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Raiders down Eastern Oregon, await word on playoffs LA GRANDE - Be it superstition or pessimism, Jeff Olson refused to talk about the playoffs this season. As his Southern Oregon football team won game after game and rose to No. 7 in the NAIA rankings, his lips remained sealed. Olson was muted once again Saturday, but for a much different reason. The sixth-year coach was overcome with emotion following his team's 38-24 win over a determined Eastern Oregon squad that in all probability signaled the end of the Raiders' 14-year playoff drought. "It just got to me," Olson said of his emotional outburst following Saturday's win. "It just all hit me at once." As the top-ranked independent team, Southern Oregon (8-1) will learn today if it made the playoffs - which seems to be a formality - and who it will face in next Saturday's opening round of the 16-team national playoffs. The Raiders, who posted the school's first eight-win season since 1983 and fourth in history, have requested the right to have their playoff opener in Ashland. "It would be great to have a home game," said Olson. "I certainly think we have a chance to make that happen." Final NAIA rankings will be posted about 10 a.m. today, with the announcement of playoff pairings, sites and times of first-round matchups set by noon. SOU's third straight win didn't come without a stern test from the NCAA Division III Mountaineers (1-8), who played like they had nothing to lose while the Raiders may have come out a tad too cautious. "I don't know if we came out a little tense, maybe feeling the pressure we had to win," said Olson, "but you certainly have to give credit to Eastern. That was a talented football team. They had lost by more than eight points only once heading into (Saturday's) game." Eastern managed a 6-0 lead and actually outgained the high-octane Raiders 403-292 in total offense. But on Saturday, Olson said, his team would not be denied. "The kids were just very determined not to let this thing slip away," said the coach. "I was very proud of how our offense responded each time Eastern scored and how our defense got some huge turnovers and our special teams came up big." After a 26-yard run by Ruben Villa put Eastern ahead 6-0, SOU answered with 24 straight points on touchdown runs from Dusty McGrorty and Bill Jolin, a 23-yard field goal by Jason Manning and a 10-yard connection from Travis Mari to Adam Clinton. Although not evident at the time, the Mari-to-Clinton hookup opened the floodgates in what turned out to be a wild fourth quarter. Trailing 24-6 early in the fourth, Eastern Oregon mounted a drive that resulted in a Phil Nyby touchdown pass from Villa. Nick Daniken returned the momentum to SOU moments later as he fielded the ensuing kickoff at the 9-yard line and danced 91 yards to the end zone. Another Villa-to-Nyby connection closed the gap to 31-18, but Mari responded by finding Carl Dice in the end zone with 2:56 to play. Eastern added another Villa-to-Nyby touchdown with 15 seconds to play to close the final gap. The Raiders entered Saturday's game averaging a Northwest small-college record 46.1 points per game but the offense struggled a bit against the Mountaineers. Even with the low totals, Mari still finished with an effective 146 yards and two TDs on 9-for-20 passing, while McGrorty posted his 11th career 100-yard outing with 21 carries for 103 yards. At La Grande No. 7 Southern Oregon ............0 20 7 21 -38 Eastern Oregon ..........................6 0 0 18 -24 EOU - Villa 26 run (run failed) SOU - McGrorty 2 run (Manning kick) SOU - FG Manning 23 SOU - Jolin 4 run (Manning kick) SOU - Clinton 10 pass from Mari (Manning kick) EOU - Nyby 3 pass from Villa (pass failed) SOU - Daniken 91 kickoff return (Manning kick) EOU - Nyby 11 pass from Villa (pass failed) SOU - Dice 2 pass from Mari (Manning kick) EOU - Nyby 11 pass from Villa (pass failed) TEAM STATISTICS SOU EOU First Downs 14 20 Rushes-yards 37-146 46-133 Passing yards 146 270 Comp-Att-Int 9-20-1 17-24-1 Total yards 292 403 Punts 5-39.4 4-31.5 Fumbles-lost 0-0 3-2 Penalties-yards 10-100 8-62 INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING Southern Oregon - McGrorty 21-103, Jolin 7-22, Mari 7-14, Stoddard 1-8, Team 1-(-1). Eastern Oregon - Villa 17-75, Morriss 16-49, Kyle 5-12, Pritchett 1-2, Hannah 1-1, Hamlin 4-(-2), Allard 1-(-3), Team 1-(-1). PASSING Southern Oregon - Mari 9-20-1 146. Eastern Oregon - Villa 17-24-1 270. RECEIVING Southern Oregon - Stoddard 2-26, Clinton 2-20, Negra 1-67, Shrives 1-27, McGrorty 1-7, Dice 1-2, Johnston 1-(-3). Eastern Oregon - Nyby 8-60, Hamlin 4-139, Hannah 3-59, Morriss 1-6, Geske 1-6. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.