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SOU, No. 17 C of I set to square off in Ashland By SOU Sports Information Updated: Sep 15, 2022 09:42 PM A A ASHLAND — Another NAIA Top 25 opponent stands in the way of the Southern Oregon University football team’s efforts to protect its home field this week at Raider Stadium. Parity has already been rampant in the Frontier Conference through two weeks of play, and SOU (1-1) will attempt to add to the list of upsets against No. 17-ranked College of Idaho (2-0) in a 1 p.m. matchup Saturday at Raider Stadium. The Yotes, part of a three-way tie for last year’s FC title, were picked to finish fourth in the 2022 preseason poll but are one of two unbeaten teams remaining after stealing a 21-18 win at then-No. 19 Rocky Mountain (Mont.) in their last outing. Both squads are fresh off a bye week. Stakes are high for the Raiders — who evened their record with a 56-6 thumping on Sept. 3 at Montana State-Northern — considering they’ll play four of their next five on the road after this one. SOU still maintains an 11-8 advantage in the series with an 8-6 record in FC contests. The Raiders are 7-2 at home against the Yotes (5-2 in FC play), but a handful of unforced errors cost them in C of I’s 17-15 win last Oct. 30 at Raider Stadium. In that one, the Raiders had two interception returns for touchdowns called back, a muffed punt, and a punt blocked and returned for a TD in the fourth quarter that proved to be the difference. C of I won last year’s meeting in Caldwell, 29-3, to sweep the series for the second consecutive season. The Raiders are 11-9 against NAIA Top 25 opponents at home in Frontier play, collecting their last such win against then-No. 19 Eastern Oregon on Oct. 2, 2021. (They’ve since lost three in a row against the Top 25.) SOU got back on track in a variety of ways while pummeling MSU-Northern, snapping a six-game road skid that dated back to 2019 and handing the Lights their 51st loss in their last 52 FC games: The Raiders will try to flip the script on the Yotes, having dropped five consecutive matchups. Of note in the win over MSU-Northern: – The Raiders’ 56 points marked the team’s most in a game since 2016. – Their first-half point total (35) and total offensive yardage (565) were their highest since the first round of the 2017 NAIA playoffs. – The margin of victory (50) was their widest since 2015. – They hadn’t posted more than four yards per carry in their last 16 games, and their average of 7.4 against the Lights was their best since the 2015 playoffs. They netted 265 rushing yards, matching the combined output of their previous four games going back to last season. – They’d gone six games without a rushing touchdown from a non-quarterback and before getting one from four different individuals. – Sophomore quarterback Blake Asciutto shined in his first start of the season, completing 21-of-28 attempts for career-highs of 285 yards and four touchdowns in just one half of play. In four career starts, he’s averaged 225.3 yards per game (6.4 per attempt). He’s up to 10 total TD passes compared to six interceptions. – Christian Graney collected six receptions at MSU-Northern, bringing his career total to 130 — nine away from breaking into the top-10 in SOU history. The senior has compiled 1,273 reception yards. Bryce Goggin, another senior, is 142 away from joining him in the 1,000-yard club. Andy Atkinson / Mail Tribune SOU’s Christian Graney looks for extra yards after a catch during the third quarter of the Raiders’ Aug. 27 game against Rocky Mountain in Ashland.