The Southern Oregon football team may not have started the season as they had hoped, but JC Hunsaker hopes he has what it takes to get them back on track.

Hunsaker, the second-string quarterback at the beginning of 2008, was bumped into the starting lineup this week after the Raiders dropped a disappointing game to Western Oregon last Saturday.

SOU turned the ball over five times, in the 3-35 loss, leaving them at 1-5 on the season.

The Raiders host Azusa Pacific (1-5) this Saturday at 1 p.m. in the annual SOU Homecoming game.

Hunsaker, a senior, transferred to Southern his junior year, and saw his first action last week late in the fourth quarter.

An athlete since day one, he played football all through middle school and high school. He was also a standout at Big Valley High School in Beiber, Calif. in basketball, baseball, and track, and was awarded league MVP his senior year of football.

Choosing to pursue football in college was an easy decision, especially since his dad is a football coach.

“I've been watching football since I was a little guy,” Hunsaker said. “I used to always go watch my dad's teams.”

Before coming to SOU, Hunsaker played football at Willamette University and Shasta College. While he never started at Willamette, he got plenty of playing time at Shasta where he regularly split time with the starting quarter back.

Hunsaker's goals for the remainder of the season are simple: constantly move the ball without turning it over and find the end zone. A seemingly simple request, however it will take an extreme amount of work from Hunsaker.

“Our offense has been struggling lately and it's been frustrating for everyone,” Hunsaker said. “I really hope that I can keep the ball moving for the guys.”

Even with the quarterback switch, the Raider's offensive plans have not changed.

“We like to run the ball and we are going to continue doing that,” Hunsaker said.