LA GRANDE, Ore. – A gritty performance by the College of Idaho netting a crucial 24-17 victory at Eastern Oregon, clinching at least a share of the first Frontier Conference championship.
The No. 6-ranked Coyotes (8-0, 8-0 Frontier) won their 14th-straight game, tying the school record set by the 1952 and 1953 team. C of I can win the outright league title with a victory in one of their final two regular-season games – home dates against Montana Western and Montana State-Northern.
Trailing 14-7 at the break, the Yotes dominated the time of possession in the second half, holding the football for nearly 20 minutes – scoring on their first three possessions to take control of the contest.
C of I forced an EOU (2-7, 2-6) 3-and-out to start the third quarter and following a punt, marched 58 yards in four plays to tie the score.
Nick Calzaretta did the bulk of the damage, rattling off runs of 17-yards, 16-yards and a 21-yard run to pay dirt.
Following a Mountaineers punt, the Yotes methodically moved the ball 86 yards in 17 plays – taking over nine minutes off the clock – settling for a
Kyle Mitchell 22-yard field goal that gave C of I their first lead of the day.
The lead extended to 24-14 on C of I's next drive, as
Darius-James Peterson lofted a 30-yard touchdown pass to
Hunter Juarez – part of a nine reception, 118-yard day for the sophomore receiver.
Eastern made it interesting – getting a late 32-yard Jaiden Machuca field goal to pull the hosts within a score. Following a C of I 3-and-out, the Mounties drove to near midfield – but ran out of time.
Calzaretta rushed 24 times for 124 yards at two touchdowns – his sixth 100-yard game of the year – finishing the game 12 yards shy of 1,000 for the season.
Peterson was 21-of-32 for 274 yards through the air, adding 31 rushing yards in the victory. His 34-yard pass to
Connor Richardson in the second quarter set up C of I's first touchdown, a Calzaretta 1-yard run.
EOU was limited to just 45 rushing yards – with Victor Dias rushing nine times for 28 yards. His 1-yard touchdown run in the first quarter capped a 39-yard touchdown drive.
Kai Quinn threw for 250 yards – including a 95-yard touchdown pass to Cade Reed that gave EOU the halftime lead.
The Yotes return home Saturday, hosting No. 24 Montana Western at Noon for First Responders/Military Appreciation Day.
NOTES: The 8-0 start by the Yotes equals the mark set by the 1953 Northwest Conference champions…it marks the third time C of I has won eight games in a season (1934, 1953, 2019), with the 1948 team winning a school record nine games…the victory was C of I's eighth-straight road win, dating back to a 2018 loss at Portland State…both
Landon Clark-Gammell and
Zach White had two tackles for loss in the victory, with the C of I defense holding an opponent under 50 rushing yards for the third time in five games…Mitchell's fourth quarter field goal was his ninth of the season, a new single-season school record…Juarez recorded his second-straight 100-yard receiving game and the fourth of 2019…Peterson threw a touchdown pass for the 17th-straight game and pushed his career total offense mark to 9,359 yards.
