GAME 5 – SOU (2-2) vs. Eastern Oregon (3-1)
1 p.m. Saturday | Raider Stadium | Ashland, Oregon
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ASHLAND – Last week against Carroll (Mont.), a miraculous fourth-quarter comeback gave the Southern Oregon football team new life. Sustaining it will require the Raiders to put together a more complete effort when No. 18-ranked Eastern Oregon comes to town Saturday.

The 79th all-time meeting between SOU (2-2) and EOU (3-1) is set for a 1 p.m. kickoff at Raider Stadium as the Raiders attempt to follow up a rally for the ages with an upset of the favorites to win the Frontier Conference title. The matchup marks the end of the first half of FC play, and every team in the standings has already taken at least one loss after the Mountaineers went down last week at College of Idaho 24-7. The FC championship has gone to a team with more than one conference loss twice and more than two losses once in the last 15 years.

FAN POLICY: All fans 12 and older planning to attend are subject to SOU's new vaccination policy, which requires proof of full vaccination against Covid-19 or a negative test taken no more than 48 hours prior to entry. Photo ID must be presented for verification. Per state mandate, non-participants will also be required to wear masks regardless of vaccination status.

SERIES NOTES:

• The Raiders have seen EOU more than any other team in program history. They lead the series 55-20-3 and have a 10-6 record against the Mountaineers in FC play.
• Having the home field has been far from advantageous in recent history. Since the teams started matching up in FC play in 2012, SOU is 7-1 against EOU in La Grande, 2-5 in Ashland, and 1-0 on neutral territory. The Raiders have lost five of their last six at home against EOU, last winning in Ashland on Sept. 12, 2015, when they trailed 35-14 in the third quarter and came back for a 38-35 triumph.
• In eight full seasons as part of the FC, the Raiders have finished behind the Mountaineers in the standings once.
• The teams split their two matchups in 2019, both winning on the other's home field. EOU's last visit to Ashland resulted in a 24-21 win as Kai Quinn threw the go-ahead, four-yard touchdown pass to Saige Wilkerson with 10 seconds left.

COMEBACK CONTEXT: The clock showed 13:37 remaining last week when Carroll took a 27-7 lead, signaling the start of one of the most improbable comebacks in decades for the Raiders. Their 34-33 victory was made possible by quarterback Matt Struck's 20-of-29, 278-yard, four-touchdown fourth quarter; through the first three quarters, he'd completed 8-of-20 passes for 40 yards and three interceptions. The senior had two TD passes to Bryce Gogggin, one to Ben Graziani and another to Shane McLaughlin, and his 12-yard strike to Goggin in the end zone with 37 seconds to go stood as the game-winner.

How rare was the rally? The Raiders last erased a 20-point deficit in the fourth quarter on Oct. 31, 1998, when they took Simon Fraser to overtime after trailing 30-7, but they didn't even win that one. During the Frontier era, this comeback is rivaled by three others:

• On Sept. 12, 2015, the Raiders defeated EOU 38-35 by scoring 24 unanswered points in the final 16 minutes. Without the win, they'd have started 0-2 and likely missed the postseason and a second straight appearance in the national title game.
• On Oct. 8, 2016, they trailed 34-14 in the third quarter at Rocky Mountain (Mont.) before winning 35-34 with 50-plus-yard scoring plays.
• On Sept. 28, 2019, they avoided a 0-5 start by erasing a 28-9 deficit against Carroll and won 29-28 with three TDs in the final 16 minutes as Christian Graney made the go-ahead catch with 44 seconds to play.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Receiver Bryce Goggin and linebacker Drew Schuler were rewarded for their efforts with the Frontier's Erck Hotels Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week awards. Goggin finished with 131 yards on 10 receptions, eight of which he collected in the fourth quarter for 119 yards and two TDs. Schuler helped SOU's defense clinch the win with three consecutive stops to end the game, finishing with nine tackles, three tackles for losses, a sack and a pass breakup.

TOP 25 WATCH: Except for EOU, the Frontier enjoyed a fruitful week in the polls. The Mountaineers' loss at C of I dropped them seven spots to No. 18, but it moved the Yotes back into the NAIA Top 25 at No. 23. Montana Western, which sits at 4-1 overall and 3-1 in the FC, climbed three spots to No. 20. Of the Raiders' next four games, they'll play three against the FC's ranked squads – their most high-risk, high-reward stretch of the season. Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) continues to hold the top spot in the NAIA with 18 of 19 first-place votes.

HOME HISTORY: In Frontier play, SOU is 9-7 against NAIA Top 25 opponents at Raider Stadium. The Raiders' last home win against a ranked opponent was a 37-10 thumping of No. 23 Montana Western to cap the 2018 season. Overall at Raider Stadium, SOU owns a 105-62 all-time record and a 27-9 FC record.

BRIEFLY:

• Goggin (who was inactive in SOU's loss at College of Idaho) ranks 20th nationally at 98.7 reception yards per game through three outings. Before going for 131 yards and two TDs against Carroll, he went for 128 yards and two TDs against MSU-Northern, making him the fifth Raider in the Frontier era to turn in consecutive 100-yard, two-TD performances. Only two Raiders – Dylan Young in 2014 and Jordan Suell in '19 – have pulled off the feat in the straight Frontier games.
• The Raiders' average of 293 passing yards per game is the 13th-highest in the NAIA. Conversely, they rank 92nd out of 98 NAIA teams in rushing yards per game (53.8) and 93rd in rushing yards per attempt (1.8). However, Avery McCuaig was solid in his first start at running back with 62 yards and a TD on 19 carries. He's posting 4.7 yards per attempt overall.
• Prior to outscoring Carroll 27-7 over the final 13 minutes, the Raiders had been outscored a combined 55-13 over their previous seven quarters and change.
• The Raiders have cashed in on 11 of 12 trips to the red zone, recording touchdowns in 10 of them. Their red-zone conversion rate of 92% is the fourth-best in the country.
• SOU's defense generated four sacks for the second time this season against Carroll. Three came from the defensive line as Tua Laolagi, Alejandro Sanchez and JoN'Mae Wafford were credited with one apiece. Laolagi has recorded a sack in every game this season, leading the team with 4 ½, and Sanchez has totaled three over SOU's last three games.
• Willie Te'o became the third Raider to come up with an interception last week, joining Stokes Botelho and Devin Holden. Botelho continues to lead the team in tackles with 23, trailed by Schuler (21 tackles, 5 TFL) and Tre Holmes (20 tackles, 3 TFL).
• SOU went 0-3 against Top 25 opponents in 2019 but is 6-6 against them overall under coach Charlie Hall.

ABOUT EASTERN OREGON:

• EOU head coach Tim Camp is in his 14th season with the Mountaineers and working on a 77-62 record. He's led them to the NAIA Championship Series once, reaching the 2016 national semifinals, and is 7-13 against the Raiders. His team has more wins in Ashland than any other in the Frontier.
• In his impressive career as EOU's starting quarterback – which dates back to 2017 and spans 39 games – Kai Quinn has accumulated 8,873 passing yards, 51 passing TDs, 1,459 rushing yards and 19 rushing TDs. His offense has been quiet lately though, combining for 17 points in its last two games. Quinn completed 43 percent of his attempts and averaged 165 passing yards in those outings.
• EOU's defensive line boasts two All-Americans in seniors Chase Van Wyck and Sage DeLong. Van Wyck owns 36 ½ tackles for losses and 19 ½ sacks in his career, and Delong owns 35 tackles for losses and 17 sacks. The latter played his first season at SOU.
• EOU is giving up just 195 passing yards per game. Zak Donato has two of the team's five interceptions, and Solo Taylor is averaging 10 tackles per game.
• Dating back to 2019, the Mountaineers have won five consecutive road games.