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Raiders keep on routing Photo by Andrew Mariman / Mail Tribune Southern Oregon running back Shawn Wilson, left, tries to pull away from Simon Fraser defensive lineman Brothern Osei in Saturday's game. Wilson finished with 81 yards and a pair of scores. By KRIS HENRY ASHLAND - Simon Fraser accomplished more than any team has this year against Southern Oregon. The Clansmen scored a touchdown on the opening series, marking the first time the Raiders have trailed in a game this season. In doing so, however, Simon Fraser also accomplished a second feat: It truly angered the ninth-ranked Raiders. "I don't know if we came out flat or they came out on fire, but that really hit home and hit us low on the belt," said SOU safety Nick Daniken. "It was a wake-up call to let us know we can't just show up; we have to bring it every time." And bring it they did as the Raiders (3-0) scored the next 49 points - including a stretch of four touchdowns in seven minutes - to pull away from Simon Fraser for a 49-19 win at Raider Stadium. SOU had previously played with a sense of urgency in wins over Montana State-Northern (48-6) and Linfield (29-0), but nothing like the angry charge the Raiders mounted following the opening series. Travis Mari sparked the comeback on SOU's second series with a strike to Carl Dice for a 58-yard touchdown. The senior quarterback provided yet another weekly highlight when he kept a drive alive with his improvisational prowess. With one Simon Fraser defender wrapped around his legs and another ripping back his facemask, Mari had the presence to shuffle a pass off to Shawn Wilson for a 13-yard gain. Wilson eventually capped that drive with a 3-yard scamper into the end zone to make it 14-7. Mari then used a series of quick passes to Leo Stoddard to set up an 8-yard TD hookup with Nate VanderKley to send SOU into the locker room ahead 21-7. Had Simon Fraser (1-1) known what was in store next, the Clansmen might have stayed in the locker room. Instead, they suffered the wrath of an SOU team intent on making up for its slow start in the first half. A 42-yard connection between Mari and Stoddard put the Raiders in scoring position two plays into the second half, then Wilson took over with a 21-yard dash to the end zone. Forced to punt after being stuffed by the SOU defense, the Clansmen learned why it's best to avoid Daniken as the former Crater standout bounded off four would-be tacklers, found a seam near the sideline and was blanketed by a convoy of teammates en route to a 65-yard touchdown. "'Supposed' to be down is not always the way it works," Daniken said of his remarkable return. "I just kept running. Everybody was fighting for me, so I was fighting for them. I just tried to escape, and nobody gave up out there." At least not on the SOU sidelines. In contrast, the heads were hanging low on Simon Fraser's side of the field - much to the delight of Daniken and crew. "We tried to come out and put the pressure on and crush their hopes," Daniken said of SOU's third-quarter surge. "Instead of giving them something to hold onto, we tried to crush them right away. "And when the snowball starts rolling, we all just jump on it and ride it down the hill." That downhill ride included another stop by SOU's defense, a 47-yard hookup between Mari and Stoddard to set up a 2-yard TD plunge by Derek Shrives and a 29-yard fumble return for a score by Brad Kudlac. As if the seven-minute surge wasn't enough, Daniken forced a fumble on Simon Fraser's next play that was recovered by Garret Gelker. "I'm very proud with how they responded after going down 7-0," SOU coach Jeff Olson said. "They stood up to the challenge." SOU's reserves stumbled a bit in allowing a 49-7 lead to shrink to 49-19 behind two touchdown runs by Mike Vilimek, leaving the Raider coaches and players incentive to take into next week's game at Puget Sound. "I think we kind of looked at the scoreboard and relaxed a little when we shouldn't have," said Daniken. "We won't let that happen again." Considering the lack of celebration following Saturday's win, that's one speech Olson may not have to make. "I hope we learned a lesson today, and I think we did," said the sixth-year coach. "We can't just come out, line up and expect the other team to respect us. We have to go out and take it to our opponent." One weapon that can assure that posture is the continuing development of Mari and his receivers. Often getting by with a little help from his friends, the senior completed 17 of 23 passes for 269 yards and two TDs. "It (his passing) wasn't very crisp today, but thank God Leo and Dice made some plays on those deep balls," said the Humboldt State transfer. "They really bailed me out today." Stoddard finished with eight receptions for 111 yards, while Dice had a breakout day with four catches for 117 yards. At Raider Stadium Simon Fraser ......................7 0 0 12 -19 Southern Oregon ...............7 14 28 0 -49 SF - Jeans 13 pass from Davies (Henschel kick) SOU - Dice 58 pass from Mari (Manning kick) SOU - Wilson 3 run (Manning kick) SOU - VanderKley 8 pass from Mari (Manning kick) SOU - Wilson 21 run (Manning kick) SOU - Daniken 65 punt return (Manning kick) SOU - Shrives 2 run (Manning kick) SOU - Kudlac 29 fumble return (Manning kick) SF - Vilimek 3 run (kick failed) SF - Vilimek 3 run (Powell pass failed) TEAM STATISTICS SF SOU First Downs 12 18 Rushes-yards 32-102 32-150 Passing yards 156 307 Comp-Att-Int 13-36-1 23-34-1 Total yards 258 457 Punts 8-38.6 3-37 Fumbles-lost 3-2 3-0 Penalties-yards 8-50 10-77 INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING Simon Fraser - Vilimek 24-96, Davies 4-6, Orris 2-3, Todd 1-(-1), Powell 1-(-2). Southern Oregon - Wilson 12-81, McGrorty 5-30, Humble 6-19, Stoddard 1-17, Mari 6-2, Shrives 1-2, Woodward 1-(-1). PASSING Simon Fraser - Davies 7-23-1 55, Powell 6-13-0 101. Southern Oregon - Mari 17-23-0 269, Woodward 6-10-1 38, Jordan 0-1-0 0. RECEIVING Simon Fraser - Jeans 5-42, McLean 2-70, Orris 2-13, McKinnon 1-18, Kumar 1-8, Unaegbu 1-4, Todd 1-1. Southern Oregon - Stoddard 8-111, Dice 4-117, VanderKley 3-14, Negra 2-12, Clinton 1-22, Wilson 1-13, McGrorty 1-9, Jordan 1-5, Ueoka 1-4, Auoriri 1-1, Thompson 1-(-1). Reach reporter Kris Henry at 776-4488, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.