Story courtesy of: SOU Athletics

ASHLAND – What looked like a possible early blowout by the offense became a stirring comeback by the defense as the Black team defeated the White team 54-40 in Southern Oregon’s spring football game Friday night at Raider Stadium.

With the full squad split into an offensive unit (White) and a defensive unit (Black), a unique scoring system awarded points to the defense for stops, three-and-outs and turnovers forced. Meanwhile the offense received points based on scores, PATs, field goals and consecutive first downs.

The offense scored on each of its first two drives, as Austin Dodge completed a 28-yard touchdown pass to Matt Retzlaff to cap the 70-yard drive. Dodge finished the game with 163 yards passing with one scoring pass and one interception, nearly identical numbers to Chris Kammel (164/1/1) for the White team. Melvin Mason finished with a game-high 48 yards rushing and a touchdown, while Teran Togia also rushed for a score in the game.

Two drives into the game the White team had a 13-0 lead, and midway through the second half the offense led 29-5. From that point the defense took over. Back-to-back turnovers gave the Black team 14 points – seven for each turnover forced – to pull within 29-17 at the brief halftime break.

With a running clock throughout the second half, the defense stepped up. The White team scored the first six points of the third quarter to pull back up by 17, but the Black team turned it around with 37 consecutive points. The defense forced turnovers on four of the next five drives, with the fifth a three-and-out that netted three points.

The play of the game was a 13-point play for the Black team, as Brian Keathley busted through the line and recovered a fumble on the 35-yard line. With several defenders around him to serve as blockers, Keathly returned the fumble all the way to the end zone, garnering seven points for the forced turnover and another six for the touchdown to turn a 34-24 deficit into a 37-34 lead. A late touchdown by the offense established the final score of 54-40.

Thirty minutes after the NFL draft, former SOU wide receiver Cole McKenzie was at his home in Red Bluff, CA. when he received a telephone call from the Jacksonville Jaguars. They asked him if he’d like to sign with the team as an undrafted free agent. We caught up with him on the phone shortly thereafter.

ASHLAND, Ore. – Cole McKenzie’s football career isn’t exactly a blueprint for how to get to the NFL. From Red Bluff, California, a town of roughly 14,000, McKenzie came to SOU out of high school, then transferred to Butte College in Northern California, only to return to the Raiders before his junior season.

Dodge says, “You could tell he wasn’t really sure about whether he should be here, he should be somewhere else or if he should still be playing football.”

McKenzie showed flashes of his potential in 2011, but still didn’t have the looks of an NFL prospect. In the Raiders first game of the season, McKenzie had nine catches for 153 yards and a touchdown. It was a sign of things to come.

McKenzie says, “My confidence just started building with how capable I am and the longer we went through the season the more I felt like I couldn’t be stopped.”

Cole would go on to set school records with 1,661 yards and 18 receiving touchdowns, but where did this breakout season come from? A big part of it was Cole’s dedication in the off-season, and realizing his time to make an impact was running out.

McKenzie says, “It was pretty much the end of my junior year, I pretty much just realized that it was my senior year, my last chance to fulfill my dreams and hopefully play in the NFL.”

Howard says, “”It really speaks highly of Cole of what he’s done in the off-season to prepare himself to have the kind of year he had last year and then have that year and then have a shot at the National Football League. You don’t sit in the shade and make that happen.”

That allowed the wide out to tap into potential that was always there.

Chin says, “Location of where he went to high school, you know, you’re going to find some of the Division One guys in his area, the Redding area, but you know it’s not one of those highly populated areas. And so it’s one of those kids that’s that diamond in the rough.”

Fasnacht says, “Here’s a 6’2 guy that can run and catch the football, those guys are all over Division One, so why did he fall through the cracks? It’s not an exact science, this recruiting thing. So we felt all those D1′s missed him and that was good on our behalf. I don’t know why he didn’t go D1, it didn’t make much sense to us.”

It also helped that Craig Howard’s system allows offensive players to put up ridiculous numbers. And if McKenzie is drafted, it’s also going to be a big selling point for the Raiders program.

Howard says, “Sometimes guys think they have to go to the big time to get to the big time. If Cole makes it, that will be big for us in recruiting because guys will realize that can take that same avenue to the NFL.”

Fasnacht says, “Now all those guys that play those skill positions, go, if I’m not going to Cal or Oregon, I’m going to go to Southern Oregon because they put guys in the NFL. So it’s going to change the way recruits view us.”

