishes the season in a three-way tie for second-place in the final Frontier Conference standings and will await the final NAIA Top-25 poll to determine the at-large berths to the NAIA Football Championship Series.
 
NOTES – The punt return touchdown by Lyons was the first by a Coyote since Tom Schnebeck returned a punt 75-yards against Pacific Lutheran in 1975; the Yotes won despite a season-high 12 penalties; C of I recorded 561 yards of total offense – their third straight home game with over 500 yards of total offense; Kyle Mitchell was perfect on six extra point attempts, setting a new single-season record with 40 successful conversions; the game marked the final regular-season contest for 20 senior student-athletes - including eight fifth-year seniors (Whitfield, Nate Moore, Hunter Temple, Trevor Henderson, Zach Garzoli, Charlie Shepherd, Andrew Galloway, Dylan Garcia).