Only four football teams in the history of Whitworth College have won as many as eight games in a season. The 2006 squad has a chance to make it five on Saturday when they host a well-rested and hungry Northwest Conference opponent in Willamette University in the Pine Bowl at 1:00 pm. The Pirates come in 7-0 overall and 3-0 in the NWC after last Saturday's win at Menlo. Willamette (1-5, 1-2) had last weekend off after a 34-26 loss to Puget Sound on October 14th.
The Pirates: Whitworth improved to 7-0, the best start since 1960, by shutting down Menlo 26-7 on a hot October day in Atherton, California. The Pirates outgained the Oaks 318-188 and limited Menlo's offensive opportunities to two times in the red zone. Phil Entel (Jr., FS, Clarkston, Wash. - Clarkston/U. of Idaho) was named NWC Defensive Player of the Week based primarily on two key plays. He was in on a tackle of Menlo's ball carrier as time expired at the Pirates' one yard line. Then he returned an interception 70 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter to take back momentum from the Oaks. He finished with four tackles and also had another pass break up. Casey Clifton (Jr., LB, Spokane, Wash. - University) led the team with nine tackles, including a 14 yard sack. Greg Caster (Jr., LB, Sherwood, Ore. - Sherwood) also had nine stops. Tyler Hall (Sr., LB, Newport Beach, Calif. - Goldenwest Coll.) added seven tackles and an eight yard sack. The offense sputtered at times on Saturday, scoring only one of three times inside the redzone. Joel Clark (Sr., QB, Spokane, Wash. - Mt. Spokane) completed 19 of 33 passes for 255 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He tossed a 28 yard touchdown to Michael Allan (Sr., TE, Bellevue, Wash. - Interlake) in the first quarter (his record-breaking 25th career TD reception). Allan finished with four catches for 60 yards. Clark also threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Havercroft (Jr., RB, Rathdrum, Idaho - Lakeland) in the fourth quarter, Havercroft's team leading sixth TD of the season. Steve Silva (Jr., WR, Goleta, Calif. - Coll. of the Canyons) caught game highs of eight catches for 83 yards.
The Whitworth rushing game struggled, finishing with 63 yards. Milton Nelson (So., RB, Spokane, Wash. - EWU) carried 11 times for 40 yards. Havercroft was held to 24 yards on 11 attempts. For the first time this season, Clark had negative rushing yards (-9). Cam Collings (Sr., PK, Spokane, Wash. - Mead) made two of four field goal attempts. He made a 33 yard kick on Whitworth's first drive and a 38 yard effort in the second quarter. His 27 yard kick in the second quarter was blocked, while a 46 yard effort in the third quarter was wide. He also punted twice for a 41.5 yard average. The Streak: At 7-0, the Pirates have improved on the 2001 team for best start since 1960. That team lost its seventh game and went 7-1 in the regular season to earn the school's first spot in the NCAA Division III playoffs. (A regular season game against Redlands was lost due to the events of September 11, 2001).With the win over Menlo, the 7-0 record is the best since the Pirates went 9-0 during the 1960 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 11th in the eighth weekly release of the D3football.com poll, holding on to last week's spot. In fact, the top 13 spots remain the same. 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 (9.0 points allowed per game) and total defense (247.1 yards allowed per game). The Pirates are first in turnover margin (+10 overall) and pass efficiency (156.6). Joel Clark is first in total offense per game (258.6), while Jay Tully (Jr., SS, Spokane, Wash. - Mead) is first in interceptions (5) and passes defended (10). 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 is second on the Pirates in receptions (33) and leads in receiving yardage (562) 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 25 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 246 yards of total offense on Saturday gives him 8,562 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 7,439 yards in his career after tossing for 255 last weekend. He has 62 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 five interceptions and ten total passes defended. He has 35 tackles, second on the team. Tully has also caught 13 passes for 166 yards and a touchdown while coming off of the bench as a slot receiver. In addition, he is Whitworth's primary kick off returner. 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: Willamette University, a contender to the final week of the season for an NWC title each of the last three seasons, has struggled to a 1-5 overall record and a 1-2 mark in the NWC this season. The Bearcats have been outscored by an average of 35.7 - 17.3 this season. However, Willamette has had a week off and the bye has allowed the team to rest and game plan for the Pirates an extra week. Wide receiver Ryan Hernandez, running the "Fly" sweep, leads the Bearcats in rushing this year, averaging 57.2 yards per game. Fullback Kevin Dean adds 42.3 yards per contest and has scored five touchdowns. Quarterback Kevin Whipps has completed 53% of his passes for 689 yards with two touchdowns and eight interceptions. All-NWC linebacker Phil Sweet leads the defense in tackles with 43 stops. In their last game on October 14th, the Bearcats were beaten 34-26 at home by Puget Sound. Willamette outgained the Loggers 382-307, but the Bearcats' turnovers proved more costly, including a 35 yard fumble return for a TD by UPS. Hernandez ran for 116 yards and caught a 47 yard touchdown pass from back up QB Grant Leslie, who completed eight of 15 passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns. The Series: Willamette is Whitworth's second-oldest continuous rival. The teams first met on the field in 1908 and Whitworth won 18-0. The biggest Pirate win in the series was 46-0 in 1983. The biggest Bearcat victory was 67-0 in 1912. Whitworth's last win in the series was a 44-31 overtime thriller at the Pine Bowl in 2002. Willamette has won the last three meetings, including last season's overtime thriller. The Bearcats lead the overall series 28-15. Last Meeting: After controlling the game for more than three quarters, Whitworth watched its playoff hopes disappear as Willamette scored 11 points in the final four minutes of the fourth quarter to force overtime, then win 40-34 in overtime. Kyle Havercroft had his best game of the season, running 21 times for 114 yards and a touchdown. Joel Clark completed 19 of 28 passes for 211 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He connected with Michael Allan for a 71-yard screen and run to get the Pirates on the board in the second quarter. Clark also ran for 69 yards, including a 17-yard touchdown run to open the second half. Whitworth's defense held Willamette off of the scoreboard until 28 seconds remained in the first half. But the Bearcats got their offense going in the second half. Willamette's Hernandez ran for 68 yards and a touchdown. Ryan Marshall (Jr., CB, Salem, Ore. - Sprague) intercepted his fourth pass of the season and also added two other pass breakups. Peter Clark (Jr., DE, Spokane, Wash. - Mead) had two tackles for losses totaling 9 yards. Coach Tully's Quotes: On the Win over Menlo: "That was another significant win for our team on the road. Menlo is always a challenging place to play, so for our guys to step forward and make plays speaks volumes about our team. I thought Menlo presented some unique challenges and were well coached." On Willamette: "Willamette is a better team than their record indicates. They have a majority of their guys back, they are skilled and well-coached. Their extra week of preparation allows them to get healthy and put in some new wrinkles for a game plan. It is a distinct advantage. But our guys continue to work hard and respond positively." The Coaches: John Tully is in his twelfth season as head coach of the Pirates. He has a 57-52 record at Whitworth. However, he has led the Pirates to a 43-19 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 88-73 in his 16th season as a head coach. Mark Speckman is in his 9th year leading the Bearcats. He has a record of 47-39 and has led the Bearcats to a pair of NCAA post season appearances, including 2004. He was the 1999 NWC Coach of the Year. Other Division III Football Links: American Football Coaches Association |
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