BILLINGS, Mont., Sept. 1, 2022- Battlin' Bears football plays their first matchup at home on Saturday as they host College of Idaho on Herb Klindt Field at 11:30 A.M. Game time has been moved from 1:00 P.M. to 11:30 A.M. as a precaution due to the forecasted high temperatures for Saturday afternoon.
Watch | Live Stats | Tickets
Tickets Available Now: Tickets can be purchased now online using the link
HERE. This will also be the avenue for purchasing tickets with a debit or credit card on gameday, so skip the line and get your tickets now!
Starting off Strong: Rocky came home from Southern Oregon with a 27-10 victory. This victory marked the Battlin' Bears first victory in Ashland all-time. The Battlin' Bears were led by quarterback
Nathan Dick's three total TD's and
Zaire Wilcox's 134 yards rushing and receiving touchdown.
Austin Drake was 3 for 3 on extra point attempts and 2 for 2 (20 & 30 yards) on field goal attempts, earning him conference recognition as the Erck Hotels/ Frontier Conference Special Teams Player of the Week. An overall strong performance from Rocky that included 456 total yards on offense, 269 yards on defense, and a stronghold on time of possession in the second half allowed the Battlin' Bears to take their first victory of the 2022 season.
Scouting the Yotes: College of Idaho began their 2022 season at home, earning a 31-3 victory over MSU-Northern. The Yotes smothered Northern's offense, only allowing 133 total yards, including only 24 yards rushing on 19 attempts. Quarterbacks Andy Peters and Ryan Hibbs each traded off playing a quarter, combining for 248 yards passing and 2 touchdowns as a duo. Junior running back Allamar Alexander ran for 74 yards and had a receiving touchdown, while redshirt-sophomore back Hunter Gilbert had 72 yards and a touchdown of his own. Junior receiver Jake Nadley accounted for over half of the total receiving yards with 136 yards on 7 catches with a 26 yard touchdown catch.
College of Idaho was picked to finish fourth in the Frontier Conference Preseason Poll. In 2021, the Yotes clinched a share of the Frontier Conference Championship for the second year in a row. College of Idaho won the Frontier Conference outright in 2019. The Yotes are led by head coach Mike Moroski in his eighth year.
Battlin' Bears to Watch: Sophomore Studs
- Zaire Wilcox: The sophomore running back had a breakout game in Ashland, running for 134 yards on 24 attempts. Wilcox also had 3 catches for 17 yards and a touchdown. In one single game, Wilcox almost matched his 189 total yards from nine games in the 2021 season. Wilcox served as a feature back to accompany quarterback Nathan Dick and will look for another productive game on Saturday.
- Kaysan Barnett: Barnett, a sophomore defensive back, led the Battlin' Bears defense with 8 total tackles versus Southern Oregon, a career high for Barnett at Rocky. Barnett also had a pass deflection in last Saturday's win, and will look to fend off an offense that scored 31 points against MSU-Northern.
History: Rocky and College of Idaho faced off in a thriller in Caldwell, Idaho last season, as Rocky blocked the game-tying field goal attempt with 42 seconds left in the game to win 33-30.
Nathan Dick threw for 294 yards and 2 touchdowns, as well as 56 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Donovan Sellgren hauled in an 85 yard touchdown catch, and
Trae Henry had 87 yards and a touchdown reception.
Ty Reynolds had 11 total tackles and an interception, as well as
Ethan Hurst tallied 3 sacks in the victory.
Since College of Idaho reinstated their football program in 2014, Rocky is 5-3 against the Yotes. In these games, Rocky is 2-1 at home.
Social Media: Follow @BattlinBears on twitter for live updates as the game goes on.
