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Turning the corner MT file photo Southern Oregon, under head coach Jeff Olson, has climbed to a No. 7 ranking in the nation. Raiders on the verge of rare playoff berth By RANDY HAMMERICKSEN ASHLAND -- They are the new Raiders. While there are plenty of old faces playing for Southern Oregon's 1999 football team, the way they play is brand new. And welcome to their long-frustrated fans. "We've learned how to win and how to expect to win this year," says SOU center Bert Hartsock. "It was kind of a gradual process, but we finally got it after losing too many games we knew we should have won. "It (winning) came in steps and coach (Jeff) Olson has raised the expectations every year. Finally, he said to us last spring, `(Bleep), let's just go win."' Seven games into the 1999 season, Olson's Raiders are winning. They have won six of seven games to move up to the No. 7 ranking in the nation. The ranking is the team's highest since 1991. One of the SOU wins was 42-31 over defending national champion Azusa Pacific last Saturday in Azusa, Calif. A victory over Humboldt State Saturday at Raider Stadium would probably clinch the Raiders a national playoff berth and the possibility of a home game in the opening round on Nov. 20. SOU will be without All-American tailback Griff Yates. He had surgery Wednesday to repair an injured left wrist and will be lost to the team for one to two weeks. The Raiders have only appeared in the NAIA national playoffs once, that coming in 1987 under coach Chuck Mills. Olson, 39, who played for Mills and coached under him at SOU, has since ascended to the head position. While many SOU alums and fans questioned the hiring of Olson two years ago, he has answered his critics this year. Olson, a humble, quiet coach, reacts to his success with restraint and prefers to credit his players. "I'm not trying to silence my detractors," says Olson. "I'm just trying to have a successful program for the kids." Fifth-year senior running back Aaron Rudishauser says Olson is inspiring to his players because of his honesty and support. "From the beginning, when Olson took over the program, things got better and better for us in terms of discipline and expectations for our team," says Rudishauser. Many SOU players attribute their success to Olson. "We expect to keep going up," says junior quarterback Dan Walters. "We were sick of losing. Our seniors said, `This season is do-or-die for us. Let's go do it."' "Coach Olson is the reason," says Jake Gallop, an offensive guard from Roseburg High. "He will do anything for his players. We know it. We go out to win for him and our teammates. We're like a family. "If one of his players needs something, even a ride home, he will try to give it to them. He's a players' coach." "Everything he does, he does it with class," says Benjamin Shelton, a fifth-year senior lineman. "He doesn't look down on anybody." Olson was SOU's interim coach for two seasons following the resignation of former head coach Jim Palazzolo in 1995. Olson was to return to an assistant position when Jim Nagel was set to take over as head coach in 1998. But Nagel unexpectedly pulled out just months before he was scheduled to take over the program, opting to remain as head coach at Ashland High. SOU Athletic Director Monty Cartwright says it was a strange scenario when he named Nagel as future head coach in 1995 and allowed him to remain at Ashland for two more seasons before taking over at SOU. When Nagel reneged, Cartwright felt like a bomb fell on him. But he quickly appointed Olson as the permanent head coach. "Jeff has done a great job," says Cartwright. "He's proven to be a great recruiter, and the kids care about him enough to do this for him. "The best thing about it is that Jeff is a good person, and he expects his kids to be the same way," says Cartwright. "And they are." Olson has been faced with a challenge over the injury to Yates. Rudishauser will replace Yates in the lineup. Yates dislocated his wrist three weeks ago against Simon Fraser. He played against Azusa Pacific but left the game in the second half after aggravating the injury. Then came the surgery. "It was a situation where the wrist wasn't healing right," says Olson. "In the interests of his long-term future, it was decided he needed the surgery now." SOU trainer Phil Pifer says Yates has a chance to return to the lineup next week, when the Raiders close the regular season with a game at Western Oregon State. "I think I know what Griff will want to do," says Pifer. "He will want to play. It will depend on the how the healing goes and how much pain he feels in it." Before coming out of the game, Yates rushed for 159 yards and three touchdowns against Azusa Pacific. Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, OR U.S.A.