Southern Oregon’s offense operates as fast as referees will allow, usually running a play every 20 seconds. Dodge might be the driver, but linemen Max Proudfit and Dylan Bratlie are pistons in the engine.
“Those guys are incredible,” Dodge said. “There are not a lot of guys at 300 pounds who can run with this offense and be able to do what we do.”
Proudfit, a junior from Union, starts at left guard. He saw up close the effect Southern Oregon’s tempo has on opponents.
“The first game I played, the defensive linemen were puking by the second half,” he said of the 2012 season opener against Montana Western. “It took a while to adjust. But everything we do in practice is up-tempo. Even when we lift, there are no breaks.”
The Raiders arrived in Daytona Beach on Monday. Between then and Friday’s game, players will visit local high schools to tout NAIA athletics, tour the Daytona speedway and take part in official banquets and functions.
“There are a lot of distractions,” Dodge said. “The team that handles the distractions the best will be the one that wins. There’s the beach, of course. But for us, this is a business trip.”
The game itself will be the first time two teams not ranked in the top three will play for the NAIA title. No. 8 Southern Oregon (12-2) will face a No. 7-ranked Marian team that is 11-2 and has won nine straight games.
Dodge said he’s a bit nervous but mostly excited to play on national television for the first time. He said a win Friday would be the crowning achievement of his record-setting career.
NAIA championship game: Southern Oregon vs. Marian, noon, Friday, ESPNU (Comcast Ch. 411).
“To win a national title would be so much better than the individual records,” he said. “That’s because it reflects all the hard work by everyone on this team and the coaching staff. … We will never be able to bring back this experience again. We’ll never play with this exact group of guys again.”