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EOU Football
Jordan Meyer
27
Winner Eastern Oregon EOU 4-2 , 4-2
17
Southern Oregon SOU 4-2 , 4-2
Winner
Eastern Oregon EOU
4-2 , 4-2
27
Final
17
Southern Oregon SOU
4-2 , 4-2
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
EOU Eastern Oregon 3 0 17 7 27
SOU Southern Oregon 3 0 0 14 17

Game Recap: Football | | Spencer Jones, EOU Sports Information Assistant

Mountaineer Defense Suffocates No. 7 SOU in 27-17 Upset

ASHLAND, Ore. – The Eastern Oregon football team upset the No. 7 SOU Raiders 27-17 in Ashland Saturday afternoon in Frontier Conference play.

The No. 24 Mountaineers (4-2) dominated on the defensive side of the ball, and got their revenge on SOU who left La Grande with a win earlier this season.

The No. 7 Raiders (4-2) have lost two games in a row for the first time since 2016, after dropping one to Rocky Mountain last week.

The first time these two teams met, the Raiders outmatched the Mountaineers, knocking them off 32-13 in La Grande. SOU ran for 273 yards, averaging just under 5 yards per carry, and had two separate players reach 100 yards on the ground.

The story of the game was the ability of the defensive line to penetrate the pocket and disrupt the quarterback, as well as stopping the dangerous SOU running game that averaged 190 yards a game on 4.5 yards per carry this year. EOU boasts the second best rush defense in the Frontier, and held Southern Oregon to 86 yards on the ground on Saturday.

Overall, the Raiders managed just 306 total yards on the afternoon, well below their average of nearly 400 per game. A kickoff return for a touchdown late in the game gave the Raiders 17 points, however the defense by itself gave up only 10 points to a very talented SOU offense.

Linebacker Isaiah Cranford led the way for the defense, racking up nine tackles, 3.5 sacks and three tackles for loss. Defensive back Justin Hughes had a team-high 10 tackles, and defensive lineman Tyler Utecht also got to the quarterback for a sack.

The passing defense was also imposing, intercepting three passes. Linebacker Eli Teuteu, and defensive backs Haziel Ledezma and Zackary Jacobs all picked off SOU quarterbacks in the contest. Jacobs extended his Frontier conference leading interception total to six, averaging one a game this season.

EOU's offense was very effective in the running game, tallying 178 yards on 4.7 yards per carry. The biggest play from scrimmage was a run by quarterback Kai Quinn, finding an opening in the middle of the field and exploiting it for a 76-yard touchdown. Quinn finished with 86 yards rushing. Additionally, running back Victor Dias gained 89 yards and a score on 18 attempts.

The passing game wasn't as efficient as usual, and that can be credited to the Raiders allowing the fewest passing yards in Frontier play this season. Still, Quinn threw for 216 yards and tossed a touchdown pass to wide receiver TJ Hancock in the fourth quarter to put the game away. Hancock led all receivers with 88 yards on four catches, followed by Brenden Kelly who tallied four catches for 82 yards.

The upset victory for the Mountaineers gives them life fighting for a chance at a conference championship, and puts them tied for second with Southern Oregon. Both teams are chasing Montana Western, who lost to EOU in a triple overtime thriller on September 22nd in La Grande.

The Mountaineers return home next week for a clash with Montana Tech for Homecoming, in a rematch of the September 8th game where the Orediggers got the best of EOU 24-17. Kickoff is slated for October 20th at 1 p.m. at Community Stadium.

For more information on 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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