NAIA Football Game of the Week – No. 1
No. 1 Southern Oregon (0-0, 0-0 FC) at No. 4 Carroll (Mont.) (0-0, 0-0 FC)
Saturday, Sept. 5 | 1 p.m. MDT | Nelson Stadium | Helena, Mont.
Live Video – Produced by Carroll

• For the second-straight year, Southern Oregon and Carroll (Mont.) lock horns in the first installment of the NAIA Football Game of the Week. The top-ranked Raiders and No. 4 Saints are set for a 1 p.m. MDT kick off inside Nelson Stadium in Helena, Mont. The game was chosen by a social media fan vote on the NAIA’s official Facebook and Instagram pages.
• Despite having only seven all-time meetings, including three a season ago, many would consider Saturday’s contest a rivalry game. Carroll owns a 4-3 advantage in the all-time series, however the Raiders have won two out of the last three meetings.
• Carroll and Southern Oregon have met three times (2001, 2002 and 2014) in the quarterfinals of the NAIA Football Championship Series (FCS). The Saints won the first two meetings with Southern Oregon claiming victory last season en route to the national title.
• The two clubs FCS encounter last season could arguably be one of the most iconic games in NAIA playoff history, as players, coaches, and fans withstood sub-zero wind chills and blizzard-like conditions throughout the contest. Southern Oregon, which entered the fourth quarter trailing 35-18, scored 27 points in the final 15 minutes to claim a 45-42 win and advance to the semifinals for the first time in program history. The Raiders garnered 660 yards of total offense, including 470 from their top-ranked passing attack. The two teams combined for more than 1,100 yards of total offense.
• The Raiders enter the 2015 season coming off their best year in program history. Southern Oregon won a program record 13 games in 2014 and collected its first-ever national title with a 55-31 win against then-No. 7 Marian (Ind.). Prior to last season, the Raiders had never advanced beyond the quarterfinals of the FCS.
• Despite the loss of NAIA career passing leader and 2014 Player of the Year Austin Dodge, Southern Oregon returns a talented offensive group that includes six starters from last year. Running back Melvin Mason looks to be one of the key cogs again this season. The Vacaville, Calif., native totaled 1,013 yards on 194 attempts and was the Raiders go-to runner in the playoffs. Mason scored seven touchdowns in four playoff games en route to 17 total scores on the season.
• Last season, Southern Oregon led the NAIA in total pass offense (5,745 yards) and pass offense per game (383 yards per game), which in addition to Dodge was due in large part to a talented receiving corps. All-Frontier Conference selection Matt Retzlaff headlines the returners at wide receiver for the Raiders. Retzlaff compiled 56 catches for 785 yards and six touchdowns last season.
• Defensively, the Raiders’ return seven starters, including National Championship Outstanding Defensive Player Julius Rucker. The junior safety ranked third on the team in tackles with 87 (69 solo), while tying for the team lead with four interceptions a year ago.
• Head coach Craig Howard is in his fifth year at the helm of the Southern Oregon football program. Howard boasts a 34-14 (.708) record with the club, which is tied for fourth on Southern Oregon’s all-time coaching wins list.
• Since joining the Frontier Conference in 2012, Southern Oregon owns a 23-7 record in league play.
• Perennial powerhouse Carroll, which has won 14 of the last 16 league titles, was picked as the preseason favorite by the conference coaches. The Saints edged Southern Oregon by three points in the poll.
• Similar to Southern Oregon, Carroll lost some key individuals from its 2014 team – most notably All-Americans Dustin Rinker and Sean Bloomquist – but returns a strong nucleus that includes six starters on offense and six on defense.
• Quarterback Mac Roche is the Saints’ top returner on offense. The second-year starter threw for 2,942 yards and 28 touchdowns in 2014. Arguably more important was Roche’s ability to protect the football, as he completed 67.4 percent of his throws and was only intercepted four times in 319 attempts. The Whitefish, Mont., native averaged 283 yards passing in three starts against Southern Oregon a year ago.
• Defense has keyed much of Carroll’s success throughout program history and expectations for 2015 are no different, as the Saints return six starters including their entire starting secondary. All-America safety James Dowgin headlines the group. He led the club with three interceptions last season, while ranking second with 69 total tackles.
• Other notable returners on defense are linebacker Shayne Durbin, linebacker Dawson Osborn and defensive back Adam DeBruycker. The trio ranked third, fourth and fifth on the team in tackles a season ago with 66, 65 and 51, respectively.
• In 2014, the Saints led the Frontier Conference in points allowed per game (17.4) and total defense (316.1 yards per game).
• Carroll head coach Mike Van Diest enters 2015 ranked third among active coaches with a 186-30 all-time record in 16 seasons. He has led the program to 14 FCS appearances, including an NAIA-record six national titles – most recent in 2010 – and two national runner-up appearances. Van Diest’s .861 winning percentage is the best of any active college football coach with more than 10 years of experience.

