CALDWELL — As the 2024 season looms closer, the Yotes completed their spring preparations with their annual spring game Saturday afternoon at Simplot Stadium. With a little under four months until their season opener against Lincoln August 24, the College of Idaho showcased their talents in front of Yotes fans, who are just as eager as they are to begin the season.
For the spring game, the offense went against the defense for four quarters as the players rotated in for both units at every change of possession. The starters from last season at times were mixed in with backups and reserves, who aim to secure a larger role this season.
The first two quarters lasted 15 minutes, while the third was eight minutes and fourth was seven. Over the course of the afternoon, the offense put together three scoring drives — all touchdowns — as the defense stopped the offense more often than not.
“I thought we moved the ball reasonably well, but the defense was impressive,” Yotes head coach Mike Moroski said. “I thought we looked good running around on defense. That’s the big takeaway. It’s the purpose of spring, to move some young guys along. I thought there were a number of guys that moved along. That was very pleasing and it showed up today.”
Surprisingly, none of the scoring drives came when starting quarterback Andy Peters led the offense. One of his drives reached inside the 10-yard line, but he was intercepted by defensive back Jacob Arms near the goal line.
The secondary has gotten plenty of experience going against Peters and the stellar passing game the Yotes possess in the last few years. As the youthful group continues to gain experience , their performance on the field figures to up a level.
“This offseason they’ll only get better and better,” Peters said about the secondary. “To play against them every single day for the past four weeks has been amazing because they provide some different challenges that we have to talk about in the QB room.”
The battles between the wide receivers and defensive backs were on full display Saturday. Receivers John Kreps and Tommy Hauser made a few contested grabs throughout the afternoon, along with Jase Applebee and Jaxon Kortlever making plays.
All three of the Yotes’ touchdowns came through the air. Backup quarterback Caden Young had two of them — one to freshman Jagger Hewitt on a 19-yard completion, and another to sophomore Shane Runyeon on a 19-yard pass to the back corner of the end zone.
Max Clark completed the third touchdown to Kortlever on a five-yard pass.
But a name to keep an eye on is Hauser, who has been with the Yotes since February after transferring in from the University of Idaho. The Post Falls native spent two years with the Vandals and has arrived in Caldwell ready to make an immediate impact.
“Tommy is a very explosive athlete but he also has a very loud and proud personality,” Peters said. “Him coming in here and being here in the spring and the guys acclimating to him and establishing himself as that playmaker, that’s what he brings to the table. We know he’s going to make plays. We know he’s going to be loud about it.”
It’s an exciting prospect for a receiver to come into a group that is expected to be one of the best offenses in NAIA next season.
“It’s definitely challenging but the guys around me and assistants made it better,” Hauser said about his transition to the College of Idaho. “All college offenses are similar so it was a pretty smooth transition. It wasn’t too hard but it also was learning a whole different playbook…I think I’ve adapted well and I’m excited for the fall.”
Peters was able to work with most of the receivers the Yotes’ had dressed. The most notable absentee was Brock Richardson, who is still recovering from an injury last season. Peters looked comfortable throwing to any receiver — all part of the progression Moroski has been looking for out of his quarterback.
The hope is with another year of experience under his belt, Peters will become an even more dangerous passer than he was last year. To him, it’s about going through his progressions to jump to another as a passer.
“On pass plays, not getting hung up on something and if it’s not exactly what we want to look at, then move off of it,” Peters said about his development. “That’s been a lot of the spring and what we’ve been trying to do. How do we get quicker? How do we get better and how do we move to the checkdown if that’s what it comes to?”
The Yotes won’t be back on the field until the summer, but when they return, full-speed football will be right around the corner.
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