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Monday, March 18, 2024
March 18, 2024

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Teams find they shouldn’t give Dodge a pass

Overlooked by big schools, former Skyview QB becomes star at Southern Oregon

By , Columbian Sports Editor
Published:

Austin Dodge could say “I told you so.”

He could shake his head at the larger schools that didn’t recruit him to play quarterback.

Instead, the former Skyview High School standout chooses virtue over vindication.

“God has a plan for everyone,” Dodge said. “Mine took me to Southern Oregon University.”

It also took him to places never reached by anyone in NAIA football. Saturday, Dodge became statistically the best quarterback ever to play in that classification.

The senior broke the all-time NAIA records for passing yards and touchdown passes with a 417-yard, six touchdown performance against Montana State-Northern.

He now has 121 TD passes and 13,461 passing yards with five-regular season games to go. The previous records were set by Ohio Dominican’s Chris Reisert in 2008.

In a phone interview Monday, Dodge said he wasn’t thinking about the records during Saturday’s 45-24 road win, which saw Southern Oregon improve to 5-0.

After the game and on the long trip back from Havre, Mont., Dodge said the records were cause for the team to celebrate.

“Everyone was super excited,” Dodge said. “They understand that individual records come as a result of the whole team being successful. The records are a reflection of the five big guys up front and the receivers making plays down the field.”

At Skvyiew, Dodge was among the area’s best players his senior year. He shared Class 4A Greater St. Helens League offensive MVP honors with Heritage QB Garrett Grayson.

But while Grayson was recruited to Colorado State University, Dodge only attracted interest from small schools in the Northwest.

He chose Central Washington, an NCAA Division II school with a winning history. But he was injured during the 2010 all-state game in summer and redshirted the following fall.

But Dodge never felt comfortable at Central, which he said “didn’t fit me.” He transferred to Southern Oregon, where new coach Craig Howard was installing an up-tempo pass-happy offense.

Dodge began his first year in Ashland eighth on the QB depth chart. Southern Oregon started that season 0-3, which had Howard looking for a change at quarterback. By that time, Dodge had moved to the head of the line.

With Dodge at the helm, the Raiders won five of their last seven games.

The next season, Southern Oregon went 9-3 and made the NAIA playoffs for the first time in a decade.

By then, Dodge had already made an impression on Howard, who coached Tim Tebow at Florida’s Nease High School.

“He has NFL potential,” Howard said in 2012. “I’ve coached a lot of good quarterbacks, and I think he’s good enough to be in the Pac-12. We’re lucky to have him.”

His junior year, Dodge eclipsed nearly every Southern Oregon passing record, most of which were held by current Oregon coach Mark Helfrich.

This season, No. 7-ranked Southern Oregon is in position to have its best season yet. Sept. 6, the Raiders beat then No. 2 Carroll College, which has won six NAIA national championships since 2002.

Dodge’s four years at Southern Oregon coincide with rapid growth of the football program beyond its national stature on the field. Oct. 11 will mark the Raiders’ first game on their newly installed turf.

It’s fair to say Dodge and his fellow seniors have invested a lot in a small-but-growing football program.

“A small school doesn’t get the perks you see at the larger ones, but you really have a family feel here” Dodge said. “It’s great to be able to give back to the university by bringing home some wins.”

Could he have shattered records at a larger school? Dodge isn’t one to ask “what if?”

“Whether it’s NCAA Division One or NAIA, it doesn’t matter,” Dodge said. “It’s all football and we’re having fun.”

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