Note – portions of this information was provided by the Southern Oregon and Carroll Sports Information Department

Around NAIA Football
• The inaugural game of 2015 featured Montana State-Northern and Dickinson State (N.D.) on August 22. The Blue Hawks, aided by a pair of Montana State-Northern turnovers, won the contest 17-7. Dickinson State quarterback Robert Sterling accounted for 170 of the Blue Hawks 222 total yards and was responsible for both of the team’s touchdowns – one rushing and one passing.
• For the first time since the NAIA moved to one division in 1997, two teams – Southern Oregon and Marian (Ind.) – tied for the No. 1 ranking in the NAIA Football Coaches’ Preseason Top 25 Poll. For the complete release, click here. The first regular-season rating will be released on Sept. 14.
• Lyon (Ark.) played its first varsity intercollegiate game in 64 years last Saturday when it hosted No. 22 Tabor (Kan.). The Scots, who are members of the Central States Football League, lost the game 45-21. Despite the loss, running back Michael Bowles had a strong performance with a game-high 189 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 28 attempts.
• With the addition of Grand View (Iowa) and William Penn (Iowa), the Heart of America Athletic Conference (Heart) will break into two divisions for the first time in its history. The winner of each division will earn an automatic berth into the 2015 FCS.
     o North Division – Benedictine (Kan.), Culver-Stockton (Mo.), Graceland (Iowa), Grand View, Peru State (Neb.) and William Penn
     o South Division – Avila (Mo.), Baker (Kan.), Central Methodist (Mo.), Evangel (Mo.), MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) and Missouri Valley
• Earlier this summer, the Heart announced a broadcast agreement with Niles Media Group to televise football games for the 2015 season. Games will be available on ESPN3, as well as in the Kansas City area on KSMO-TV. For the complete release and television schedule, click here.
• A pair of powerhouse programs will do battle on Thursday, Sept. 24, as No. 3 Morningside (Iowa) hosts NCAA Division III Wisconsin-Whitewater. The contest, slated for a 6 p.m. CDT kickoff, will be broadcast live on ESPN3. For the full release, click here.
• This week’s Top 25 schedule (all games on Saturday)
     o No. 3 Morningside (Iowa) at RV Sterling (Kan.)
     o No. 4 Saint Xavier (Ill.) at St. Francis (Ill.)
     o No. 6 Grand View (Iowa) at Central Methodist (Mo.)
     o No. 7 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) at Lyon (Ark.)
     o No. 8 MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) at No. 19 William Penn (Iowa)
     o Graceland (Iowa) at No. 9 Missouri Valley
     o No. 10 Faulkner (Ala.) at Southeastern (Fla.)
     o No. 11 Georgetown (Ky.) at Cumberland (Tenn.)
     o No. 12 Northwestern (Iowa) at No. 22 Tabor (Kan.)
     o No. 13 Eastern Oregon at Sacramento State (Calif.)
     o Dakota Wesleyan at No. 14 Ottawa (Kan.)
     o No. 15 Baker (Kan.) at Culver-Stockton (Mo.)
     o No. 17 Valley City State (N.D.) at Mayville State (N.D.)
     o Lincoln (Mo.) at No. 18 Langston (Okla.)
     o Wisconsin-Oshkosh at No. 20 Robert Morris (Ill.)
     o Nebraska Wesleyan at No. 21 Friends (Kan.)
     o No. 22 Doane (Neb.) at McPherson (Kan.)
     o No. 25 Benedictine (Kan.) at Avila (Mo.)
• Sterling (Kan.) head coach Andy Lambert enters the year six wins shy of No. 100. Lambert and the rest of the Warriors open the year on Sept. 5 against Morningside.
• Three NAIA football coaches – Monty Lewis of Friends (Kan.), Paul Troth of Missouri Valley and Mike Feminis of Saint Xavier – are within striking distance of the 150-win plateau. Lewis and Troth both sit with 145 victories, while Feminis owns 144.
• For the second consecutive year, the NAIA Football National Championship will take place at Municipal Stadium in Daytona Beach, Fla. Prior to last year’s title game, the game had been held in Rome, Ga., the previous six years. Municipal Stadium, which was built in 1988, is the home field of NCAA Division I Bethune-Cookeman (Fla.). For more information on the 2015 national championship, click here.
• For more information on NAIA football click here.

Make Plans Now to Visit Daytona Beach!
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