Everyone in the Raiders’ program will be watching this weekend to see if Cole’s NFL dream comes true.

Fasnacht says, “It’s like a dad, really. You love the kid. He did everything he could for the Raiders and he made us a great football program in a short amount of time and now I just want to see him enjoy the success from all the hard work he put in.”

Dodge says, “Oh my gosh, it’s huge. I mean, especially coming from a small college, you have to work even that much harder. I know there are plenty of people that are going to be sitting there around the TV, watching the draft, looking for his name on TV. ”

McKenzie says, “It comes down to if you really want your dream, it’s there, you just have to continue working hard. Sometimes at a smaller college, you have to work harder than the D1 athletes  but if you work hard and have a great mindset, then anything’s possible.”

ASHLAND, Ore. – Nearly every kid growing up playing football has a dream of playing in the NFL, but for most kids, that’s all it is, a dream. Former Southern Oregon wide receiver Cole McKenzie remembers the time he knew his dream could become a reality.

“After the Seattle combine, I actually got a voicemail from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers,” said McKenzie.  ”Just hearing that was like, whoa, an NFL team just called me?”

After a 1,600 yard, 18 touchdown senior season, McKenzie started to seriously think about a professional football career. In early February, McKenzie began working with Jayson Tonkin at athletic edge in Medford.

“These guys come to you with such athletic ability,” said Tonkin. “A lot of times there are things missing that we can complement. We got rid of a lot of bad movement patterns that actually hurt or hinder him when he tries to perform.”

Mckenzie spent two to three hours in the gym per day.

“I come in to training with the mentality that this is now a professional business so you have to take it every day as if you’re fighting for a job,” said McKenzie.

His workouts were specifically designed to impress NFL scouts. In late March, McKenzie went up to Seattle for a regional combine, an opportunity for players from smaller schools to be seen by NFL teams, and those teams noticed McKenzie. He blew away the competition, running a 4.41 in the 40-yard dash, measured 40 inches on his vertical leap, and went 10’4 in the broad jump. Compare those numbers to what some of the top prospects put up at the main NFL combine in February, and McKenzie measures up well. His broad jump would have been ninth among wide receivers,  his 40 time would have been sixth,  and his 40 inch vertical would have been the best as any player at his position.

“After the Seattle combine, seeing all my results from it, it was a little bit emotional in a way, because all my hard work’s paid off since I came here in training,” said McKenzie.

“Coming out of a small college, you’ve got to do all the things right and when you get to those combines, you gotta shine,” said Southern Oregon head coach Craig Howard.

“He really got himself recognized and from then on, I don’t think his phone stops now,” said wide receivers’ coach Nate Chin. “It was huge that he got seen.”

The New York Jets, Tampa Bay Bucs and Jacksonville Jaguars have shown interest in McKenzie, looking to see if this kid from SOU in Ashland, Oregon has what it takes to play on Sundays.

“Can he translate his game to playing against tougher competition, and not physically, just mentally,” said offensive coordinator Ken Fasnacht, “will he adjust, yeah he played at a small school, will I be overwhelmed by seeing these all-pros or is he going to go there and fit right in and that’s not a problem with him at all.”

McKenzie may never be able to completely silence those who doubt whether a kid from an NAIA school has what it takes to be an NFL player, but it’s because of his hard work, and great performance at the combine, that it’s even a discussion.

“It’s a great feeling, but nothing’s set in stone yet so I keep pushing myself each day to have one of those teams want to have me,” said McKenzie.

“To have someone be able to do that and show people that they can change so much in such a little time, it’d be really cool,” said Tonkin. “And it just shows that when you do things correctly, things can really change.”

GRANTS PASS, Ore. – The Southern Oregon spring tour through the Rogue Valley made its way to Grants Pass for the Raiders’ second scrimmage. SOU played a night scrimmage at Mel Ingram Stadium at Grants Pass High School. Last week at Spiegelberg Stadium in Medford, the Raiders offense stole the show. Austin Dodge and Chris Kammel led a vaunted attack that the SOU defense struggled to contain.

This scrimmage was different, however. The Raiders’ defense stepped up to the plate and at times walloped the out-of-sync offense. They forced turnovers, limited yardage and even seemed to rattle the normally unfazed offensive attack. Linebacker Austin Smith said the unit paid more attention to its intensity throughout the practice week.

