GAME 10 – No. 1 College of Idaho (9-0, 5-0) at SOU (3-6, 2-3)
1 p.m. Saturday | Ashland, Oregon | Raider Stadium (Laurel Field)
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ASHLAND – The Southern Oregon University football team hopes to do more than just play out the string with the No. 1 team in the NAIA coming to Raider Stadium's Laurel Field for the final game of the regular season on Saturday.

College of Idaho has already clinched the Frontier Conference's West Division title at 9-0 overall and 5-0 in the circuit, and SOU (3-6, 2-3) has been eliminated from postseason contention. But the Raiders have pushed C of I in each of the last three regular-season finales, and they could do significant damage to the Yotes' playoff seeding by pulling off a major upset this time around. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.

THE MATCHUP: The Yotes reached the national semifinals a year ago and are primed to take the next step after locking up their second consecutive West regular-season championship with last week's 49-41 win over Carroll and reclaiming the top spot in the NAIA Top 25 on Monday. They're unbeaten behind arguably the top offense in the country – ranking No. 1 in third-down conversion rate (62%), No. 2 in turnovers (6), and No. 3 in both average points (52.8) and yardage (523.4), having yet to put up fewer than 35 points all fall. Dual-threat senior quarterback Caden Young, the reigning NAIA Offensive Player of the Week, is the engine with 12 passing and 10 rushing touchdowns.

The Raiders are 13-13 all-time against C of I, including a 10-11 record since the Yotes restarted their program in 2014 after a decades-long hiatus. The teams have met in Caldwell on the final day of the past two regular seasons: C of I won 27-24 in overtime to keep SOU out of the playoffs in 2024, then scored a go-ahead touchdown with 1:08 left to win 24-21 in '25. The Yotes have lost their last two games in Ashland, a 31-16 decision to end the 2023 regular season and a 45-27 non-conference affair in '24.

QUICK HITS:

• SOU running back Fresh Ison is up to 10 touchdowns on the season, including eight rushing in his last six outings. He has three 100-plus-yard rushing performances, ranking third among FC West players in both yards per game (90.5) and per carry (5.8).
• Linebackers Jojo Czyz and Raiden House are tied for fourth on the division leaderboard with seven tackles for losses apiece. House has been in on at least one in seven of eight games and Czyz in five of his last seven. House is also third in the division in total tackles (64).
• Dom Montiel missed SOU's last game at Carroll due to injury, but the Coos Bay product's average of 281.8 passing yards is the fifth-highest in the NAIA. He stands at 4,868 total passing yards in two seasons at SOU, attempting to become the seventh player in team history to reach 5K.
• How close are the Raiders to being 6-3? They've taken three of their losses by seven points combined – all decided on the final play of the game. At one point, they'd been in five games in a row that came down to the final play.
• Leading receiver Dawson Douglas (67.3 yards/game) has nearly twice as many receptions (52) as anyone else on the team. He has accumulated at least four every game and has the third-most in the division.
• SOU is 118-77 all-time at Raider Stadium and has a 42-21 record as the designated home team in Frontier play (2012-present). The Raiders are attempting to end a five-game home skid against Top 25 opponents.
• The last No. 1 team SOU faced was Morningside (Iowa) in the 2015 national semifinals. The Raiders won 30-27 on the road, getting a five-yard touchdown run for the lead from Tanner Trosin with 1:15 remaining to advance to the national championship game for the second year in a row.

MORE ON C OF I:

• The Yotes have qualified for the NAIA Championship Series for the third time in four seasons. Dating back to last year, they've won 15 consecutive regular season games, including seven on the road.
• Young is dicing up defenses with his efficiency, completing 71% of his pass attempts with only two interceptions. In last week's shootout against Carroll, he rushed for a career-high 292 yards on 19 carries, upping his average to 106.1.
• He is far from the only ground threat for a team posting 6.9 yards per carry.  Rylie Byington is contributing 95 yards per game and is tied for the NAIA lead with 22 rushing TDs. He ran in the game-winning score last year against SOU.
• The Yotes are limiting opponents to a 50% completion rate, giving up three yards per carry, and averaging more than three sacks. They've surrendered 20 points on only two occasions.