Box Score

LA GRANDE, Ore. – The Eastern Oregon University Mountaineers trailed the No. 22 Southern Oregon University Raiders, 35-31, with 10 seconds remaining in the game. Zach Bartlow dropped back to throw a pass down the middle of the field but it dropped incomplete and the Mountaineers fell to Southern Oregon, 35-31.
 
The Mountaineers held the lead for the majority of the contest, but could not hold on in the fourth quarter. Zach Bartlow led the Mountaineers with 262 passing yards and three touchdowns. Jace Billingsley recorded 11 receptions for 130 yards and a touchdown. Byron Benson, Matt Gayman and Gary Posten led the team with 10 tackles apiece.
 
EOU came out strong in the first quarter. Thirty seconds into the game, Gayman intercepted Austin Dodge to give EOU the ball at Southern Oregon's 22 yard line. The Mountaineers scored two plays later as Bartlow found Justin Hernandez on a 17 yard reception to put EOU on top, 8-0.
 
On Southern Oregon's next series, the Raiders came back and scored on a 29 yard touchdown pass from Dodge to Dylan Young.
 
EOU answered on their next possession as EOU went 75 yards on 10 plays. Bartlow recorded his second touchdown of the game when he found Andrew Woody for a 25 yard touchdown streak. After one quarter, EOU led 15-7.
 
At the beginning of the second quarter SOU's Sean McShane ran the ball 56 yards for a touchdown to bring the score to 15-14 a Mountaineer lead. Less than three minutes later, EOU grew their lead to seven points after Bartlow found Billingsley for a 29 yard touchdown to put EOU on top 21-14.
 
Southern Oregon added its third touchdown of the game on a 18 yard run by Dodge to tie the game at 21. The Mountaineers and Raiders would go to the locker room tied at 21 at halftime.
 
In the beginning of the third quarter, Matt Gayman recorded his second interception of the game and ran it back 33 yards for a touchdown to put the Mountaineers up 28-21. The lead did not last long as Southern Oregon took five minutes and 50 seconds off the clock and went 77 yards on 17 plays to tie the game. Dodge found Jeremy Scottow for a 5 yard touchdown to tie the game at 28 going into the fourth quarter.
 
With 9:00 minutes left to play, Marc David kicked a 37 yard field goal to push the Mountaineers into the lead by a score of 31-28, Mountaineers. This left the door open for Southern Oregon to gain some ground. With just 2:11 on the clock, SOU's Melvin Mason had a 2 yard run, pulling the Raiders ahead 35-31.
 
The Mountaineers pushed the ball for the final 2 minutes of play but could not get it done in time. With 10 seconds remaining in the game, Bartlow dropped back to pass and threw down the middle of the field and it fell incomplete and the Mountaineers fell to Southern Oregon, 35-31.
 
Eastern Oregon returns to the action next Saturday, Sept. 20, when they travel to Montana Tech. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. MT.