LA GRANDE, Ore. — A year after escaping Eastern Oregon with a 7-0 victory, the College of Idaho left no doubt Saturday, rolling past the Mountaineers 37-7 at Community Stadium to open the 2026 season in convincing fashion.
The Yotes (1-0) scored 31 unanswered points after falling behind early and controlled the game on both sides of the ball. College of Idaho piled up 479 yards of total offense while limiting Eastern Oregon (0-1) to 178 yards. The Yotes also held a 24-8 advantage in first downs and possessed the ball for 40:07.
The victory improved College of Idaho to 16-6 all time against Eastern Oregon and marked its third straight win in the series. The Yotes entered Saturday having won nine of the previous 10 meetings, including last season's 7-0 defensive struggle in La Grande.
Quarterback Caden Young accounted for 294 yards of offense, completing 15 of 20 passes for 175 yards while rushing for 119 yards on 17 carries. His 60-yard run in the second quarter set up Rylie Byington's 2-yard touchdown run that gave the Yotes a 13-7 lead.
The running backs made their presence known. Byington led the ground game with 125 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries, while Ryken EchoHawk added 34 yards and two touchdowns on four carries. Trey Gibson also scored on a 1-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
Josh Horn provided a steady presence in the kicking game, connecting on all three of his field-goal attempts and all four extra points for 13 points. He hit field goals from 19, 32 and 36 yards.
After an early Yotes field goal, Eastern Oregon struck first in the end zone when Kallen Gutridge connected with Tyler Creswick on a 39-yard touchdown pass with 10:10 remaining in the opening quarter. But Horn answered with a 32-yard field goal later in the quarter before Byington put the Yotes ahead early in the second.
EchoHawk extended the lead to 20-7 with a 3-yard touchdown run with 6:44 left in the first half. Eastern Oregon then drove to the College of Idaho 3-yard line, but the Yotes defense forced an incompletion on fourth down to preserve the 13-point halftime advantage.
The Yotes put the game away in the second half.
College of Idaho marched 91 yards on an 18-play drive that consumed 10:20, capped by EchoHawk's 8-yard touchdown run with 2 minutes left in the third quarter. Gibson scored on a 1-yard run early in the fourth to make it 34-7, and Horn's 36-yard field goal with 4:14 remaining completed the scoring.
The College of Idaho defense forced two turnovers, including an interception by Chase Brown in the final five minutes. Tanner Steele led the Yotes with six tackles, including a sack for an 8-yard loss, while Mason Michel also recorded six tackles. The Yotes totaled 44 tackles and held Eastern Oregon to 64 rushing yards.
The 30-point victory marked a stark contrast to last year's meeting in La Grande, when the Yotes needed a fourth-quarter touchdown to secure a 7-0 win.
College of Idaho returns home on September 5th for its first home game of the season next Saturday against Rocky Mountain.
