NAIA GAME NOTES

ASHLAND – Three consecutive record-setting wins have set Southern Oregon up for the NAIA Football Game of the Week this Saturday when the 19th-ranked Raiders host No. 6 Carroll College at 1:05 p.m. at Raider Stadium.

Southern Oregon, 5-2 this season, will look to step to the front of the pack in the Frontier Conference with a win over one of the perennial football powers in the NAIA, as Carroll (6-2) has won six national titles in the last 10 years. The Raiders are partnering with Lithia Auto Stores, US Bank, Pacific Office Automation and Raider Red Zone Football Alumni Club for “OPERATION RED,” with the first 1,000 fans into the stadium receiving a red t-shirt and all fans being encouraged to wear red to the game.

Tickets will be $10 for the game, with $5 tickets for seniors over 62 and children 12-and-under receiving free admission. Fans who can't make it to the stadium can follow the action with live stats and video by following the links on the SOU website, and anyone who lives in southern Oregon or northern California can also view the game broadcast on KDRV Newswatch 12+, available over the air on channel 12.2, Charter Cable channel 291, Ashland TV channel 12.2 and Northland Cable System channel 137.

“Carroll is one of the outstanding programs in the NAIA,” SOU head coach Craig Howard said. “They've got a great coaching staff; they've got great players and they've got great tradition. That's why it's such a great program.”

Saturday's matchup will showcase a pair of fundamentally different approaches between the two teams. Carroll is a run-first team that uses an elite pass rush to overpower its opponents and limit opposing passing attacks, while the Raiders boast the NAIA's strongest passing unit and one of the best offensive lines in the nation.

The Saints rank second in the NAIA in sacks (27), fifth in total defense per game (253.3 yards), seventh in opponent first downs (102) ninth in opponent third-down conversion (27.5 percent), 11th in scoring defense (16 points per game) and 17th in pass defense (159.1 yards per game).

Meanwhile, the Raiders have tallied nearly as many first downs in their past three games (100) as the Saints have allowed all season (102). Southern Oregon also leads the nation in total offense (644.6 yards per game), pass offense (3,065), scoring offense (54.7 points per game) and total sacks allowed (2), while ranking fourth in third-down conversion (50.4 percent). Defensively, the Raiders have stifled opposing runners, limiting opponents to an average of 113.4 rushing yards per game. In the past two games, SOU's defense has given up a combined total of 11 rushing yards.

The Saint's ground offense centers on a three-player rushing attack, with Chance Demarais leading the team (720 yards and six touchdowns). Dual-threat quarterback Dakota Stonehouse has rushed for 615 yards and three scores, while Dustin Rinker has added 555 and three touchdowns. Stonehouse has also passed for 1,330 yards and 13 touchdowns while completing 66.5 percent of his passes. But it all starts with Demarais and the ground game.

“He's rugged, tough and durable,” Howard said of Carroll's star runner. “He's a great running back that spearheads their offense. Defensively we've got our work cut out for us to shut down the Carroll College offense.”

The Raiders' defense has proved stout for opponents as the season has progressed, and SOU players Marquice O'Leary (Fontana, Calif./Etiwanda), Josh Leff (San Clemente, Calif./San Clemente) and Kalii Robinson (Los Angeles, Calif./Dorsey) have claimed the past three Frontier Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors. Meanwhile, the SOU offense has continued to shatter records and is on pace to set NAIA records for yards per game (644.6) and points per game (54.7).

Five Raiders have posted individual numbers that rank among the top players in the nation. Austin Dodge (Vancouver, Wash./Skyview) leads the NAIA in passing yards per game (394.7) total offense (406.3), and total touchdown passes (25). Patrick Donahue (Los Angeles, Calif./Franklin) ranks first in all-purpose yards (191.4), fourth in total receptions (61) and seventh in total receiving yards (795). Cole McKenzie (Red Bluff, Calif./Red Bluff) ranks second in total receiving yards (862) and eighth in total receptions (50), and Mike Olson (Colfax, Calif./Colfax) ranks seventh in scoring (10.6 points per game). Colin Amsler (Stevenson Ranch, Calif./West Ranch) leads the nation in field goals (1.6 per game) and total kick scoring (75 points).

Adding to all of the drama of a great football matchup is SOU's Hall of Fame Weekend, with the Raiders inducting their 2012 HOF class at a pre-game banquet Saturday morning. Saturday will also be the 10-year reunion for Southern Oregon's 2002 football team, the last Raider squad to advance to the NAIA postseason.

Emotions will be high for that reunion, as the 2002 team saw its season end at the hands of Carroll in a comeback 35-31 NAIA Quarterfinal game in Helena. Carroll went on to claim its first national title that year after knocking the Raiders out of the playoffs for the second consecutive season  – the only two times these teams have met on the gridiron.

“All these things add up to a key football game in the Frontier Conference,” Howard said.