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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 2019)
3C — THE OBSERVER FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2019 THE BLITZ COLLEGE OF IDAHO (7-0, 7-0) AT EASTERN OREGON (2-6, 2-5) GIMME FIVE — KEYS TO SATURDAY’S GAME 1. SLOW DOWN THE YOTES’ RUN GAME C of I has one of the na- tion’s most prolifi c running attacks, one that ranks fi fth in NAIA football at 260.9 yards per game. EOU will need penetration up front to slow the ground game, or it could be a long day. 2. LONG, CLOCK- CHEWING DRIVES The best defense can be a good offense. EOU has been better in the ground game in recent weeks, and if it can build longer drives, get fi rst downs and — most importantly — score, it’ll be able to hang around. 3. FORCE MULTIPLE TURNOVERS The Coyotes are a team that takes care of the foot- ball. They have thrown just three interceptions and lost six fumbles. If the Mount- ies can get a couple of takeaways Saturday, they’ll have a shot at the upset. 4. FINISH DRIVES WITH TOUCHDOWNS While the EOU defense has been better, inevitably C of I going to score some points. If Eastern is able to put some long drives together, it’ll be vital to turn those possessions into touchdowns. 5. BLOCK A KICK IN SPECIAL TEAMS The Mountaineers’ lone touchdown last week came on a blocked punt. Getting through the line to block a kick is a challenge, but if Eastern can pull it off Saturday, that will be an added bonus. SATURDAY’S KEY MATCHUP C of I RB Nick Calzaretta EOU LB Gunnar Blix VS. KEY STATISTIC: Leading C of I rusher with 864 yards; had 124 yards in opener against EOU. It starts with the running game for College of Idaho, which means is starts with the offensive line and running back Nick Calzaretta. The junior has emerged as one of the top backs in the Frontier Conference and in the country this season, leading the conference and ranking seventh in the nation in yards per game rushing. He also has gone for more than 100 yards fi ve times. Stopping C of I’s offense will obviously require stopping more than just Calzaretta, but if he is able to go for another big day — as he has shown the ability to do this season —the Mountaineers could be in trouble. Calzaretta KEY STATISTIC: Tied season high with eight tackles last week against Montana Tech. Gunnar Blix has had a solid second half of the season as yet another player who is seeing the benefi t of Eastern Oregon’s physical focus. He has 22 tackles in the last three games, and twice in the last three weeks has posted his season-best in tackles with eight. That’s after having 19 in the fi rst fi ve games, and only one against C of I in the opener. The defense has been much better across the line, and how successful Blix and the rest of the linebacking corps is at helping hold the line will be important. It’ll be a tall order to hold a fourth straight opponent under 300 yards. If EOU can do so, it’ll be in position for the upset. Blix EDGE: CALZARETTA BY THE NUMBERS C of I C OF I INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS Passing C-A-I D.J. Peterson 102-177-3 Rushing Carries Nick Calzaretta 140 D.J. Peterson 71 Dominic Garzoli 50 Justin Hellyer 32 Ed Osterberger 9 Receiving Rec. Hunter Juarez 26 Connor Richardson 19 Keegan Crafton 14 Connor Gagain 19 Bo Stevens 7 Punt Returns Tony Huebner Kick Returns Tony Huebner Dominic Garzoli Field Goals Kyle Mitchell Tackles Forrest Rivers Josh Elsberry Graham Carnahan Daniel Garcia David Ford Taeson Hardin Landon Clark-Gammell Interceptions Taeson Hardin Pct. 57.6 Yards 864 364 279 221 99 Yards 593 271 219 203 93 No. 19 No. 9 4 M-A 8-11 Solo 22 12 17 14 16 20 8 No. 3 Yards 1,526 Avg. 6.2 5.1 5.6 6.9 11.0 Avg. 22.8 14.3 15.6 10.7 13.3 Yards 94 Yards 195 90 Pct. 72.7 Ast. 27 24 16 19 16 12 19 Yards 82 TD 15 TD 6 2 3 4 1 TD 5 4 4 2 0 Avg. 5.0 Avg. 21.7 22.5 40+ 2-4 Total 49 36 33 33 32 32 27 Avg/Ret 27.3 Yds/G 218.0 Avg/G 123.4 52.0 39.9 31.6 16.5 Avg/G 84.7 38.7 31.3 29.0 13.3 TD 0 TD 0 0 Long 58 TFL 7.0 0.0 5.0 5.0 1.0 0.5 6.5 TD 0 EOU EOU INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS Offense 224.9 193.4 Passing 260.9 109.1 Rushing 485.8 302.5 Total Defense 190.1 216.3 Passing 90.6 175.0 Rushing 280.7 391.3 Total Passing Kai Quinn Rushing Victor Dias Kai Quinn Kaler Moore Victor Rosas Receiving Saige Wilkerson Isaiah Thomas Phoenix Millhollen Conner Falk Tanner Zenke Victor Dias Punt Returns Isaiah Thomas Kick Returns Tanner Zenke Isaiah Thomas Field Goals Jaiden Machuca Tackles Haziel Ledezma Isaiah Cranford Gunnar Blix Chase Van Wyck Solo Taylor Zack Jacobs Sage DeLong Interceptions Zack Jacobs C-A-I 120-251-12 Carries 101 63 35 7 Rec. 20 23 11 18 13 17 Pct. 47.8 Yards 417 208 127 44 Yards 360 303 177 171 146 134 No. 4 No. 14 5 M-A 8-9 Solo 25 18 16 15 10 14 17 No. 4 Yards 1,419 Avg. 4.1 3.3 3.6 6.3 Avg. 18.0 13.23 16.1 9.5 11.2 7.9 Yards 31 Yards 337 52 Pct. 88.9 Ast. 29 25 25 25 29 20 14 Yards 0 TD 5 TD 3 3 3 0 TD 1 0 2 1 0 1 Avg. 7.8 Avg. 24.1 10.4 40+ 0-0 Total 54 43 41 40 39 34 31 Avg/Ret 0.0 Yds/G 177.4 