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--> --> Sept. 24: Raiders continue red-hot play By Bobby Heiken Ashland Daily Tidings It was just a touchdown, but it was probably the worst thing Simon Fraser could have done. The Clansmen scored on their opening drive Saturday against Southern Oregon University to take a 7-0 lead. All that did was wake up a sleeping giant that responded with 49 straight points and a 49-19 Raider victory. The victory improved Southern Oregon to 3-0, the school's best start since 1987. "We were a little flat Wednesday at practice and that's our last full speed day," Raider head coach Jeff Olson said. "And some of that carried over today." Simon Fraser (1-1) caught the Raiders attention by taking the opening kickoff and driving 65 yards in seven plays and scored on a JR Davies 13-yard pass to Ryan Jeans and the quick lead. "That was a wake-up call," Raider junior Nick Daniken said. "Actually it was a low blow. But it proved to us we can't just show up and get the job done. We are going to learn from this." After the two teams traded punts, senior quarterback Travis Mari took over. A perfectly thrown pass to freshman Carl Dice - who made a great catch despite getting interfered with - resulted in a 59-yard scoring play and tied the game. The pass also started a sequence in which Mari completed 9 of 11 passes and had one dropped. After a punt, the Raiders continued to put points on the board. Three Mari passes resulted in first downs, and sophomore running back Shawn Wilson barreled his way into the end zone from 3 yards out and a 14- 7 lead. The next time the Raiders had the ball Mari found Nate VanderKley from 8-yards for a 21-7 lead. And all the while the SOU defense had Simon Fraser reeling. After the opening drive the Raiders only allowed 32 more yards of offense in the half. "We came out and were very sloppy, including me," Mari said. "I think more than anything we weren't concentrating. But Dice made a big play and that got the whole team going." While the Clan was staggering after the first half onslaught, the Raiders delivered the knockout blow in the third quarter. Mari found Dice from 42 yards away to start the quarter and set up a 21-yard jaunt by Wilson. An impressive defensive stand resulted in a punt that Daniken returned 65 yards for another score. Yet another punt led to SOU's third straight score. Mari hit senior Leo Stoddard for a 48-yard gain before senior Derek Shrives bulled his way into the end zone from 2 yards out and a 42-7 lead. Four plays later defensive back Brad Kudlac picked up a fumble and sprinted 29 yards for a score and a 49-7 lead halfway through the third quarter. It was the third straight game that SOU had scored to start the third quarter and broke their opponents back. "We've still got the mentality that we are hunting people down and trying to earn respect," Olson said. "We come out thinking that we've got to win it in the second half." With second and even third stringers playing in the fourth quarter, Simon Fraser added a pair of scores. "After that first drive the whole team did a great job," Daniken said. "Everyone picked it up and that's what we needed." For the game Mari went 17 of 23 from 269 yards and the two scores. Mari, who entered the game second in the nation in efficiency, improved his marks. On the year he is 53-for-75 (70 percent) for 698 yards and a quarterback rating of 174. 31. "He got out there, took some chances going deep and that's what we needed," Olson said. "He put a lot of pressure on that defense." Dice (4 catches for 117 yards) and Stoddard (8-for-11) became the first pair of SOU receivers to gain 100 yards in the same game since 1995. After cruising to three-straight home wins, the Raiders now travel to Puget Sound (0-2) Saturday. "It's time to take this show on the road and see how we react," Olson said. 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