Retzlaff
Al Case, Ashland Daily Photo
Ryan Retzlaff had 182 receiving yards and two touchdowns Saturday.
40
Southern Oregon SOU 6-1 , 5-1
42
Winner Carroll CC 5-1 , 5-1
Southern Oregon SOU
6-1 , 5-1
40
Final
42
Carroll CC
5-1 , 5-1
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
SOU Southern Oregon 6 0 7 27 40
CC Carroll 7 14 7 14 42

Game Recap: Football | | SOU Sports Information

Raiders fall short in final seconds, drop epic 42-40 decision at Carroll

HELENA, Mont. – Southern Oregon University's two-point conversion attempt fell flat with 24 seconds left Saturday afternoon, allowing Carroll to seal a 42-40 win at Nelson Stadium that it had threatened and failed to run away with several times earlier.

That, and the fact that the fourth-ranked Raiders (6-1 overall) and third-ranked Saints are knotted atop the standings with 5-1 Frontier Conference records, is the short of it.

The tale in full is one of madness, one of 1,026 combined yards of offense, one made possible by SOU's 27 fourth-quarter points and an onside kick snatched up with two minutes on the clock, a sequel that transcended the original, an epic 38-35 SOU win six weeks earlier.

Carroll is ultimately 56-2 at home over the last eight seasons.

Austin Dodge (Vancouver, Wash./Skyview), SOU's perpetual protagonist, rescued the Raiders from drowning in two-score deficits four times with his 31-for-54, 356-yard performance. His final completion – a 21-yard looker that settled into the hands of a streaking Dylan Young (Salem, Ore./North Salem) in the corner of the end zone with 24 seconds left – gave the Raiders a chance to finally catch all the way up for the first time since Carroll claimed the lead on its very first possession. Dodge dropped back and had time to survey his options on the conversion attempt, but the best one left only a sliver of space to hit Young in the back of the end zone again, and the pass skipped away just beyond his reach.

Facing Carroll's 42-27 advantage minutes before that, SOU scraped together a 68-yard drive in less than three minutes that resulted in Melvin Mason (Vacaville, Calif./Vacaville)'s eight-yard touchdown run. Alex Nelson (Moorpark, Calif./Moorpark) was responsible for a flawless onside kick, Daniel Abernethy (Fullerton, Calif./Whittier Christian) recovered, and the Raiders were set up 39 yards and eight points away from a potential tie.

All-American tailback Dustin Rinker established himself as the villain to Raider faithful early, a role he earned by punishing the SOU defense on 30 carries for 201 yards and two TDs. The first saw him muscle out of the pack and burst downfield for a 65-yard romp, putting the Saints up 35-20 at the start of the fourth quarter.

J.J. Latu's kickoff return to Carroll's 42 immediately returned hope to the SOU sideline, and Dodge validated it with a 16-yard TD pass to Ryan Retzlaff (Medford, Ore./South Medford) in front of the defense. Retzlaff, who hadn't scored since the first week of the season, redeemed himself with 11 catches for 182 yards, including a 14-yard TD that closed a 21-6 gap 3:35 into the second half.

The Raider defense then came through with a stop, but that hope appeared to be fleeting when SOU's ensuing three-and-out was followed by a botched punt attempt. Carroll gained possession at SOU's 1, Rinker punched it in, and the Saints led 42-27 with 4:51 left.

Madness ensued.

Over the first three quarters, quarterback Mac Roche kept momentum in Carroll's hands. He threw for 285 yards, his three TD passes building the Saints' first-half lead. The only blip was his first interception of the season after 16 TD passes, taken by Laurence Calcagno (Canby, Ore./Canby) in the end zone and brought back 65 yards to give SOU a chance to tie a 21-13 game midway through the third.

The Raiders fumbled away possession on the next play.

Calcagno also pinned Roche, the first time he'd been sacked in three games, and had 11 tackles. Sean Blomquist, Carroll's All-American linebacker, matched Calcagno with 11 tackles of his own.

Young finished with nine catches for 97 yards, and Mason had 106 of the 169 rushing yards SOU gained on 16 carries.

Anthony Clarke was Roche's top target with eight catches for 140 yards and a nine-yard score that put the Saints up 14-6.

The Raiders brought the ball to the red zone on their first two possessions, but two Aldrick Rosas (Orland, Calif./Orland) field goals were all they had to show for it.

They'll remain on the road for next Saturday's tilt at College of Idaho before returning to Raider Stadium on Nov. 1 to play 15th-ranked Rocky Mountain.
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