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--> --> Nov. 18: Raiders roll in Round One By Bobby Heiken Ashland Daily Tidings So much for the postseason jitters. So much for the big, strong boys from the Midwest. So much for the top-ranked scoring defense in the NAIA. The seventh-ranked Southern Oregon University football team squashed all of those theories with a resounding 54-10 victory over McKendree College Saturday afternoon in the opening round of the NAIA playoffs in front of an approving 2,512 fans at Raider Stadium. And those fans won't have to go far to watch their team play in the quarterfinals as SOU (9-1) will host fourth-ranked Carroll College (10-1) at 1 p.m. Saturday afternoon at the friendly confines of Raider Stadium. Carroll, from Helena, Mont., knocked off No. 12 Valley City State of North Dakota 45-27 Saturday. The Fighting Saints fell in the semifinals last year to eventual NAIA champion Georgetown, Ky. The Frontier Conference champions feature a wide-open offense with senior quarterback J.D. Emmert who has thrown for a school record 3,597 yards and a defense that ranks No. 1 in the NAIA against the run, holding foes to 46 rushing yards a game. Still, the Raiders are happy to be playing in front of the Ashland crowd. "Playing at home is a huge plus for us," SOU senior quarterback Travis Mari said. "Hopefully we'll get another huge crowd and playing at home gives us more time to prepare." Saturday night against 16th-ranked McKendree (8-3), everything played right into the Raiders' hands. Operating against a defense that was only giving up 11.9 points and 248 yards a game, SOU took the opening kickoff and immediately backed the Bearcats up against a wall. On the first play from scrimmage, Mari completed a 20-yard pass to junior tight end Adam Clinton. Next up, sophomore Dusty McGrorty busted through the line for an 8-yard gain. Mari dropped back on second down and found senior receiver Leo Stoddard for a 21-yard gain to the McKendree 9. Three McGrorty runs later the Raiders were up 7-0. "To come out and put some points on the board right at the beginning really took the wind out of their sails," Mari said. The SOU defense stepped up on McKendree's first possession as they limited the run-oriented Bearcats to five yards and forced a punt - setting the tone for the rest of the game. "We came out together as a team and took care of business," senior linebacker Erube Magana said. While McKendree was still trying to figure out the SOU defense, Mari and the offense were busy putting points on the board any way they could. A pair of Jason Manning field goals gave SOU a 13-0 lead midway through the second quarter and after the SOU defense held McKendree to another three plays and out, Mari had the squad marching again. ir of McGrorty runs, Mari lofted a swing pass to McGrorty who streaked down the sideline - picking up a key block from Jordan - for a 29-yard touchdown and a 19-0 lead. Another three and out forced by the Raider defense - which featured a sack by juniors Nick Daniken and Gilbert Roman - set up some SOU trickery. On a third-and-4 from the Bearcat 24, Mari threw a backward pass to Stoddard who then fired downfield to a wide open Danny Negra for a score and a 26-0 lead that had the Raider fans going crazy. In the third quarter McKendree got on the board with a 24-yard Brian Schneider field goal. Daniken took the ensuing kickoff and returned it 95 yards for a score and a 33-3 lead. The score was Daniken's fourth career kickoff return for a touchdown and set a new Northwest small-college record. McGrorty added another touchdown before Mari found Jordan for a 23-yard score and an insurmountable 47-3 lead. Sophomore Bill Jolin added a 17-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Mari was named the NAIA's Offensive Player of the Game after going 15-for-23 for 230 yards and two touchdowns in his three quarters of work. His two scores gave him 23 on the year and tied him with former all-star Mark Helfrich for the SOU school record. "He didn't have his best game against Eastern Oregon," Raider head coach Jeff Olson said, referring to the regular season finale last Saturday. "He was determined to come out and prove he was better then what he showed. He's such a competitor that we knew he'd have a great game." Mari gives most of the credit to the offensive line of Todd Wesolowski, Richard Griffin, Jeremy Chapman, Marc Garcia and Aaron Hayman. "They have been playing great all year," Mari said. "It's always the running backs and quarterbacks that get all the credit, but we're nothing without them." McGrorty finished the game with 100 yards on 26 carries and three scores. As a team the Raiders racked up 444 yards of offense. "Offensively we did a very nice job of keeping them off balance," Olson said. "Then we got the lead they had to throw the football and that's not what they want to do." Erube was named the NAIA Defensive Player of the Game after recording seven tackles including three for losses. Daniken followed with six stops as SOU limited McKendree to 58 yards in the first half and 226 for the game. "It's all about heart," said senior defensive back Mike Seedborg, who also had six tackles and a pair of pass deflections. "Last night (Friday) former players like Moose Chamberlain, Zach Loboy, Brad Eaton and Jake Rule all talked to us and talked about what an opportunity this is to play in the playoffs. This is why we worked so hard." With one playoff game down and another one on the horizon, all the Raiders have their goals and sights set. "I would have been devastated if we lost this game," Mari said. "We want to make some noise on the national level." "We're taking it one game at a time," Seedborg said. "But we won't be satisfied until we get a ring." "We've got our eye on the prize," Magana said. Tickets for the Carroll College game go on sale today at the athletic office in McNeal Hall. Tickets cost $10 for reserved grandstand, $7 for grandstand general admission, $5 for uncovered general admission and $4 for students. Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing