CALDWELL, Idaho –
Justin Hellyer rushed for a career-high 207 yards, as the College of Idaho completed their first perfect regular-season since 1953, defeating Montana State-Northern, 44-20, on Senior Day at Simplot Stadium.
The No. 6-ranked Coyotes (10-0, 10-0 Frontier) extended their win streak to 16 games and became just the second Frontier Conference team since 2010 complete the league schedule with an unbeaten record. It was the fifth time in the 75-year history of the C of I program that the Yotes completed a regular-season without a loss (1908, 1910, 1919, 1953).
C of I will learn the site and the opponent of their first-round NAIA Football Championship Series game tomorrow night at 5 p.m. If the Yotes host a first-round game, it will be played at Simplot Stadium next Saturday at Noon – with reserved season ticket holders having a 24-hour window (ending Monday at 5 p.m.) to renew that seats.
The Yotes offense piled up 504 yards of total offense against a Northern (1-10, 0-10) squad that lost their 37th-straight league game. C of I ran for a season-best 410 yards in the victory, the fifth-highest rushing total in program history.
After forcing a 3-and-out on the first Lights possession, the Coyotes marched 75 yards in seven plays, with quarterback
Darius-James Peterson racing 25-yards for a touchdown. Peterson added a 13-yard touchdown run on C of I's next drive to extend the lead to 14-0.
Kyle Mitchell had a big afternoon, connecting on first half field goals of 49, 20 and 26-yards – setting a new school record with 14 kick scoring points and tying his own school record with three made field goals.
The C of I defense scored a touchdown for the second-straight game, as
Josh Elsberry dislodged the football on a pass to tight end Levi Keltner, caught out of the air by defensive end
J.T. Mahon, who raced 25-yards for a touchdown. The Yotes recorded seven sacks on the afternoon – including a school record 4.5 sacks from
Keagan McCoy.
Trailing 30-7 at the break, Northern controlled the third quarter, scoring on 75-yard drive, capped by a fourth down Brenden Medina 28-yard touchdown strike to Bryce Bumgardner. C of I answered quickly, as
Ed Osterberger broke through on a 47-yard scoring run to push the margin to 37-14.
Following a Jett Robertson touchdown run by the Lights, Hellyer capped the day with a 5-yard touchdown run – his sixth scoring run of 2019.
Hellyer joins teammates Peterson and
Nick Calzaretta, along with Tom Winbigler, Ted Martin and Ed Bonaminio, as the only Coyotes to rush for oven 200 yards.
Peterson recorded 94 passing yards – a season low – but rushed for 93 yards, needing 122 yards to break C of I's all-time career rushing record.
Robertson led Northern with 95 yards on 21 carries, with Medina going 13-of-24 for 207 yards and two touchdown passes to Bumgardner. Marvin Williams caught four passes for 79 yards – including a first quarter 60-yard reception.
