Southern Oregon University Athletics
October starts with a smashing 24-3 win over Eastern Oregon. The SOU Raider Football competed against state rival, Eastern Oregon (ranked 18th in the NAIA Top 25) this past Saturday at Raider Stadium for a win that put them 3-2 in the Frontier Conference (FC). The win boosted the outlook for the remainder of the season, and it put the Raiders in a tied position for second in the FC. However, with five more games left in the regular season, the race for the Frontier Conference title is still on.
The game against Eastern was a nail-biter. Both defensive squads, the Eastern Oregon Mountaineers and the Southern Oregon Raiders, played exceptionally. Two defensive linemen stood out this game for the Raiders, Ika Ngauamo and Alejandro Sanchez. Defensive linemen Sanchez and Ngauamo both had three sacks for a total of six sacks against the Mountaineers. In addition, several times both teams were within the red zone scoring distance but could not execute. Neither team was willing to give up to the other, but that quickly changed after half-time.
In the third quarter, Avery McCuaig, a junior running back for the Raiders, was able to punch through the Mountaineer’s defense with the help of his offensive line and score the first touchdown of the game. After this momentum breakthrough, Matt Struck, a senior transfer quarterback from Missouri State University, put the heat on offensively. Matt had 208 passing yards for the game and several of those were received by sophomore Bryce Goggin.
Christian Graney, a junior wide receiver, caught the next touchdown of the night. This brought the game to a 14-0 lead in the third quarter. During this game, Graney reached his 87th career reception for the Raiders, and, with five games still on the schedule, the number will continue to grow. Along with Graney’s accolades, sophomore Cesar Ruiz, a kicker for the Raiders, completed a 41-yard field goal for a season-high. The successful field goal brought the score to 17-0 against the Mountaineers.
At the start of the fourth, the Mountaineers were able to complete a 24-yard field goal to bring the score to 17-3. The Mountaineers lost all momentum though when Shane McLaughlin, a sophomore wide receiver for the Raiders, completed a 95-yard kickoff return touchdown in the fourth quarter. McLaughlin’s incredible coverage and touchdown completion brought the game 24-3. After that, it was just a matter of running out the clock for the Raiders.
The win over Eastern Oregon brought the all-time school record against the Mountaineers to 56-23-3. The Raider squad has five more regular-season games before the playoff season begins. Three of the five remaining games will be at Raider Stadium. The other two will be on the road.
Come stop by Raider Stadium to cheer on the team or cheer from afar watching the online broadcast. The next football game for the Raiders will be away and against Montana Western. The next home game will be October 23rd, at Raider Stadium with kickoff starting at 1 p.m. Sco’ders!!
Raider Quick Stats (Eastern Game):
- 15 First Downs
- 54 Rushing Yards
- 208 Passing Yards
- 262 Total Offensive Yards
- 8 Penalties for 74 Yards
Individual Raider Highlights (Eastern Game):
- Shane McLaughlin’s 95-yard Kickoff Return Touchdown
- Bryce Goggin’s Midair Reception and Game Total of 112 Completed Passing Yards
- Drew Schuler’s Single Interception
- Seth Miller’s Single Interception
- Alejandro Sanchez’s Three Quarterback Sacks
- Ika Ngaumo’s Three Quarterback Sacks
- Cesar Ruiz 41-yard Field goal Completion
Season Highlights (as of 10/4/21):
- Cesar Ruiz – Frontier Conference’s Erck Hotels Special Teams Player of the Week
- Matt Struck – NAIA Football Offensive Player of the Week
- Drew Schuler – Erck Hotes FC Football Defensive Player of the Week
- Bryce Goggin – Erck Hotes FC Football Offensive Player of the Week
- Shane McLaughlin – Erck Hotels Frontier Football Special Teams Player of the Week
- Alejandro Sanchez – Erck Hotels Frontier Football Defensive Player of the Week
