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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 2019)
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2019 SATURDAY’S GAMES ALL TIMES PACIFIC COLLEGE OF IDAHO AT EASTERN OREGON, 1 P.M. The advantage in the Interstate 84 rivalry has shifted to the southeast the last couple of years, with the Coyotes winning four out of the last fi ve meet- ings — and winning those games by an average of 21.5 points. They come in not only leading the Frontier Confer- ence by two games, but with the high- est ranking in program history. THE OBSERVER — 2C THE BLITZ Mountaineers look forward to the challenge of facing unbeaten Yotes ROCKY MOUNTAIN AT MONTANA WESTERN, NOON Montana Western still has a glimmer of hope at the Frontier Conference title, but would need for C of I to slip up this weekend in La Grande and top the Coy- otes next week. The Bulldogs also need to take care of business this weekend against Rocky, which they buried in September, 38-7. MONTANA TECH AT SOUTHERN OREGON, 1 P.M. This contest was surprisingly close the fi rst time — a 17-14 home win by Montana Tech — considering the teams were going in vastly different directions at the time of the game. The Raiders have found their foot- ing in recent weeks, last week’s loss to C of I notwithstanding, and could play spoiler to the Orediggers’ playoff hopes. CARROLL COLLEGE AT MSU-NORTHERN, 6 P.M. Carroll totaled 480 yards of offense in a 54-26 win when these teams fi rst met. A win by the Fighting Saints would give them fi ve conference wins for the fi rst time since 2014. PLAYER TO WATCH Eastern Oregon running back Victor Dias has been a workhorse in the backfi eld since the bye week. The senior has had his best three games the last three weeks, going for 130 total yards (76 rushing, 20 receiving, 34 passing) against MSU-Northern, 147 yards rushing against Southern Oregon, and 107 yards (60 rushing, 47 receiving) against Montana Tech. TREND TO WATCH This game will very likely come down to who runs the football better. In the last fi ve meetings between EOU and C of I, the winning team has amassed more yards on the ground. The Coyotes had a whopping 377-66 advantage in rushing yards in the fi rst meeting, and have 532 more rushing yards than EOU the last two contests. NAIA POLL Team Record Points 1. Morningside (Iowa) [17] 7-0 392 2. Marian (Ind.) 6-0 368 3. Kansas Wesleyan 8-0 361 4. Grand View (Iowa) 8-0 350 5. Northwestern (Iowa) 7-0 327 6. College of Idaho 7-0 321 7. Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) 8-0 309 8. Cumberlands (Ky.) 7-0 284 9. Evangel (Mo.) 7-1 269 10. Keiser (Fla.) 8-0 241 11. Saint Xavier (Ill.) 5-2 236 12. Ottawa (Ariz.) (AZ) 8-0 215 13. Benedictine (Kan.) 6-2 205 14. Siena Heights (Mich.) 7-1 201 15. Concordia (Mich.) 6-2 182 16. Saint Francis (Ind.) 5-2 180 17. Reinhardt (Ga.) 7-2 149 18. Southeastern (Fla.) 6-1 131 19. Montana Tech 5-2 122 20. Baker (Kan.) 6-2 105 21. Dickinson State (N.D.) 6-2 91 22. Langston (Okla.) 5-2 81 23. Sterling (Kan.) 6-1 73 24. Montana Western 5-2 45 25. Waldorf (Iowa) 6-2 25 Dropped Out: None Others Receiving Votes: Valley City State (N.D.) 5, Dordt (Iowa) 3, Indiana Wesleyan 3, Carroll (Mont.) 3 Ronald Bond/The Observer Eastern Oregon’s defense has held three straight opponents to less than 300 yards of offense. By Ronald Bond The Observer The fi rst matchup against College of Idaho in late August did not go well for the Eastern Oregon football team. The Mountaineers have played better since that 48-12 loss, but know they still have a tall task ahead of them when they face the undefeated and sixth-ranked Coyotes Saturday at Community Stadium. “(I’m) looking forward to the challenge,” senior running back Victor Dias said. “They know who we are (and) we know who they are.” The Yotes have largely been a run-fi rst, run-often power football team, a team that rushes the ball more than 63% of the time, and does so effectively. C of I is fi fth in the nation in rushing yards per game at 260.9, and ran for 377 yards in the opening victory over EOU. It’s a team that, seemingly, has been building to this point. After some struggles during the fi rst 4-1/2 seasons since bringing back the football program, C of I won its fi nal six games of the 2018 season, and hasn’t lost since. “College of Idaho is a very good football team that is very senior heavy, and these players have played in a lot of games for the Yotes,” EOU head coach Tim Camp said. C of I, indeed, has 26 seniors on its roster. The run-heavy attack is led by junior running back Nick Calzaretta and senior quarter- back Darius-James Peterson, who have more than 1,200 yards on the ground between them. Eastern Oregon’s defense, however, has improved in recent weeks, and has held three straight opponents under 300 yards — an unprecedented streak in the Tim Camp era. “I feel like we’ve been coming together as a team (on defense),” defensive end Chase Van Wyck said. “We’re growing as a unit. Everything is starting to click for us.” The focus on physicality has played a role in that, but the junior pointed to more reasons. “The chemistry has grown, and we understand where we’re at (as a team),” he said. Senior linebacker Isaiah Cran- ford said the approach taken by the team has also helped in the cerebral facet of the game. “We’ve been working together Ronald Bond/The Observer Luis Cardenas, front, and the rest of the EOU football team goes through conditioning Monday. SERIES HISTORY Eastern Oregon and College of Idaho have played 11 times since the Coyotes reinstated their football program, and C of I has a 6-5 edge, having won four