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Spokane, Wash. - A big fourth quarter turned a potentially frustrating loss into a significant win as Whitworth College defeated visiting University of Puget Sound 38-21 in a Northwest Conference football game on Saturday afternoon at the Whitworth Pine Bowl.

The host Pirates outscored the Loggers 21-0 in the fourth quarter, thanks to a 3-0 edge in turnovers, a 138-74 advantage in total offense and a 10:23 - 4:37 lock on time of possession.

Joel Clark completed 17 of 25 passes for 359 yards to lead Whitworth. He threw four touchdown passes without an interception. He also ran for a seven yard touchdown. He completed five of his passes to Jared Thomas for 132 yards and two of the scores. Tight end Michael Allan also caught five balls for 84 yards and a score.

Rory Lee led a Logger ground attack that finished with 323 yards and averaged 5.9 yards per carry with 141 yards on 18 rushing attempts. He scored a touchdown as well. Andy Carlson was 5/10 for 88 yards with two interceptions and one touchdown.

Whitworth opened the scoring with a 12-yard pass from Clark to Allan that completed a 64 yard drive with 4:29 to go in the first quarter. But the Loggers on their next possession when Lee scored from five yards out to tie the game 7-7, capping a 75 yard, 11 play drive.

The Pirates responded quickly when Clark found Thomas on an inside screen and the wide receiver raced 64 yards through the middle of the Logger defense to give Whitworth a 14-7 lead. After UPS was held on downs, Cam Collings kicked a 36-yard field goal, his fifth of the season, to put the Pirates ahead 17-7.

UPS pulled close at halftime, however, when Drew Watkins scored from two yards away with only 1:14 left to play in the second quarter. The PAT was blocked, giving the Pirates a 17-13 lead in the locker rooms.

Whitworth's Nick Kuntz intercepted Carlson on the Pirate 21-yard line and returned the ball 39 yards to the UPS 40. The Pirates drove to the Logger three before UPS held Whitworth on downs. The Loggers then drove 97 yards in 13 plays, scoring on a 14 yard pass from Carlson to Watkins on third and seven. Puget Sound then got two points on a pass from Carlson to tight end Joe Gustafson to take a 21-17 lead.

It would be short-lived, however. Whitworth went 93 yards in 8 plays to go back ahead. Clark passed 17 yards to Kyle Snell for the score, giving Whitworth a 24-21 lead.

A short kick off was fielded by upback Steve Martin, normally a linebacker, at the UPS 25 yard line and returned to the 40, where Ryan Marshall stripped the ball and Chris Ahsing recovered for the Pirates. Whitworth scored 10 plays later on a six-yard keeper by Clark to open up a 31-21 lead. Clark completed a 23-yard pass to Thomas on 4th and 16, giving Whitworth a first down at the UPS nine to set up the score.

On the next Logger possession, Nick Kuntz stripped the ball from Danny Hervol and Dusty Rasmussen recovered for Whitworth at the UPS 44 yard line. Five plays later Clark hit Thomas on a 19-yard corner route to give the Pirates their final score with 6:03 to play.

Whitworth prevented any hope of a Logger comeback when Phil Entel intercepted Carlson at the Whitworth 40 yard line with 4:54 to play.

Linebacker Jeremy Scroggins had 12 tackles, nine solo, to lead the Pirates. Daniel Jones added 11 stops, including two for loss, for the Bucs. Linebacker Joe Boice had a game-high 16 tackles for UPS, while defensive back Mac Gebbers made 12 tackles.

Whitworth bounced back from its first loss of the season and also won its first NWC game of the year, improving to 4-1 overall and 1-1 in the conference. After three non-conference wins to open 2004, UPS has now dropped three straight NWC games to fall to 3-3, 0-3. Whitworth will travel to Atherton, California for a non-conference tilt with Menlo College next Saturday. The Loggers will host 2nd-ranked Linfield College in Tacoma.

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