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Football Gary Pine

Southern Oregon Steamrolls Cougars

AZUSA, Calif. -- Azusa Pacific had hoped to send a message to the NAIA rating committee about its chances of making the NAIA playoffs.  However, it was the No. 10-ranked Southern Oregon that used a state-of-the-art sound system to project its own statement that translated into the Raiders pasting a 64-21 verdict on the Cougars Saturday night.
 
Southern Oregon scored touchdowns on 5 of its first 6 possessions to race out to a 34-7 halftime lead and never allowed Azusa Pacific back in the hunt, handing the Cougars their worst margin of defeat ever.
 
Sophomore TB Dusty McGrorty rushed for 170 yards and tallied 5 TDs (1 shy of the school record), scoring on runs of 1, 29, 35, 5 and 5 again, to spearhead a Raider offense that gobbled up 520 yards in total offense.  McGrorty capped the Raiders' game-opening 60-yard drive with a 1-yard blast that put SOU up 7-0.
 
Azusa Pacific answered on the ensuing drive when junior QB Luke Winslow hit Frank Tapia for a 14-yard scoring strike to knot the score at 7-7.  The Cougars then attempted a surprise on-side kick, but the attempt went just 3 yards untouched, giving SOU possession at the Cougar 38-yard line.  Three plays later McGrorty sprinted in from 29 yards out and the route was on.  Southern Oregon scored 34 consecutive points to take run out to a comfortable 41-7 lead.
 
Raider QB Travis Mari, who threw for 319 yards and 4 TDs vs. Azusa Pacific as Humboldt State's signal-caller in 1999, continued to scorch the Cougars despite the change in uniforms.  A transfer to Southern Oregon this year, Mari was a sizzling 17-for-22 for 228 yards and 2 TDs in 3 quarters of play tonight.
 
Southern Oregon was opportunistic, turning 3 Cougar turnovers into 21 points, including back-to-back takeaways in the second quarter in which the Raiders converted a fumble at the Cougar 10-yard line into a quick 7 points and then a Vaughn Morris interception into another TD when Mari hit Danny Negra on a 35-yard pass play.
 
And as good as the Southern Oregon offense was, the Raider defense refused to take a back seat, holding Azusa Pacific to just 288 yards in total offense while collecting 6 QB sacks. Following Azusa Pacific's opening 12-play scoring drive, Southern Oregon's defense didn't give up another Cougar first down for 6 consecutive possessions.
 
With the win, Southern Oregon nearly locks down an NAIA playoff berth, improving to 6-1 on the season.  Azusa Pacific falls to 4-4, ending all chances of the Cougars securing a fourth straight NAIA playoff berth.
 
 
 
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Players Mentioned

Luke Winslow

#12 Luke Winslow

QB
6' 4"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Luke Winslow

#12 Luke Winslow

6' 4"
Junior
QB