ASHLAND -- The 19th-ranked Southern Oregon University football team hopes to a take a giant step toward an NAIA playoff berth Saturday at 1 p.m. at Raider Stadium in a crucial Frontier Conference showdown against perennial powerhouse No. 6 Carroll College in the NAIA's Game of the Week.

A victory over the Fighting Saints would be a giant bowl of chicken soup for the Raider souls who still agonize over the nightmarish outcomes of the two previous encounters against Carroll on the football gridiron. Those associated with the SOU program in the early 2000s will never forget a pair of fateful afternoons when the Fighting Saints dramatically shattered Southern's bright national championship hopes.

Nightmare No. 1: #4 Carroll College 16, #7 Southern Oregon 13 (Nov. 24, 2001)

Having secured the school's first NAIA playoff berth in 14 seasons, the 2001 Raiders featured nine all-star players and nursed a seven-game home win streak heading into the tussle with the Fighting Saints. Forecasters predicted rain for the quarterfinal clash, but the teams woke up to blizzard conditions that blanketed Raider Stadium and Fuller Field with several inches of snow by kickoff.

The freak snowstorm paralyzed the high-octane offenses until the closing minutes. Carroll slogged to a 10-6 fourth-quarter edge when the Raiders mounted a 16-play, 95-yard, seven-minute masterpiece of a drive that resulted in a go-ahead touchdown with 2:21 remaining.

SOU appeared to be headed to its first-ever 10-win season and a home date with Sioux Falls in the national semifinals when All-American defensive back Nick Daniken scooped up an errant pass in the final minute near the Raider sideline, but the side judge ruled the ball hit the snow first – a call vehemently disputed by Daniken and SOU coaches. Seconds later, Fighting Saints receiver Zack Zawacki hauled in a nine-yard game-winning touchdown pass from J.D. Emmert with 30 ticks left to snatch victory away from the Raiders in the wacky “Snow Bowl.”

Nightmare No. 2: #10 Carroll College 35, #9 Southern Oregon 31 (Nov. 30, 2002)

A year after the Snow Bowl, the schools met again in the NAIA quarterfinals, this time on an icy field in frigid Helena, Mont.

Led by Raider All-American running back Dusty McGrorty, who rushed for 159 yards and two touchdowns, SOU moved the ball with relative ease for the first three quarters, and a trick-play touchdown pass gave Southern a seemingly comfortable 31-14 edge entering the final stanza.

That's when an unlikely hero stepped up to rip the hearts out of the Raiders yet again: Fighting Saints backup quarterback Robb Latrielle. Subbing for all-star Tyler Emmert, who was injured on Carroll's opening drive, Latrielle orchestrated three unanswered fourth-quarter touchdown drives. Moments after converting a fourth-and-long, Carroll scored the clincher (and took its first lead of the game) on Latrielle's 10-yard scoring strike to Mark Gallik with 82 seconds remaining.

The Fighting Saints went on to capture the first of their six NAIA football championships, leaving the Raiders to wonder “What if?” to this day.

Fast forward to this year's must-see game at Raider Stadium – a contest Raider loyalists circled on the schedule months ago. A packed grandstand will greet Southern's best team since the 2002 edition. Fans are asked to wear red as part of “OPERATION RED,” and the first 1,000 fans into the stands will receive a free red t-shirt courtesy of game sponsors Lithia Auto Stores, Pacific Office Automation, US Bank and Raider Red Zone Football Alumni Club.

A decade has passed since SOU's postseason nightmares, but with Halloween approaching and Carroll in town, Saturday would be the ideal time for Southern Oregon to exorcise its football demons and return to NAIA prominence.