CALDWELL, Idaho – A dominant performance by The College of Idaho defense held Southern Oregon to their lowest point total against an NAIA team since 1989, as the Coyotes rolled to a 29-3 victory at windy Simplot Stadium.
Nick Calzaretta rushed for 89 yards and two touchdowns, as the Coyotes (2-1, 2-1 Frontier) bolted to a 23-0 second quarter lead and the defense did the rest in C of I's fourth-straight win over their rivals.
The Yotes limited SOU (1-2, 1-2) to just 205 yards in total offense – holding the No. 1 pass offense in the Frontier Conference 200 yards under their season average. It marked the lowest offensive production for a Southern team since 2011 (107 yards at Portland State), with the three points scored by the Raiders the fewest against an NAIA team since a 34-0 loss to Central Washington in 1989.
C of I scored on their first four drives and dominated the time of possession, holding the football for over 38 minutes of the contest. The Coyotes took the opening kickoff and drove 67 yards on 15 plays, converting a trio of third down chances, capped by a
Stan Mulderij 19-yard field goal.
Following a SOU 3-and-out, the Yotes marched 83 yards on 10 plays – with quarterback
Jack Rice completing a 14-yard pass to
Jake Nadley and a 17-yard pass to
Hunter Juarez, setting up Calzaretta, who bowled his way into the end zone from 2-yards out on a fourth down tote.
After another Southern punt, C of I pushed the lead to 16-0 – as back-up
Ryan Hibbs found Juarez on a 43-yard pass play, with
Hunter Gilbert capping the drive with a 4-yard touchdown run.
The Yotes turned the first of three Raider turnovers into a score – as a
Taeson Hardin interception gave the hosts the ball near midfield and eight plays later, Calzaretta scored from 2-yards out for a 23-0 lead.
Southern got their lone score on the opening drive of the second half – reaching the Coyote 17-yard-line, but settled for a Cesar Ruiz 38-yard field goal. The Raiders would not reach the red zone again – as C of I turned SOU over on downs twice and both
Dylan Martinez and
Alex Ojukwu recovered fumbles.
C of I capped the scoring in the fourth quarter, as Hibbs connected with
Isaiah Veal on a 44-yard touchdown pass.
Both Coyote quarterbacks had efficient days – as C of I recorded their third-highest completion percentage in program history (17-of-22). Hibbs finished 9-of-12 for 140 yards and the touchdown, with Rice going 8-for-10 for 89 yards – with the signal callers connecting with eight different receivers, as Juarez caught five passes for 78 yards.
Matt Struck, the reigning NAIA Offensive Player of the Week, was battered all afternoon by the Yotes – finishing the day 16-of-35 for just 129 yards. C of I recorded three sacks and Struck was hurried seven times.
SOU rushed for just 54 yards, with Hykeem Massey leading the Raiders with 48 yards on 13 carries.
The Yotes hit the road next weekend, traveling to La Grande for a 1 p.m. (PDT) kickoff at No. 14 Eastern Oregon.
NOTES:
- Two-sport athlete Tanner Leaf had a huge afternoon, leading the Coyotes with 10 tackles, including four tackles for loss and two sacks
- Dylan Martinez, the top tackler in the Frontier Conference, posted nine tackles, while both Dorian Hardin and Taeson Hardin had seven stops
- Calzaretta joined Steve Douglas as the only C of I running backs in program history to rush 27 times in a game three times in their careers
- The win was the Coyotes fourth in a row vs. SOU – with the Raiders having won 8-of-9 meetings between the teams from 2014-17
- It was the third-straight game vs. SOU that C of I has held the Raiders under 100-yards rushing, with the three points surrendered the fewest they have allowed vs. Southern in 19 total meetings – dating back to 1948.
- The Coyotes did not have a turnover on the day and improved their turnover margin to plus-6.
- The 77.2-percent completion rate by the Yotes was third only to a 19-of-23 day at MSU-Northern in 2017 and a 21-of-27 afternoon vs. Rocky Mountain in 2015.
- The game started under sunny skies until dust storm arrived in the fourth quarter, with winds blowing at 30-40 miles per hour.
