CALDWELL, Idaho – Last heroics from
Ryan Hibbs were not enough, as Rocky Mountain College blocked a potential game-tying field goal inside the final minute, as the Battlin' Bears topped The College of Idaho, 33-30, before over 4,000 fans at Simplot Stadium.
In a game that featured over 900 yards of total offense, it was Brail Lipford's block of
Cameron Simons'38-yard attempt with 44 seconds left that ended the Coyotes (1-1, 1-1 Frontier) 11-game home win streak, dating back to 2018.
Rocky (2-0, 2-0) rallied from deficits of 10-0 and 17-7 to take a 33-22 lead early in the fourth quarter on a Victor Ngalamulume 3-yard touchdown run.
However, Hibbs looked for magic for a second-straight game vs. the Battlin' Bears. The sophomore, who came off the bench to engineer the game-winning drive in a 10-3 victory this spring, marched the Yotes 92 yards on 11 plays, hitting
Connor Gagain on a 9-yard strike, with the duo hooking up on a 2-point conversion to cut the lead to 33-30.
After a defensive stop, Hibbs took over on the Yotes own 2-yard-line and put the team on the march. A 17-yard pass to
Hunter Gilbert was sandwiched around 23-yard and 15-yard scrambles by Hibbs – with an 18-yard pass to
Jake Nadley getting C of I to the Rocky 25. On third down, Hibbs found Kreps near the goal line, but the freshman was unable to get a foot in-bounds – forcing the field goal attempt.
Simons, who connected on 23 and 29-yard attempts on the day, had his line-drive attempt blocked by the Battlin' Bears, ending the comeback.
C of I started the game with a bang – as on the third play from scrimmage,
Jack Rice raced 82-yards for a touchdown and a quick 7-0 lead. Two plays later,
Taeson Hardin intercepted RMC quarterback Nate Dick and returned it to the 6-yard-line, setting up a Simons field goal.
Rocky cut the margin to 10-7 late in the quarter on a 42-yard touchdown pass from Dick to Trae Henry, but the Coyote defense responded – as
Jacob Batubenga recovered a fumble at the RMC 20 and on the next play,
Nick Calzaretta sprinted 20-yards untouched for a 17-7 lead.
Just before halftime, RMC used an 80-yard drive, capped by a Dick 8-yard scoring run to pull within 17-13, but a blocked extra point attempt was scooped up by Hardin and the All-American raced 92-yards for the defensive conversion.
After the two teams traded third quarter field goals, RMC scored 17-straight points to take the lead for good – the big play a Dick to Donavan Sellgren 85-yard touchdown pass – which gave the visitors a 23-22 lead.
C of I rushed for 306 yards against the top rushing defense in the league, with Rice carrying 17 times for 106 yards, while adding 103 yards through the air. Calzaretta ran 18 times for 86 yards in the loss. Hibbs finished 8-of-13 for 116 yards – with
Hunter Juarez catching six passes for 104 yards and
Jake Nadley grabbing six passes for 62 yards.
Dick finished 15-of-29 through the air for 294 yards and two touchdowns, adding 56 rushing yards. Dawson Schick added 38 rushing yards and Henry recorded four catches for 87 yards and the score.
Both teams will have a Week 3 bye-wee, with the Yotes set to return to action Sept. 18 at home vs. Southern Oregon.
NOTES:
- The loss for C of I was their first since 2018 – a 42-41 decision to Rocky Mountain
- C of I ran 83 offensive plays in the loss and held the ball for over 35 minutes, finishing the day 8-of-19 on third down
- Hardin had a huge day defensively for the Yotes, recording 12 tackles, the interception and two passes defended – plus the first-ever defensive 2-point conversion in program history
- Dylan Martinez continued his stellar play, recording 12 tackles, including the Yotes lone sack of the afternoon late in the fourth quarter
- Rocky had just one play go for negative yards on the afternoon
- Ethan Hurst lived in the Coyote backfield, recording eight tackles, including 5.5 for loss and three sacks for the Battlin' Bears
- Simons became the first-ever C of I kicker to attempt four field goals in a game
- The crowd of over 4,000 fans was the first spectators to watch C of I football since a 2019 playoff game vs. Ottawa (Ariz.)
