By Alan Grosbach, Manager of Communications and Sports Information

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – (Press Book) No. 7 Marian (Ind.) and No. 8 Southern Oregon will lock horns in the 59th annual NAIA Football National Championship Friday at Municipal Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 3:03 p.m. EST. For the first time in NAIA football history, the contest – hosted by the City of Daytona Beach – will be broadcast live on ESPNU.

Friday marks the first time that a top-three team in the final regular season NAIA Football Coaches’ Top 25 Poll will not be playing for a national title since the association moved to one division in 1997. Eight of the last 17 championship games have featured the No. 1 and No. 2 teams. Marian and Southern Oregon combined to knock off the top four teams in this year’s final poll – No. 1 Carroll (Mont.), No. 2 Grand View (Iowa), No. 3 Saint Xavier (Ill.) and No. 4 Morningside (Iowa).

Marian, which has won nine-straight since opening the year 2-2, enters Friday with a 10-2 all-time record in the NAIA Football Championship Series (FCS). The Knights have won seven-straight playoff games, including the national title game in 2012. Marian’s last loss came in the semifinals of the 2011 FCS against Saint Xavier, 30-27.

“The team that we were in the first weeks is totally different than the team we have now,” said Marian head coach Mark Henninger. “It’s a credit to our kids. They continued to believe in one another and fight hard. The pieces were there to play late into December. A guy like Tevin Lake really rallied our team together. We have been in playoff mode most of the season.”

The Knights showcase one of the NAIA’s best defenses, ranking among the top 10 nationally in rushing defense per game (78.0), sacks (37), scoring defense per game (17.8) and total defense per game (289.9). Marian has held 7-of-13 opponents to 14 points-or-less this season, including allowing only single-digit points against No. 10 Georgetown (Ky.) (34-3) in the FCS First Round and Grand View (34-6) in the FCS Quarterfinals.

Linebacker Beau Shields leads the team with 106 tackles (58 solo) and 21 tackles for loss.

Turnovers have played a key role in Marian’s success this year. The Knights have intercepted the opposing quarterback 27 times, including eight by defensive back Eric Price – the second most in the NAIA. Garrett Isch and Daniel Rojas are tied for second on the club with five picks each. Price is an AFCA-NAIA Coaches’ All-America Second Team selection, announced on Tuesday.

Running back Tevin Lake has been the workhorse for Marian’s offense the past four seasons. The two-time NAIA All-American enters Friday ranked seventh on the NAIA’s all-time rushing list with 5,382 yards. Lake, who has run for more than 1,000 yards every season with Marian, ranks ninth in the NAIA in rushing (1,316) and scoring (102) this season. His top performance of the year came in the semifinals against Morningside, as the South Bend, Ind., native ran for 159 yards and two touchdowns.

The Knights are 7-1 against ranked opponents this season, with their only loss to a ranked team coming in week-one against then-No. 16 Saint Xavier, 65-38, on Sept. 6. Marian owns a 0-1 all-time record against Frontier Conference opponents in the playoffs, losing to Carroll, 38-6, in the 2010 quarterfinals.

Southern Oregon boasts arguably the most dynamic offense in NAIA football, ranking among the top three nationally in total pass offense (5,315), pass offense per game (379.6), third down conversion percentage (48.9), first downs per game (27.1), total offense per game (563.7), total scoring offense (630) and scoring offense per game (45.0).

“We have been running this no-huddle offense for about 20 years,” said Southern Oregon head coach Craig Howard. “Our goal is to spread the ball around to as many kids as possible. We also try to go as fast as we can, play at ludicrous speed. Try to run more plays than anyone in America.”

Much of the Raiders offensive success can be attributed to three-time Frontier Conference Player of the Year and 2014 All-America selection Austin Dodge. The senior Vancouver, Wash., native has rewritten the NAIA career record book this season, including setting the new association standard in career completions (1,232), passing yards (16,832), touchdown passes (151) and touchdowns responsible for (98). Dodge leads the NAIA in passing yards per game (369.9), total offense (5,312), total offense per game (379.4) and total passing (5,178). Dodge has thrown for better than 300 yards in 12-of-14 games this year. He has thrown 49 touchdowns compared to 10 interceptions.

“Great players make great coaches,” said Howard. “When he transferred to Southern Oregon, we found a gunslinger to run this thing. He throws the deep ball with accuracy as good as any kid I’ve ever seen. Austin (Dodge) is a great competitor and a great student of the game.”

Wide receivers Ryan Retzlaff and Dylan Young are Dodge’s top two targets this year. Retzlaff is second nationally in receptions (100) and receiving yards (1,476), while Young leads the NAIA in receiving yards (1,631) and is No. 4 in total receptions (86).

An unsung hero on the Southern Oregon offense is running back Melvin Mason. The sophomore has run for 957 yards and a team-best 14 rushing touchdowns this season.

The Raiders are 5-2 against ranked teams on the year and have not been held to less than 27 points in any game. Southern Oregon has accumulated more than 600 yards of total offense six times, including 643 yards in its FCS semifinal win against Saint Xavier.

Defensively, Southern Oregon is led by Laurence Calcagno’s 144 tackles (101 solo). Heston Altenbach is second on the squad with 124 tackles (85 solo).

The Raiders boast a 7-4 all-time record in the FCS. Prior to 2014, Southern Oregon had never advanced beyond the quarterfinals.

For more information on the 2014 NAIA Football National Championship, click here.