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RPM of R.J. is one reason he's A-OK BY RANDY HAMMERICKSEN ASHLAND -- When he lines up against opposing offensive linemen, Southern Oregon University nose guard R.J. Josephson is undersized but rarely overmatched. The senior from Eagle Point proves that, even in football, bigger isn't necessarily better. The 6-foot-1, 220-pounder has used his speed and quickness with staggering success two games into SOU's season. He's one reason the Raiders are 2-0 and ranked 18th in the NAIA national poll. SOU visits Pacific Lutheran for a 1:30 p.m. game Saturday. Josephson, 21, is living up to his billing as the big-play maker in the middle of SOU's defense again this season. He already has 10 tackles, including seven for losses, and a fumble recovery that he returned 16 yards for a touchdown in last Saturday's 40-10 lacing of longtime nemesis Linfield in McMinnville. SOU coach Jeff Olson says Josephson is the spiritual and physical leader of an SOU defense that is ranked No. 4 nationally in total defense and No. 3 against the run. "He's the fastest lineman I've coached," says Olson. "He's fast for any position, not just a lineman." "All you have to do is come out and watch R.J.," says Olson. "Once a game starts, you know what he's going to do. He's going to use his speed to make plays. He flies to the ball and makes tackles. It's incredible." Two weeks ago, Josephson squared off against a 270-pound center from Eastern Oregon State College. He made eight tackles, including seven for losses. Six were sacks. The Raiders won the game, 34-2. Last Saturday, Josephson was again badly overmatched, sizewise, by 6-3, 270-pound Linfield center Mark Bernhardt. Still, his reputation preceded him and he was double- and triple-teamed throughout the game. He only made two tackles, but the attention he drew left other SOU defenders free to pursue the ball and make tackles in the Raiders' rout. His fumble-return touchdown provided the game's first points. It was his first collegiate touchdown. He has two safeties in his SOU career. "At first, I thought it was an incomplete pass the way the ball was bouncing," says Josephson. "But when I saw people going after it, I knew it was a fumble. It bounced right up to me and I just ran." It didn't surprise his coach to see Josephson squirt free with the ball and into the end zone. "He finds ways to be around the ball," says Olson. "Sooner or later, even if he gets triple-teamed, he will be making plays. You know it." With Josephson, an honorable-mention All-American in 1998, sprinting relentlessly to the ball, his teammates have joined the fun. "We're on a high right now and it's fun," says Josephson, a first-team all-state linebacker for Eagle Point High's 1995 team, which lost in the state finals. "This is the highlight of my career." SOU's defense is allowing an average of 209 yards a game and 57.5 yards rushing per game. "We have a great defense," he says. "I'm not surprised at all. This is the best defensive team I've played on. None of us take a down off. We play hard and we love it." Josephson revels in using his speed and mind to outperform opponents. "I want to figure out the quickest way to get to the ball," he says. "That's what I'm known for around here, and I like it. I want to make the tackle. If somebody else gets there first and makes the tackle, that's fine. But I'm not going to wait for them." His movement off the line is synchronized with the ball. "When the ball is snapped, I'm usually using a jab step or head fake to beat my man and go for the ball," says Josephson. "Guys usually end up backing farther away from me because of my speed. But it doesn't work. That just helps me get going faster." Olson says Josephson is more than a guy who makes tackles. His toughness is respected by his teammates, one of the reasons he's a leader for the Raiders. But he will clown around. "He's been known to tape lockers shut so tight that teammates can't get in there," says Olson. "I've had kids come up to me and tell me they can't find their helmet right before practice. I know what that usually means. I tell them to go ask R.J. what he did with the helmet." It's his lighter side at work yet again. Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, OR U.S.A.