CALDWELL, Idaho — The College of Idaho football team is up to No. 9 in the NAIA Football Rankings this week, a small jump from last week in which the team was ranked No. 11.
The team has started with a record of 5-0 and beat No. 24 Carroll (Mont.) on Saturday, 31-20. The team hadn't beaten Carroll since 2019, a year in which the Yotes finished 11-1.
In that game against Carroll, the Yotes rushed for 197 yards and finished with three rushing touchdowns. That day built upon what had already been a stellar rushing season for the College of Idaho. The team is No. 9 in total rushing yards and No. 8 in total rush touchdowns in all of NAIA.
"I just love the resiliency," said College of Idaho head coach Mike Moroski in a statement from the team. "We've been a second half team all year. Obviously, the spark plug was the big pass to Brock Richardson. Sometimes, in games like this, it's the first play of the drive when you have the driest ball. I thought the defensive onslaught was really good. I thought we got free for some key sacks and kept them from getting on track."
The team's defense has been solid all year, and on Saturday the unit was led by Keagan McCoy. McCoy totaled nine tackles and four sacks, which cost Carroll 29 yards. Because of his effort, McCoy was awarded both Frontier Conference and NAIA Defensive player of the week. He has earned each honor once before.
McCoy is described as a vocal leader. He is quiet, but makes the right plays on the field. His Defensive Coordinator, Chris Jewell, says it is that personality that makes it so impactful when he does speak.
"All the sudden a guy like Keagan McCoy does say something to the troops," Jewell said. "It's like 'Woah, it's time boys. Keagan is telling us to do something." So, He's definitely a lead by example guy, but he's been doing it like that for years. He plays every position on the D-Line and does it all day long."
Chris Jewell
The Yotes will play Montana Tech in Caldwell on Saturday. Montana Tech comes in as the No. 19 ranked NAIA team in the nation.
