ASHLAND, Ore. - No. 18 Eastern Oregon University Football has now dropped its second straight game as the Mountaineers fell to in-state rival Southern Oregon. A 17-point run by Southern in the third quarter was the catalyst as the Raiders secured a 24-3 win at home.
How it Happened
• The Mountaineers (3-2, 3-2 Frontier) managed just 284 yards of total offense, while their defense limited Southern Oregon (3-2, 3-2 Frontier) to 262. Helping the Raiders in the win was 17 unanswered points in the third quarter after a scoreless first half.
• Helping the Raiders in the win beside a high scoring third quarter run was their defense that sacked
Kai Quinn six times and picked him off twice.Â
• The first half was a defensive battle through and through with neither team finding the end zone. The Raiders had a pair of chances in the first and second quarter, respectively, but came up empty handed.
• The first chance at scoring for Southern came at the 5:33 mark on the clock. Caesar Ruiz took a field goal attempt from 39 yards out but it went wide left to keep the game scoreless.
• Tough and disciplined play by EOU's defense was key in stopping the Raiders from ending the scoreless bout early in the second quarter. A 4th and goal rush from the 1 yard line was stuffed as Sage Delong and
Hayden Brandon stopped Matt Struck on the quarterback keeper.
• Despite the high level efforts from both teams' defense, neither offense was able to find a rhythm in the first 30 minutes of action. At halftime, EOU had a 126-112 total yards edge over Southern.
• The scoreless bout ended midway through the third quarter as Southern found the back of the end zone on its second drive of the frame. A 12 yard touchdown run by Avery McCuaig and a PAT from Ruiz gave the Raiders a 7-0 lead.
• Eastern looked to respond on the ensuing drive but on a second down play Quinn had his pass picked off inside Mountaineers territory. The Raiders took over at the EOU 32 and made it count.
• With little field to clear, the Raiders marched the 32 yards in just six plays and capped the drive with a seven yard touchdown pass by Struck. Christian Graney pulled in the reception and in a blink of an eye the Raiders led by a score of 14-0.
• SOU's defense continued to hold the Mountaineers scoreless through the remainder of the third quarter and the offense added one more score before the fourth. A 41 yard field attempt by Ruiz late in the frame was good to give the Raiders a 17-0 going into the fourth quarter.
• Eastern was able to avoid being shutout in the early going of the fourth quarter as
Zachary Cahill nailed a 24 yard field goal to make it a 17-3 game with 11:53 left in regulation.
• The Raiders immediately responded on the ensuing kickoff as Shane McLaughlin ran the ball back 95 yards for a touchdown. The PAT by Ruiz gave Southern a commanding 21-point lead, 24-3 with 11:39 to play in the game.
• The Mountaineers never managed to find the endzone as the Raiders defense made key stops throughout the remainder of the quarter to hold on for the win. Quinn and the offense had a chance late getting to the SOU seven-yard line before he was intercepted again ending any chances at a potential comeback
Mountaineers Stat Leaders
•
Kai Quinn completed 22-39 passes for 233 yards but was picked off twice on the day. He also led the ground game with 23 yards on 15 carries.
•
Jordan Eggers tallied 14 rush yards on seven carries.
•
Tyler Brown led the receiving corps with 92 yards on three catches. He had a long catch of 47 yards.
•
Sage DeLong tallied eight total tackles and had a sack.
•
Hayden Brandon had eight total tackles as well.
•
Chase Van Wyck had six tackles and one sack.
•
Zachary Cahill nailed his lone field goal attempt.Â
For the Raiders
• Matt Strucks went 19-33 passing for 208 yards and one touchdown.
• Avery McCuaig racked up 54 rush yards on 15 carries and scored one touchdown.
• Bryce Goggin had seven catches for a game-high 112 yards.
• Christian Graney pulled in one touchdown and finished with six catches for 32 yards.
• Alejandro Sanchez had a game best 10 tackles and 3.0 sacks in the win.
• Drew Schuler and Seth each pulled in an interception and combined for 11 tackles.
• Ceasr Ruiz was 1-2 on field goal attempts.
By the Numbers
154 - The Mountaineers streak of scoring at least one touchdown ends at 154. The streak dated back to week eight of the 2006 season.
6 -
Zachary Cahill has now nailed all six of his field goal attempts this season.
385 - With his 15 rushes,
Kai Quinn is at 385 for his career which is seventh most in EOU history.
15 - The Mountaineers are now 7-15 against the Raiders under the direction of
Tim Camp.
Up Next
• The Mountaineers will be home for the first time in October when they host Rocky Mountain College on Oct. 9 for Homecoming. Kickoff against the Battlin' Bears is set for 1 p.m. PT inside Community Stadium.
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