NAIA-CFB Game Preview: College of Idaho Yotes (3-0) vs. Montana Tech Orediggers (4-0)

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Venue & Game Details

  • Kickoff Time: 12:00 PM MDT (11:00 AM PDT)
  • Venue: Bob Green Field at Alumni Coliseum, Butte, Montana
  • Capacity: ~4,000
  • Conference: Frontier Conference
  • Event: Montana Tech GameDay Presented by Intermountain Health

Weather Forecast (Butte, MT)

  • Kickoff Temperature: ~19°C (66°F), cooling into the upper 50s by late afternoon
  • Conditions: Mostly sunny with scattered clouds
  • Wind: 10–14 km/h from the west
  • Precipitation:
  • Impact: Ideal fall football weather; altitude (5,500 ft) could test visiting College of Idaho’s conditioning.

Injury Report

  • College of Idaho Yotes:
    • QB group healthy; starter threw for 3 TDs in the 38–16 win over MSU-Northern (Sept 20).
    • RB rotation intact, with one back averaging 100+ yards per game.
    • Secondary missing one rotational player (undisclosed).
  • Montana Tech Orediggers:
  • QB group healthy; starter has thrown multiple TDs in each of the first four games.
  • WR corps intact, including a top target who had 120 yards vs. Carroll.
  • DL slightly banged up but starters expected to play.

(Note: NAIA programs release limited injury info; updates closer to kickoff may adjust this.)

Key Player Matchups

  • College of Idaho QB vs. Montana Tech Secondary
    • Yotes QB has been efficient, averaging 230 passing yards per game.
    • Montana Tech’s secondary has forced 6 INTs in four games.
  • Montana Tech QB vs. College of Idaho Defensive Front
    • Tech QB threw for 3 TDs in the 37–14 win at Southern Oregon.
    • College of Idaho’s defense has allowed just 17 ppg, but struggled against mobile QBs.
  • Running Game Battle
  • College of Idaho RB averaging 5.8 yards per carry.
  • Montana Tech RB committee has combined for 180+ rushing yards per game.

Recent Team Form

  • College of Idaho Yotes (3–0)
    • W 21–17 vs. Eastern Oregon (Aug 30)
    • W 37–20 @ Rocky Mountain (Sept 6)
    • W 38–16 vs. MSU-Northern (Sept 20)
    • Strengths: Balanced offense, opportunistic defense.
    • Weaknesses: Passing defense has allowed 240+ yards per game.
  • Montana Tech Orediggers (4–0)
  • W 38–27 vs. Montana Western (Aug 28)
  • W 30–19 @ Carroll (Sept 6)
  • W 34–23 vs. Rocky Mountain (Sept 13)
  • W 37–14 @ Southern Oregon (Sept 20)
  • Strengths: Explosive passing game, strong defensive front.
  • Weaknesses: Occasionally slow starts on offense.

Conference vs. Conference

  • Both teams are Frontier Conference rivals.
  • This is the conference opener for both programs.
  • Both enter undefeated, making this a potential early-season title-shaping clash.

Series History

  • All-time series: Montana Tech leads.
  • Last 5 meetings: Montana Tech has won 3 of 5.
  • 2024 season: Montana Tech defeated College of Idaho 28–24 in Caldwell, ID.
  • Trend: Games have been close, with three of the last four decided by 7 points or fewer.

Betting Trends

  • College of Idaho:
    • 2–1 ATS in 2025
    • 3–1 ATS in last 4 vs. Montana Tech
    • 3 of last 4 games have gone Under
  • Montana Tech:
  • 4–0 ATS in 2025
  • 4–1 ATS in last 5 Frontier games
  • 3 of last 4 games have gone Over

Historical Betting Results

  • 2024: Montana Tech -3.5 covered in a 28–24 win (Over cashed).
  • 2023: College of Idaho +4.5 covered in a 31–28 win (Over cashed).
  • 2022: Montana Tech -6.5 covered in a 35–21 win (Under cashed).

Game Odds

College of Idaho Yotes                   54

Montana Tech Orediggers           – 7

Odds Courtesy of Sports Odd Direct as of Friday, September 26, 2025