Never before has Whitworth finished a football regular season schedule with a 10-0 record. Then again, the Pirates have never had the opportunity. Until now. Whitworth can surpass the great accomplishments of a couple 9-0 teams if the Pirates can defeat a talented and determined team from Puget Sound on Saturday in the Pine Bowl. Whitworth, ranked 9th in the latest D3football.com poll, is coming off of an historic 17-13 win at Linfield that clinched at least a share of the NWC title. The Loggers demolished Menlo 48-7 to improve to 7-2.

The Pirates: It certainly wasn't pretty, but it was no less satisfying. After more than 30 years, Whitworth defeated Linfield 17-13, taking advantage of seven Wildcat turnovers in the victory.

Casey Clifton (Jr., LB, Spokane, Wash. - University) led the stellar defensive effort. He finished with a game-high 17 tackles, including one for loss. More importantly, in the first quarter he created a fumble and returned it 38 yards for a touchdown. Then in the fourth quarter, with Linfield driving for a potential go ahead touchdown, he forced another fumble inside the Pirates' five yard line that Nick Portrey (Sr., LB, Ritzville, Wash. - Ritzville) recovered and returned to the Whitworth 37 yard line.

But there were many other defensive standouts in the game. Greg Caster (Jr., LB, Sherwood, Ore. - Sherwood) forced a fumble and recovered two others, both of which led to Whitworth points. He had nine tackles, including a six yard sack. Jay Tully (Jr., SS, Spokane, Wash. - Mead) also had nine tackles and made his league-leading sixth interception of the season. Phil Entel (Jr., FS, Clarkston, Wash. - Clarkston) recovered a first quarter fumble inside Whitworth's five yard line. Marc Grow (Jr., SS, Warden, Wash. - Warden) intercepted his third pass of the season. And Peter Ghilardi (Jr., CB, Ridgecrest, Calif. - Moorpark Coll.) saved the game in the final seconds as he knocked away Linfield's last pass in the back of the endzone on fourth down.

Joel Clark (Sr., QB, Spokane, Wash. - Mead) may have had his worst statistical day as a quarterback, but he still scored the winning touchdown in the biggest victory of his career. Clark ran 23 yards on a draw play in the third quarter for a touchdown that gave the Pirates a 17-10 lead. He gained 54 yards on the ground, but lost 45, including three sacks, for a net of nine rushing yards. He completed only 2 of 10 passes for 51 yards, both to Michael Allan (Sr., TE, Bellevue, Wash. - Interlake). But he did not throw an interception in the heavy wind and rain.

Whitworth won the game despite being held to 85 yards of total offense. The team won by limiting the mistakes on offense and taking defensive advantage of Linfield offensive mistakes. The Pirate rushing game finished with a net of 34 yards. Milton Nelson (Jr., RB, Spokane, Wash. - Lewis & Clark/EWU) carried nine times for a net of 21 yards.

Cam Collings (Sr., PK, Spokane, Wash. - Mead) had a solid day punting and kicking off. He averaged 33.6 yards per punt and almost 65 yards per kickoff. He drilled a 40 yard field goal in the first quarter and also made both of his PAT attempts to improve to 32 of 33 on the season.

The Streak: At 9-0, the Pirates have become only the fourth team in school history to win nine games in one year and have tied the school record for wins in a season. The 1959 team finished 9-0, while the 1960 team finished 9-1, losing in the NAIA semifinals, and the 1961 team finished 9-1, splitting a home and home series with Central Washington. The 1960 team was the only other Whitworth team that had a chance to win a 10th game, which was the post-season contest. No other Pirate team has had a chance to finish 10-0 in the regular season.

On the Road to California: The Pirates have now 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 now won 14 straight games against teams from the Golden State. The Pirates will try to improve the streak next season at La Verne.

National Ranking: Whitworth is ranked 9th in the ninth weekly release of the D3football.com poll, moving up one from last week's spot. Click here for the 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 (10.0 points allowed per game) and total defense (249.8 yards allowed per game). The Pirates are first in turnover margin (+16 overall) and pass efficiency (156.3).

The only individual category in which the Pirates lead the NWC is interceptions, where Jay Tully and Ryan Marshall (Jr., CB, Salem, Ore. - Sprague) are first and second, with six and five, respectively.

