For the first time in two seasons, the Whitworth College football team is faced with the task of breaking a losing streak. Certainly the Pirates understand that losing back to back games to the 17th-ranked team in the NAIA (Eastern Oregon) and the #1-ranked team in NCAA Division III (Linfield) is no shame. But for the Pirates to go the places they want to this season, they will have to bounce back this weekend at the University of Puget Sound. And the task is a challenging one. UPS is 3-2 overall and 1-1 in the NWC after beating Pacific Lutheran for the first time in 18 tries on Saturday, at PLU's Homecoming no less. Puget Sound is Whitworth's oldest, and longest running, rival. Whitworth's first official collegiate game was a 6-0 victory over the College of Puget Sound in 1904 (when Whitworth was located in Lacey, Washington). The teams have played each other 55 times since then.
The Pirates: For the second year in a row, Whitworth might be saddled with the title of "toughest regular season opponent" for the powerful Linfield football program. The Pirates outgained the Wildcats 459-438, had a 25-17 advantage in first downs, and held on to the ball ten minutes longer than Linfield. But the Wildcats still were good enough to win 47-32 in front of 2,450 fans at the Pine Bowl on Saturday. The Wildcats were able to take advantage of short field opportunities to open up a lead. One interception was returned 56 yards for a touchdown, and another was returned 41 yards to the Pirates' three yard line. Linfield scored its first touchdown after a Whitworth fake punt attempt didn't work out on its own 24 yard line. Joel Clark (Jr., QB, Spokane, Wash.-Mt. Spokane) had another big day against Linfield. He completed 22 of 44 passes for 400 yards and five touchdowns, both career highs. He also had a career high of three interceptions. Nick Kuntz (Jr., WR, Boise, Idaho-Eagle), in only his fourth game as a receiver since moving from defensive back, had eight catches for 163 yards and a touchdown. His receptions and yardage were both career highs. Michael Allan (Jr., TE, Bellevue, Wash.-Interlake) caught a pair of key first half touchdown passes and finished with 114 receiving yards. Kyle Snell (Sr., WR, Issaquah, Wash.-Univ. of Arizona) snagged six passes for 85 yards.
Chris Ahsing (So., RB, Ewa Beach, Hawaii-Campbell) carried the ball 18 times for 47 yards. While the scoreboard showed 47 points for the Wildcats, the defense really allowed only four long scoring drives by Linfield. Austin Richard (Sr., NT, Seattle, Wash.-Blanchet) had one of his best games as a Pirate, leading the team in total tackles (seven), including one for loss of three yards and a QB hurry. Nick Portrey (Jr., LB, Ritzville, Wash.-Ritzville) also had seven tackles. Casey Clifton (So., LB, Spokane, Wash.-University) had six tackles and a nine yard sack. Ryan Marshall (So., DB, Salem, Ore.-Sprague) picked off his second pass of the season. Both times Linfield tried to convert a fourth down opportunity, the Pirates held the Wildcats. Radio Broadcast Notes : At this point, Saturday's game will be carried on a delayed basis by KSBN, following the broadcast of the Eastern Washington game. The on-air broadcast will start at approximately 3:15 pm. L&C Game Cancelled: Lewis & Clark College has officially cancelled its conference games this season. Because the Pioneers are going into the year with only 30 players on the roster, the school's authorities felt it would be unsafe for the team to play an entire schedule. They will only play their first four games (all non-conference). Whitworth's game at Lewis & Clark, scheduled for October 29th, is officially cancelled. National Poll: While the Pirates were ranked by a pair of preseason football publications (22nd by USA Today Sports Weekly and 25th by Street & Smiths), they didn't appear in a weekly national poll until September 26th when the Bucs were ranked 25th by D3football.com. But they have since fallen back into "others receiving votes" in both the D3football.com poll and the AFCA poll. NWC Poll: Whitworth finished fourth in the NWC preseason coaches poll with 20 points, one behind PLU. Defending champion Linfield finished first with all six first place votes. Link to NWC Football Coaches Poll.
