CALDWELL, Idaho – The No. 2-ranked College of Idaho football team secured a Frontier West championship and earned an automatic berth to the NAIA Football Championship Series with a 49-41 victory over No. 12 Carroll (MT) on Saturday afternoon at Simplot Stadium.
 
The Yotes improved to 9-0 overall and 5-0 in Frontier Conference play, claiming the Frontier West crown with one game remaining on the regular-season schedule.
 
Behind a historic performance from quarterback Caden Young, The College of Idaho amassed 553 yards of total offense, including 398 rushing yards, while converting 10-of-13 third-down opportunities.
 
Young rushed for 292 yards and two touchdowns on just 19 carries while completing 14-of-21 passes for 155 yards and three touchdowns. His 292 rushing yards rank as the second-highest single-game total in program history and left him just five yards shy of the school record of 297 yards set by Tom Winbigler against British Columbia in 1948.
 
The Yotes opened the scoring late in the first quarter when Rylie Byington capped a nine-play drive with a four-yard touchdown run. Carroll pulled even early in the second quarter before Young broke loose for a 52-yard touchdown run to put The College of Idaho back in front.
 
Young later connected with Trezell Patterson on a 27-yard touchdown pass to give the Yotes a 21-7 lead heading toward halftime. After Carroll used a punt return touchdown to trim the margin to seven in the third quarter, The College of Idaho answered immediately with an 11-play, 75-yard drive capped by an eight-yard touchdown pass to Tanner Sittser.
 
The Saints continued to battle back, pulling within one possession multiple times, but the Yotes answered every challenge. Young highlighted the third quarter with a 73-yard touchdown run, while Sittser added a 12-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter. Byington's second four-yard touchdown run pushed the lead back to 15 points with less than five minutes remaining.
 
Byington finished with 70 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while Patterson led the receiving corps with four catches for 71 yards and a score. Sittser added three receptions and two touchdowns.
 
Defensively, Chase Brown led the Yotes with nine tackles. Elton Saole-Su'e recorded a sack among the team's four sacks, and Trey Jorgensen intercepted a pass in the second quarter to halt a Carroll scoring threat.
 
The Yotes will close out the regular season on the road Nov. 14, traveling to face Southern Oregon University. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. MT. The contest will serve as The College of Idaho's final tune-up before beginning its pursuit of a national championship in the NAIA Football Championship Series.