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 virtually 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 receptions (40) and receiving yardage (737) 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 27 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 60 yards of total offense on Saturday gives him 8,890 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 7,709 yards in his career after tossing for 51 last weekend. He has 64 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 six interceptions and 12 total passes defended. He has 49 tackles, third on the team. Tully has also caught 15 passes for 191 yards and two 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 79 (8.8 per game). He also leads the team with 8 tackles for losses of 49 yards. He has been the Pirates' leading tackler in seven of the nine 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: The University of Puget Sound is having its best season in two decades. The Loggers are 7-2, having won seven games for the first time since 1985. UPS has a chance to win eight games for the first time since 1983, when the Loggers finished 9-1. UPS got to its seventh win by crushing Menlo 48-7 behind an unbelievable rushing performance by senior RB Rory Lee. Lee carried 28 times for 310 yards and seven touchdowns, setting school records for both yardage and scoring in a game. UPS ran for 440 yards in the win. Quarterback Kavin Williams ran 11 times for 51 yards and completed 5 of 11 passes for 39 more yards. Defensively, UPS held Menlo to 131 yards of total offense, including -1 rushing yards. Linebacker Steve Martin had 10 tackles, including a 12 yard sack. Former Whitworth Pirate Kynan Pang added five tackles and two interceptions.

Overall this season the Loggers are leading the NWC in rushing, averaging 272.4 yards per game. Lee, a First Team All-NWC selection in 2005, is the conference's leading rusher with 1,177 yards. He averages 130.8 yards per game and 7.0 yards per carry. He has scored 17 touchdowns. Williams has run for 542 yards and eight touchdowns, while completing 51.5% of his passes for 739 yards. He has thrown seven touchdowns and three interceptions. Tight end Aaron Bean has caught 10 passes and two touchdowns. On defense, Martin leads the NWC with 89 tackles (49 solo). He has 10 tackles for losses of 38 yards.

The Series: 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 56 times since then. The Pirates hold a 31-25-1 edge in the series with the Loggers. Whitworth has won the last ten 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 Meeting: The Pirate offense scored on seven out of eleven possessions to chop down the Loggers' hopes of ending a ten game losing streak to Whitworth. The Bucs outgained UPS 543-392 and took the Loggers out of their game plan by opening up a three touchdown lead in the first half. Joel Clark completed 24 of 32 passes for 363 yards and five touchdowns without an interception. He also ran 13 times for 76 yards and another touchdown. For his efforts, Clark was named the NWC Offensive Player of the Week. Michael Allan caught three touchdown passes. The Loggers gained 216 yards on the ground on 48 carries, but they broke only one long gain of 30 yards. Jay Tully had a big game with 10 tackles, one pass interception and another pass break up. His interception came in the endzone on the Loggers' first possession of the second half. He was named the NWC Defensive Player of the Week. Nick Portrey totaled 11 tackles, including one for loss, with a break up and a QB hurry.

Coach Tully's Quotes:

On the Win over Linfield: "That was obviously a great win for Whitworth against an outstanding program. To win in those conditions on their field speaks volumes for our team. Because of that win, two of our preseason goals - to win the NWC championship and advance to the NCAA playoffs - are now within reach."

On the UPS Game: "They are very talented and well coached. They are coming into this game with a shot at making the playoffs, so there are post season ramifications for both teams. I expect a great atmosphere for what is a really big game."

The Coaches: John Tully is in his twelfth season as head coach of the Pirates. He has a 59-52 record at Whitworth. However, he has led the Pirates to a 45-19 record over the past six+ years and was named the 2001 NWC Coach of the Year. Tully is the winningest coach in school history, as well as the longest serving Pirate coach. Prior to his arrival, Whitworth had suffered through 11 losing seasons in 12 years. Overall he is 90-73 in his 16th season as a head coach.

Phil Willenbrock (17-28 in his 5th year) has led the resurgence of the UPS football program. After taking over in 2002, his teams have gone 0-9, 1-8, 5-4 and 4-5 last fall. This season he has coached the Loggers to their best season in two decades. Prior to coaching at UPS, Willenbrock was the offensive coordinator at Allegheny College (Pa.).

2006 Statistics

2006 Roster

Other Division III Football Links:

Northwest Conference On-line

D3football.com

American Football Coaches Association