NAIA RELEASE

KANSAS CITY -- An upset victory over a top-10 team in the NAIA Game of the Week and another record-breaking offensive performance has helped Southern Oregon climb into the NAIA top 15, ranking No. 14 in the latest NAIA Coaches' Top 25 Poll.

Southern Oregon improved to 6-2 overall this season with its fourth consecutive win when the Raiders held off a late Carroll rally to earn the 52-49 win. The Raiders surpassed 700 yards of total offense for the fourth straight game, and Austin Dodge (Vancouver, Wash./Skyview) set a new program record with 526 passing yards.

The upset of perennial national power Carroll earned SOU enough recognition throughout the NAIA to climb five spots from last week's 19th ranking. Southern Oregon picked up 152 points to move two spots ahead of Carroll, which fell to No. 16.  Frontier Conference foe Montana Tech moved up one spot to rank seventh, with the Diggers lined up for a Nov. 10 showdown with SOU at Raider Stadium with possible conference championship implications.

Southern Oregon's 14th ranking is its first top-15 rating since the Raiders ranked 13th in the Sept. 23, 2003, poll. The Raiders return to action this weekend with a 1 p.m. road rematch with arch-rival Eastern Oregon.