of the last fi ve meetings. EOU has won three of the fi ve contests played at Community Stadium, including 24-21 last fall. C of I won the fi rst matchup this season, 48-12. COYOTE TO WATCH Quarterback Darius-James Peterson has been an effective game manager for C of I this fall, though he has also shown the ability to throw the football. In two of the last three weeks, the senior has passed for more than 300 yards, and tossed a program-record fi ve touchdown passes in the Yotes’ 42-14 win at Southern a week ago. check out the Local Sports Report... @lgoBond Tune into the Johnny Ballgame Show for the Local Sports Report with Observer Sports Editor Ronald Bond at 5:30 p.m. each Wednesday. BY RONALD BOND THE OBSERVER 1. College of Idaho: It’s almost a formality at this point that the Yotes are going to win the Frontier Confer- ence — it’s just a matter of when they are crowned conference champions. They can clinch a share of the title if they knock off EOU Saturday. 2. Montana Tech: The Orediggers will be favored in their fi nal three games (Southern, Carroll and Rocky are their opponents). If they win out and fi nish 8-2, one has to wonder if that could be good enough for them to sneak into the playoffs given their only losses would be to C of I twice. 3. Montana Western: The Bulldogs’ playoff hopes are on life support, as it would take them winning out — which would include beating the Yotes on the road next week — to get back in the postseason picture. 4. Carroll College: The Fighting Saints have to be kicking themselves even more now for giving up the lead late in their loss to SOU a couple weeks back. They won’t be in the play- offs, but will be favored in two of their fi nal three games, which could mean a winning season. 5. Southern Oregon: Southern didn’t put up much of a fi ght in the rematch against College of Idaho. The Raiders’ hopes for a .500 season hinge on winning against either Mon- tana Tech or Montana Western. 6. Eastern Oregon: Eastern is improving. There is no denying that. A real gauge of improvement will be how close the Mountaineers are to C of I this weekend. It shouldn’t be a 36-point rout like last time. 7. Rocky Mountain: The Battlin’ Bears have two wins over MSU- Northern and not much else to show this season. Yes, they beat Dickinson State in August, but that is not a team that belongs in the top 25. 8. MSU-Northern: Carroll. Southern. C of I. The Lights have to beat one of those three to avoid a third straight winless conference season. Gulp. STANDINGS About the game a lot more and been a (much) more sound football team throughout,” he said. “Physicality has increased, we’ve been hitting harder, hitting more, (and) it’s helped with our tackling and be- ing mentally tough.” One of the keys for the Eastern defense — and something that was emphasized repeatedly dur- ing walkthroughs Monday — is for the front seven to get penetra- tion against the power run sets for C of I. The EOU offense, meanwhile, has been mostly better since the bye week, but struggled to get going last week in a 23-10 loss to Montana Tech, one that saw the team gain just 171 yards and not come away with an offensive touchdown. “When we execute, we move the football. When we don’t execute, we don’t,” Dias said. “That’s how this offense has been all season.” Wide receiver Saige Wilkerson said the physical side is some- thing that could catch C of I off guard. “Our offense as a whole is a lot more physical, which they aren’t going to be expecting or ready for,” POWER POLL he said. The players know that, in the eyes of viewers, they’ll be under- dogs. Cranford said some of the play- ers may take a nothing-to-lose approach into the game because of that. For the senior, though, his take is different. “I think some people have, and that’s their opinion. For me, I love the game of football. Playing a game each week is exciting for me, and being able to see (C of I) a second time,” he said. Wilkerson noted that a team being an “underdog” doesn’t often matter in the Frontier Conference. “On paper they can say whatever they want to say, but everyone knows in the Frontier Conference that every game is up for grabs,” he said. “We’re going in with the mindset that were going to win the football game and hurt C of I’s season.” Camp added that he believes execution and disciplined play will lead to a victory. “We will execute our style of play, and the bottom line is that we need to make plays in all phases of the game,” he said. College of Idaho Montana Tech Montana Western Carroll College Southern Oregon Rocky Mountain Eastern Oregon MSU-Northern Conf. 7-0 5-2 5-2 4-3 3-4 2-5 2-5 0-7 Overall 7-0 5-2 5-2 4-3 3-5 3-5 2-6 1-7 Saturday, Oct. 19 Southern Oregon 31, Eastern Oregon 25 Rocky Mountain 57, MSU-Northern 39 College of Idaho 16, Montana Tech 14 Carroll College 33, Montana Western 29 Saturday, Oct. 26 Montana Tech 23, Eastern Oregon 10 Montana Western 59, MSU-Northern 13 Carroll College 51, Rocky Mountain 14 College of Idaho 42, Southern Oregon 14 Saturday, Nov. 2 College of Idaho at Eastern Oregon, 1 p.m. Rocky Mountain at Montana Western, noon Montana Tech at Southern Oregon, 1 p.m. Carroll College at MSU-Northern, 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9 Eastern Oregon at Rocky Mountain, noon Montana Tech at Carroll College, 11 a.m. Montana Western at College of Idaho, 11 a.m. Southern Oregon at MSU-Northern, noon ON THE COVER Senior running back Victor Dias has turned in a strong second half to the 2019 season. (Ronald Bond, The Observer) on the Listen to the Johnny Ballgame Show from 3-6 p.m. Monday through Friday on SuperTalk 1450 AM. @JBG_Show