An opportunity to host the #1-ranked team in the nation does not come around very often, especially when that team is also the defending national champion. But the Whitworth College football team has that opportunity this week when the Pirates host high-flying Linfield College on Saturday afternoon in the Pine Bowl. Whitworth is coming off of a tough loss at Eastern Oregon, while Linfield is 3-0 after running over Pacific Lutheran University in the team's Northwest Conference opener last week.
The Pirates: Whitworth struggled to capitalize on opportunities on Saturday at Eastern Oregon and lost to the Mountaineers 24-14 in sloppy conditions at La Grande's Community Stadium. The Pirates outgained EOU 451-324, had 25 first downs to Eastern's 18, and held on to the ball for 36 of the game's 60 minutes. But of the seven times the Bucs got inside the Eastern 30 yard line, they only came away with points twice. Joel Clark (Jr., QB, Spokane, Wash.-Mt. Spokane) completed 23 of 37 passes for 276 yards and two touchdowns. Eastern turned his one interception into the game clinching touchdown with 3:45 to play. Michael Allan (Jr., TE, Bellevue, Wash.-Interlake) caught nine passes for 89 yards and the Bucs' first touchdown. Nick Kuntz (Jr., WR, Boise, Idaho-Eagle) had five receptions, and Mathew Johnson (Sr., WR, Olympia, Wash.-Olympia) had three catches, including a 36-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Kyle Havercroft (So., RB, Rathdrum, Idaho-Lakeland) and Chris Ahsing (So., RB, Ewa Beach, Hawaii-Campbell) combined for 132 yards rushing on 37 carries. The defense allowed only two big plays all day, but both hurt. Eastern's Tyronne Gross broke a 40 yard run to set up the Mountaineers' first touchdown in the third quarter. On the next EOU possession, Gross broke several tackles for a 71 yard touchdown run. Nick Portrey (Jr., LB, Ritzville, Wash.-Ritzville) again led the Pirates with 11 tackles, including two for losses of 13 yards. Peter Clark (So., DE, Spokane, Wash.-Mead) was in on three tackles for losses of 11 yards. Ryan Marshall (So., DB, Salem, Ore.-Sprague) picked off his first pass of the season to stop Eastern's first drive. 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 6:15 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 last week. On Sept. 26th the Bucs were ranked 25th by D3football.com, but have fallen back into "others receiving votes" in this week's 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: Linfield, led by All-American quarterback Brett Elliott, is posting huge numbers once again in 2005. The Wildcats are outscoring opponents by an average of 45-9 through three games this season. Elliott has completed 70% of his passes for 954 yards and 14 touchdowns, with only three interceptions. All-American wide receiver Casey Allen has caught 19 passes for 261 yards and six touchdowns, while Brandon Hazenberg has 13 catches for 234 yards and three scores. Place kicker Garrett Wales is the Northwest's all-time leading scorer, and has made 2/3 field goals and 15/16 PATs this year. The Wildcats have won 16 straight contests, including last season's 13-0 finish. They have won 20 NWC games in a row, and 43 of their last 45 games overall. Last week Linfield was outgained by PLU 445-425, but used five turnovers and two key sacks to rout the Lutes 42-13 in one of the widest scoring margins in that series' history. Elliott completed 22 of 28 passes for 228 yards and four touchdowns to four different Wildcat receivers, who all had five receptions each. Linebacker Brandon Olson finished with 15 tackles, including a seven yard sack. He also recovered a fumble and broke up a pass. Last Year: 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 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. Michael Allan 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, including 486 yards passing by Elliott. But they also made some big plays to keep the Bucs in the game. Jay Tully (So., SS, Spokane, Wash.-Mead) led the team with nine tackles and also made a diving interception in the second half. Justin Rundle (So., DL, Spokane, Wash. - Mt. Spokane) had four tackles, three for loss, including an eight-yard sack. Series Notes: The Wildcats hold a commanding 25-3-2 edge in the all-time series and have won the last 13 meetings. The Pirates and Wildcats tied 7-7 in 1983. The previous Whitworth win was 21-14 in the Pine Bowl in 1975. The biggest Linfield win was 61-0 in 1966. Whitworth's biggest win was 41-13 in 1954. The last time the Pirates hosted a #1-ranked team was in 2000 when defending national champion Pacific Lutheran came to the Pine Bowl. PLU escaped with a 34-28 win over Whitworth. Coach Tully's Quotes: On the Eastern Oregon game: "Our guys played well, but Eastern is a very good team. We had some opportunities that we just couldn't finish, on both sides of the ball. I think their running back is as good as I've ever seen as a coach at Whitworth." On Linfield: "They are obviously an outstanding team as defending national champions. They have much of their personnel back from last year, including key players on offense and defense. They are much improved on defense, allowing less than 10 points per game. They are very well coached and sound in all areas of the game." 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 47-50 record at Whitworth. However, he has led the Pirates to a 33-17 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 78-72 in his 15th season as a head coach. Jay Locey is in his 10th season coaching the Wildcats and has a 77-17 record. He has been selected as Northwest Conference Coach of the Year five times and was named the 2004 NCAA Division III Coach of the Year by the AFCA. Other Division III Football Links: American Football Coaches Association |
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