BUTTE — Don’t let Southern Oregon’s 0-3 record fool you. The Raiders are dangerous when it comes to the pass game. Through their first three games quarterback Wyatt Hutchinson has racked up close to a 1,000 yards through the air. It’s definitely something Montana Tech head coach Chuck Morrell and his staff have been preparing for heading into Saturday’s contest.
“First of all he’s a handful. He’s so elusive and mobile and it’s really tough for one guy to bring him down, Morrell says. "And then you know I think they have such an elite receiving core. You got a 6’6’’ receiver, you got a couple 6’3” guys. And they definitely in terms of our league have phenomenal speed.”
And if you aren't convinced at how good of a match up this game will be then take this into account. In the 11 games Chuck Morrell has coached against Southern Oregon he’s gone into overtime in three of those games...And they all happened at Bob Green Field. It’s the base for what has sparked and fueled the growing rivalry between the two teams.
“It’s turned into a heck of a rivalry game and I have a lot of respect for their coaching staff and their players, Morrell adds. "You know they bring it and it’s always a heck of a football game when we get together.”
After their 35-10 win over Eastern Oregon last Saturday it’s easy to say that Tech may have found its groove. But diving into that a little bit you’ll notice they lead the Frontier conference currently in turnover margin. Something seniors like Tucker Rauthe knew had to become a staple in the way they play.
“Last year our turnover margin wasn’t where we wanted it to be. As a defense we want to be able to take the ball away and put our offense into great situations," says senior defensive back Tucker Rauthe. "And I think as a team this year we’ve done a great job of that. It’s just football...defense taking the ball and offense taking care of the ball.”
Kickoff between the Orediggers and Raiders is at 1 o-clock tomorrow at Bob Green Field
