The West belongs to the Yotes.
The No. 2-ranked College of Idaho football team captured the Frontier West championship on Saturday afternoon, turning back No. 12 Carroll (MT) in a 49-41 victory at Simplot Stadium.
With the win, the Yotes climbed to 9-0 overall and 5-0 in Frontier Conference play, locking up the Frontier West crown with one regular-season game still remaining on the schedule.
Quarterback Caden Young fueled the victory with a historic offensive performance, piling up 553 yards of total offense for the hosts. Young rushed for 292 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries while completing 14-of-21 passes for 155 yards and three scores.
His ground total landed just five yards short of the single-game school record of 297 yards set by Tom Winbigler against British Columbia in 1948.
The College of Idaho struck first late in the opening quarter when Rylie Byington capped a nine-play drive with a four-yard touchdown run. Carroll answered early in the second quarter before Young broke free for a 52-yard scoring run to restore the lead. Young then connected with Trezell Patterson on a 27-yard touchdown pass, sending the Yotes into halftime ahead 21-7.
The Saints chipped away after the break, using a punt return touchdown to pull within seven points in the third quarter. The Yotes responded immediately with an 11-play, 75-yard march ending in an eight-yard touchdown pass to Tanner Sittser.
Carroll continued pressing in the second half, but the hosts answered every challenge. Young broke loose for a 73-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, while Sittser added a 12-yard touchdown reception in the fourth. Byington punched in his second four-yard touchdown run to push the margin to 15 points with under five minutes left to play.
Byington finished the afternoon with 70 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Patterson paced the receiving group with four catches for 71 yards and a score, and Sittser hauled in three receptions for two touchdowns.
On the defensive side, Chase Brown led the Yotes with nine tackles. Elton Saole-Su’e tallied a sack as part of a four-sack team effort, and Trey Jorgensen picked off a pass in the second quarter to halt a Carroll scoring threat.
The Yotes will hit the road on Nov. 14 to close out the regular season against Southern Oregon University. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.
