No. 10 College of Idaho Set to Host Montana State-Northern

Football | 10/11/2023 2:17:00 PM

SILENCE OF THE WOLVES: College of Idaho has won all nine meetings against MSU-Northern. The 8-0 mark against the Lights is just one of five teams in program history that College of Idaho has an undefeated mark.
 
PETERS - A DUAL-THREAT QUARTERBACK: Quarterback Andy Peters has moved ino the top 10 all-time in pass attempts (384, fifth) and pass completions (259, fourth) and passing TDs (20, sixth). For the second time on the season, Peters ran for over 100 yards  - including a 57-yard touchdown run - in the win over Rocky Mountain. His 57-yard touchdown run is the fifth longest in program history since the return of football. Two weeks ago, against Montana Tech, Peters completed 28 passes (4th) on 42 attempts (3rd) for 354 yards (6th) among the best single-game efforts in program history. Last week against Arizona Christian, he tied a career-high with three passing touchdowns. It is the third time that he has done this feat. Furthermore, he has had a touchdown pass in 14 of his 15 games as a Yote.
 
SCHOFIELD FINDS END ZONE: Senior wide receiver Jon Schofield has scored eight touchdowns on the ground and six through the air. His 14 touchdowns leads the Frontier Conference and is tied for first in the NAIA. Schofield has scored three touchdowns each in the last four games. Based on information available, this is the first time that a player has scored multiple touchdowns in five-consecutive games. Also, he is just the ninth player in program history to score at least 14 touchdowns in a season.

GRINDING IT ON THE GROUND: College of Idaho holds a 5.9 to 3.3 advantage in average yards per rush, 173.3 to 116 in average yards per game rushing and 17 to 6 in rushing touchdowns. 

END ZONE VARIETY: To complement the 14 touchdowns by Jon Schofield, 11 other Yotes have found the end zone in 2023. Four of the Yotes (Eddie Berglund, Caden Cobb, Ben Hruby and Chip Mitchell) scored the eight touchdowns against Arizona Christian were their first touchdowns of the season.

POTENT OFFENSE: College of Idaho has scored 35 TDs (leads the Frontier Conference; 5th nationally; 12th all-time in program history) and 252 points (42.0 ppg / leads the Frontier Conference; 6th nationally; 10th all-time in program history). The eight touchdowns against Arizona Christian were the most since a school record 10 touchdowns against OUAZ on November 23, 2019. It is the fifth time in program history that the Yotes have scored eight touchdowns in a game.

POLL TALK: In Monday's announcement of the latest 2023 NAIA Football FirstDown PlayBook Coaches' Top 25 Rating, College of Idaho has moved back to No. 10 after spending the last two weeks at No. 12 before rising to as high as No. 7 earlier this season. Three other Frontier Conference teams find itself in the top 25 including Carroll at No. 7, Montana Tech at No. 16 and Montana Western at No. 19 in the top 25 poll. College of Idaho has been ranked 45 times since 1999 and as high as No. 5 on four occasions.  

KICKOFF CHATTER: Caden Cobb, last Saturday, returned the kickoff to start the second half back 100 yards for a touchdown.  The last Yote to return a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown is Ted Martin, who's number seven is the only retired number in program history. Furthermore, the last kickoff return for a touchdown at College of Idaho was by Elijah Carter against Pacific in the first game in the return of Yotes football on September 6, 2014. 

PUNTING BOMBS: Punter Andrew McKague is averaging 37.9 yards per punt. He tied a career-high with a 54-yard punt against Arizona Christian. McKague and the Yotes did not punt in the game against Montana Tech. Based on information available, this is the first time that College of Idaho not have a punt in a game.

SPECIAL SIMONS: Kickoff specialist Cameron Simons tied a season-high with three touchbacks against Arizona Christian. For the season, 12 of his kickoffs have been touchbacks. His 12 touchbacks match the most since Hartvig Bondo in 2015.

THIRD QUARTER SUCCESS: To start the season, College of Idaho has outscored its opponents, 86-3 (52-3 in the last three games) in the third quarter. In 2022, the Yotes scored a team-best 117 points against opponents in the third quarter. Since 2015, College of Idaho has outscored its opponents in the third quarter - 631 to 339. 

GRANDPA BEN: Graduate student Ben Hruby has been around the College of Idaho football program since 2017. Hruby suited up for the Yotes in 2017 where as a true freshman, he caught six passes for 129 yards and a touchdown. Hruby stepped away from the game in 2018 and in 2019 while serving a church mission in London, England. Prior to the 2023 season, Hruby worked with Provision Events where he was involved in the setup and fan engagement at prestigious events such as the Masters and the U.S. Open for golf. In addition to his work on a certificate in sport administration, he is a substitute teacher in the Boise School District. Hruby caught a career-high five passes earlier this year against Montana Tech. 

SUCCESS AT SIMPLOT: With a 4-1 mark in 2022 and wins in all four of its home games in 2023, the Yotes have posted a 33-15 record at Simplot Stadium since football returned to the College in 2014. Dating back to their first game at the facility in 1964, the Coyotes have an all-time record of 53-51-2 at the venue.

END ZONE NOTE: In 18 of the last 19 games, College of Idaho has recorded at least one rushing touchdown. In the last five games, College of Idaho has had at least two rushing touchdowns in each of the contests. 

TANNER TERROR: The College of Idaho features three individuals with the first name, Tanner. Thus far in the season, Tanner Leaf (#39) has made 41 tackles including 2.5 TFLs; Tanner Sackman (#82) has been involved in 13 tackles - including eight against Montana Western to go along with 2.5 tackles for loss; Tanner Steele (#31) has made 16 tackles with a sack and 1.5 TFLs. 

PICKING UP THE FUN: Boise State transfer Chip Mitchell picked off his third pass of the season, last Saturday against Arizona Christian. His 34-yard interception return for a touchdown was the Yotes second of the season. It is the second-straight year that College of Idaho has multiple interceptions for touchdowns. The last time that C of I had three interceptions for a touchdown was in 2019. The active career leader is Keegan Croteau, who had four interceptions as a freshman in 2022. With his next interception, Croteau would be one of 21 players in program history with at least five career interceptions.