ASHLAND, Ore. –
Darius-James Peterson has caused trouble for Southern Oregon throughout his College of Idaho career. In his final meeting against the Raiders – he finally solved the Raider Stadium hex – passing for a school record five touchdowns, leading the Coyotes to a 42-14 victory before 3,300 fans.
Peterson threw for 330 yards and added 83 yards on the ground, as the No. 7-ranked Coyotes (7-0, 7-0 Frontier) remained unbeaten on the season and extended their win streak to 13-games. It was C of I's first-ever win at Raider Stadium – as the Coyote quarterback recorded his third game with 400-yards or more in total offense against SOU.
The senior connected twice with both
Hunter Juarez and
Keegan Crafton with scores, as C of I remained two games ahead of both Montana Tech and Montana Western in the league standings.
The Coyote defense forced a season-high four turnovers – including three deep in Raiders (3-5, 3-4) territory, while holding SOU to just 40 yards rushing.
Each team recorded a turnover on their opening possession, as Peterson was sacked on the first play from scrimmage, losing the football deep in SOU territory. However, Wyatt Hutchinson returned the favor, as
Taeson Hardin picked off the Raider quarterback at the 3-yard-line to stop the drive.
C of I struck first midway through the quarter, as Peterson connected with Juarez on a 59-yard scoring aerial for a 7-0 lead, but Southern answered quickly – as Hutchison found Jordan Suell alone on a 59-yard catch and score.
The Yotes took the lead for good on their next drive, as Peterson hooked up with four different receivers on the march – ending with a 27-yard touchdown pass to Crafton.
The Raiders looked to answer – but Hykeem Massey fumbled near the goal line – with Hardin recovering the ball in the end zone to end the threat. C of I countered, as Peterson used a 43-yard run to set up an 8-yard touchdown pass to
Connor Richardson for the 21-7 second quarter lead.
After SOU cut the margin 21-14 on a fourth down 32-yard Hutchinson-to-Suell scoring connection, the Yotes ran the 2-minute drill to perfection – as Peterson found Crafton in the end zone on a 10-yard strike with just 14 seconds left in the half.
Following a scoreless third quarter – C of I put the game away with some trickery – scoring on a double-pass for the second-straight game vs. SOU, as Peterson found
Bo Stevens in the flat, launching a 33-yard pass to a wide open
Dominic Garzoli for a 35-14 lead.
Peterson capped the scoring, lofting a 59-yard touchdown pass to Juarez midway through the period, finishing the day 19-of-30 through the pair – breaking the school record of touchdown passes in a game he shared with Cal Farley, Charlie Alvaro, Len Lutero and
Tyler Cox.
Juarez caught five passes for 144 yards and the two touchdowns, with Crafton catching four balls for 63 yards and two scores and Richardson adding four receptions for 55 yards and a touchdown.
Hutchinson went 19-of-32 for 238 yards, but was sacked three times by the Coyote defense. Christian Graney had a game-high eight receptions for 109 yards in the loss.
The Yotes hit the road next weekend, traveling to Eastern Oregon for a 1 p.m. (PT) kickoff.
NOTES: It was the seventh-straight road win for the Coyotes – their second longest streak since winning 10-straight road games from 1952-54…it was the third-straight road game scoring 40 points or more…Danny Garcia led the Coyote defense with nine tackles and a sack, with
Forrest Rivers logging seven tackles and
Landon Clark-Gammell adding five tackles and a sack…Hardin had two interceptions and a fumble recovery in the win…Peterson recorded his school-record third 300-yard passing game and surpassed the 6,000-yard passing mark (6,009), the 9,000-yard total offense mark (9,054) and the 3,000-yard rushing mark (3,045) – needing 276 yards to become C of I's all-time leading rusher…the Yotes have now won three-straight games over SOU.
