Coyotes Upset #25 Montana Tech in Overtime

BUTTE, Mont. – Darius-James Peterson rushed 8-yards for the game-winning touchdown in overtime, as the College of Idaho spoiled Homecoming for Montana Tech, upsetting the No. 25 ranked Orediggers, 23-20, at snowy Alumni Coliseum.
 
The win was the second in a row for the Coyotes (2-5, 2-4 Frontier) and their first win in Butte since the 1922 season.
 
Tech (3-3, 3-3) forced overtime with a late Jed Fike 20-yard touchdown run with just 35 seconds remaining – capping a 35-yard drive that was helped by a pair of C of I penalties. The Diggers drove to the C of I 6-yard-line on their overtime possession – but a tackle for loss by Forrest Rivers and a pass break-up by Tristen Alesi forced the hosts to settle for a Tyler Padilla 24-yard field goal.
 
After recording a first down on their overtime drive, a holding penalty forced C of I into a 2nd-and-20 from their 23-yard-line. Peterson ran the option for 15-yards and following a pair of time outs, ran a draw play up the middle – scoring untouched to set off a celebration.
 
The C of I quarterback finished the day with 36 yards rushing on 20 carries against a stout Tech front four, but was 12-of-24 through the air for 223 yards – including two touchdowns.
 
The Diggers scored on their first drive of the day, as a Cole Hauptman 64-yard run set up a Padilla 24-yard field goal. C of I answered on their first play from scrimmage, as Peterson found Keegan Crafton on a 70-yard strike for a touchdown and their first lead.
 
The Coyotes extended the lead to 10-3, as a 26-yard punt return by Nik Lyons set C of I up on the Tech 36-yard-line, with Kyle Mitchell capping the march with a 24-yard field goal.
 
On the first play of the second quarter, the hosts tied the game, as Hauptman found an open Dion Williams for a 31-yard touchdown pass. However, C of I would take the lead just before halftime, as a 30-yard punt return by Lyons gave the Yotes possession at the Tech 10-yard-line. Peterson closed the drive with a 2-yard touchdown pass to Connor Richardson for the 17-10 lead.
 
The second half was dominated by the defenses – as C of I was forced to punt on five of their six possessions, while the Yotes forced two punts, stopped Tech on downs on another, while a fourth drive was ended by a fumble recovery by Alesi.
 
Nick Calzaretta rushed 15 times for 108 yards to lead C of I on the ground – including a 57-yard dash in the third quarter.  Richardson caught six passes for 54 yards, with Crafton hauling in three passes for 90 yards.
 
Defensively, Rivers led the Yotes with nine tackles, including two behind the line of scrimmage, with Drew Faircloth and Jayden Dawson adding eight. Danny Garcia had six stops and a sack, Lyons had six tackles and five pass break-ups, with Alesi adding five tackles and four pass break-ups to his fumble recovery.
 
Fike led all players with 33 carries and 152 yards in the losing effort, while Hauptman rushed for 115 yards and added 126 yards through the air.
 
The Yotes return home to open a two-game homestand, hosting No. 7 ranked Southern Oregon at 1 p.m.
 
NOTES: C of I outgained Tech 409-394 on the afternoon – holding the Diggers to just 137 yards passing…despite the temperatures in the 20s (along with intermittent snow showers), the two teams combined for just one turnover…Richardson has caught touchdown passes in three-straight games, the first Coyote to do so since Marcus Lenhardt in 2014…Peterson has thrown two touchdown passes in four-straight games, the first time a C of I quarterback has achieved the feat since Boyd Crawford in 1953…Mitchell's field goal in the first quarter was his 11th of his career, establishing a new school record…it marked the fifth victory against a Top-25 opponent by the Coyotes in the last five seasons…C of I improved to 2-0 all-time in overtime (defeated Southern Oregon, 44-41, in 2016).