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Brenden Kelly
Kathleen Brown
31
Winner Southern Oregon SOU 6-0 , 6-0
27
Eastern Oregon EOU 2-4 , 2-4
Winner
Southern Oregon SOU
6-0 , 6-0
31
Final
27
Eastern Oregon EOU
2-4 , 2-4
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
SOU Southern Oregon 0 10 0 21 31
EOU Eastern Oregon 0 17 7 3 27

Game Recap: Football | | Iain Dexter, EOU Sports Information Director

EOU Suffers Heartbreaking Loss 31-27 vs. No. 7 SOU

LA GRANDE, Ore. – Looking for an upset victory over No. 7 Southern Oregon on Military Appreciation Night, the Eastern Oregon football team came up just short in a 31-27 loss in Frontier Conference play on Saturday night at Community Stadium.
 
The Mountaineers (2-4, 2-4 Frontier) did not trail in the game until 5:02 left in the fourth quarter when the Raiders (6-0, 6-0 Frontier) scored the eventual game-winning touchdown on a 35-yard pass.
 
Despite falling behind late, EOU answered with a seven-play, 85-yard drive that got within two yards of scoring the go-ahead touchdown. Southern Oregon forced a fumble with just 1:31 left, however, helping clinch the victory for the Raiders.
 
Against the No. 1 defense in the Frontier Conference, the Mountaineers moved the ball effectively with 466 total yards. Turnovers ended up being the difference as the Mounties gave the ball away four times while taking it away twice.
 
Even though both teams went over 400 yards of total offense, the game opened as a defensive battle as neither squad got on the board in the first quarter. Both offenses were held to just 60 yards with six total first downs through 15 minutes of play.
 
The offensive opportunities opened up in the second quarter, especially for EOU as the Mounties scored 17 points. Junior kicker Nathan Harden put the Blue and Gold on the board with a 34-yard field goal to make it 3-0 with 10:45 to go in the quarter.
 
On SOU's first play from scrimmage on the next drive, freshman defensive lineman Kye Yraguen forced a fumble that was recovered by freshman defensive back Haziel Ledezma. The turnover set the Mounties' offense up at Southern Oregon's 43-yard line.
 
Four plays later, redshirt freshman quarterback Kai Quinn found freshman wide receiver TJ Hancock across the middle for a 44-yard touchdown, putting the Mountaineers up 10-0. On that same drive, junior wide receiver Brenden Kelly made an incredibly acrobatic catch for what appeared to be a 40-yard touchdown, but it was called back on a holding penalty. Regardless, the Mounties capitalized on the turnover to score a touchdown.
 
After forcing their first turnover on an interception, the Raiders scored their first points on a 36-yard field goal by Marcus Montano with 3:54 to go in the half.
 
The Mountaineers were not done scoring in the half though as Quinn hit on another big play to Kelly for a 66-yard streak down the sideline to put EOU up 17-3 with 1:38 on the clock.
 
Kelly was dynamic all game for the Mountaineers, posting career highs of nine catches and 206 yards receiving.
 
The Blue and Gold looked set to head to the locker room with a 17-3 advantage, but Southern Oregon hit on a last-ditch Hail Mary throw for 40 yards as quarterback Tanner Trosin connected with Jordan Suell as time expired. The teams went into the locker room with EOU leading 17-10.
 
Despite the last second touchdown, Easter Oregon's defense continued to shutdown the tough Raiders' offense, giving up no points and less than 100 yards in the third quarter.
 
The Mountaineers scored the only points of the third quarter with 57 seconds left as Quinn threw his third touchdown of the game, this time to freshman wide receiver Connor Falk for eight yards for his first career trip to the end zone. The Blue and Gold led 24-10 going into the fourth quarter.
 
Southern Oregon took its first drive of the fourth quarter 80 yards on 10 plays, finishing on a Trosin touchdown pass to Dominic Giampaoli with 12:04 to go.
 
EOU answered with a strong 70-yard drive of its own while taking a precious 4:04 off the clock. The drive came to a halt, however, at the five-yard line as Harden connected on his second field goal with eight minutes left. The field goal gave EOU a two-possession lead once again, up 27-17.
 
The next three minutes of play ended up being the difference in the thrilling game as SOU gained momentum. The Raiders scored in just 53 seconds thanks to a 66-yard touchdown from Trosin to Bronsen Ader, putting the score at 27-24.
 
On EOU's ensuing drive, the Raiders' AJ Cooper snagged his second interception of the game at Eastern Oregon's 35-yard line. SOU immediately went back to the air on the next play as Trosin threw his fourth touchdown of the game to Matt Boudreaux for 35 yards, giving Southern Oregon its first lead 31-27.
 
With 5:02 left to go, Quinn and the Mountaineers' offense took over at their own 19, orchestrating a beautiful 85-yard drive. The drive included a 33-yard catch by Kelly, a 15-yard scramble by Quinn and a 10-yard catch and run by senior wide receiver Calvin Connors. On second and two from the SOU 22-yard line, redshirt sophomore running back Victor Dias rumbled up the middle for 17 yards bouncing off multiple tacklers. At the end of the run, however, the ball was punched loose and Southern Oregon recovered at its own 2-yard line with 1:31 to play.
 
The Mountaineers still hung in the game as they forced a three-and-out of SOU, using their final two timeouts. After a short punt, the Mounties took over on SOU's 37-yard line with 34 seconds left in the game. On second down of the drive, however, Quinn was sacked back at the 46, effectively ending the game as EOU was left without any timeouts to stop the clock.
 
Quinn finished the game with a career-high three touchdown passes and 307 yards. SOU's Trosin had 344 yards through the air and four touchdowns.
 
On the defensive side, Yraguen had two tackles for loss, a sack and a forced fumble. Senior linebackers Michal Arenas and Colin Deyarmin and redshirt freshman linebacker Chase Van Wyck led the team with six tackles apiece.
 
Harden remained perfect on the season with two field goals as he is now 6-for-6. He also averaged 39.6 yards on five punts with two downed inside the 20-yard line.
 
The Mountaineers next hit the road, visiting Montana Western at 1 p.m. Mountain Time in Dillon, Montana.
 
For more information about Eastern Oregon football, follow @EOUAthletics or visit eousports.com.
 
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Contact: Iain Dexter; 541-962-3946; idexter@eou.edu
 
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