GAME 4 – SOU (1-2) at Carroll (2-1)
1 p.m. PDT Saturday | Nelson Stadium | Helena, Montana
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ASHLAND – Urgency levels are high for the Southern Oregon University football team following its second loss to an NAIA Top 25 opponent. Getting back into Frontier Conference title contention will require an uphill trek, and over the next month it'll have to be done largely away from the confines of Raider Stadium.

The Raiders (1-2) play four of their next five on the road, a stretch that begins with Saturday's visit to Carroll (2-1) in Helena, Mont. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. Pacific Time as SOU goes from one run-heavy team to the next, facing a Saints squad that features two all-conference tailbacks and a defense that has been especially stingy at Nelson Stadium in recent history.

LAST WEEK IN REVIEW: The Raiders put together three encouraging quarters against the defending Frontier co-champs last Saturday at Raider Stadium, but a 92-minute lightning delay put a wrench in their plans to upset then-No. 17-ranked College of Idaho in an eventual 42-24 loss. They led 17-14 when the first strike cleared both teams off the field, and the final play of the third quarter – Stokes Botelho's 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown – gave them their final lead at 24-21. It was all Yotes from there: They rushed 22 times for 184 yards over the final 19 minutes after the delay, and Keagan Croteau's pick-six was the cherry on top of their dominant fourth quarter. C of I's Hunter Gilbert netted 153 yards and three rushing touchdowns.

NAIA TOP 25: C of I (3-0), which has now won 28 of its last 32 conference games, is the Frontier's only remaining unbeaten team and its highest-ranked representative in this week's NAIA coaches' poll at No. 11 – a six-spot improvement. Montana Western (3-1) – whose only loss was a 16-10 decision at Carroll in Week 1 – rode a three-game winning streak to No. 17 in the poll, and Rocky Mountain (2-1) jumped back in at No. 25 after falling out for a week. Carroll and Montana Tech, both sitting at 2-1, are among eight teams in the "receiving votes" category.

HEAD-TO-HEAD VS. CARROLL: This matchup will be SOU's first of two against the Saints, who are scheduled to come to Ashland on Nov. 5 for the penultimate game of the regular season. They split last year's series, as the Raiders won 34-33 at home – erasing a 20-point deficit over the final 13 minutes for their biggest fourth-quarter comeback in a couple decades – and the Saints won a 20-17 overtime affair in Helena. The Saints had lost six consecutive head-to-head contests before that triumph, and SOU still leads the overall series 9-6 with a 7-4 record in FC play. The Raiders are 3-5 all-time at Nelson Stadium.

RAIDERS ON THE ROAD: The Raiders won their first road tilt of the season at Montana State-Northern, 56-6, to improve to 26-20 overall in Frontier away games since joining the conference in 2012. Before that win, however, they'd dropped six in a row. They're 23-11 on the home fields of unranked FC opponents.

BRIEFLY:

• The loss to C of I spoiled a career day for senior linebacker Jake Regino. He accumulated 15 tackles (eight of which were solo), matching SOU's fifth-highest total ever in a Frontier game. Devvon Gage, currently the Raiders' linebackers coach, established SOU's FC-era single-game record with 19 tackles in 2016 against Eastern Oregon. Regino is averaging 10 tackles per game, ranking 20th among all NAIA players.
• The Raider offensive line has only allowed opponents to record one sack, and none in either of the last two games. SOU allowed 28 sacks last year, including eight through its first three games.
• Christian Graney made four receptions for 55 yards against the Yotes, including a 39-yard touchdown connection with Blake Asciutto. He's up to 134 career reception for 1,328 yards, bringing him within four catches of sliding into the top-10 on SOU's career list.
• Running back Christian Quirarte also enjoyed a career day against C of I, netting 85 yards on 14 rush attempts. The Raiders are averaging 5.5 yards per rush as a team – the sixth-best mark in the NAIA. Last year they ranked 93rd of 98 teams nationally at 1.9 yards per attempt.
• Asciutto's final line against the Yotes was 12-of-27 for 176 yards and an interception. He had an outstanding first half, though, completing 10-of-13 attempts for 144 yards and a pair of TDs. His 207.3 passing yards per game are the second-most among Frontier quarterbacks, and he's completing 53.9 percent of his attempts. With seven TD passes, he and Montana Western's Jon Jund are tied for the FC lead.
• The Raiders rank sixth in the Frontier in yards allowed per game (375.7) and seventh in takeaways (4). Last week was their first without forcing a turnover in seven games dating back to last season.
• Stokes Botelho's 95-yard kickoff return TD against C of I matched the seventh-longest in team history. It was SOU's second kickoff return TD in the last three seasons.

MORE ON CARROLL:

• The Saints have opted to run on 58 percent of their plays from scrimmage, and for good reason: Matthew Burgess (37 rushes, 228 yards) was an all-conference pick in 2019, an honorable mention NAIA All-American in 2020, and missed all but one game last season due to injury. He's back alongside Duncan Kraft (30 rushes, 131 yards), who in Burgess's stead was an all-conference pick in 2021 at 85.5 rushing yards per game. Among those clearing the way for them are center Andrew Carter and tackle Hunter Mecham, both returning members of the All-Frontier first team.
• Sophomore Jake Prka is a second-year starter at quarterback and compiled 13 touchdowns compared to five interceptions as a freshman. He's off to a slower start in 2022 (1 TD, 3 INT, 132 yards/game) but has found reliable targets in tight end Tony Collins (11 receptions, 162 yards) and receiver Chris Akulschin (9 receptions, 103 yards).
• The Saints are giving up just 10 points per game at home since the start of last season. Linebacker Tucker Jones leads the team with 18 tackles, 3 ½ for losses an and interceptions. Lineman Garrett Kocab (17 tackles) and defensive back Rex Irby (9 tackles, 3 breakups) were both members of the 2021 All-Frontier first team. They excel against the rush, allowing 2.9 yards per attempt.
• Carroll has run off four consecutive home wins and is 11-2 at Nelson Stadium since the start of 2019.
• The Saints' fourth-year head coach, Troy Purcell, owns a 17-11 record. In the pandemic-shortened spring 2021 season, he took led the team to its first NAIA Championship Series appearance in seven years.