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Raiders brace for perennial power PLU With a win on Saturday, SOU would be off to its best start since the 1947 season By KRIS HENRY Although Southern Oregon coach Jeff Olson says it every week, he might be hitting the nail on the head this week. Always willing to build up each opponent as "the toughest we've faced this season," Pacific Lutheran is just that for Olson's fourth-ranked Raiders. After an initial struggle to the season, the Lutes have righted the ship with three straight wins and own an impressive series record against SOU. The Raiders are 0-9 all-time against PLU in Tacoma, Wash., site of Saturday's 1 p.m. contest. Overall, the Lutes lead the series 16-2 dating back to 1947, leaving even Olson to ponder whether PLU simply has SOU's number. "We've got our work cut out for us (Saturday)," says the sixth-year coach. "We've been able to beat Linfield and Willamette recently, but this is the one team that we've struggled with over the entire history of football at our school. "But I feel good about our team. Our kids are playing well, so I'm looking forward to (Saturday)." Southern Oregon (5-0) is no slouch itself, mind you, having won six straight dating back to last season. A win Saturday would give SOU its best start since 1947. And with a bye last week, the Raiders have had two weeks to prepare for PLU and heal any nagging injuries. "They're very ready to hit somebody and play somebody else," Olson says of his players. "Their level of play, at least in practice, is still very high." High on the priority list this past two weeks has been finding a chink in PLU's armor. "It gave us some time to focus on what PLU does defensively, in particular," says Olson. "They really gave us problems there last year and have for the last two years, so it gave us more time to prepare for that." After an 0-2 start, Pacific Lutheran has turned in successive wins over Linfield (31-20), Eastern Oregon (48-18) and Lewis & Clark (41-14). Leading the turnaround for the Lutes has been junior quarterback Tyler Teeple, who leads the Northwest Conference for pass efficiency. He's 71-for-123 this season with 16 touchdowns and only six interceptions. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound signal caller also ranks second for passing yardage (224.8 per game), searching out Todd McDevitt and Kyle Brown as his main receiving targets. "They're about 70-30 pass-to-run, which is the opposite of what we faced with Willamette," says Olson. "Their passing game is centered around a lot of misdirection and wanting to push the ball down the field, and their skill players are as talented as any we've seen this year." Olson has been particularly impressed with Teeple's ability to run the offense. "He's one heckuva an athlete," says the coach. "They're putting more emphasis on the option this year with him, and he's running their offense very fluidly right now." Pacific Lutheran's apparent weak link has been a defense that holds foes to 22 points per game but allows an average of 356 yards per game in total offense. Those numbers bode well for an SOU attack that was running smoothly prior to its off week. The Raiders have outscored teams 217-59 this season, ranking sixth in the NAIA for total offense (430.6 yards per game). "I think it's important that we remain as balanced as we have been all year," says Olson. "I don't want this to become a one-dimensional game. "It's going to be a challenge since PLU likes to keep you off balance on both sides of the ball. On offense, they throw so much at you, and on defense, they really like to bring the pressure. We just need to make sure we stick to our game plan." Reach reporter Kris Henry at 776-4488, or [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.