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DNS FOG Temp: 33 °F Wind: WNW at 4 mph Sunday, December 8, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend November 17, 2002 Southern Oregon�s Dusty McGrorty (25) leaps over Eastern Oregon�s Mark Hanrahan (2) and Willie Herrera (47) for his third touchdown of the day in the second half to put the Raiders ahead for good. Mail Tribune / Andrew Mariman Raiders repeat Late surge helps Southerm Oregon clinch a spot in the NAIA playoffs for the second straight year By KRIS HENRY Mail Tribune ASHLAND — That sudden gust of wind felt late in the afternoon here can be tracked to a collective sigh of relief let out from those siding with Southern Oregon at Raider Stadium. The ninth-ranked Raiders scored 24 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to pull away from a pesky Eastern Oregon team for a 44-19 victory, clinching SOU’s second straight trip to the NAIA playoffs. The Raiders (7-2) will learn their official fate when playoff pairings are announced around 10 a.m. today for the 16-team NAIA Championship Series. Southern Oregon has already put in a bid to host next Saturday’s first-round affair. "That was a lot more interesting than we wanted," said SOU junior tailback Dusty McGrorty, who rushed 36 times for 161 yards and three touchdowns. "We came out flat and Eastern came out ready to beat us and ruin our season." With a bid to the playoffs hanging in the balance for the Raiders, they played with the sort of tense, out-of-sync nature that comes with such an ordeal. On the flip side, the one-win Mountaineers couldn’t have been more loose in posting a 16-14 lead at halftime. "They make me nervous every year," SOU coach Jeff Olson said of the Mountaineers. "They didn’t pay any attention to records or what’s at stake for us, they came down here to win. They play hard for 60 minutes and will not quit." And while comparisons of each team’s talent may be up for weekly debate, the unflinching character of the Raiders is not. "That was huge for us to come out and respond in the second half," said Olson. "There’s a lot of will to win in these kids." Nowhere was that more evident than the opening drive of the second half in which SOU turned to McGrorty and his offensive line for an 18-play scoring drive that started on the Raiders’ 32-yard line. The only yards not gained on the ground by McGrorty on that drive came on a 2-yard run by Michael Robinson and a 9-yard connection from Dan Woodward to Brandon White. "We don’t want to be one-dimensional but we’re going to ride Dusty and, more importantly, ride that offensive line," said Olson. "That’s where it all starts for us. My hat’s off to the guys up front. We’ve got some seniors up there who just refused to quit in the second half." With the door opened up by perfectly executed cut blocks by the offensive line, McGrorty punctuated the 8½ -minute drive with a leaping 1-yard effort for his third score. "I knew (the Mountaineers) were going to be on the ground so I knew I’d have to go aerial," said McGrorty, who felt a little out of his element soaring through the air. "I don’t like to leave my feet." That one leap of faith by McGrorty, however, appeared to provide an immediate lift to his teammates, who responded with play more befitting the true Raider colors in the second half. "Once Dusty gets untracked, it’s fun to watch," said Olson. "Everything seemed to feed off that." SOU’s defense, which forced two fumbles and an interception in the first half, tightened its belt even more in limiting Eastern Oregon (1-9) to only a third-quarter field goal in the second half. The Mountaineers never really threatened to score following Josh Clark’s 32-yarder. "We knew we had to step it up," SOU senior defensive lineman Gilbert Roman said of the second-half squeeze. "It was a little gut-check, but we got it done." Steve Baker drilled a 29-yard field goal to put SOU up 23-19 midway through the fourth quarter, then the floodgates opened as the Raider defense sniffed out a fake punt deep in Eastern’s side of the field and Woodward made the Mountaineers pay with a 7-yard TD pass to Danny Negra. An interception by Garrett Gelker on the ensuing series gave the ball back to the SOU offense, and Caleb Krantz scored on a 13-yard run three plays later to make it 37-19. Krantz added another TD on an 8-yard scamper after the Raiders forced another turnover, this time a fumble forced and recovered by Ryan Gilmore. While the opening to Saturday’s game will be as forgotten as the runner-up in last year’s NFL office pool, the finish should go a long way in giving SOU confidence heading into next Saturday’s contest. "The second half is definitely going to carry us into the playoffs, no matter who or where we play," said McGrorty. Olson couldn’t agree more. "Now they can have fun because the pressure is off to get here (to the playoffs)," said the seventh-year coach. "We’ve just got to enjoy the opportunity now and go play ball." Eastern Oregon..............................7 9 3 0 — 19 Southern Oregon........................14 0 6 24 — 44 SOU — McGrorty 6 run (Baker kick) EOU — Johnson 13 run (Clark kick) SOU — McGrorty 10 run (Baker kick) EOU — Fox 30 pass from Jensen (Clark kick) EOU — Safety, punt blocked out of end zone SOU — McGrorty run (run failed) EOU — FG Clark 32 SOU — FG Baker 29 SOU — Negra 7 pass from Woodward (Baker kick) SOU — Krantz 13 run (Baker kick) SOU — Krantz 8 run (Baker kick) Reach reporter Kris Henry at 776-4488, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search M Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. 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