trosin
Al Case, Ashland Daily Photo
8
Kansas Wesleyan KWU 10-2
52
Winner Southern Oregon SOU 9-2
Kansas Wesleyan KWU
10-2
8
Final
52
Southern Oregon SOU
9-2
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
KWU Kansas Wesleyan 0 0 0 8 8
SOU Southern Oregon 7 21 17 7 52

Game Recap: Football | | SOU Sports Information

Raiders romp through first round, 52-8 over No. 10 KWU

ASHLAND – Southern Oregon University's record is still perfect in six NAIA Championship Series first-round games, and the Raiders' performance Saturday evening was about as close to perfect as they've come.

On a cool but clear night at Raider Stadium, seventh-ranked SOU overmatched No. 10 Kansas Wesleyan in all phases of a 52-8 win. Quarterback Tanner Trosin was at his most explosive in leading the Raiders to 691 yards – the 10th-highest total in program history and the most ever in a postseason game – and the defense fell just six minutes short of its first of its first shutout since 2003.

For the third time in four seasons, the Raiders (9-2) are back in the national quarterfinals. Matchups for next Saturday's round will be announced early Sunday by the NAIA office.

All eight higher-seeded teams (and hosts) advanced Saturday, though top-ranked Morningside (Iowa) had the toughest time doing so, needing four overtimes to nail down a 75-69 win against Saint Xavier (Ill.). According to the seeds, SOU's most likely next opponent will be No. 2 Baker (Kan.), which improved to 11-1 with a 68-21 defeat of Point (Ga.).

Whomever the Raiders play, they'll be hard-pressed to find a better matchup than Kansas Wesleyan (10-2).

The Coyotes, who brought an at-large bid from the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference, had only been held under 27 points one other time this season – but that was also against the only other ranked team they played. The Raiders held them to two yards per play on 39 plays in the first half, and they ended up with 303 yards.

KWU quarterback Jake Curran was especially picked on, and sacked six times (including three by Sam Woods). He entered the day averaging 295 passing yards on 60-percent accuracy, but was 4-of-19 at one point and finished 19-of-49 with 194 yards and an interception.

Trosin, meanwhile, enjoyed the best day of his brief Raider career. The junior completed 26 of 32 passes for 365 yards – 112 yards more than his previous high – and had touchdown tosses of 37 yards to Jeremy Scottow, 18 yards to Jesse Needles and 41 yards to Louis Macklin. Trosin also rushed nine times for 90 yards, including a 17-yard score.

He had plenty of company on the ground, where the Raiders totaled 317 yards on 8.3 per carry. Macklin's late electric 71-yard TD run up the middle brought him to 130 yards on 12 attempts, and Scottow had a 14-yard rushing TD to go with his team-high of 103 reception yards.

Keegan Lawrence's TD dive from the goal line with 8:52 left in the first quarter got the Raiders started. They were up 28-0 by halftime, scoring on their final three drives of the second quarter.

The Coyotes finally broke through with 5:51 to play, already trailing 52-0, when Curran found Jacob Tatge in the end zone from eight yards out. Running back Mile Balthazor helped with a respectable line of 84 yards on 22 carries and two catches for 36 yards.

SOU's defense didn't give Curran much to work with otherwise. Isiah Carter was named the defensive player of the game for his nine tackles, including two for losses and one sack, and one forced fumble that was recovered by Woods.

Sean Rogers added two sacks, David Weider was credited with half of one, and Devvon Gage made eight tackles. Jaylenn Hart and Sam Woods contributed seven tackles apiece, and Karrington Jones had the game's lone interception.

The margin of victory matched SOU's 54-10 win against McKendree in the 2001 first round for the largest in program history. Before last year, the Raiders had never been past the second round.
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