The Raiders’ next scrimmage is at SOU at 10 am on April 27th.

MEDFORD, Ore. – The Southern Oregon Raiders strapped on the pads and got back into competitive action on Saturday at Spiegelberg Stadium in Medford. It was the Raiders first scrimmage of the spring season, and it was a chance for the coaches to get a glimpse at the future. Specifically, SOU head coach Craig Howard said he was looking for which players are going to step up for the graduated seniors.

Howard was pleased with the output of several redshirts from last year, including Sean McShane, Melvin Mason and Matt Retzlaff. All three of those players tallied multiple touchdowns in the scrimmage. Last year’s #1 offense in the NAIA outplayed the Raider defense in the scrimmage, but Howard said he thought the first team defense held its own.

AHLAND, Ore. – Jim Nagel is a legend in Ashland after taking the Ashland High School’s football team to 16 straight state tournaments, five title games and winning three state championships during his tenure from 1983-2002. Since his time at Ashland, Nagel’s worked as an assistant coach at NCAA Div. III’s Linfield College.

After deciding to retire at Linfield, Southern Oregon head coach Craig Howard convinced Nagel to take a job with the Raiders up-and-coming program. Nagel will now mentor the tight ends, running backs and eventually the quarterbacks.

When Southern Oregon’s season ended in the NAIA Quarterfinals last year, it marked the end to several key seniors’ careers. As spring practices move into their second week, the Raiders will look to make up for the loss of over 6,000 yards and 65 touchdowns on offense, as well as over 250 tackles and 11 sacks on defense. Brandon Kamerman explains where the Raiders will look to replace that production.

ASHLAND, Ore. – Southern Oregon head coach Brian McDermott knew he’d landed a future star when the team signed Coos Bay prospect Kyle Tedder three years ago. The problem wasn’t so much that McDermott was competing with other schools, rather with other sports.

“I think that somewhere along the line he got convinced that the best thing for him would be to come to a place and play a sport that he loves, that he knew he loved and he knew he’d play,” said McDermott.

Tedder was an all-state quarterback, defensive back and punter at Marshfield high school. His former coach has no doubt he could be a star had he chosen that path.

“I imagine if he would have went in that direction, he’s probably right now playing football at Oregon State, but things worked out,” said Justin Ainsworth. “They work out for a reason.”

Tedder’s reason for choosing the hardcourt over the gridiron was simple.

“At a young age, I just grew up with a bigger passion for hooping instead of playing football,” said Tedder.

So the sharp shooting guard left offers on the table to sign with SOU, and three years later, the decision is paying off.

“I couldn’t be happier with the way things turned out,” said Tedder. “My life would be completely different if I had made another choice.”

“Right now he’s one of the most efficient players in the league,” said McDermott. “He’s just a really, really good shooter, and he’s got the ability to get to the basket.”

With one more year left at Southern Oregon, Tedder’s already made his mark on the program, but the former two-sport standout left a lasting legacy at Marshfield High.

“He was league MVP in football and basketball,” said Jesse Ainsworth, Tedder’s basketball coach at Marshfield. “I mean, he had a phenomenal high school career. So rare, and all the young kids around here, all the freshmen, they still know who he is.”

Although the football cleats are in retirement, Tedder still brings a little of his football background to the game of hoops.

“He’s not afraid,” said McDermott. “When you’re able to play the positions that he did in football and when he played in basketball, you’re always in that sort of leadership role and that role where you’re going to have to make a play.”

“I was a quarterback,” said Tedder. “I just try to run things, and it helped me as far as being a leader and helping my team win every night.”

Tedder, remembered in high school partly for his fiery in-game demeanor, still brings that same passion in college.

“I’m a competitor. I love to win. I love to compete,” said Tedder. “Sometimes it gets the best of me, but I’m getting better at being able to use it in better ways.”

“Off the court, he’s just a great guy,” said Jeff Bush, Tedder’s teammate. “You love being around him. He’s got a great personality. He’s really down to earth. He’s got a really good heart, but you get him on the court, it’s like a different beast.”

“There’s not a challenge that Kyle will ever back down to,” said Jesse Ainsworth. “It doesn’t matter if the guy’s bigger, tougher, stronger, faster. He doesn’t have quit in him.”

A task that served him well in two sports at Marshfield and now has Tedder making an impact at Southern Oregon.