TACOMA, Wash. -- Whitworth College jumped to a big early lead and held on to defeat the University of Puget Sound 46-27, as the visiting Pirates ended a two-game losing streak at Baker Stadium.
Junior quarterback Joel Clark accounted for 439 yards of total offense and six touchdowns for Whitworth (3-2 overall, 1-1 NWC). He completed 25 of 33 passes for 363 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions. He also ran for 76 yards and another score. Whitworth jumped to a 20-0 lead in the second quarter on three Clark touchdown passes. He connected with Michael Allan twice, from 21 and 27 yards, and Nick Kuntz from 31 yards. After UPS pulled within 20-6 on a one yard run by Paul Silas, the Pirates went into the locker room with a 26-6 lead after Kyle Havercroft scampered 22 yards for a touchdown with 2:27 to play in the second quarter. In the second half UPS finally got its offense on track, while keeping Clark and the Pirate offense off of the field. Rory Lee, the NWC's leading rusher, scored from five yards out with 3:50 to play in the third quarter to pull UPS within 26-13. After forcing a Whitworth fumble, UPS pulled within 26-20 when Paul Silas inched across the goal line on fourth down with 12:49 to play in the game. It took Whitworth a little over two minutes to respond. Clark and Allan connected from 19 yards out on fourth and eight to give the Pirates a little more breathing room. Clark hit Kyle Snell for two points to give the Bucs a 14-point lead. After holding UPS on fourth down on the Loggers' next possession, Whitworth quickly scored again when Clark found Mathew Johnson open over the middle for a 52-yard score with 4:58 to play. The teams then exchanged on final touchdown each before the end of the game. UPS scored on a 35 yard pass from Andy Carlson to Eddi Behringer. Whitworth scored on a 15 yard draw play by Clark.
Whitworth finished with 543 yards of total offense, averaging 7.8 yards per play. UPS finished with 385 yards, averaging 5.3 yards per play. UPS had the ball for 33:21, compared to 26:39 for the Bucs. Clark spread the ball around on Saturday to plenty of receivers. Snell finished with eight catches for 83 yards, Kuntz had seven for 70 and a touchdown, Johnson had four for 98 and a touchdown, and Allan caught four passes for 82 yards and three touchdowns. Clark was the Pirates' leading rusher. Chris Ahsing carried 15 times for 64 yards, while Havercroft ran nine times for 40 yards and a score. Lee finished with 93 yards on 19 carries, almost 50 yards under his per-game average. Carlson ran seven times for 41 yards. He also passed for 174 yards and a score. Behringer caught four passes for 64 yards to lead the Loggers. Jay Tully led the Pirate defense with 12 tackles and an interception in the endzone that ended the Loggers' first drive of the second half. Whitworth returns to action next Saturday when the Pirates host Menlo College at noon in the Pine Bowl. UPS travels to McMinnville to play Linfield at 1:30 pm. |
