CALDWELL, Idaho – The College of Idaho waited 66 years between playoff games and used an offensive performance nearly a century in the making to continue their magic run as the Coyotes scored 42 unanswered points to close out a 70-23 victory over Ottawa University Arizona in a first-round NAIA Football Championship Series match-up at Simplot Stadium.
The win for the Coyotes (11-0) was their 17th-straight victory and advances the team to the national quarterfinals for the first time. C of I will travel to Des Moines, Iowa, to meet No. 4-ranked Grand View University on Saturday at Noon (CST).
The 70 points was the most by a C of I football team in 94 years – dating back to a 75-0 win over Linfield College in 1925 – and the fourth-highest scoring output in program history.
Quarterback
Darius-James Peterson led the charge, throwing four first half touchdown passes, while rushing for 138 yards on the day. The senior broke C of I's career rushing mark set by Tom Winbigler from 1946-49 – pushing his total to 3,137 yards in his four years. Peterson also became the first C of I player to surpass 10,000 career yards of total offense (10,102).
The Yotes bolted to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter on the strength of Peterson touchdown passes of 9-yards to
Keegan Crafton and 10-yards to
Isaiah Veal.
The Spirit (9-2) battled back, as 2-yard touchdown run by Kristopher Ewens and Austin McCullough helped pull OUAZ within 28-23 late in the first half.
A late half flurry changed the complexion of the game – as
John Horn hauled in a 16-yard touchdown pass with 30 seconds left to extend the C of I lead and on the second play of the ensuing OUAZ possession,
Taeson Hardin intercepted McCullough and raced 48-yards for a touchdown to give the Coyotes a 42-23 halftime edge.
C of I went to their ground game in the second half – as
Justin Hellyer scored on touchdown runs of 1 and 7-yards to extend the lead to 56-23;
Nick Calzaretta rambled home on a 20-yard score and
Ed Osterberger scored on an 8-yard touchdown run after a
Dylan Martinez interception, to cap the scoring.
Calzaretta recorded his seventh 100-yard rushing game of the year, tallying 108 yards on 21 carries, while Peterson's 138-yard game was his 13th all-time 100-yard performance.
Keegan Crafton led C of I with seven catches for 88 yards and two touchdowns.
Ewens had 105 yards on 28 carries for OUAZ, with McCullough going 33-of-51 for 383 yards and a touchdown, but was intercepted three times. Ray Springer had a school-record 10 catches for 158 yards in the loss.
NOTE:
Kyle Mitchell set a single game record, going a perfect 10-for-10 on extra points…C of I finished with 547 yards of total offense…
J.T. Mahon (12 tackles) and
Graham Carnahan (10 tackles) led the C of I defense…it was the first postseason game since the 1953 Refrigerator Bowl in Evansville, Ind., a 14-12 loss to Sam Houston State.
