GAME 4 – No. 21 Dakota State (3-1) at SOU (1-2)
1 p.m. Saturday | Ashland, Oregon | Raider Stadium (Laurel Field)
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*First 1,000 fans receive free Operation Red t-shirts courtesy of Oregon National Guard.

ASHLAND – In need of a pick-me-up before the start of Frontier Conference West Division play, Southern Oregon hosts No. 21-ranked Dakota State (S.D.) at 1 p.m. Saturday on Raider Stadium's Laurel Field.

The Raiders (1-2 overall) are looking to rebound from one of the most grueling back-to-backs in team history, having taken lopsided losses against a top-15 NCAA Division II team (Western Oregon) and at the highest-ranked team they'd faced in 12 regular seasons (No. 3 Montana Tech). The Trojans (3-1), however, don't represent a significant drop off. They were competitive in their only loss, at NCAA DII squad Black Hills State (S.D.), and have averaged 44 points in their three wins.

THE MATCHUP: The first meeting between SOU and DSU was last September in Madison, where a third-quarter safety put the Trojans in striking distance and a 35-yard field goal in the final seconds made them 11-10 winners after shutting out the Raiders in the second half. A different tone is likely in this year's matchup: SOU has struggled against the pass, and DSU has the quarterback, senior Tray Hettick, who leads all NAIA players in both passing yards (1,430) and passing touchdowns (17) through the first month of play. Likewise, Raider quarterback Dom Montiel was held to 184 yards in last year's contest but currently ranks sixth in the NAIA at 295.7 per game.

HALL OF FAME WEEKEND: Six individuals will be admitted to the SOU Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday morning and recognized at halftime. The Class of 2026 includes All-America women's basketball player Ashley Claussen (2012-16), 2018 NAIA softball Player of the Year Harlee Donovan (2017-18), two-time All-America cross country runner David Laney (2007-11), national champion receiver Matt Retzlaff (2012-16), record-setting SOU volleyball middle Mia Wortel (2005-08), and legendary coach and four-time wrestling All-American Mike Ritchey (1984-2020).

QUICK HITS:

• Running back Fresh Ison continued his strong start last week with five carries for 60 yards, including a 32-yard touchdown that marked his second in two weeks. The graduate student from Oakland, Calif., owns averages of 78 rushing yards per game and 5.7 per carry, both up from his All-FC West campaign a year ago.
• Junior receiver Dawson Douglas ranks second among FC West players in receptions (17) and fourth in reception yardage (217). On those same leaderboards, sophomore Walker Bonar is seventh (13) and sixth (192). Douglas is already just one reception away from matching his 2025 total, and Bonar had not logged a catch prior to this season.
• Dom Montiel eclipsed 3,500 passing yards last week in his 13th appearance at SOU. He is completing 64% of his throws this season and posting 8.1 yards per attempt. Prior to last week, he had gone for 300-plus yards in four consecutive starts and thrown multiple TD passes in five in a row.
• Gunner Yates enters Saturday with 37 career rushing TDs (third-most in SOU history) and 41 total TDs (fourth-most in SOU history). Easing back into action, the 2024 Frontier Offensive MVP has only taken 17 carries through three games but is averaging 5.4 yards per touch.
• Junior linebacker Raiden House has led the Raiders in tackles six straight games dating back to last season. His average of 9.7 ranks 20th in the NAIA and fourth across the Frontier.
• Getting the defense going will be critical to the Raiders' success. They're sitting on three sacks and have yet to claim a takeaway; granted, they've already faced the two highest-powered offenses on their schedule. On a positive note, they've been charged with the second-fewest penalty yards (27/game) in the NAIA.
• Offensively, SOU's average of 6.3 yards per play is No. 27 on the national leaderboard.

MORE ON DSU: The Trojans joined the Frontier East last year after previously being part of the North Star Athletic Association. They went 8-2, including a 5-1 record in divisional play, and were picked to finish second behind Montana Tech in this season's East coaches' poll. The 2024 opening of DSU's Kern Family Stadium rejuvenated the program, which is now vying for its first spot in the NAIA Championship Series. Their momentum has continued to build this fall behind 18th-year coach Josh Anderson and the play of Hettick, whose top target, junior Melek Ford, already owns nine receiving touchdowns and an average of 145 yards per game. The Trojans have another major receiving threat in Maddox Kihne, who compiled 220 yards on seven catches two weeks ago at Nebraska Wesleyan. Defensively, they've generated nine sacks and four takeaways while conceding 308 yards per game. Entering this week, the Trojans have defeated eight consecutive NAIA opponents.

HOME HISTORY: SOU is 117-75 all-time at Raider Stadium but looking to snap a five-game home losing streak that was preceded by eight consecutive home victories. Four games during the skid were against nationally-ranked opponents. The last time the Raiders won against the Top 25 was in back-to-back weeks during September 2024, upsetting No. 9 College of Idaho and No. 4 Montana Western at home. Since then, they've lost eight in a row overall against the Top 25.

COMING UP: SOU begins its six-game Frontier West slate next week at Montana Western, which has dropped out of the Top 25 on the heels of a 1-2 start. The Raiders play their first divisional home game Oct. 10 against Simpson (Calif.).