Oct. 21: Baker's 38-yard field goal gives SOU a 17-14 win over Azusa

By Joe Zavala

Ashland Daily Tidings

Junior placekicker Steve Baker nailed a 38-yard field goal with 28 seconds remaining to lift the fifth-ranked Southern Oregon University football team over 14th-ranked Azusa Pacific University 17-14 in a battle of the NAIA's top independent teams, Saturday night at Raider Stadium.

Baker's heroics were set up by junior linebacker Gabe Raso, who picked off a Luke Winslow pass at the Azusa 36 with 2:49 remaining. Baker atoned for two first-half misses after five rushes by junior tailback Dusty McGrorty pushed the ball to the Cougar 21.

"I learned something about our kids tonight," Raider coach Jeff Olson said. "There was no quit in this team, whatsoever."

The Raider Homecoming victory allowed SOU (5-1) to extend its winning streaks to four straight overall and eight consecutive at home in the regular season, and it snapped a five-game APU (5-1) skein.

McGrorty finished with a game-high 139 rushing yards on 33 carries, including a 10-yard scoring scamper that staked the Raiders to a 14-7 lead in the third quarter.

Meanwhile, Cougar sophomore running back Ben Buys, who entered the contest ranked fourth nationally in scoring, amassed 111 on 17 carries and one touchdown - a five-yarder that put APU up 7-0 late in the first stanza.

Southern, which outgained Azusa 328-308 in total offense and topped the Cougars for the fourth time in as many meetings since 1999, tied the contest 7-7 on a 12-yard Dan Woodward pass to Danny Negra 28 seconds before halftime. But with the Raiders leading 14-7 deep in Cougar territory, momentum turned on a dime with 1:37 left in the third quarter when a Dominique Degrammont sack forced a Woodward fumble that was scooped up and returned 76 yards by junior linebacker Anthony Diggs for a game-tying touchdown.

Raider defenders forced a punt, a turnover on downs at the SOU 30 with 6:23 remaining and Raso's interception on the three subsequent APU drives and limited the Los Angeles school to two short completions after the Baker make.

Woodward finished with a 16-for-32, 155-yards, one-TD clip, while Winslow was 15-for-30 for 138.

Senior linebacker Damien Schubert collected a career-high 10 tackles to pace the SOU defense, and junior cornerback Sedric Ashley blocked two Cougar kicks, including a third-quarter field goal try.

"We're a family and we've got the heart of champions," Schubert said. "That's what it came down to."

Junior end Nick Tavaglione had eight stops for APU, while Diggs collected a game-high three tackles for losses.

"We knew we had to win to stay at No. 1 and to keep our flow for the playoffs," Woodward said. "This is a huge game. This is probably the biggest game of the season for us, and our momentum now and the way the guys reacted to this win, I think we're just going to start rolling people now and on into the playoffs.

"It was a momentum game. It was a huge momentum game."

Baker's Big Kicks

Sept. 21 at Linfield

What: A potential game-winning 43-yarder with just seconds left and the game tied at 28.

Result: Wide left.

Sept. 28 at Humboldt State

What: A 34-yarder as time expired in the first half, with HSU leading 7-0.

Result: Good.

Sept. 28 at Humboldt State

What: A 50-yarder late in the fourth quarter with SOU up 17-10.

Result: Good.

Saturday vs. Azusa Pacific

What: A 38-yarder with 28 seconds left and the game tied at 14.

Result: Good.