Box Score

ASHLAND – The Southern Oregon football team closed out the 2011 season with a 25-19 non-conference win over Menlo Saturday afternoon at Raider Stadium.

With the win, SOU finished the season 5-5, its best finish since 2007. The Raiders also finish undefeated at home for the first time since 1999. Menlo falls to 5-5 with the loss.

The Raiders opened the game with an unsuccessful surprise onside kick, giving the Oaks the ball on the SOU 41-yardline. Seven plays later, Menlo took a 7-0 lead on a James Yoder touchdown run and Kevin Kurtz point after kick.

Southern Oregon responded on its first offensive possession with a game-tying 64-yard drive highlighted by a nine-yard pass from Austin Dodge (Vancouver, Wash./Skyview) to Mike Olson (Colfax, Calif./Colfax). The game looked like it might become a shootout when Matt Pelasasa hooked up with Robert Adan for a 25-yard touchdown pass less than four minutes later. The Raiders blocked Kurtz' point-after attempt to keep it at 13-7.

Following an SOU three-and-out, Tyler Crowley (Palo Cedro, Calif./Bishop Quinn) dropped a 53-yard punt on the Menlo two-yardline, and a holding penalty on the Oaks moved the ball back half the distance to the goal. After an incomplete pass on first down, Juwuan Brown (Long Beach, Calif./Long Beach Poly) broke through the line to tackle Kyle Campas in the end zone for an SOU safety to make it 13-9.

Midway through the second half the Raider offense started a drive at the Menlo 42-yardline. On third-and-10, Dodge hit Cole McKenzie (Red Bluff, Calif./Red Bluff) for a 42-yard scoring pass that bounced off McKenzie and the defender before settling into the hands of the wide receiver in the end zone to give SOU a 16-13 lead.

The Raiders scored the only points of the third quarter, as a Crowley field goal capped a 14-play 66-yard drive for SOU that took more than six minutes and put the Raiders up 19-13. Menlo tied it up early in the fourth quarter, when the Oaks offense once again got a short field after the defense stopped a Dodge rush on fourth-and-one from the SOU 40-yardline. Pelasasa found Adan deep down the left side for a 40-yard touchdown pass to tie it up. The Raiders again blocked Kurtz' point-after attempt to keep the game knotted at 19-19.

An excessive celebration penalty on the Menlo touchdown moved the kickoff to the 15-yardline, and Patrick Donahue (Los Angeles, Calif./Franklin) returned the kick to midfield. An offsides call on the kickoff advanced the ball into Menlo's territory and on the first play of the drive Dodge found Olsen on the left side for a 45-yard score to put SOU up 25-19.

Menlo's final drive began at the Oaks' 22-yardline with 3:26 remaining. The visitors moved the ball into SOU territory and had first-and-10 at the SOU 28-yardline. Pelasasa threw incomplete and then rushed for one yard on second down before another incomplete pass made it fourth-and-nine with just over one minute to play.

Following Menlo's final timeout call of the half, DeSean Bradley (Compton, Calif./) and Justin Akau (Makawao, Hawaii/King Kekualike) broke into the backfield and brought Pelasasa down for a loss of 15 yards on a game-clinching sack, the Raiders' fourth of the game.

The final stat totals were very even for each team, with Menlo leading first-downs 17-16 and SOU outgaining the Oaks by one yard 332-331. Dodge finished with 283 yards on 22-of-32 passing with three touchdowns, while Pelasasa completed 21 of 36 attempts for 286 yards and a pair of scores.

Adan led all receivers with 10 catches for 166 yards and two touchdowns. Donahue led SOU with nine grabs for 93 yards, while Olson finished with a pair of scores and McKenzie posted 84 yards and a touchdown on four receptions.

Defensively, Chris Tosello posted three sacks for the Oaks, while Daniel Breaux (Greenfield, Calif./Greenfield) finished with two sacks for SOU. Telvis Jones (Antioch, Calif./Deer Valley) tallied a game-high nine tackles, including two-for-loss.