December 5, 2025

BUTTE, Mont.  – The NAIA Football postseason’s quarterfinals begin Saturday (Dec. 6) on three campuses, with three spots in the semifinal round on the line.  Two Frontier Conference football teams are battling for a spot in the semifinal round on Saturday, Dec. 13.

The division champions of Montana Tech (East – No. 3 national seed) and College of Idaho (West – No. 8 national seed) are set for the quarterfinal action Saturday at Alumni Coliseum with a 1 p.m. kick-off in Butte.

The road teams enter the quarterfinals with a combined record of 32-3, the three home teams are all unbeaten, including both NAIA’s 12-0 teams, Friends (Kan.) and Montana Tech.

All three quarterfinal games will air on the UEN.  Next week’s semifinal pairings will be announced Saturday evening (Dec. 6).

The Orediggers enter with the NAIA’s 19^th-best scoring offense, and the 13^th-best among NAIA FCS qualifiers.  MT outscored opponents 38-14, boasting the sixth-best defense against opponent scoring, and the sixth-best against opponent rushing (84.7 yards per game).

Levi Torgerson is the only remaining player in the FCS with more than 2,000 all-purpose yards, with 900-plus return yards and nearly 1,200 receiving yards.  He caught two touchdown passes and threw another, his fourth touchdown pass of the season, in last week’s 31-21 win over Carroll (Mont.).  Torgerson has 14 touchdown catches on the year, adding scores on a kick-off and a punt return against Montana Western.

College of Idaho has also been tough against the run, trailing only Friends (Kan.) in opponent rushing, allowing 72 yards per game.  The Yotes are eighth against opponent scoring, outscoring opponents 29-15, on average.  CI is also the NAIA’s best, possessing the ball, averaging 35 minutes of possession per game.

Caden Young threw for 180 yards and added 101 rushing yards in the Yotes’ 37-19 home win over Morningside (Iowa), spreading his three touchdown passes to three different receivers, including Travis Mariero, who also ran for a score and led the Yotes on the ground with 78 yards.

The College of Idaho ground game is balanced, led by 89 yards per game from Rylie Byington.

Defensively, the Yotes are 20^th against the pass in the NAIA, allowing 186 yards per game to opponents with 20 quarterback sacks.

Both teams met earlier this season in the Frontier East-West cross-over contest on Sept. 27 in Butte.  The Orediggers held on to a 27-24 victory, holding off the Yotes’ fourth quarter comeback.

Montana Tech led 14-10 at halftime and their lead grew to 27-10 after three quarters.  The Orediggers outgained the Yotes 392-349 in total offensive yards, with MT registering 73 plays in the game compared to CI 53 plays.

Both teams altered their victory in the previous four meetings, with the home team winning each game since 2022.