Document text
CLEAR Temp: 58 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Tuesday, September 10, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Cyberchef E The People Golf Job Network Headbone Zone Wellness Connection Movie Times Newspaper in Education Oregon CarZone Outdoor Journal Personals Prime Times Real Estate Tempo A & E TV Times W3 Magazine CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Destinations Automotive Communities Employment Entertainment Publications Real Estate Recreation Shopping Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Jobs @ Mail Tribune Email Story to a Friend September 8, 2002 SOU linebacker Damien Schubert gets knocked out of bounds by Humboldt�s Chris Dixon following a fumble return. Mail Tribune / Andrew Mariman No place like home for SOU A quick start lifts the fourth-ranked Raiders past Humboldt State for their seventh straight regular-season home victory By KRIS HENRY Mail Tribune ASHLAND — To see the faces surrounding Southern Oregon’s post-game huddle Saturday night, one would have thought the fourth-ranked Raiders lost their season-opener to Humboldt State. The scoreboard told quite another story, with Southern Oregon surviving for a 27-17 victory in front of 1,550 at Raider Stadium. But back on the field below that scoreboard, Raider faces went without smiles and more than a few heads hung low in frustration that SOU didn’t dominate the Lumberjacks as hoped. While some might view that scene as a bad sign for the 2002 campaign, SOU head coach Jeff Olson begs to differ. "I want them to enjoy the win," said Olson, who in the middle of his post-game speech actually had to remind his players they won the game, "but at the same time I’m impressed that they weren’t satisfied with just the win." Coming off a season in which SOU advanced to the quarterfinals of the NAIA Championship Series, this year’s version of the Raiders carries expectations to go even further. To that end, a 27-17 victory over the NCAA Division II Lumberjacks didn’t carry much weight for upperclassmen like tailback Dusty McGrorty. "We just know that we can do a heckuva lot better than we did," said the junior, who rushed for 155 yards on 26 carries. "We have a lot of stuff we have to correct." McGrorty threw a new wrinkle into an already outstanding career at SOU by returning the opening kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown. Although he hadn’t returned a kick since his days at Warrenton High, McGrorty looked like a seasoned pro on special teams. Put back there so teams would hopefully stop kicking away from All-American Nick Daniken, McGrorty kept up his end of the bargain as he took the low kick off one hop, waited for a wall to form and then dashed up the gut to pay dirt. "I was ready to go and fired up," McGrorty said of the opening kickoff. "Me and Nick were back there talking about how (coach Olson) said we wanted to start our season off with a hit ... there’s nothing better than a touchdown." The only thing better might have been on SOU’s first defensive stand, in which Garrett Gelker drilled Humboldt tailback Kyle Lucas at midfield, forcing a fumble that popped into the hands of linebacker Damien Schubert and was returned to the 3-yard-line. On the ensuing play, McGrorty tucked behind his experienced line and leaned in for a touchdown, pushing SOU’s total to 14 points in 19 seconds with the ball. If the start seemed too good to be true for those on the Raider sideline, it was. Humboldt marched right back down the field, using 11 plays to go 73 yards for a touchdown. Transfer quarterback Chris Dixon, from Contra Costa Junior College, did the brunt of the damage with his scrambling ability and knack for finding an open man. Those very skills helped turn a third-and-8 play into a 31-yard touchdown pass to Dustin Creager with 9:13 to play in the first quarter. "He had some sweet feet," SOU lineman Gilbert Roman said of Dixon. "It was pretty tough to keep him contained." After holding SOU on the next series, the Lumberjacks were put in prime position to tie the game when first-year Raider punter Steve Baker outkicked the coverage and left a seam for Creager to return the ball to the SOU 11. SOU’s defense fortunately rose to the challenge, bending to the 2-yard-line but no farther as Humboldt had to settle for a 20-yard field goal to cut its deficit to 14-10. "You have to give credit to Humboldt," Olson said of the quick rally. "They have a heckuva offense and didn’t panic and came back to put points on the board. They’re a very good football team." SOU answered with a 21-yard field goal by Baker to open the second quarter, and then, seemingly bogged down on their own 20, SOU showed its big-play ability when quarterback Dan Woodward found Bobby Poeltl all alone in the secondary for an 80-yard TD to give his team a cushion at 24-10 heading into halftime. The Raiders tacked on a 19-yard field goal by Baker in the third quarter, but little else as Humboldt controlled the clock and the edge in yardage thanks to a no-huddle attack that featured Dixon’s scrambling ability. Once again, however, the Raiders didn’t allow Humboldt a chance to make the game close again until a special teams breakdown gave the Lumberjacks some life with 1:34 to play. A seemingly innocent punt to the sure-handed Daniken went awry when the senior from Central Point had the ball glance off his hands and into the waiting arms of a Lumberjack player. Backup quarterback Tim Sprinkles connected with Creager for a 12-yard TD on the ensuing play to make the final score closer than the game really was. Still, it was all too close for the Raiders. "That was a tough one," said Roman. "We came through a little close, but we stepped it up when we had to. This is just the beginning of something. Once everybody gets out on the same page, we’ll be able to do some great things." At Raider Stadium Humboldt State 10 0 0 7 —17 Southern Oregon 14 10 3 0 —27 SOU — McGrorty 88 kickoff return (Baker kick) SOU — McGrorty 3 run (Baker kick) HS — Creager 31 pass from Dixon (Waltzman kick) HS — FG Waltzman 20 SOU — FG Baker 21 SOU — Poeltl 80 pass from Woodward (Baker kick) SOU — FG Baker 19 HS — Creager 12 pass from Sprinkles (Waltzman kick) TEAM STATISTICS HS SOU First Downs 24 14 Rushes-yards 44-153 33-158 Passing yards 212 185 Comp-Att-Int 17-33-0 14-23-0 Total yards 365 343 Punts 5-42.0 6-47.5 Fumbles-lost 3-2 1-1 Penalties-yards 8-55 6-85 INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING Humboldt State — Jones 24-114, Dixon 13-20, Lucas 5-11, Sprinkles 2-8. Southern Oregon — McGrorty 26-155, White 1-3, Watson 1-2, Woodward 5-(-2). PASSING Humboldt State — Dixon 14-25-0 176, Sprinkles 3-8-0 36. Southern Oregon — Woodward 14-23-0 185. RECEIVING Humboldt State — Creager 6-115, Adkins 5-51, White 3-29, Wells 1-6, Smith 1-6, Jones 1-5. Southern Oregon — Poeltl 3-98, Jordan 3-33, White 3-20, Negra 3-14, Dice 1-15, McGrorty 1-5. 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. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy web master feedback A D V E R T I S E R S