The Whitworth College football team must rebound quickly from a frustrating/exhilarating 48-37 loss at 2nd-ranked Linfield College last Saturday. The Pirates will host the University of Puget Sound in the Pine Bowl this weekend. Whitworth is 3-1 overall and 0-1 in the NWC. Likewise, the Loggers are 3-2 after winning all three of their non-conference games so far. But UPS has dropped heartbreaking NWC losses to Willamette (21-19) and Pacific Lutheran (33-27, ot).

Puget Sound is Whitworth's oldest and longest running rival in the NWC. The first official collegiate game for the Pirates was a 6-0 win over the Loggers in 1904 (when Whitworth was located in Lacey, Washington). The teams have met on the gridiron 54 times since.

The Pirates: Whitworth stood toe to toe with 2nd-ranked Linfield as the teams exchanged potential knock out blows before the Wildcats won 48-37.

Joel Clark (So., QB, Spokane, Wash. - Mt. Spokane HS) posted incredible numbers in the game. He finished with 502 yards of total offense, the second highest total in school history. He completed 19 of 43 passes for 366 yards (a career high) with two touchdowns and one interception. He also ran 19 times for 136 yards (another career high), including a 55 yard run (another career high) that set up the Pirates' first touchdown.

Jared Thomas (RS So., WR, Newberg, Ore. - Newberg HS) caught five passes for 145 yards. Michael Allan (RS So., TE, Bellevue, Wash. - Interlake HS) also caught five passes for 109 yards and one touchdown (a 65-yard catch and run).

The Pirate defense did give up some big plays and 608 yards of total offense. But they also made some big plays to keep the Bucs in the game. Jay Tully (Fr., S, Spokane, Wash. - Mead HS) led the team with nine tackles and also made a diving interception in the second half. Nick Kuntz (RS So., DB, Boise, Idaho - Eagle HS) made seven tackles and forced two fumbles. Daniel Jones (RS Jr., LB, Coos Bay, Ore. - Marshfield HS) made three tackles, including one for loss, forced a fumble, intercepted a screen pass while falling on his back and also batted down another attempted pass. Justin Rundle (RS Fr., DL, Spokane, Wash. - Mt. Spokane HS) had four tackles, three for loss, including an eight-yard sack.

Cameron Collings (Jr., P/PK, Spokane, Wash. - Mead HS) made a 30-yard field goal in the second quarter. A 34-yard attempt later in the quarter bounced off of the right upright, his first miss of the season. He was 4/5 on extra points. The final attempt was blocked.

Click here for the press release of Saturday's loss to Linfield.

Red Zone Effectiveness: Whitworth continued its effectiveness in the redzone on Saturday, scoring five of six times they were inside the Linfield 20 yard line. The Pirates have scored 21 of 24 times they have been in opponents' redzones this season. Whitworth has actually only been stopped once. Two of the times they have failed to score have been kneel downs at the end of the La Verne and Eastern Oregon games.

NWC Poll: Whitworth finished fourth in the NWC preseason coaches poll with 18 points. Defending champion Linfield finished first with all six first place votes. Link to NWC Football Coaches Poll.

National Polls: With a 3-1 start, the Pirates have 11 points in the D3football.com poll this week, getting listed with "others receiving votes". The poll can be found on the D3football.com website here:
http://www.d3football.com/top25.php?year=2004&week=6

The Opponents: Puget Sound is vastly improved under third year head coach Phil Willenbrock. The Loggers, who went 0-9 last year, are 3-2 this season. Those two losses have been heartbreakers to Willamette (21-19) and PLU (33-27, ot). The Loggers lead the NWC in scoring defense (16.8 points per game), turnover margin (+ 2.00) and time of possession (36:50) this fall. Quarterback Andy Carlson makes the Loggers go. He has completed 27 of 66 passes for 491 yards and eight touchdowns (four interceptions). He has also run for 283 yards and three touchdowns this year. Running back Rory Lee is the leading rusher, with 396 net yards. Aaron Bean is the leading receiver with eight receptions for 186 yards and four scores. Linebacker Joe Boice leads the Logger defense with 38 tackles. Lineman Beau Jacobsen leads the conference with six sacks this year, while Adams Kearns is on top with three interceptions.

On Saturday the Loggers came back from a 19-6 halftime deficit to take a 27-19 lead with 14:12 to play. PLU tied the game to force overtime. In the first overtime the Lutes connected on a 25-yard touchdown pass on third and ten. UPS then drove inside the PLU five, where the Loggers had first and goal. But PLU held the Loggers out of the endzone to preserve a 33-27 win. Carlson was 7/17 for 106 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He also ran for 65 yards and a score. Lee gained 109 yards on 22 carries. UPS nearly ended a 17-year losing streak to PLU.

The Series: Whitworth holds a 29-25-1 edge in the all-time series. The Pirates have won the last eight meetings. The biggest Pirate win in the series was 45-0 in 1908. The biggest Logger win (41-0) came in 1967. Puget Sound last defeated Whitworth in 1995, John Tully's first year as head coach, by a score of 48-35.

Last Season: Whitworth defeated Puget Sound 13-7 by winning the battle of field position. The Bucs simply had more chances to score than the Loggers. Both teams finished with 294 yards of total offense. Both teams had three turnovers (two interceptions and a fumble). But UPS was forced to march from deep inside its own territory every time, and they were only able to finish (and penetrate the Whitworth 30-yard line) once. Three Pirate turnovers in the first half ended Whitworth drives inside the UPS 25-yard line, leading to a 0-0 halftime tie.

Coach Tully's Quotes:

On the Linfield game: "It was a tremendous football game. Both teams played with a lot of class and heart. It is the kind of game you hope would take place between a pair of good teams. I was very proud of the way our guys bounced back during the game, both offensively and defensively. As a team we are disappointed with the loss, but I was extremely pleased with the effort."

On UPS: "Puget Sound is a good football team. They are doing all the things a good team should, like control the clock, get turnovers and avoid giving up big plays. They have a sound defense and they control the ball on offense. They are very well coached and solid in what they do."

The Coaches: John Tully is in his tenth season as head coach of the Pirates. He has a 41-48 record at Whitworth. However, he led the Pirates to a 35-24 record over the past six years and was named the 2001 NWC Coach of the Year. Tully is the second winningest coach in school history, trailing only Sam Adams (47-17-1 from 1958-64). Overall he is 72-70-1 in his 14th season as a head coach.

Phil Willenbrock has a 4-19 record in his third season at Puget Sound. Willenbrock previously served as assistant head coach and offensive coordinator at Allegheny (Pa.) College from 1998 through 2001.

2004 Statistics

2004 Roster

Other Division III Football Links:

Northwest Conference On-line

D3football.com

American Football Coaches Association

Back to Athletics > Football >