The Opponents: The University of Puget Sound is flying high after an emotional win over Pacific Lutheran University last Saturday, the Loggers' first win over PLU after 17 straight losses. It was another milestone in the rebound of a program that went 1-23 from 2001 through 2003, including 0-15 in the NWC. UPS is leading the NWC in rushing offense, averaging 301.8 yards per contest. Rory Lee, a 2004 First Team All-NWC running back, has gained 710 yards this season, with five touchdowns, averaging 142 yards per game and 5.7 yards per carry. Quarterback Andy Carlson is another rushing threat, averaging 55 yards per game and 4.9 yards per run. He also does enough through the air to keep opposing defenses honest, completing 41% of his passes for 304 yards and two touchdowns. Linebacker Bryan Jones leads the UPS defense, which has allowed 130 yards rushing, 232 yards passing, and 25 points per game. Jones has recorded 40 tackles, including five for loss. Beau Jacobson has four sacks, totaling 17 yards. Defensive backs Mac Gebbers and Matt Vanek each have a pair of interceptions. Last week Puget Sound took advantage of seven PLU turnovers, forcing five on the final five Lute possessions, to defeat PLU 23-13 during homecoming in Puyallup. UPS outgained the Lutes 348-311 and held a sizable advantage in time of possession (36:37 - 23:23). Lee ran for 98 yards on 20 carries, and fellow running back James Olcott scored two touchdowns to lead the 269-yard Logger ground attack. Carlson had 97 yards rushing and completed 8/12 passes for 79 yards and a 17-yard touchdown pass to Lee. Brian Ames averaged 40.7 yards on three punts. Jones had seven tackles, including a three yard sack. Gebbers had two of the four UPS interceptions. Last Year: Whitworth finished with 529 yards of total offense and forced four key second half turnovers in a 38-21 comeback win over UPS at the Pine Bowl. Joel Clark passed for 359 yards, completing 17 of 25 passes and throwing four touchdowns without an interception. He also ran for a six yard touchdown. His favorite target was Michael Allan, who caught five passes for 84 yards and one touchdown. Kyle Snell also caught a touchdown, while Mathew Johnson (Sr., WR, Olympia, Wash. - Olympia) had four receptions for 93 yards. Kyle Havercroft (So., RB, Rathdrum, Idaho - Lakeland) carried 21 times for 81 yards. The Pirate defense struggled early against the Puget Sound running game, giving up 323 yards on the ground (including 141 yards by Lee and 41 by Carlson), but they tightened up by the end of the game to help turn around a 21-17 deficit. Phil Entel (So., FS, Clarkston, Wash. - Univ. of Idaho) had a key interception. Ryan Marshall forced a fumble on a UPS kickoff return that was recovered by Peter Clark (So., DT, Spokane, Wash.-Mead). Series Notes: The Pirates hold a 30-25-1 edge in the series with the Loggers. Whitworth has won the last nine 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. Coach Tully's Quotes: On the Linfield game: "I thought our guys played with great passion against a very formidable opponent. We competed throughout, as our coaches would expect. In the end, I think Linfield is even better this year than they were last year, because they are stronger defensively." On Puget Sound: "UPS is one of our conference teams that I thought, entering the season, could vie for a national playoff spot. I have seen nothing on film that would indicate otherwise to me at this point. They have nearly every key player back from last year and look improved this season. They had a tremendous win over PLU last week and will play with a lot of confidence." The Coaches: John Tully is in his eleventh season as head coach of the Pirates, the longest football coaching tenure in school history. He has a 47-51 record at Whitworth. However, he has led the Pirates to a 33-18 record over the past six years and was named the 2001 NWC Coach of the Year. Tully is now tied with Sam Adams (47-17-1 from 1958-1964) as the winningest coach in school history. Overall he is 78-73 in his 15th season as a head coach. Phil Willenbrock has led the resurgence of the UPS football program. After taking over in 2002, his teams have gone 0-9, 1-8 and 5-4 last fall. Prior to coaching at UPS, Willenbrock was the offensive coordinator at Allegheny College (Pa.). Other Division III Football Links: American Football Coaches Association |
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