CALDWELL, Idaho - No. 8 College of Idaho corralled No. 9 Morningside on Saturday, riding a fast start and a timely fourth-quarter surge to a 37-19 win in the NAIA second round at Simplot Stadium. With the victory, the Yotes (10–1) advance to the NAIA quarterfinals and head to Butte, Mont., for a Dec. 6 rematch with Montana Tech.
The Yotes set the tone early, building a 20-7 halftime lead behind three Josh Horn field goals and two explosive scoring plays. Caden Young opened the day with a 26-yard touchdown to Corban Freese before Offensive Player of the Game Travis Marieiro ripped off a 68-yard scoring run to push the lead to three possessions. Horn added kicks from 31 and 30 yards as the Yotes approached 260 yards of offense before the break.
Morningside (9-3) climbed back behind quarterback Zack Chevalier, who threw for 276 yards and two touchdowns, pulling within 23-19 with 8:20 left. But the Yotes counterpunched immediately. Young found Marieiro on a 61-yard catch-and-run where he broke multiple tackles to restore control, then added a 20-yard touchdown to Preston Chamberlin in the final seconds to seal the victory.
Marieiro finished with 158 total yards and two touchdowns on just four touches. Young added 281 total yards, including 101 rushing, while Rylie Byington chipped in 78 more as C of I outrushed the Mustangs 269–85.
Defensively, Defensive Player of the Game Matthew Iwamizu delivered a dominant showing with two sacks, a forced fumble and 2.5 tackles for loss. Carson Christensen added a key interception late in the fourth quarter to stop a Morningside push.
The Yotes now turn toward their quarterfinal trip to Montana Tech on Dec. 6, aiming to avenge their only loss of the season.
