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
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Report...
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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)
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