Rested and ready.
That's what SOU Head Coach Steve Helminiak hopes his Raiders are as they come off a bye week to host Western Oregon Saturday afternoon at Raider Stadium.
Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. Audio is available on AM580 in the Rogue Valley and audio and video are available on www.souraiders.com.
The Raiders are 1-4 following a 14-7 overtime setback at Linfield and last week's bye week. Western Oregon is 3-3 after last week's 24-13 defeat at the hands of Western Washington.
SOU took it easy last week, trying to shake the four-game losing streak and get ready for Western this week.
“We needed that bye week,” Helminiak said. “We had some guys banged up and we needed to get them healthy. It was also good for us to get our mind off the game for a little bit and get back to fundamentals.”
The Linfield game was unfortunately a familiar scene for the Raiders, another close game that got away
“Right now we are in the middle of a season where the ball is not bouncing our way,” Helminiak said. “We drove the ball up and down the field against Linfield but we didn't convert and ended up turning the ball over.”
Helminiak was quick to give praise to the SOU defense, a defense which held Linfield scoreless in the first half and only gave up 14 points for the game.
“They are playing their hearts out,” he said. “We still need to improve on our tackling, but they are putting us in positions to win.”
Junior linebacker Kenrick Baker is the leader of the SOU defense. Baker leads the team with 38 tackles and also has 6.5 tackles-for-loss.
Ben Baker (Susanville, Calif./Lassen) leads the Raiders in both tackles-for-loss (7.0) and sacks (three).
As a team, the Raiders have 34 tackles for loss.
This week the Raiders turn their attention to the NCAA Division II Wolves - a team that went 9-2 last year.
“They are a really good football team,” Helminiak said. “They are a veteran team defensively. They have an outstanding defensive line and really good linebackers. They will be the best defense we've faced all year.”
Last week, the Wolves held Western Washington to just 35 rushing yards and as a unit rank fifth in all of NCAA Division II giving up just 60.5 rushing yards per game.
Offensively, the Wolves have a pair of running backs who have both gone over 400 yards this year. Ben Kuenzi has rushed for 422 yards on the season and DJ Jackson has rushed for 414 yards. Mississippi State transfer Josh Riddel guides the WOU offense and has passed for 1,320 yards on the season and 12 touchdowns.
“We need to go out and put pressure on the quarterback,” Helminiak said on the keys to the game. “Offensively, we need to take care of the ball and keep running the ball.”