Avg/G 52.1 26.0 18.1 14.7 Avg/G 45.0 37.8 25.3 21.4 18.3 16.8 TD 0 TD 0 0 Long 33 TFL 0.5 6.0 2.5 3.5 2.0 1.0 9.0 TD 0 POSITION MATCHUPS BACKFIELD The Yotes not only have a top-fi ve C OF I rushing at- tack nationally, but are paced by a top-10 running back, as Nick Calzaretta is seventh in the country in yards per game. They also have just three picks thrown to 12 for EOU. RECEIVERS The Yotes don’t have to throw it often, but C OF I have shown to have that capability with more then 350 yards passing two of the last three weeks. They also have the Frontier’s No. 3 receiver in yards per game in Hunter Juarez. OFFENSIVE LINE You’ve gotta have a good offensive C OF I line to get the yardage that C of I does on the ground. The Yotes also do a great job of protecting the quarterback, as they’ve only allowed nine sacks in seven games. DEFENSIVE LINE If there is a position where the teams are EOU close to even, it would be here and at the linebacker. The Mountaineers have who are widely considered two of the conference’s better defensive ends (Van Wyck and DeLong). LINEBACKERS The last three weeks, the Moun- taineers’ EOU run defense has allowed just 91 yards per game and only 2.31 yards per carry —numbers that are actually better than C of I in that span. This is close to a push, but we’ll give it to EOU. SECONDARY The teams have similar numbers C OF I in terms of yardage allowed and interceptions, but what gives C of I the edge here is that it’s giving up just a 53.8% completion rate. The Mountaineers are allowing 63.9%. PREDICTION: COLLEGE OF IDAHO 30, EASTERN OREGON 13 EASTERN OREGON SCHEDULE/RESULTS AT COLLEGE OF IDAHO AT SOUTHERN OREGON VS. MONTANA TECH AT PORTLAND STATE AT MONTANA WESTERN VS. MONTANA STATE NORTHERN VS. SOUTHERN OREGON AT MONTANA TECH VS. COLLEGE OF IDAHO AT ROCKY MOUNTAIN VS. CARROLL COLLEGE LOSS WIN LOSS LOSS LOSS WIN LOSS LOSS 48-12 24-21 35-10 59-9 49-13 45-7 31-25 23-10 Nov. 2 1 p.m. Nov. 9 Noon Nov. 16 1 p.m. EOU improvements should be encouraging E astern Oregon’s gradual improvement is about to get the ultimate test. With all due respect to MSU- Northern, Southern Oregon and Montana Tech, none of those teams can hold a candle to College of Idaho — though Montana Tech is a team that has consistently stayed close to the Coyotes and, were it not for a 58-yard Kyle Mitchell fi eld goal two weeks ago, would have beaten C of I and been right in the middle of the confer- ence title chase. The last three weeks — really, the last four if you count the bye week — have, in a way, built to this point of seeing if Eastern can put up a better showing against the Frontier Conference front- runners than it did in the opener when it lost 48-12, a game that it trailed by 20 at halftime, by 27 in the third quarter and really didn’t give itself a chance of winning. First, the bye week, where the Mountaineers made the call to return to a physical brand of football, focus on the run game and on getting in plays that best FROM THE SIDELINE RONALD BOND suit the offensive personnel. Next, the initial trial run against MSU-Northern — the exact team you would want to face out of the gate when making an adjustment like the Mounties did — which resulted in a 45-7 win. Then, the Small School Civil War against SOU, a game that, were it not for a couple costly turn- overs, Eastern maybe escapes with the win, rather than a 31-25 loss. Last week, a visit to Butte to face a team in Montana Tech that is currently second in the confer- ence and that ran EOU out of its own home stadium a few weeks back. The end result was a loss, but one that was much closer than the 35-10 setback earlier this year. The Mountaineers were within a touchdown in the fourth quarter before losing 23-10. Now comes C of I. Undefeated. Ranked No. 6 in the nation. On the cusp of a conference title (the Yotes can actually earn a share of it if they win Saturday). A powerful offense. A stout defense. A 13-game winning streak dating to last season. The team many people projected it to be at the start of the season. The Mountaineers have their hands full, for sure. Vegas would probably have EOU as roughly 20.5-point underdogs. But this game will be closer, and there are two reasons why that can be drawn from the last three weeks. 1) EOU has better a defense than a few weeks ago: The Moun- taineers have held their last three opponents to an average of 91 yards per game on the ground, and have kept four of their opponents under 300 yards in total offense this season. EOU hasn’t done that since 2011. Yes, yards allowed in a game aren’t the greatest indicator of success, but when you consider the Mountaineers were allowing nearly 470 yards per game at the bye week, it shows they are getting stops more consistently. 