LA GRANDE, Ore. – The Eastern Oregon University football team couldn't overcome a 21-point halftime deficit, as the Mountaineers dropped a 48-37 decision to No. 8 Southern Oregon on Senior Day at Community Stadium.
The Navy and Gold finished the 2015 campaign 4-7 overall and 4-6 in Frontier Conference play.
"I want to start by saying thank you to the seniors for representing Eastern Oregon and our football program the way they have for the last several years," said head football coach Tim Camp. "I thought it was a very physical football game from both sides. I think it's certainly an emotional contest anytime these two teams get together."
Key Performances
Junior quarterback Zach Bartlow tied a career-high and his own school record with five touchdowns (four passing, one rushing), registering 226 passing yards and 111 more on the ground. Junior running back Alfred Gross added 82 yards on 14 carries, while sophomore wide receiver Calvin Connors recorded a career-high 140 yards on five kickoff returns.
Playing his final game in a Mountaineer uniform, senior running back Jace Billingsley caught five passes for 87 yards, and he also had a 65-yard kickoff return in the third quarter. The Winnemucca, Nev., native finished his career with a school-record 2,596 receiving yards.
Senior linebacker Gary Posten paced the Mountaineers' defensive effort with 14 tackles, while senior defensive back Adam Bese logged 12 tackles.
Tanner Trosin amassed 215 passing yards for the Raiders, going 23-for-31 on the afternoon, while Melvin Mason registered three rushing touchdowns.
"The game means an awful lot to fans and the community, as well as the players," said Camp. "Every loss is painful because you invest so much in it and everyone believed that we were going to win the football game for our seniors, but we came up short."
The Storyline
The Raiders nearly doubled the Navy and Gold's offensive production in the opening half, recording 260 yards of total offense compared to EOU's 134.
SOU (8-2, 8-2 Frontier) opened the game with a 5-play, 61-yard drive to take an early 7-0 lead nearly two minutes into the contest as Mason drove in an 18-yard rushing touchdown.
After EOU failed to get past its own 34, the Raiders capitalized with an 11-play, 69-yard drive ending with a Trosin touchdown pass to put SOU on top, 14-0.
On the Mountaineers' next possession, Bartlow's patience resulted in a 24-yard pass to Connors to reach SOU's 2-yard line to close out the opening stanza, and the Navy and EOU ultimately scored on Bartlow's 3-yard carry at the start of the second quarter to get on the board.
EOU forced a big turnover on downs on SOU's next possession, however, the Raiders mustered a defensive stop of their own and eventually took a 21-7 lead on another rushing touchdown by Mason with nine minutes left in the second quarter.
A 62-yard kickoff return by Connors granted EOU prime field position, but the Mountaineers were ultimately held to a field goal to keep it a 21-10 game.
Mason capped a 5-play, 31-yard drive with a 12-yard rush into the end zone to extend SOU's lead to 18 (28-10) with 3:47 left in the half, and following an empty possession by the Mountaineers, the Raiders closed the frame with a 36-yard field goal to take a 31-10 advantage into the locker room.
With the ball at EOU's 24-yard line, SOU had a chance to add to the damage in the third quarter until junior defensive back John Payne recovered a fumble forced by junior linebacker Tucker Stanley. The Mountaineers took advantage of the turnover with a 15-play, 94-yard drive capped by a touchdown reception by sophomore wide receiver Brenden Kelly.
Trailing by 22 (45-23), the Mountaineers saw one final touchdown reception from Billingsley to make it a 15-point game with 5:52 left in the contest. EOU held SOU to a field goal on its next possession, but time simply ran out on the Navy and Gold.
After forcing a turnover on downs, EOU mustered a 6-play, 64-yard drive capped by a touchdown pass from Bartlow to Connors to cut the deficit to 11 (48-37) with 32 seconds left, but SOU held on for the victory in La Grande.
Stat of the Game
7 – Red-zone opportunities converted into touchdowns by SOU.
Senior Day
Eight seniors played their final game for the Navy and Gold, as Billingsley, Posten, Bese, Byron Benson, JT Capers, Cooper Harris, Kristopher Welch, and Marc David capped their careers at EOU.
"These players, the coaching staff, and support staff invested so much time and effort, and for that I say thank you," said Camp. "I obviously wanted a different outcome. I give credit to SOU, they played a fine game."
