CALDWELL, Idaho –
Allamar Alexander rushed two yards for the game-winning touchdown in the second overtime, lifting The College of Idaho to a wild 48-42 victory over No. 22-ranked Montana Western at Simplot Stadium.
The win for the Coyotes (5-2, 5-2 Frontier) improved the squad to 8-0 since 2014 coming off a bye week and 3-0 all-time in overtime games.
Western (5-3, 4-3), who forced overtime with a last second touchdown drive at the end of regulation, went 3-and-out on their second possession of overtime and John Mears missed a 40-yard field goal. The Yotes answered, as
Caden Cobb ripped off an 11-yard run, with an Alexander 12-yard run setting up the walk-off winner.
Both quarterbacks had monster days – as the Yotes
Ryan Hibbs went 30-for-35 for 299 yards and a touchdown, setting a new program record for completion percentage and completions. Jon Jund was equally impressive for Western, completing 23-of-30 passes for 276 yards and two touchdown passes to Trey Mounts.
Each team scored on their first three possessions – with the game tied 21-21 at the break.
C of I took the opening kickoff and marched 75 yards on seven plays, with a 46-yard pass from Hibbs to
John Kreps setting up a 6-yard
Nick Calzaretta touchdown run – one of three touchdowns for the senior.
The Dawgs answered with a 9-play drive of their own, with a Jund-to-Mounts 9-yard pass pulling Western within a point.
Calzaretta would score on the next two C of I drives – one set up by a 41-yard pass from Hibbs to All-America safety
Taeson Hardin.
Jund added a short touchdown run and followed with a 14-play drive that took nearly eight minutes off the clock, finding Mounts in the end zone again – with his 2-point conversion run knotting the score.
Western took their first lead of the afternoon early in the third quarter on a Colten McPhee touchdown. After stopping the Dawgs for the first time on the day, an 18-yard
Hunter Gilbert punt return gave the Yotes great field possession and on the next play, Kreps took a fly-sweep 40-yard for a touchdown to tie the score.
After a Bulldog punt, C of I regained the lead after a 9-play, 70-yard drive, with Hibbs connecting with tight end
Connor Gagain in the end zone from 6-yards out.
C of I would stop Western on downs near midfield, but could not get a first down – and following the Yotes lone punt of the day – the Dawgs drove the field in less than two minutes. On 4th-and-11 near midfield, Jund found Nate Simkins on a 56-yard pass to set up a Colten McPhee touchdown run with 21 seconds left.
In the first overtime, Western needed just six plays to score, as Neville muscled his way in from 1-yard out. C of I countered, as Gagain caught a deflected pass for an 11-yard gain on 3rd-and 6 and Alexander punched it in from 2-yards to force the second overtime.
Calzaretta finished with 43 yards rushing and Alexander added 35 yards on eight carries.
Jake Nadley had a career-high 11 catches for 79 yards, with Gagain catching five passes for 48 yards.
Neville rushed 17 times for 65 yards and two scores, with Simkins catching 10 passes for 174 yards in the loss.
C of I hits the road next weekend, traveling to Southern Oregon for a 1 p.m. (PT) kickoff.
NOTES
- Montana Western snapped C of I's defensive streaks – rushing for 158 yards and recording 434 yards of total offense – the first time since Week 2 vs. Rocky Mountain that a Coyote opponent had more the 300 yards of offense or 100 rushing yards
- Dylan Martinez had a record-setting day, recording 22 tackles (including seven solo stops); he was one of three Coyotes with double-digit tackles – joined by Hardin (11 tackles) and Tanner Leaf (10 tackles)
- Hibbs broke the school record of 29 completions set by Tyler Cox in 2016 vs. Carroll, with his 86-percent completion mark surpassing the record set by Cox in 2017 vs. MSU-Northern; his 299 passing yards ranks No. 9 on the C of I single-game list
- Nadley becomes just the third Coyote to record 11-or-more receptions in a game, as both R.C. Owens and Marcus Lenhardt achieved the feat twice
- Charlie Maynes had a career-best six receptions for 34 yards, while Gilbert caught four passes for 47 yards
- Cole Schmidt had eight tackles, including a pair of fourth quarter sacks
- It was the first two overtime game in program history and just the second overtime game at Simplot Stadium (2016 – 44-41 win over Southern Oregon)
- C of I ran their regular-season win streak against Top-25 teams to 10, dating back to 2018
- The Yotes finished the day 9-of-12 on third downs, while stopping Western on their final five third down attempts.
- Neither team had a turnover on the afternoon