2) EOU’s focus on physicality is paying off: The Mountaineers’ physical play is probably the No. 1 reason for improvement the last three weeks. Yes, they are just 1-2 during that time. But they aren’t getting pushed in games around like they were earlier in the sea- son. The rematch against Tech is a good example of that. They didn’t match the Yotes on the physical aspect the fi rst time. But they should be closer to it this weekend. That in and of itself will allow the Mountaineers to hang around. Keep this in mind, too. EOU has a history of success against high-ranked teams. The Moun- taineers have 10 victories against top-10 opponents under Tim Camp, including a handful in the most unlikely of circumstances — most notably the 2013 team which upset No. 3 Carroll despite coming into the game with an 0-4 record. If the Mounties stay physi- cal up front and is able to play well enough on defense to slow down the Yotes, they could put themselves in a position to have a chance at the upset. And that alone would be a mark of improvement. Change in style fits ‘grit’ of EOU senior By Ronald Bond The Observer The move to a physical, hard-nosed style of offense seems to fi t Eastern Oregon senior running back Victor Dias perfectly. His stats since the bye week, when the Mountaineers made that move, bare that out. In the last three weeks, Dias has rushed for 283 yards and three touch- downs — 94.3 yards per game and 4.8 yards per carry — after gaining just 134 yards — 26.8 per game and 3.2 yards per carry — in the fi rst fi ve contests. “That’s the style of football I’ve always played,” he said. “I embrace that, for sure. I’m not one to shy away from contact or anything of the kind. I try to do my best with that sort of thing in all phases of the game.” The gritty style of play was empha- sized to him on the fi eld by his coaches at Middleton, Idaho — which included his father, Pete Dias. “All those guys instilled in me the real- ity that physically I could enforce my will on people,” he said. “That is something I try to do. Protecting the football is priority No. 1, but the second thing is making sure it takes more than one guy to bring me down. I think I’ve been pretty successful with that in my career.” It also fi ts his build as a football player, as the senior is listed on the EOU roster at 5-foot-8 and 210 pounds. But it also suits him — and, perhaps best — mentally. “It’s how I’ve been raised and how I’ve lived my life. (I’m) not one to shy away from contact or confl ict,” he said. “I have somewhat of an aggressive nature when it’s time to get stuff done.” As one gets to know Dias more, you learn that the work ethic needed to have success in that style of play and the grind- it-out attitude is deeply ingrained in him. When he isn’t playing football, studying or spending time with his wife, former EOU women’s basketball standout Maya Ah You-Dias, he’ll often be on the back of a horse working cattle. “I work outside for a living, what I enjoy the most is being a working cowboy,” he said. “I spend my time riding horses and tending to livestock.” His family back in Idaho owns livestock that he helps tend to, but he also works for different ranchers in the La Grande area. “It’s always fun when we get to go home and work cattle or (do it) here in La Grande,” he said. “It’s something I’ve always enjoyed doing.” His bloodline — on both sides of his family — is also accustomed to the hard- working lifestyle. His great-great-grand- parents on his mom’s side of the family were pioneers. His great-grandparents on his dad’s side immigrated from Portugal. His grandfather, Manuel Dias, was a veteran of the Korean War. When he considers the sacrifi ces and trials his family has made through the years, he considers himself blessed to be able to play football, and one can see why. It also makes the perceived struggles of a 2-6 season on the football fi eld pale in comparison. “I have this opportunity to play college sports (that they didn’t),” he said. “The struggles are small.” Even if he didn’t have the lineage ahead of him, he’s witnessed ample suc- cess in his time at EOU that would offset this season. As he put it, “I’ve done a lot more winning than losing.” “I understand fully well that in my career I’ve done a lot of winning, and it’s a blessing. In my previous sports, middle school, high school and here at Eastern,” he said. I’m not going to dwell as much on the hard times. The hard times for us right now here at Eastern pale in com- parison to the people who went before.” It also helps put into perspective his use of the word “grit” when asked what would describe his time at EOU. His family has shown it in the past. He shows it in his choice of work. He’s shown it on the fi eld. It seems to describe Eastern Oregon as a whole — not just the school, but the region. “Grit has been the word that for what- ever reason when we talk (to people) they say they want to have that grit,” he said. “That’s what it takes to be a Mountie.” It makes it easy to see why EOU head coach Tim Camp called the senior the “type of player” a coach would want as a program leader. “Vic has been an outstanding addition to this team, obviously as a player but more importantly the type of young man he is,” Camp said. “He is a hard-working (and) dedicated husband, teammate, and captain of this football program.”
