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Victor Dias
Al Case - Ashland Daily Photo
24
Winner Eastern Oregon EOU 0-2 , 0-2
21
Southern Oregon SOU 0-2 , 0-1
Winner
Eastern Oregon EOU
0-2 , 0-2
24
Final
21
Southern Oregon SOU
0-2 , 0-1
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
EOU Eastern Oregon 3 14 0 7 24
SOU Southern Oregon 7 7 0 7 21

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

Final Second Touchdown Lifts Eastern over Rival Raiders 24-21

ASHLAND, Ore. – It wasn't easy, but the Mountaineers are returning home with a win under their belts.
 
Thanks to a late touchdown throw from quarterback Kai Quinn to receiver Saige Wilkerson, the Eastern Oregon football upset No. 20 Southern Oregon at Raider Stadium on Saturday afternoon for the team's first Frontier Conference win of the year.
 
The win gives EOU a two-game winning streak overall and on the road against Southern Oregon, including wins in five of the last six in Ashland. SOU won a home game over Eastern in 2017 that was moved to Sherwood due to air quality.
 
Southern Oregon (0-2, 0-1 Frontier) looked to ice the game late with a four-point lead, possession of the ball in field goal range and just 2:55 to play. A high snap changed everything as the ball bounced backwards 17 yards and setup Southern for a long third down attempt. An incomplete pass later and SOU settled for a 47-yard field goal try, which came up short and gave EOU life with two minutes and 70 yards of field in front of them.
 
Working with no timeouts, the Mountaineers (1-1, 1-1 Frontier) started the drive with a reverse to wide receiver Isaiah Thomas, who took it 18 yards to the EOU 48 and out of bounds. Thomas then caught a nine-yard pass to set up third and one as the clock continued to tick. And incomplete pass and a false start penalty made it fourth and six for EOU from the SOU 48.
 
On fourth down, Quinn found Josh Mendoza across the middle for 14 yards up to Southern's 34-yard line. After a two-yard gain, EOU spiked it with 35 seconds left. Another incomplete pass brought up a second fourth down for the Mounties. On the next play, Quinn threw it to Thomas who nearly corralled the ball despite being interfered with by the Raiders. Flags came flying in from multiple officials and EOU was given a new set of downs on a 15-yard penalty.
 
Quinn then hit Wilkerson out of bounds for nine yards to the SOU 8, and a roughing the passer call on the Raiders moved the ball to the four-yard line with 18 seconds to play. The very next play, Quinn scrambled to his right, dodged a defender and found an open Wilkerson in the back corner of the end zone for the eventual game-winning score with just 10 seconds left.
 
While it was the offense that had the big play to end the game, it was the defense and special teams that kept the Mountaineers within striking distance for much of this rivalry battle.
 
EOU held Southern Oregon to just 273 total yards, including 96 on the ground. The defense forced two turnovers, both on interceptions by safety Zackary Jacobs, and had four sacks with three by Saige DeLong. The senior defensive end led the team with eight tackles including five for loss. Senior linebacker Eli Teuteu had six tackles. On special teams, Chase Van Wyck was a monster with a blocked punt and blocked field goal. Van Wyck also added a sack and three takcles on defense.

Overall, Quinn threw for 270 yards on 27-of-49 through the air with two touchdowns and three interceptions. Running back Kaler Moore had 53 yards and a touchdown on nine carries. Former quarterback and now wide receiver Wilkerson had his best game thus far with seven catches for 65 yards and the big touchdown grab. Tight end Connor Falk hauled in five catches for 55 yards.
 
The Raiders scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 13-yard run by quarterback Wyatt Hutchinson. The Mounties lost contain on Hutchinson on two-straight plays as the quarterback scrambled up the field for a total of 25 yards to put SOU ahead 21-17 with 10:30 to play in the fourth.
 
A scoreless third quarter left EOU up 17-14 as defense and special teams played key rolls on both sides.
 
Moore put the ball in the end zone for the first time in the game for EOU, making one cut before going untouched for 12 yards to put the Mounties up 10-7 in the second quarter. The Blue and Gold extended its lead to 10 points as a 12-yard touchdown pass from Quinn to Dias capped off a good drive. SOU pulled the game within three points with 4:19 to go in the second quarter on a 33-yard pass from Hutchinson to Jordan Suell.
 
The Mountaineers dominated possession in the first half, holding the ball for nearly 20 of 30 minutes, while amassing over 100 yards more than the Raiders. Despite this, it translated to just a three-point lead has three interceptions, including two in scoring position, ended good drives for the Mountaineers.
 
EOU's nine hour long bus ride back to La Grande won't seem so long as they take a 1-1 record against Montana Tech. Kickoff from Community Stadium is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Sep. 14.
 
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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