Whitworth College won a post season game for the first time in school history and extended the school record for wins in a single season to 11 with last Saturday's thrilling 27-23 win over previously unbeaten Occidental (Calif.). The Pirates' reward? A chance to host the winningest NCAA Division III program in history in the Pine Bowl for the second round of the NCAA playoffs. Whitworth will play St. John's (Minn.) for the second time in school history at noon on Saturday.

The Pirates: Joel Clark (Sr., QB, Spokane, Wash. - Mt. Spokane) threw a one-yard touchdown pass to Drew Griggs (Jr., TE, Colbert, Wash. - Mt. Spokane) with 24 seconds left to lift Whitworth to the win.

Playing on a sprained ankle, Clark completed 18 of 26 passes for 204 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions. Steve Silva (Jr., WR, Goleta, Calif. - Coll. of the Canyons) caught eight of the passes for 55 yards and one touchdown. Nick Koller (Jr., WR, LaCrosse, Wash. - LaCrosse) caught five passes for 81 yards, including a key 42 yard reception on 3rd and 13 during Whitworth's final drive. Jay Tully (Jr., SS/WR, Spokane, Wash. - Mead) caught a 37 yard touchdown on Whitworth's second drive.

Milton Nelson (So., RB, Spokane, Wash. - EWU) carried seven times for 87 yards, including a 53 yard run on the first play of the game that set up the Bucs' first score. Kyle Havercroft (Jr., RB, Rathdrum, Idaho - Lakeland) picked up 79 hard-earned yards and ran for a score.

Whitworth's defense kept the Pirates in the game after Occidental took the lead in the third quarter. The Tigers had four possessions after going ahead 23-20, including two that started inside Whitworth territory, and did not gain a first down on any of them. The Pirates tied a season high with six sacks for 47 yards. Casey Clifton (Jr., LB, Spokane, Wash. - University) and Justin Rundle (Jr., DE, Spokane, Wash. - Mt. Spokane) were each in on a pair. Peter Ghilardi (Jr., CB, Ridgecrest, Calif. - Moorpark Coll.) had nine tackles and a pass break up. Jay Tully and Ryan Marshall (Jr., CB, Salem, Ore. - Sprague) each intercepted his seventh pass of the season.

The Streak: At 11-0, the Pirates have set a new single season standard for wins. No other Whitworth team had ever won ten games, or gone 10-0 during the regular season. The 1960 team was the only other Whitworth team that had a chance to win a 10th game, which was a post-season contest. Whitworth has now won 12 games in a row, dating to the final game of the 2005 season. That is the third longest winning streak in school history. The Pirates won 20 in a row spanning the 1953-1956 seasons, and 13 in a row from the end of the 1959 season through the first nine games of 1960.

On the Road to California: The Pirates have played 16 total games in California, with a record of 8-8. Whitworth has won the last seven in a row, including this season's wins at Redlands and Menlo. Counting home and away contests, Whitworth has won 15 straight games against teams from the Golden State after Saturday's win against Occidental.

Playoff History: Prior to 2006, Whitworth had one other NCAA Division III playoff appearance. After sharing the 2001 NWC title with Pacific Lutheran and Linfield, the Pirates hosted PLU in the first round. The Lutes came away with a 27-26 overtime victory after a missed extra point. The Pirates' only other post season appearance was in 1960, when Humboldt State defeated Whitworth 13-7 in the NAIA semifinals.

National Ranking: Whitworth is still ranked 8th in the D3football.com top-25 poll. There was no poll released this week. Click here for the last entire poll. The D3football.com Top 25 is voted on by a panel of 25 coaches, Sports Information Directors and media members from across the country, and is published weekly.

Leading the League: Whitworth leads the Northwest Conference in several different categories, demonstrating the all-around play by the Pirates this season. Whitworth is first in scoring defense (12.7 points allowed per game) and total defense (257.1 yards allowed per game). The Pirates are first in turnover margin (+14 overall) and pass efficiency (164.2).

The individual categories in which the Pirates lead the NWC are Joel Clark in total offense (246.5) and pass efficiency (164.1), and interceptions, where Jay Tully and Ryan Marshall are tied for first with seven.

Scouting Michael Allan: At 6'-7" and 264 pounds, Michael Allan has developed into a bona fide NFL prospect at tight end. He scored very well in strength and speed tests conducted by scouts over the summer and has been seen by scouts from every NFL team. Last fall he was named to the AFCA Division III All-America team after catching 36 passes for 693 yards (19.2 yards per catch). He set a new school record with 15 touchdown receptions, breaking the old record set in 1975 by Doug Long, who went on to play three seasons with the Seattle Seahawks. Allan leads the Pirates in receiving yardage (999) and is second in receptions (47). He also leads the NWC in yards per catch (21.3) this season, and has broken Whitworth's career record of 24 touchdown catches, set by Pirate legendary player and coach Sam Adams between 1948 and 1951. Allan now has 29 in his career.

Tracking Joel Clark: A starter at quarterback since midway through his freshman year, Joel Clark has broken the Whitworth career records for total offense, career passing yardage and career touchdown passes. Clark's 191 yards of total offense on Saturday gives him 9,464 yards of total offense in his career. He had 2,636 yards of total offense as a sophomore, and 2,668 yards as a junior, which are the third and second highest single season totals in Pirate history. He has now passed for 8,292 yards in his career after tossing for 204 last weekend. He has 71 career touchdown passes. Clark was a First Team All-NWC selection last fall and was the Don Hanson's Football Gazette First Team Preseason Division III All-America for 2006.

