ROSEBURG — Roseburg played its best game of the season and, in the process, brought Eagle Point crashing back to earth with a 42-6 romp Friday at Finlay Field.

It was the Southern Oregon Conference opener for both teams and resulted in the Eagles’ first loss after three nonconference victories.

The only defeat for Roseburg, the preseason SOC favorite, was by three points at No. 3-ranked Clackamas. The Indians are 3-1 overall.

"This was the most complete game we’ve played so far," said Roseburg coach Thurman Bell. "We seemed to gain momentum as the game went on."

Eagle Point was hanging tough into the second quarter, but the Eagles lost a key weapon when running back Kris Butler twisted an ankle and couldn’t return.

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Butler had gained 54 yards on only five carries.

"That changed some of the stuff we wanted to do a little bit," said Eagle Point coach Harry Hedrick. "He had some good chunks (of yards) and got off to a pretty good start. We planned on using him quite a bit."

The junior running back entered the game as the SOC’s leading scorer and third-leading rusher. The injury occurred when his ankle rolled over while he was being tackled.

"I don’t think it’s real serious," said Hedrick, adding that Butler might miss a week or two of action.

Both teams came up with big stops early, the Eagles forcing Roseburg into a field goal that was missed, then the Indians picking off a Brandt Nevin pass to thwart an Eagles drive.

With the turnover, Roseburg marched the other direction for the first of Jimmy Zhu’s two second-quarter touchdowns.

The Indians led 14-0 early in the third quarter when Eagle Point went for it on fourth-and-two at its own 35.

Roseburg’s defense again stepped up to make the stop and, moments later, Zhu scored from the 4 for his third touchdown.

"All of a sudden, we go in and score and we just gain confidence," said Bell.

Zhu had 104 yards on 24 carries and the three TDs.

Roseburg’s other touchdowns came on a pair of 1-yard runs by David Russell and a fumble recovery in the end zone by Nick Goirigolzarri.

Eagle Point junior Shane Tomich got the bulk of the duty at running back after Butler left and gained 49 yards on 13 carries. He scored the Eagles’ touchdown from a yard out.

Even though Roseburg’s Kyle Loomis, who handles the placekicking and punting duties, missed a field goal, he proved to be a thorn in the Eagles’ side, averaging 42.7 yards on three punts.

"They kept us pinned back pretty good all night with that kicking game," said Hedrick. "We never did have very good field position. That really is an advantage for them. I was pretty impressed with them. They played really solid on both sides of the ball."

Mychal Williams had a productive receiving game for the Eagles, hauling in six Nevin passes for 99 yards.