CALDWELL, Idaho – The highly-regarded College of Idaho offense could hardly get on the field for the better part of a half Saturday. When it finally did, the Yotes looked well-suited to their No. 12 NAIA ranking in a 42-16 non-conference win against Southern Oregon at Simplot Stadium.

A few bad minutes spoiled an encouraging start to the Raiders' first game under head coach Berk Brown. The Yotes piled on late as quarterback Andy Peters connected with Brock Richardson for 163 of his 212 passing yards, outscoring SOU 28-7 in the second half.

Of the first 40 plays from scrimmage, the Raiders possessed the ball for 36 of them. They had a 6-0 lead on a pair Brian Batres field goals to show for two drives that combined to eat up 21 minutes of clock before the game flipped.

The Yotes – favored to win their fifth consecutive Frontier Conference and now sitting at 2-0 – didn't get on the board until 45 seconds remained in the half, when Peters hit Jon Schofield for a 15-yard touchdown. On the next play from scrimmage, Isaiah Griffin came up with an interception of SOU quarterback Matt Struck and returned it 30 yards for another score.

A third Batres field goal as time expired – this one from 48 yards, matching the sixth-longest in SOU history – brought the Raiders into halftime down 14-6. It also signaled the end of the day for Struck, who completed nine of his first 10 passes and 13-of-16 overall before an apparent injury sidelined him.

SOU couldn't match the Yotes' firepower from there on out. They scored on back-to-back drives in the third quarter to open up a 28-9 lead and finished with 342 yards of offense to the Raiders' 260.

Tight end Jackson Clemmer scored SOU's only TD on a 64-yard pass from Blake Asciutto to break up the run. Clemmer had team-highs of four receptions and 86 yards. Avery McCuaig also impressed in his first outing since 2021, rushing 12 times for 65 yards as the Raider offensive line controlled the game early.

The Yotes' line had the final say, though, keeping Peters from absorbing a single sack. He completed 16-of-24 attempts threw a second TD pass to Richardson, his only glaring blemish a Jordan Faifai interception.

Linebacker Javan Montiho led the Raiders' defense with seven tackles. He accounted for one of their two tackles for losses and broke up a pass.

SOU returns to action Sept. 16 for another non-conference contest against Willamette at Raider Stadium, the first matchup between the teams since 2011. C of I visits Ashland for the regular-season finale Nov. 11.