BUTTE, Mont. — The College of Idaho walked into the only place that handed them a loss this season and left no doubt who was advancing, powering past previously unbeaten Montana Tech 41–26 Saturday afternoon in the NAIA quarterfinals at Alumni Coliseum.
Rylie Byington, named Offensive Player of the Game, ran wild for 206 yards and four touchdowns on 25 carries, torching the Orediggers with scoring bursts of 1, 4, and 39 while repeatedly slamming the door on Tech's hopes at a rally. His fourth touchdown of the game with 26 seconds left in the third quarter punctuated a 20-point Yote explosion in the period, flipping the game from tight to untouchable.
The Yotes (11-1) set the tone instantly with back-to-back defensive takeaways. On Montana Tech's second play from scrimmage, Mason Priddy forced a fumble and Chase Brown pounced on it at the Tech 45. Minutes later, Priddy halted another promising Oredigger drive with a red-zone interception at the CI 8.
College of Idaho cashed in every time.
Byington's 1-yard score opened the game, then he capped an 88-yard march with a 39-yard dash to make it 14-0 late in the first. Montana Tech (12–1) responded with two second-quarter touchdowns, but the Yotes' defense and their physical run game took over from there.
The biggest defensive jolt came midway through the third when Tucker French tipped a pass that Jacob Sisson intercepted at the Tech 45, flipping the field and firing up a Yote sideline sensing its moment. Three plays later, Caden Young hit Travis Marieiro for 28 yards, setting up another Byington score.
Young added 81 rushing yards and a touchdown and threw for 127 more, including key third-down conversions in the third-quarter surge. Ryken EchoHawk piled on with a 43-yard touchdown run early in the fourth to put the Yotes up 41–20.
Defensively, the Yotes were relentless, sacking Tech quarterback Jarrett Wilson twice and forcing three turnovers. Tanner Steele, named Defensive Player of the Game, was everywhere, finishing with eight tackles and breaking up two passes while helping limit Tech's explosive passing game when it mattered most.
Montana Tech's Wilson threw for 367 yards and two scores, and receivers Levi Torgerson (14 catches, 202 yards) and Nick Michelotti (122 yards, TD) posted big numbers, but most of the damage came while chasing from behind. The Yotes held Tech to just three yards of offense on one third-quarter drive and stuffed multiple fourth-down attempts.
College of Idaho now moves on to the NAIA semifinals, riding a revenge win, a dominant ground attack and a defense that delivered game-tilting plays in every quarter.