CALDWELL, Idaho — Rylie Byington rushed for five touchdowns and the College of Idaho scored 42 unanswered points across the first half as the Yotes opened their home schedule with a dominant 63-13 victory over Rocky Mountain College on Saturday at Simplot Stadium.

Byington scored on runs of 5, 26, 25, 19 and 23 yards, finishing with 127 yards on just 11 carries for an average of 11.5 yards per rush. His five-touchdown performance was the first by a Yote since Nick Calzaretta against Montana Tech in 2017, matching a mark that had stood alongside five-touchdown performances from 1953 and 1949.

College of Idaho wasted little time taking control. The Yotes opened the scoring when Trey Jorgensen returned a blocked punt by Markus Powers 21 yards for a touchdown, then added consecutive rushing scores from Byington to take a 21-0 lead after the first quarter. Caden Young connected with Brandon Smith for a 70-yard touchdown early in the second quarter before Byington added two more rushing scores to push the lead to 42-6 at halftime.

The Yotes continued to pull away in the second half. Byington added his fifth touchdown on a 23-yard run on the opening drive of the third quarter, while Rex Larson later connected with Noah Burnham for a 4-yard score, both of their firsts as a Yote. Burnham added a 20-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to cap the College of Idaho scoring.

The College of Idaho offense finished with 430 total yards, including 250 on the ground. The Yotes averaged 8.1 yards per offensive play and converted both of their fourth-down attempts. Young completed 8 of 13 passes for 124 yards and a touchdown, while Larson was 4 of 5 for 56 yards and a touchdown. Smith led the receiving corps with four catches for 116 yards and a touchdown.

The Yotes' defense held Rocky Mountain to 205 total yards and recorded seven sacks. Kessler Fjellman and Chase Brown each finished with six tackles, while Tanner Steele added an interception and a forced fumble.

Rocky Mountain managed two touchdowns, one in the second quarter and another in the fourth, but the Yotes answered each time and maintained control throughout the afternoon. The 63 points marked a decisive opening statement in the College of Idaho's first home game of the 2026 season.

The Yotes have a bye for the week of September 13 before hitting the road to Montana State University-Northern on September 19.