GAME 3 – SOU (1-1) at College of Idaho (1-1)
12 p.m. PDT Saturday | Simplot Stadium | Caldwell, Idaho
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ASHLAND – The Southern Oregon football team had a few weeks to get oriented, evened its record with a customary blowout of MSU-Northern, and accumulated a little confidence along the way. Now, a true test looms.

At noon Pacific Time (and 1 p.m. local) on Saturday, the Raiders (1-1) will visit the College of Idaho Yotes (1-1), winners of back-to-back Frontier Conference titles, at Simplot Stadium. The teams have faced the same opponents and gotten roughly the same results – both taking discouraging losses against Rocky Mountain (Mont.), though the Yotes' cost them a spot in the NAIA Top 25 – and will fight now to avoid falling two games back early in the FC title race.

SERIES NOTES:

• The Raiders are 11-6 all-time against the Yotes in a series that dates back to 1948.
• The Yotes brought their program back in 2014 and have since lost eight of 12 Frontier matchups against SOU, though they swept the two-game series in 2019 and have won three straight overall.
• The teams have split eight matchups in Caldwell. In FC play, SOU is 3-3 at C of I with its last win coming during an undefeated conference run in 2017.
• C of I won the most recent matchup 42-14 on Oct. 26, 2019 in Ashland. The Raiders were banged up that day, requiring the services of three different quarterbacks.

NAIA TOP 25: Monday's NAIA Top 25 coaches' poll was the first edition of the regular season and College of Idaho was one of three teams to drop out after starting the season at No. 19. Eastern Oregon, the FC's preseason favorite, jumped five spots to No. 13, while Montana Western entered at No. 23 and Rocky Mountain at No. 24. Defending national champion Lindsey Wilson continues to own the No. 1 spot.

RAIDERS ON THE ROAD: SOU owns a 25-16 overall record in Frontier road games since joining the conference in 2012. That includes a 22-8 mark against unranked opponents. In both 2018 and '19, however, the Raiders went 2-3 in FC away games. Their combined overall FC record stands at 57-25.

STRUCK NAMED NAIA PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Senior quarterback Matt Struck … hit all the right notes in last weeks' 42-7 win over MSU-Northern, accounting for six touchdowns in his first start at SOU to earn NAIA Offensive Player of the Week kudos. The senior transfer, a Crater High product, completed 22-of-34 passes for 326 yards and became the first Raider quarterback to throw five TD passes since 2014. In his career at four-year universities – which includes stints at Idaho State and Missouri State – he's compiled 28 TD passes compared to 14 interceptions.

BRIEFLY:

• The Raiders had a pair of 100-yard receivers last week in sophomore Bryce Goggin (9 catches, 128 yards, 2 TDs) and freshman Adrik Lamar (4 catches, 111 yards, 2 TDs). They've already produced three this season with redshirt-freshman Sawyer Cleveland totaling three receptions for 137 yards and a TD in the opener at RMC. In 2019, the Raiders had just one 100-yard receiving game through their first five.
• Consider it an upset that Christian Graney isn't among that group, though he has made nine catches. In 2019 – when he ranked second in the FC with 59 total receptions – he had two of his biggest games against C of I, recording 10 receptions for 93 yards in the first meeting and eight for 101 in the second.
• SOU's offensive line, anchored by senior center Tyler Coates, protected Struck to the tune of one sack allowed against MSU-Northern, a vast improvement over the four allowed at RMC.
• The Raiders used a variety of rushing looks last week – eight different players registered a rush – but Hykeem Massey was prominently featured with 61 yards on 12 attempts. Six games had passed since any Raider posted a higher rushing total – Massey's career-high 120 against RMC on Oct. 12, 2019.
• The Raiders' defensive effort against MSU-Northern marked the first time they'd held an opponent under 10 points since 2018. They've done it five times total in FC play.
• Stokes Botelho leads all Raider defenders with 12 tackles. He and Devin Holden both have interceptions, and Tre Holmes accounts for the Raiders' third takeaway with a fumble recovery.
• Cesar Ruiz was voted the FC's Special Teams Player of the Week. Through two games, he's converted all 10 of his PATs.

ABOUT COLLEGE of IDAHO:

• The Yotes, coming off a bye week, had won 20 of their last 21 FC games before a 33-30 loss to RMC on Sept. 4. The Battlin' Bears clinched that one by blocking a 38-yard field goal attempt for the tie with 44 seconds left. It was C of I's first home loss since 2018.
• The Raiders are tasked with stopping one of the NAIA's most effective running backs in senior Nick Calzaretta, who is up to 2,817 career rushing yards and 5.0 yards per attempt in 39 games for the Yotes. He had 206 yards in his season debut against MSU-Northern.
• C of I posted 525 yards of offense against RMC behind first-year quarterback Jack Rice, who has underwhelmed as a passer (20-of-44, 4 INTs, 131 yards/game) but helped the Yotes to 307 rushing yards per contest. He's second on the team with 28 rush attempts, netting 95 yards.
• The Yote defense boasts three all-conference performers in seniors Taeson Hardin and Isaiah Abdul and junior Dorian Hardin. That's where their strength lies, but up front, they've generated just three sacks.