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Linfield downs Raiders McMINNVILLE � Medford�s Curt Musser threw three touchdown passes, including two to Josh Harrison as Linfield held off Southern Oregon for a 23-11 win Saturday. The Wildcats (2-0) clinched the game when Musser found Harrison on a 25-yard score with 3:46 left. Musser completed 11 of 26 passes for 218 yards and three touchdowns, despite tossing a pair of interceptions. Both teams take next week off. Southern Oregon (1-1) entertains Humboldt State Sept. 30, while Linfield travels to Pacific Lutheran. Linfield�s offense, absent in the first half, outgained Southern Oregon, 324-273. Carl Haberberger rushed for 81 yards on 18 carries. Both teams missed field goals from short range in the opening 20 minutes. Southern Oregon drove 68 yards to the Linfield., but Don Guy missed a 25-yard field goal with 1:50 left in the first quarter. Linfield failed to capitalize on an SOU turnover in the second quarter when Doug Koehler intercepted a Dan Walters pass at the Raider 32. Linfield (2-0) marched to the 10, but stalled out and Scott Cannon�s field goal was wide left. The Raiders, however, took advantage of a short punt to score the game�s first points. SOU drove to the Linfield 3 where Guy converted on a 20-yard field goal. The Raiders outgained the hosts 137-34 in the first half, including a 108-12 advantage on the ground. But they had only a three-point lead to show for it. And that didn�t last long. On Linfield�s first possession of the second half, Musser found David Nichols wide open for a 72-yard touchdown strike. Cannon�s kick made it 7-3. A while later, the Wildcats dodged a bullet when Musser was intercepted at his own 32. But Guy�s 32-yard field goal attempt hit the right upright and bounced away. Linfield extended its lead to 14-3 when Musser connected with Harrison in the right corner of the end zone with 1:59 to play in the third quarter. Dusty McGrorty, who rushed for 187 yards on 28 carries, broke loose for an 18-yard score with 12:12 to play. Then Walters hooked up with Ed Smith for a two-point conversion to make it 14-11. Linfield then drove down field to the Raider 1, but couldn�t score on fourth down. But the Wildcats cashed in for two points on the next play when linebacker Russ Hayden downed McGrorty in the end zone for a safety. Walters finished 26 of 45 for 195 yards. But the Wildcats picked off four of Walters� passes, including two by Ike Ellis. Toby Taylor had eight catches for SOU, for 82 yards. Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA