Raiders roll Bearcats in home opener

Published 8:58 pm Saturday, September 16, 2023

ASHLAND — A coach doesn’t normally get the game ball. However, head coach Berk Brown is anything but normal for the Southern Oregon University football team.

After a 49-7 thrashing of Willamette on Saturday afternoon, Brown officially won his first game in his role as SOU head coach. In a previous stint, he also has won games as a player and a defensive coordinator for the program.

“It’s hard to put into words,” Brown said of the accomplishment. “It’s been a journey and something I’ve always wanted to do is lead this program, and getting the opportunity in January and just going to work with these guys … I feel very fortunate to be in the position I’m in.”

During his first 10 years (2005-15) with the Raiders, Brown was an assistant for Craig Howard on the SOU team that won the NAIA championship in 2014. After getting the job, he began an immediate rebuild of the program after having three consecutive losing seasons.

One of the biggest building blocks of the rebuild is the return of running back Avery McCuaig.

With his last game for the Raiders back in 2021, he wasn’t sure he would be welcomed back to the Raiders following his exit. When McCuaig called Brown in February about a potential return, he was welcomed back with open arms.

“He played here two years ago, wasn’t on the roster last year and he calls me in February and says, ‘Hey, coach, I’m looking to come back,’” said Brown of McCuaig. “I said, ‘Let’s go man, whatever need to do to get you here in the fall. Let’s be sure you are here.’”

“And man, Avery is a blessing,” added Brown. “He’s a force and he gets the ball north and south better than anyone on our team right now.”

Everything Brown described about McCuaig was on full display at Raider Stadium. The senior scored three touchdowns on 10 attempts for 48 yards.

Getting a second chance from Brown isn’t something that McCuaig takes lightly.

“I know some unfortunate things happened with me and the old coaching staff,” said McCuaig. “(Brown) was a guy that was willing to take a risk on me, so I gotta do everything and take a chance on him. I owe him that.”

With McCuaig helping lead the offense, the Raiders’ defense overwhelmed the Bearcats. They recorded three interceptions and had four sacks to hold Willamette to a single score.

Spencer Kuffel led the defense for SOU with two interceptions and four tackles after struggling in the opener two weeks ago against College of Idaho.

“He’s come a long way since I took over,” said Brown of Kuffel. “To watch him rebound like that and come back and have a great game like he did was awesome.”

Having the trust from a coach that he has only had for two games has shown Kuffel the type of trust that has already been developed within the team.

“It just shows he trusts everyone and he’s only known me for however long he’s been here for,” Kuffel said. “It’s hard to build trust like that. So, I’m glad I could show him that. I’m trustworthy and he trusts me.”

Such trust could only have been reinforced with Saturday’s dominant win. The Raiders had 504 total yards on offense and made 23 first downs.

The Raiders (1-1) saw the sky-high potential of quarterback duo Matt Struck and Blake Asciutto during the rout. The pair shredded Willamette (1-2) with three touchdown passes, 347 passing yards and no interceptions.

Struck completed 14 of 19 passes for 180 yards in only the first half against the Division-III program.

After taking over QB duties in the second half, Asciutto went 5-for-5 for 167 yards. One of those completions was a beautiful 71-yard touchdown connection with wide receiver Moku Noa.

“There’s not a team in small college football that wouldn’t love having those two pulling the trigger for them,” Brown said of his quarterback duo. “They’re both great leaders, and they both bring something different to the game.”