Two Way Jay: Jay Tully has turned into Whitworth's version of the 60-minute man. Tully, a starting strong safety, leads the team and the NWC with seven interceptions and 14 total passes defended. He has 63 tackles, third on the team. Tully has also caught 20 passes for 265 yards and four touchdowns while coming off of the bench as a slot receiver. In addition, he is Whitworth's primary kick off returner.

Clifton Clears the Way: Middle linebacker Casey Clifton is having an all-star caliber season. He leads the Pirates and ranks third in the NWC in total tackles with 94 (8.6 per game). He also leads the team with 10.5 tackles for losses of 65 yards. He has been the Pirates' leading tackler in seven of the 11 games this season.

NWC Poll: Whitworth finished second in the NWC preseason coaches poll with 41 points. Defending champion Linfield finished first with all seven first place votes. It is a new-look conference this season with Menlo joining the NWC as a football-only affiliate. Link to NWC Football Coaches Poll.

The Opponents: St. John's University is simply one of the most storied college football programs in history, regardless of level. The school is the winningest program in Division III history, with a record of 526-218-24 (.704) in 96 seasons. Head coach John Gagliardi is college football's all-time winningest coach, with a record of 442-119-11 (.782) in 58 seasons. The Johnnies have won a pair of NCAA Division III titles (1976 and 2003) and a pair of NAIA titles (1963 and 1965). They are making their 21st post season playoff appearance (with an overall record of 37-15). At 10-1, St. John's was co-champion of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletics Conference, and has 29 MIAC titles in its history.

Last Saturday the Johnnie defense held previously unbeaten Central (Iowa) to 248 yards of total offense in a 21-13 road win in the first round of the NCAA playoffs. Junior QB Alex Kofoed completed 22 of 35 passes for 216 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Running back Mike Lofboom caught nine passes for 94 yards, including a 23 yard touchdown at the end of the first quarter. Kyle Gearman had the other touchdown pass near the end of the third quarter, which gave SJU a 21-6 lead. Defensively, the Johnnies sacked the Dutch QB four times for 29 yards, led by defensive end Kevin McNamara's two sacks and seven total tackles. Defensive tackle Steve LeVoir had nine total stops and corner back Mike Burtzel had a key interception.

Overall this season the Johnnies have outscored opponents 31.5 - 12.2 and outgained their opponents 381.5 - 245.3. Kofoed, an All-MIAC selection, has completed 61.2% of his passes for 2,341 yards with 21 touchdowns and only seven interceptions. Lofboom, also All-MIAC, has been the leading receiver with 49 catches for 683 yards and seven touchdowns. Gearman leads the team with 10 touchdown receptions, 745 receiving yards and an average of 18.2 yards per catch on 41 receptions. The running game has been by committee for SJU. Mike Patnode is the leading rusher with 368 yards and seven touchdowns, while Lofboom has rushed for 359 yards and four scores. On defense the Johnnies are able to pressure the QB without having to blitz. McNamara has 9 sacks for 48 yards this season, while defensive tackle Nick Gunderson has 9.5 sacks for 80 yards. Both are All-MIAC linemen, as is safety John Cloeter, who leads the team with four interceptions.

The Series: This is not the first meeting between St. John's and Whitworth. In 1975, Whitworth's scheduled homecoming contest against Whitman was cancelled by the Missionaries on Monday of game week, prompting Pirate head coach Hugh Campbell to scour the country for a team with an open date and a willingness to play. He found Coach Gagliardi and St. John's willing to come out to the Pine Bowl under last minute circumstances. The Johnnies won the game 7-3 in a heavy wind and rain storm on October 25, 1975. It was Whitworth's first ever game against a school east of the Rocky Mountains. SJU went on to win its first NCAA Division III title the following season.

Coach Tully's Quotes:

On the Win over Occidental and the First Pirate Post-season Victory: "What a spectacular game. Both teams played very well and with great enthusiasm and class. For our guys to be part of the first playoff win in school history is a lifetime memory for them. Defensively we did what we have done all season, which is play well in key situations. Our offense made enough plays to put us in position to win the game. The crowd's enthusiasm was the best we've seen in 12 years. I believe they had an impact on the outcome of the game."

On Facing St. John's: "They are one of the storied programs in division three football. Every year they contend for the national title. This is a great opportunity for us to play them at home in an atmosphere befitting a second round playoff game."

The Coaches: John Tully is in his twelfth season as head coach of the Pirates. He has a 61-52 record at Whitworth. However, he has led the Pirates to a 47-19 record over the past seven years and was named the NWC Coach of the Year in 2001 and again this season. Tully is the winningest coach in school history, as well as the longest serving Pirate coach. Prior to his arrival, Whitworth had suffered through 10 losing seasons in 11 years. Overall he is 92-73 in his 16th season as a head coach.

St. John's head coach John Gagliardi is a 2006 College Football Hall of Fame Inductee and college football's all-time winningest coach with a 442-119-11 Record in 58 Seasons (.782).

2006 Statistics

2006 Roster

Other Division III Football Links:

Northwest Conference On-line

D3football.com

American Football Coaches Association