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Raiders chalk up colossal win, 42-31 By KRIS HENRY AZUSA, Calif . -- Senior tailback Griff Yates rushed for 159 yards and three touchdowns but it was senior fullback Aaron Rudishauser who stole the show in lifting Southern Oregon to its biggest win of the season Saturday at Cougar Field. Rudishauser broke open a 35-31 game by bulling his way into the end zone from 10 yards out on four carries and then was the key ball carrier as the 11th-ranked Raiders ran out the clock in a 42-31 win over Azusa Pacific. Azusa, the defending national champion, is ranked fifth in the country. Southern Oregon's win snapped Azusa's 11-game home winning streak, dating back to 1997 when Central Washington edged the Cougars. "There's been some other big ones, but this is the biggest one this year for sure," SOU coach Jeff Olson said. "They had a lot of things going with their winning streaks and big home crowd. But we came down, played hard as a team and now they have to start a new streak." With Yates sidelined late in the game after suffering a shoulder injury, Rudishauser and crew stepped up to ice the victory in a battle of top NAIA independents. "He was unbelievable," Olson said of Rudishauser. "I'm very, very proud of Aaron. His forte since he's been here was primarily as a blocking back and on special teams. He got an opportunity two weeks ago and again tonight, and he took advantage of it." Two completions by Dan Walters to Toby Taylor for 13 yards and 12 yards rushing by backup tailback Chris Robins set up Rudishauser shining moment with four minutes to play. The little-used fullback crashed through the Azusa defense from the 10 with 5, 2 and 1-yard runs before capping the drive with a 2-yard scoring effort. SOU's defense forced a fumble on Azusa's ensuing drive and J.J. Jedrykowski pounced on the loose ball to give the ball back to the Raider offense. Rudishauser took over from there by rushing four times for 32 yards as SOU milked the clock over the remaining two minutes. Southern Oregon managed a 35-18 lead before the Cougars rallied with an 88-yard TD pass from Neo Aoga to Deon Jordan and a Luke Winslow 1-yard plunge to make it 35-31. But as the Raiders have done all season, they came up with another big play on special teams as James Powers blocked Mike Spellman's extra-point attempt. "That was huge," said Olson. "That forced them to have to score a touchdown to beat us late." Southern Oregon blocked two PATs on the night, with Spellman aiding the cause by erring on another attempt. The Raiders next return to Ashland to play host to Humboldt State on Saturday in their second-to-last game of the regular season. Western Oregon rounds out the schedule, and Olson said his Raiders will be taking their final two opponents as serious as they did Azusa. "We certainly cannot stumble the rest of the way," said Olson. "I don't even want to talk playoffs. We have to go take care of business Saturday against Humboldt State and take it one game at a time." That shouldn't be a problem for SOU, which once again displayed an ability to maintain composure and come away with a tough victory. "(Azusa) made a run in the fourth quarter and the character of our team really showed up once again," he said. "This is a special group of young men." Yates' status for Saturday probably won't be known until game-day, Olson said. The All-American's already injured wrist also was banged up again Saturday. "The wrist certainly didn't seem to affect him tonight," Olson said of his durable back. "The guy is just incredible." Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, OR U.S.A.