Yotes preparing for first-time opponent in second home game

CALDWELL — One home night game down, one more to go.

The Yotes opened the 2024 season last Saturday night with a comfortable win over Lincoln. The primetime atmosphere brought a new energy to Simplot Stadium that they hope will carry over to this Saturday’s contest.

This week presents a new kind of challenge for the College of Idaho — facing a team that has never played a down of football. The Yotes will host Simpson University, who is playing in the school’s first-ever football game. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Simplot Stadium.

The Red Hawks are an NAIA school that is playing independently this fall and will join the Frontier Conference next season. Simpson University is located in Redding, California.

In terms of preparation, Yotes head coach Mike Moroski said everything is on the table.

“We kind of prepare for everything,” Moroski. “To be absolutely basic enough yet diverse enough, we have to be ready for anything. We think they’re going to run the option on offense and they may pressure a bunch on defense, which was a lot like last week when Lincoln caught us by surprise.”

The Yotes saw a little of Simpson last season in a couple scrimmages, but will get a full look at the team this Saturday. The College of Idaho hopes to set the tone early as they did last week against Lincoln.

The defense stood out in the win over the Oaks, holding them to 110 yards of total offense. One of the players stepping into a more featured role this season is safety Aleki Noyes. The sophomore started his first game last week and totaled five tackles, two passes deflected and one fumble recovery.

He took extra time this offseason to prepare his body for the increased game action.

“My preparation got better this offseason, especially during fall camp,” Noyes said. “I’m in the weight room earlier, I’m stretching a lot more than I normally do because it’s a lot more on my body. In the game and going against all these big dudes, it’s something new to me. After I got that first hit out of the way, I felt great. I wasn’t scared at all.”

Noyes is also coming into a defense where as a younger player, he can rely on his veteran teammates, such as Willie Nelson, Tanner Steele and Jacob Arms, to help him adjust to the game.

“If I have a question about anything, whether it’s with the d-line or the linebackers, they can always answer,” Noyes said. “It’s nice having them on the field too in case something has gone wrong or a formation comes out that we weren’t expecting. We can react to that.”

The Yotes defense kept Lincoln’s offense scoreless. The Oaks’ only score came on a pick-6.

Wide receiver Jase Applebee hauled in his first touchdown catch of the season. The redshirt sophomore isn’t as new to the lineup as Noyes is — he caught 16 passes for 324 yards and two touchdowns last season. But he will have a bigger role in the offense this season in a competitive wide receiver room.

“We’re always pushing each other to be better and we’re always celebrating each other’s wins,” Applebee said about the receiver group. “No one is a selfish guy. If they don’t get the ball, they’re not upset. We want to see each other score touchdowns.”

Following the game against Simpson, the Yotes will have a bye week before playing at Montana Western Sept. 14.