ASHLAND – The Southern Oregon University football team couldn't stop top-ranked College of Idaho from finishing off a perfect regular season on Saturday afternoon, dropping its 2026 finale 47-14 at Raider Stadium's Laurel Field.
Yotes quarterback Caden Young – the reigning NAIA Player of the Week and presumptive Frontier West Division Player of the Year – completed 12-of-17 pass attempts for 231 yards and two touchdowns. He also netted 139 yards on 11 carries, including an 80-yard jaunt to the end zone on C of I's opening drive.
Behind their senior star, the Yotes (10-0 overall, 6-0 FC West) put up the first 31 points of the game to get through the division unscathed for the second year in a row. They'll get a bye in next week's first round of the NAIA Championship Series and host a Round of 16 game on Nov. 28 as they attempt to top their 2025 run to the national semifinals.
The Raiders finished at 3-7 overall and 2-4 in the FC West. After celebrating 18 seniors prior to the contest, a 7-of-16 conversion tally on third- and fourth-downs and three turnovers were too much to overcome against the NAIA's top offense. The Yotes still haven't failed to score at least 35 points all fall.
Sophomore receiver
Walker Bonar turned in a career-best performance with five catches for 128 yards. He also got the Raiders on the board with 4:28 left in the third quarter, taking a
Dom Montiel pass 21 yards into the end zone.
Backup quarterback
McCade Long scored SOU's other TD with a six-yard reverse in the fourth quarter. Montiel passed for 351 yards, going over the 300 mark for the sixth time this season and surpassing 5,000 yards in two seasons at SOU.
SOU linebacker
Raiden House had a game-high 12 tackles and
Jimmy Fomby came up with his first interception as a Raider.
Caden McGowan and
Da'mon Carter were both credited with sacks.
Of SOU's seven losses, five came against nationally-ranked opponents. The Raiders played three of their five home games against Top 25 squads.
