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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories In the new year, be sure you have your 'ICE' file ready Snow accumulating on mountain passes Snow expected on valley floor Monday Missing girl's family, friends, want more info from police Valley floor could see snow this week Education In the new year, be sure you have your 'ICE' file ready Walker students show creative chops at Invention Convention Teacher's Tips: Second — and third — chances are there for students For a friend: AHS seniors team up to help former fellow student Ashland builds a bridge across the STEM gap Environment New TAP pumps bolster Ashland's options Most residents speak against gas pipeline proposed for Southern Oregon Home Help: Make your new house feel like home ‘Tis the season — for wild mushrooms Business Looking for crown's halo Silvio Calabi: GLA250 is a Merc for the masses Ashland's Safeway part of Haggen acquisition The Playwright pub will be serving again Saturday Mt. 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Ashland Calendar ... Snow expected on valley floor Monday ... In the new year, be sure you have your 'ICE' file ready ... Ashland Calendar ... Snow expected on valley floor Monday ... COLLEGE FOOTBALL For Raiders, it's Dodge's show But Marian coach says his team will be ready for bombs-away SOU Comment By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Dec. 16, 2014 @ 8:16 pm Updated Dec 16, 2014 at 8:38 PM By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Dec. 16, 2014 @ 8:16 pm Updated Dec 16, 2014 at 8:38 PM Race to Daytona --> What: NAIA national title game. Teams: No. 8 Southern Oregon (12-2) versus No. 7 Marian (11-2). When: Friday at noon (Pacific). Where: Daytona Beach, Fla. (Municipal Stadium). ... » Read more X Race to Daytona What: NAIA national title game. Teams: No. 8 Southern Oregon (12-2) versus No. 7 Marian (11-2). When: Friday at noon (Pacific). Where: Daytona Beach, Fla. (Municipal Stadium). TV: ESPNU. » Social News No matter what happens Friday in Daytona Beach, Fla., the Austin Dodge-quarterbacked Southern Oregon football team, which has terrorized opposing defenses since he made his first appearance in 2011, will go down as the most lethal, greedy, pathologically aggressive offenses to ever confront an NAIA secondary. This is not hyperbole because the numbers, which seem to come from another dimension, one in which football is played on a 200-yard field, wholeheartedly agree. Dodge broke every major NAIA career passing record during the regular season and has spent the last month and a half simply piling on, distancing himself from the possibility that anyone will ever approach those marks. Enter Marian (Ind.), a team equipped with an F-250 offense and a Lamborghini secondary, one that’s picked off 10 passes in three playoff games, and suddenly the NAIA national championship game begins to look like a matchup made in small-college football heaven. Not that the coaches and players of seventh-ranked Marian (11-2) and eighth-ranked Southern Oregon (12-2) can fully appreciate that right now. They’re too busy preparing for it. “I think that’s, on the surface, the critical matchup of the game,” Marian coach Mark Henninger said Monday of the Knights’ dangerous secondary versus the Raiders’ dynamic passing attack. “How is our defense going to slow that thing down? Obviously their quarterback is a really good player, but they also have two dynamic receivers on the outside, and we’ve been really impressed with their offensive line. They also have a couple running backs that can do a lot of things for them. “But I think or guys, we’ve got a lot of faith in each other and a lot of faith in our system. We think we can matchup with people.” THE OFFENSE So far, no team has been able to keep Southern Oregon off the scoreboard for long. The Raiders have been held below 30 points only once this season — Nov. 15 against Eastern Oregon — and below 40 four times. They average 45 points and 564 yards per game, second in the nation in both categories (the nation’s top offense, Morningside, was shut out by Marian in the second half of their semifinal showdown, which Marian won 41-21). There are many moving parts, and a whole lot of plays (SOU averages 77 a game), but at the center of everything is Dodge, a 6-foot-3, 210-pound senior with a rocket right arm, laser-like accuracy, quick release and calm demeanor. He’s completed 66 percent of his passes this season for 5,178 yards and 49 touchdowns with 10 interceptions, but it’s the way he’s tormented virtually every secondary he’s faced that has NFL scouts taking a hard look. The Raiders have at times employed a take-what-the-defense-gives-you approach, usually against opponents that sell out against the pass at the expense of the run, but more often than not Dodge simply takes what he wants. Deep fades, 15-yard square outs, quick slants, wide receiver screens, deep posts, go routes — Dodge does it all, and does it well. Thirty-nine passes a game, on average. And he’s got plenty of targets. Ryan Retzlaff has 100 catches for 1,477 yards and 11 touchdowns, Dylan Young 86 catches for 1,631 yards and 21 touchdowns and three more Raider receivers have at least 25 catches and 350 yards. Henninger has watched Dodge and company operate on film and has been impressed with what he’s seen. But less than two weeks after wrecking the top overall offense in the country he’s confident that the Knights will be ready for it. “Our guys enjoy playing the game and playing the game fast, and they enjoy playing physical,” he said. “Going into that (Morningside) game, that was an offense averaging over 700 yards a game and 50 points a game. They saw that matchup as soon as the thing came out and the guys on the defensive side got excited and said, ‘This is an opportunity for us to go out and compete against the best offense in the country.’ This week is no different.” Especially since SOU can run, too. Melvin Mason has rushed for 957 yards and 14 touchdowns, and Sean Tow 737 yards and seven touchdowns. Freshman Keegan Lawrence has added 514 yards and four TDs. Mason is the bulldozer and Tow the darting, spinning change-up. Both will get their turn Friday, and it’s difficult to predict when. Marian’s secondary is led by a sophomore defensive back, Eric Price, who has nine interceptions. Four more Knights have multiple picks, including Daniel Rojas (five) and Garrett Isch (five). Henninger said they’ll need to be at their best against SOU, but also stressed the importance of the line play. A good pass rush, he said, can throw off a quarterback’s timing, which is part of the reason why the Knights have 27 interceptions as a team, the second-best mark in the nation. “Defensively, we’re playing as well as we’ve played all season,” Henninger said. “A couple of guys in the secondary are making plays on the ball when the ball’s in the air. But, as any defensive coach will tell you, a lot of that starts up front. You have to make (the quarterback) get into a position where he can’t read or makes a bad throw, and then you’ve got to have a guy in the right position to make a play. Our defensive backs and our linebackers are the guys recording the takeaways and they’re doing a great job, but it’s the whole thing and it starts with the guys up front.” THE DEFENSE Southern Oregon’s defense was doomed to footnote status the minute Craig Howard brought his no-huddle, spread offense to Ashland in 2011, but it’s worn it like a badge of honor this season. Led by senior linebackers Laurence Calcagno and Heston Altenbach, senior defensive end Daniel Breaux and senior defensive back Dustin Fretwell — all of which were voted Frontier Conference all-stars - the Raiders have proven to be at their best when the pressure’s on, coming up with key stops in SOU’s historic quarterfinal win over top-ranked Carroll and semifinal win at Saint Xavier. Against the Saints, SOU trailed by 17 points to start the fourth quarter before rallying for a 45-42 win in the snow. Those who watched the dramatic comeback will no doubt remember the Raider offense converting several key third and fourth downs, but what they may not recall is that the SOU defense forced back-to-back three-and-outs by Carroll in the fourth quarter. One of those stops was keyed by Breaux’s monster stuff on third-and-1, denying All-American running back Dustin Rinker. And against Saint Xavier, the Raider defense came up with five straight stops, three on downs, culminating with Altenbach’s 30-yard interception return that gave the Raiders a 41-17 lead. Conventional wisdom says that the best way to slow down a high-powered offense, especially a no-huddle offense, is to play keep-away by running the ball, running the clock and sustaining drives. Marian appears to be built to do that. The Knights’ offense is led by a powerful running back, Tevin Lake, who’s rushed for 1,321 yards and 17 touchdowns. Henninger was reluctant to give up his entire game plan, but conceded that yes, the Knights would love to control the time of possession. “For us, if we’re able to run the football we’re going to run the football,” he said. “We hang our hat on being able to run it and take pride in being a physical offense, and our running back [Lake], he’s a guy that’s put up four straight 1,000-yard seasons. …If we run the football I like our chances.” SPECIAL TEAMS Southern Oregon senior placekicker Aldrick Rosas and junior punter Thomas Giddens both made the Frontier Conference all-star team — Rosas was a first-teamer and Giddens a second-teamer. If the game’s on the line, the Raiders would probably trust Rosas inside 40 yards. He’s hit 14 of 19 field goal attempts overall, including 8 of 9 inside 30 yards and 4 of 6 between 30 and 40 yards. He’s also hit 2 of 3 40- to 49-yard attempts and his season-long came from 41. Giddens averages 39.9 yards per punt. Six of his 27 were downed inside the 20-yard line. The Raiders have one kickoff return for a touchdown — JJ Latu did it, and averages a team-best 24.6 yards per return. Joe Zavala can be reached at 541-776-4469 or [email protected]. By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Dec. 16, 2014 @ 8:16 pm Updated Dec 16, 2014 at 8:38 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. fantasy football Week 17 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Dec. 28, 2014 at 10:00 am Last-Minute Outlook for Fantasy Flex Players Dec. 28, 2014 at 9:00 am Last-Minute Fantasy Advice for Week 17 Dec. 28, 2014 at 7:00 am Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 17 Dec. 27, 2014 at 12:00 pm Final NFL Week 17 Odds Projections and Fantasy Stars to Watch Dec. 27, 2014 at 10:00 am Fantasy Football Daily League Guide to Week 17 Dec. 27, 2014 at 8:06 am calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs 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. 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