GAME 3 – SOU (1-1) at No. 3 Montana Tech (3-0)
12 p.m. PT Saturday | Butte, Montana | Alumni Coliseum
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BUTTE, Mont. – The lack of let-up on the first half of Southern Oregon's schedule comes into focus this week as another monumental challenge awaits at No. 3-ranked Montana Tech in Frontier Conference divisional crossover action.

The second part in a string of four consecutive matchups with Top 25 opponents pits the Raiders (1-1) against the Orediggers (3-0) at a hostile Alumni Coliseum, where kickoff is set for noon PT (and 1 p.m. local time) Saturday. Tech, the reigning Frontier East Division champion, has already taken down two Top 25 teams from the Frontier West and will be seeking a ninth consecutive win in the head-to-head series with SOU.

The Raiders were off last week after coming away from their clash against Western Oregon – which is up to No. 10 in the NCAA Division II rankings – with a mixed bag. On one hand, they put up over 500 yards of offense for the second week in a row; on the other, they conceded the highest point total ever for a Raider Stadium visitor. They'll play exclusively against their own level the rest of the way but will need all the offense they can get against Tech, which has surrendered only three touchdowns to this point.

THE MATCHUP: The Diggers advanced to last year's NAIA quarterfinals (where College of Idaho knocked them out in upset fashion) and already appear well on their way to a fourth consecutive postseason berth, considering the quality of their early wins and the relatively forgiving nature of the Frontier East. Their junior quarterback, Jarrett Wilson, was the 2025 FC East Offensive Player of the Year on the strength of a 30-touchdown, two-interception campaign. He went 15-of-20 for 321 yards, four touchdowns, and 50 additional yards on the ground in a 37-14 victory at SOU last season.

That win made the Diggers 13-7 in the series against SOU. The Raiders earned their last win in 2018, 44-12 in Ashland, and most recently won in Butte on Nov. 11, 2017, to complete an undefeated regular season. To improve upon their 4-6 all-time mark at Alumni Coliseum, they'll have to contend not only with Wilson but with a defense that already has nine takeaways, is giving up just 48.7 rushing yards per game, and is allowing passes to be completed at a pedestrian rate of 44%. They're also capable of controlling the clock with running back Jamal Cariglia, a senior transfer who rushed 25 times for 204 yards in last week's 34-7 thumping at then-No. 18 Montana Western. Their star senior receiver, reigning FC East Player of the Year Levi Torgerson, victimized the Raiders for 222 reception yards last year and enters the week with 31 career touchdowns.

NAIA TOP 25: Defending champion Grand View (Iowa) remained the unanimous No. 1 team in this week's latest coaches' poll. The FC West had three teams in the mix: No. 4 College of Idaho, No. 15 Carroll (Mont.) and No. 21 Montana Western. The FC East had two: No. 3 Montana Tech and No. 23 Dakota State (S.D.).

Dakota State comes to SOU next Saturday, Sept. 26, on Hall of Fame Weekend. The Raiders then start their six-game FC West Division play Oct. 21 at Montana Western. The fifth and sixth ranked opponents on their schedule, Carroll and College of Idaho, are the ones that round it out.

QUICK HITS:

• The Raiders have logged 500 yards of offense in back-to-back games to start the season for the first time since 2014. That year they started with four such outings, never accumulated fewer than 442 yards, and went on to win the national title. Only 12 other teams in the NAIA are currently averaging 500 or more yards.
• Dom Montiel's mark of 360.5 passing yards per game ranks third in the NAIA. Of the top-15 players on that leaderboard, he is one of three who are completing at least two-thirds of their pass attempts (67%). He totaled a career-high 385 yards against Western Oregon and connected with four different receivers for touchdown passes. Dating back to last season, he has gone for 300-plus yards and thrown multiple TD passes in four straight appearances.
• All-America running back Gunner Yates was used sparingly through the first two weeks while working his way back to full strength, but the junior looked sharp on six carries against Western Oregon while registering 65 yards, including a 33-yard touchdown run – the 37th of his career. His breakout performance came as a true freshman at Montana Tech in 2022, when he had 212 yards and three TDs on just 18 carries. SOU's other all-star running back, Fresh Ison, compiled 252 total yards through two games and is averaging 4.8 per rushing attempt.
• Dawson Douglas had SOU's first 100-yard receiving game of the season against WOU, making nine catches for 114 yards. He leads SOU in catches (13) and yards (172) and is among seven Raiders with one touchdown catch apiece.
• Junior All-FC West linebacker Raiden House went for 11 tackles in each of SOU's first two games and leads all players within the division in total tackles. In 2025, he was seventh on the FC West leaderboard in tackles per game (7.4).
• SOU's ability to limit big gains remains key. Through two games, the Raiders have conceded 20 or more yards on 14 different plays.
• The Raiders are seeking their first road win against a Top 25 team since the 2017 national quarterfinals.