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COLLEGE FOOTBALL Florida, here they come Raiders crush No. 3 Saint Xavier, earn first-ever championship berth Comment By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Dec. 6, 2014 at 7:03 PM Updated Dec 6, 2014 at 9:39 PM By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Dec. 6, 2014 at 7:03 PM Updated Dec 6, 2014 at 9:39 PM » RELATED CONTENT • SOU at top of its game » Social News On the record, Southern Oregon football coach Craig Howard talked a good game regarding Saint Xavier’s aggressive, blitz-happy defense. The Cougars, he said, would challenge the Raiders’ offensive line on every down, vary their coverage in an effort to confuse Southern Oregon quarterback Austin Dodge and in general force SOU to play its best game of the season in order to beat Saint Xavier in the NAIA Football Championship Series semifinals Saturday at Deaton Field in Chicago, Ill. But what Howard didn’t want to appear in the paper or on the air in the days leading up to the game was that the high-risk, high-reward style that made the Cougars the sixth-best sacking defense in the country prior to Saturday’s game also happened to play right into the hands of the Southern Oregon offense. For that reason, Howard was not surprised at the margin of victory Saturday, when the eighth-ranked Raiders punished the third-ranked Cougars over and over again before storming off the field and into the national championship game with a 62-37 victory. “We had a good scheme, protection-wise,” Howard said, “and when they blitzed, we made them pay.” No kidding. Playing against a team that feasted on drop-back passers all season, the Raiders amassed 643 yards of total offense and did most of their damage through the air. Dodge, who was voted the offensive player of the game, completed 32 of 52 passes for 460 yards and five touchdowns, including a 46-yard see-ya-later bomb to Ryan Retzlaff on 3rd-and-11 to stretch SOU’s lead to 54-37 just as it appeared Saint Xavier might be able to sneak back into the game. The vaunted Saint Xavier pass rush finished the day with one sack and three quarterback hurries, as Southern Oregon used a flurry of quick-hitting plays and draws to keep the Cougars honest, while also finding time to execute a few of its signature deep balls — a 35-yarder from Dodge to Matt Retzlaff on the fourth play of the game, a 39-yarder from Dodge to Dylan Young, a 22-yard corner fade to Young that stretched SOU’s lead to 47-24 and, of course, the grave-digger to Ryan Retzlaff. In short, it was vintage Southern Oregon, as the No. 2 offense in the country looked exactly like the No. 2 offense in the country, and maybe even a little bit better than that in clinching its first-ever title berth. “They run an aggressive defense,” Dodge said. “They got to me a couple times and they’re very fast and aggressive, but if you’re aggressive like that you have to leave receivers in one-on-one coverage. And when they do that, I have to believe in my playmakers on the outside and that they’re going to get the job done, and believe in my O-line, that they’re going to give me time.” Meanwhile, the Cougars’ big-play threat on defense, senior defensive end Greg Hayward, was held to four tackles and one hurry. Against the Raiders, the nation’s second-leading sack artist and Midwest League defensive player of the year could not bring Dodge down behind the line of scrimmage. The result was an early Christmas for the SOU receiving corps. Ryan Retzlaff had 11 catches for 160 yards and a score, Young six catches for 108 yards and a score and Matt Retzlaff six catches for 88 yards and two touchdowns. Southern Oregon also moved the ball well on the ground. Melvin Mason shook off a nasty case of frostbite suffered during the quarterfinal win over Carroll to rush for 89 yards, Tow added 53 yards rushing and Dodge ran for 30, including a walk-in TD. “One of the big keys was the offensive line,” Howard said. “Those guys were giving Dodge great protection. (Saint Xavier) had the No. 2 sacker in the country and our offensive tackles, they looked like All-Americans. They mostly single-blocked (Hayward) and kept Dodge upright. We had great balance on offense and we just continue to get better. The longer we play the better we get.” The Raiders (12-2) once again showed some resiliency. A week after overcoming a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit in the snow SOU faced a 17-10 deficit and a pumped-up Cougars’ defense early in the second quarter. Southern Oregon didn’t flinch, converting three third downs, including a fortunate third-and-goal pass that was deflected at the line of scrimmage and caught by center Ronald Rylance for a touchdown. That kicked off a 31-0 Raider run capped spectacularly by senior linebacker Heston Altenbach’s 30-yard interception return early in the third quarter. In a gadget play gone horribly wrong, Cougars receiver Ryan Carroll took a pitch and let fly an option pass that was tipped by SOU linebacker Laurence Calcagno right to Altenbach. “I just got under it and ran for my life,” Altenbach said. He also showed the heads-up vision of a former high school quarterback, cutting back toward the middle of the field before streaking across the goal line to give the Raiders a 40-17 lead. Saint Xavier (10-3) did manage to make things reasonably interesting, cutting the deficit to 48-37 on John Rhode’s 6-yard pass to Stephen Simms with 9:41 to go. But the rally only served to prod the Raiders back into seek-and-destroy mode. Faced with the most important third down of the day on their ensuing drive, the Raiders refused to play it safe, not even against a team desperate to make a big play and riding a wave of momentum from its big home crowd. Dodge dropped back, waited, and flung a gorgeous rainbow that fell into Ryan Retzlaff’s fingertips for six. Crowd silenced. Threat negated. “Our offense never lets up,” Dodge said. “We never have and we won’t now.” Dodge says that the Raiders will take that same approach to Daytona Beach, Fla., for the NAIA national championship game, which will be played Dec. 19 at Municipal Stadium and televised live on ESPNU. They’ll play seventh-ranked Marian (Ind.), which toppled fourth-ranked Morningside, 41-21, Saturday in another semifinal upset. “It’s really surreal,” said Dodge, who’s passed for 1,241 yards and 11 touchdowns in SOU’s three playoff wins. “It hasn’t really sunk in yet, but I’m sure it will. I’m just very proud of each and every guy on this team. “I really haven’t put that much thought into (the game) yet. It’s going to be warm and conducive to what we do on offense. I’ve never played in that big of a game before, so I’m excited to get down there and take it all in.”   By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Dec. 6, 2014 at 7:03 PM Updated Dec 6, 2014 at 9:39 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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