Southern Oregon loses to Montana Western following last-minute touchdown

SOU's Jackson Clemmer, shown in action last week, scored on a 46-yard touchdown pass from Matt Struck on Saturday in Montana.Andy Atkinson/Rogue Valley Times
September 24, 2023

Bulldogs drive 94 yards for deciding score

SOU Sports Information

DILLON, Mont. — Montana Western scored two unanswered fourth-quarter touchdowns and drove 94 yards to punch in the deciding score with 42 seconds left, defeating Southern Oregon 24-23 in Frontier Conference play Saturday at Vigilante Stadium.

The Bulldogs (3-1, 1-1 FC) lost on a last-second touchdown pass at College of Idaho in their conference opener and nearly got burned at the buzzer again. After three quick completions spanning 57 yards from SOU quarterback Matt Struck, kicker Brian Batres attempted a 49-yard field goal from the left hash mark as time expired. With distance to spare, it sailed wide right on the lefty.

The Raiders (1-2, 0-1) had positioned themselves for their first road triumph against an opponent with a winning record since 2017. They led 23-12 after Avery McCuaig ended a 74-yard drive with a short touchdown run five minutes into the second half, and the score stayed there until UMW receiver Eli Nourse caught a 28-yard TD pass with 9:24 left in the fourth.

Nourse — a freshman who finished with 13 receptions for 169 yards, marking his third consecutive 100-yard outing — struck again in the game’s waning moments. With the Bulldogs at the 17-yard line on the 14th play of their game-winning march, Michael Palandri hit him with a screen pass before he juked one defender up the middle and scurried past a few others. The ball came loose in the end zone, but he hung on just long enough to cross the goal line.

Palandri completed 25 of 38 passes for 269 yards and three TDs. He was relatively quiet until late while leading an offense that averaged over 40 points in its three previous outings, as the Raiders got to him four times. Noah Turnbull had two sacks, and Iona Purcell and Alejandro Sanchez had the others.

SOU’s offensive line kept Struck untouched as he completed 20 of 32 attempts for 240 yards. His first throw of the day was a 46-yard TD to Jackson Clemmer, and he connected with Sawyer Cleveland for a 10-yard score early in the second quarter. Batres’ 33-yard field goal put the Raiders up 17-12 at the break before McCuaig’s TD gave them their largest lead of the day.

McCuaig netted 63 yards on 19 carries, and Struck added 33 on five. Cleveland totaled a team-high 66 reception yards on a career-high eight catches.

South Medford High graduate Colton Samis had a big day on special teams. He recorded a 57-yard punt, and it was his 48-yarder that made the Bulldogs go the length of the field for their final score. The drive nearly hit a couple dead ends: an incidental facemask nullified a Raider sack that would have brought up third-and-long on UMW’s 38-yard line, and the Bulldogs later converted on third-and-17.

Picture of Ryan

Ryan

Related Posts...

Heisman Trophy winner donates cleats to SOU football team

How’s your Monday going? Southern Oregon University football team players’ week got off to a good start. When they came in early Monday morning, each player found in their cubby a new pair of black Nike cleats, donated by Heisman Trophy-winner and quarterback for the Washington Commanders Marcus Mariota. 

Read More »

Our Sponsors

Klamath Bird Observatory Experience the wonders of Souteast Brazil Ashland Oregon
Conscious Design Build Ashland Oregon
Pronto Printing Ashland Medford Southern Oregon

Latest posts

Ashland offer free Narcan training Wednesday, Feb. 12

The Ashland Community Emergency Response Team will offer training on how to offer basic medical aid, including administering naloxone in case of opioid overdoses, on Wednesday evening, Feb. 12. The training is free and open to the public starting at 6 p.m. at Ashland Fire Station No. 1 at 455 Siskiyou Blvd.

Read More >

Obituary: Sandra Risser

Obituary: Sandra Risser, who began life in quiet eastern Nebraska before building a family and a professional career in Washington, D.C., and the San Francisco Bay Area, died Jan. 4 in Ashland. She was 87.

Read More >

Sen. Golden proposes changing state wildfire map to curb anger and rumors

Nearly four years ago, in the aftermath of the state’s most destructive wildfires in history, the Oregon Legislature passed a bipartisan package of wildfire prevention initiatives, including one that required state experts to create a map showing high wildfire risk areas statewide. Sen. Jeff Golden, D-Ashland, who supported creating the map, said it’s become counterproductive in its current form. 

Read More >

City Corner: A look at City Hall accomplishments in 2024

City Corner: The 2024 city of Ashland list of accomplishments highlights numerous advancements and initiatives across various departments. Following is a summary of the key achievements, including completion of the wastewater treatment plant outfall relocation and UV system upgrades.

Read More >

Our Sponsors

City of Ashland Public Notice Ashland Oregon
Ashland Parks and Recreation Ashland Oregon
Ashland.news House Ad

Explore More...

The Ashland Community Emergency Response Team will offer training on how to offer basic medical aid, including administering naloxone in case of opioid overdoses, on Wednesday evening, Feb. 12. The training is free and open to the public starting at 6 p.m. at Ashland Fire Station No. 1 at 455 Siskiyou Blvd.
City Corner: The 2024 city of Ashland list of accomplishments highlights numerous advancements and initiatives across various departments. Following is a summary of the key achievements, including completion of the wastewater treatment plant outfall relocation and UV system upgrades.
Curtain Call: After university studies in Indiana and Colorado, and pursuing his career playing with several orchestras, Jerry Su returned to Southern Oregon in 2022 to audition for the second E-flat clarinet position with the Rogue Valley Symphony — and got the job.
Some rural Talent residents say the recent Southern Oregon snowstorm gave them more practice than they’d have liked to test out their assortment of doomsday supplies and survival skills — a more than three-and-a-half-day-long exercise in relying on the array of off-the-grid infrastructure put in place over the past decade. 
The new Talent Travel Center has begun round-the-clock operations that aim to attract locals, travelers and truckers. Located off Interstate 5 at Exit 21 on West Valley View Road, the business replaces the old Talent Truck Stop, offering some big rig fueling services beginning in 2018.
ashland.news logo

Subscribe to the newsletter and get local news sent directly to your inbox.

(It’s free)

Don't Miss Our Top Stories

Get our newsletter delivered to your inbox three times a week.
It’s FREE and you can cancel anytime.