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SUNNY Temp: 41 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Thursday, November 28, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend November 1, 2002 Raiders brace for former rival WOU By KRIS HENRY Mail Tribune ASHLAND — There was a time when Southern Oregon and Western Oregon competed on a level playing field. Back in the 1980s and 90s, the football teams waged a competitive "Little Civil War" that made each a natural rival for the other. In those days, recruiting was paramount. Whichever team won the head-to-head battle for prime talent typically was the one coming out ahead in each season’s confrontation. All that came to an end in 1997, when officials at Western Oregon opted to step up a level and compete at the NCAA Division II level. The Wolves pushed for the Raiders to step up as well from the NAIA level, but that move wasn’t in the cards for an SOU program already struggling to be competitive in the Columbia Football Association and Cascade Conference for all remaining sports. Instead, the Raiders opted to become an independent team in football and hold on to their Cascade Conference affiliation. Western Oregon became a full-fledged Division II program in 1999, experimenting with its sizable increase in funding capabilities before settling on a tuition remission called for by the university’s president. Simply put, the remission is a discount for student-athletes distributed at a coach’s discretion, with the lion’s share of money going to football players. NCAA Division II regulations allow for up to 36 scholarships, while NAIA schools are limited to 24. SOU has 3½ scholarships. "They’ve got quite a bit more money than I have, and that’s a major concern," Raiders coach Jeff Olson says as his team prepares for a Western invasion at 1 p.m. Saturday. "More money is going to allow you to bring in bigger, stronger, faster athletes." When the teams get together for their 69th meeting, on display will be just how great the difference is between the two schools. Western leads the series 40-26-2 dating back to 1927, but SOU has won seven of the past 11. The teams have met twice following Western’s full promotion to Division II status, with the Wolves doing their part to dash SOU’s playoff hopes in 1999 and 2000. In 1999, the 7-1, fifth-ranked Raiders appeared headed for the playoffs before suffering a season-ending 52-17 defeat in Monmouth that caused SOU to tumble 11 spots and out of postseason consideration. In 2000, Western used a 64-yard punt return for a touchdown to pull away for a 21-13 victory at Raider Stadium, ultimately costing SOU another shot at the playoffs. After avoiding each other last year, the teams are on a collision course again with traits similar to those prior two meetings. SOU (5-1) once again comes in as the NAIA’s No. 5 team in the nation, with playoff hopes alive and Western Oregon, the University of San Diego and Eastern Oregon left on the regular-season schedule. Western has lost six of its past nine games and is in dire need of a victory if the Wolves (3-4) are to score their first winning season since becoming a Division II institution. Saturday’s game may also be pivotal in determining SOU’s scheduling of upper-level teams like Western in the future. "The last two times that we played them," said Olson, "I looked across the field, and they were bigger and faster and I wondered if we belonged on the same field. "It’s still a major concern of whether we continue to schedule these guys. We’ll have to see after we play on Saturday." Western’s attack starts with the biggest offensive line SOU has, and probably will, see all season. That group has allowed sophomore quarterback Denny Bies to rank second in the Great Northwest Conference, formerly the CFA, in passing and total offense with 1,446 yards on 108-for-198 passing and 11 TDs. Bies’ top targets are track stars at Western, with Mike Hinshaw hauling in 43 passes for 637 yards and four TDs and Brad Satran posting 30 receptions for 626 yards and seven scores. "They’re explosive on the outside," said Olson, "but they’ll also line up in a two-back scheme and play smashmouth. But defensively, we’ve been playing better as the weeks have gone on." And although financially inferior, SOU has no plans of showing that same trait spills over to athletic ability. "We’ll show up Saturday and strap it on and hope we give them a game for four quarters," said Olson. "Our kids are ready and not intimidated, so we’re ready to go." Reach reporter Kris Henry at 776-4488, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search M Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy web master feedback A D V E R T I S E R S