GAME 6 – Simpson (2-3, 0-1) at SOU (2-3, 1-0)
1 p.m. Saturday | Ashland, Oregon | Raider Stadium (Laurel Field)
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ASHLAND – Riding the high of its best win in a couple of years, the Southern Oregon University football team's hopes are suddenly alive and well with Simpson (Calif.) up next at Raider Stadium's Laurel Field.

Last week's 28-27 comeback in the Frontier Conference West Division opener at Montana Western, which ended a three-game skid, set up the Raiders (2-3, 0-1) with a stretch that could keep them playing meaningful games through the end of the regular season. Before closing against the current Nos. 1 and 12 teams in the NAIA rankings, they'll play the teams that were picked to finish at the bottom of the West consecutively over the next three weeks.

They'll also know better than to overlook the Red Hawks (2-3, 0-1). Saturday's 1 p.m. contest will be a rematch of the non-divisional season opener between the teams, which SOU escaped with a 38-35 road victory after Danny McDonnell got a piece of Simpson's 47-yard attempt at a field goal for the tie as time expired.

THE MATCHUP: The Red Hawks are in their third season of competition, their second as Frontier members, and five weeks removed from pocketing their first-ever win at Whittier (Calif.). Under new head coach Trevor Utter, they've made significant strides. Much of the progress is due to the play of transfer quarterback Ya'j Vance, who has passed for nine touchdowns, rushed for six and thrown just two interceptions. They're averaging 39.2 points and 487 yards per game, though top-ranked College of Idaho slowed them down last week in a 56-14 division-opening decision.

Simpson totaled 441 yards and 25 first-downs in the Aug. 29 opener against SOU. The Raiders had won the three previous meetings by a combined score of 177-24, including a 59-0 affair in the only matchup at Raider Stadium (Aug. 28, 2025).

QUICK HITS:

• Dom Montiel passed for 336 yards and three touchdowns in the first matchup with Simpson. He has gone for 300-plus yards in four of five games this season – six of his last seven dating back to last year – and currently holds the No. 2 spot on the NAIA leaderboard in passing yards per game (311.8).
• Trailing by six points last week with a minute left to play, Fresh Ison ran in a 35-yard touchdown that ultimately gave the Raiders their first win at Montana Western since 2017. He accumulated 134 total yards in the contest (90 rushing, 44 receiving), a week after posting 145 against Dakota State (S.D.). His career-high in total yardage (203) was delivered six weeks ago at Simpson. Among Frontier West players, Ison ranks third in rushing yards per game (79.4) on 5.7 per carry.
• SOU's defense got off to a shaky start to the season and is still seeking its first takeaway but came up big in the second halves of each of the last two games. The Raiders surrendered only a field goal after halftime of a 27-25 loss to No. 21 Dakota State, then had some critical late stands at UMW. The Bulldogs used a long punt return to start at SOU's 29-yard line and an interception to start SOU's 28, but they were forced to settle for field goals on both of those fourth-quarter drives. They led by six with 2:46 remaining when the Raiders made them go three-and-out to set up the game-winning drive.
• Raiden House has led the Raiders in tackles all five games and eight in a row going back to last fall. His total of 49 is the highest in the Frontier West and the 16th-highest in the NAIA. The other starting linebacker in SOU's current lineup, Jojo Czyz, made 2 ½ tackles for losses last week and leads SOU with four this season.
• Seven different Raiders have accounted for the team's total of 11 touchdown catches. Walker Bonar is among four Raiders with two and is second on the team with 306 reception yards, averaging 16.1 per catch. Dawson Douglas is second in the FC West with 30 total receptions and fifth in yards per game (75.4).
• SOU's next win will be the 20th for Berk Brown as head coach. Only eight Raider coaches before him reached that milestone.

MORE ON SIMPSON:

• Prior to last week's lopsided loss at College of Idaho, the Red Hawks were putting up 45.5 points per game. Their two losses (to SOU and at Mayville State (N.D.)) had been decided by four combined points.
• The aforementioned Vance is completing 60% of his passes for 222.2 yards per game but went 6-of-13 for 79 yards last week. His top target, freshman Ivan Huerta, averages 94.4 yards and has made four touchdown catches.
• The Red Hawks have also proven dangerous on the ground, with their top four in carries all generating at least 5.8 yards per rush. D'Ante Benjamin (54 carries, 304 yards, 7 TDs) gets the bulk of the handoffs but was limited to nine yards on five tries against SOU.
• Defensively, the Red Hawks are still searching. They're giving up the 10th-most yards (479.4) and 22nd-most points (39.0) in the NAIA.

HOME HISTORY: SOU is 117-76 all-time at Raider Stadium but has lost six straight at home, five of which were against nationally-ranked opponents. The current streak was preceded by eight consecutive home wins, the last of which was the 2025 season opener against Simpson. The Raiders are 6-5 in conference/divisional home games under coach Brown.

AROUND THE FRONTIER: This week's NAIA Top 25 included two FC West teams: No. 1 College of Idaho (which the Raiders host in their Nov. 14 regular-season finale) and No. 12 Carroll (which hosts SOU in the penultimate game of the regular season). C of I is off this week while Carroll hosts Montana Western in a battle of the teams that were picked to finish second and third in the West. Eastern Oregon, SOU's opponent next week, brings a 3-1 record into its West opener at Arizona Christian.