ASHLAND – A trip to Sioux City, Iowa, might not be everyone's dream Thanksgiving  weekend, but the 10th-ranked Southern Oregon football team is thankful for the opportunity to take on No. 3 Morningside Saturday at 12 p.m. CST in an NAIA Football Championship Series quarterfinal matchup.

Southern Oregon, 9-2 this season, will fly to Iowa on Friday morning in anticipation of Saturday's game against the undefeated Mustangs, 11-0. The Raiders are looking for the first NAIA quarterfinal victory in program history, along with the team's first ever 10-win season. Saturday's game will be streamed live online, with links to the video stream and live stats feed available through the SOU Athletics website.

“That's a special time for football and our team as we get to celebrate Thanksgiving together,” SOU head coach Craig Howard said. “We all have a lot to be thankful for and are truly blessed in the Raider football program. It's a great time for fellowship and family and football.”

The team is hosting a Thanksgiving practice at 9 a.m. Thursday, with Howard inviting any SOU football alums in the area to come to practice and speak to the team.

Southern Oregon's offense continues to dominate the NAIA rankings and the SOU record books, ranking first in the nation in third-down conversions (51.7 percent), passing offense (4,941 yards), total sacks against (3), first downs per game (30.1), total offense per game (647 yards) and scoring offense (53.5 points per game).

Patrick Donahue (Los Angeles, Calif./Franklin) leads the nation in all-purpose yards (191.5 per game) and ranks second in receiving yards (1,388) and receptions (92). Colin Amsler (Stevenson Ranch, Calif./West Ranch) ranks first in kick scoring (105 points), while Cole McKenzie (Red Bluff, Calif./Red Bluff) ranks first in receiving yards (1,396) and sixth in receptions (79). Austin Dodge (Vancouver, Wash./Skyview) leads the NAIA in passing yards (4,632), total offense (4,733) and passing touchdowns (39).

Defensively, Kalii Robinson (Los Angeles, Calif./Dorsey) leads the team with 102 total tackles, including 7.5 for loss, while Heston Altenbach (Coquille, Ore./Coquille) ranks second on the squad with 75 tackles. Juwuan Brown (Long Beach, Calif./Long Beach Poly) leads the team with 7.5 sacks, and Josh Leff (San Clemente, Calif./San Clemente) has six interceptions this season, including two returned for touchdowns.

Morningside has scored 497 points this season while giving up only 92, an average game score of 45.2-8.4. The Mustangs average 208.4 rushing yards and 283.5 passing yards per game while limiting opponents to 256.6 yards per game and 3.7 yards per play. They have shut out four teams this season and have only twice given up more than 10 points. One of those games was last week against Montana Tech in the NAIA first round, when the Mustangs scored 34 points to earn a narrow 40-35 victory over the Orediggers.

“They've made nine consecutive appearances in the tournament, and they're a great football program,” Howard said of Morningside.

Joel Nixon leads the nation in pass efficiency (182.3), throwing for 2,933 yards and 39 touchdowns to tie Dodge for the national lead in TD passes. Nixon also leads the Mustangs' deep stable of rushers, totaling 632 yards this season, while John Halvorson has rushed for 509 yards and nine touchdowns. Five Morningside runners have rushed for more than 100 yards this season.
The Morningside defense has dominated opponents, picking off 20 passes and recovering 12 fumbles in 11 games. Chris Calvillo and Aaron Roberg are tied for the team lead with 94 tackles apiece, and multi-threat defensive star Colby Henderson  ranks fourth in kickoff return yards per attempt (34.7) after earning Beyond Sports Network NAIA National Defensive Player of the Year honors last season.

“He's a two-way player; they'll put him in on offense, put him in on defense, and they'll use him in the special teams, so we'll need to be aware of No. 3 at all times,” Howard said.

The Raiders return to the NAIA quarterfinals for the fourth time in program history. Their previous trips all ended with losses, as SOU fell to Mesa State 38-7 in 1987 and suffered close losses to Carroll in 2001 and 2002.