CALDWELL, Idaho - Caden Young accounted for three touchdowns and the College of Idaho defense pitched a second-half shutout as the Yotes rallied past Eastern Oregon 21-17 in Saturday night's season opener at Simplot Stadium.
Trailing 17-7 at halftime, the Yotes (1-0) came alive in the third quarter. Young connected with Torey Watkins for a 73-yard touchdown to spark the comeback, then found Rylie Byington for a 19-yard score with 14 seconds left in the period to give C of I its first lead of the night.
Young finished with 210 passing yards and two touchdowns on 17-of-32 attempts, adding 80 rushing yards and a score on nine carries. Byington rushed for 67 yards and caught the game-winning touchdown, while Watkins led all Yotes receivers with 89 yards on three catches.
The College of Idaho defense was relentless in the second half, recording two sacks, six tackles for loss, and six quarterback hurries. Mason Michel led the charge with a sack and a forced fumble, while Aleki Noyes paced the team with 10 total tackles. Sam Lowings and Makani Manuwai combined for a key third-quarter sack that helped stall an Eastern Oregon drive.
Eastern Oregon (0-1) built a 14-0 lead behind quarterback Elia Kirisimasi, who ran for a touchdown and threw a 43-yard scoring pass to Tyler Creswick. Ethan Cutler added a 39-yard field goal late in the second quarter.
The Yotes outgained Eastern Oregon 341-268 and controlled the tempo in the second half, holding the Mountaineers scoreless over the final 30 minutes.
College of Idaho opens the season 1-0 and will look to carry momentum into next week's matchup, while Eastern Oregon heads home still searching for its first win.
