REDLANDS, Calif. -- Joel Clark broke Whitworth's career total offense record while leading Whitworth to a 28-3 season-opening win at Redlands in a non-conference football game on Saturday night, beginning the 100th year of Pirate football in satisfying fashion.

Click here for complete box score and play by play.

Clark broke the career Total Offense record

Clark passed for 188 yards and ran for 49 more to finish with 237 yards of total offense, surpassing former Pirate quarterback Danny Figuiera's record of 6,763 set in 1993. Clark now has 6,979 yards of offense in his career.

Clark's favorite target was tight end Michael Allan, who caught five passes for 80 yards and a pair of scores from 19 and 31 yards away. Chris Ahsing led the Pirate ground game, gaining 104 tough yards on 27 carries.

And the Whitworth defense was all over the field, forcing five turnovers and limiting the Bulldogs to the lowest point output by a Pirate opponent since Whitworth beat Lewis & Clark 35-0 in 2003. Four Whitworth defenders came up with interceptions.

Redlands came out of the locker room fired up and determined to fulfill its preseason promise of a "Return to

Dominance." But the Pirates quickly muted the enthusiasm when Jay Tully returned the opening kick off 30 yards to the Pirate 38 yard line. Clark quickly moved the team to a touchdown, passing to Allan from 19 yards for the score as Whitworth drove 62 yards in five plays.

Allan caught two touchdowns

A missed field goal and lost fumble stopped the next two Pirate drives. Trailing 7-3, Redlands had first and goal at the Whitworth four yard line in the second quarter. But the Bulldogs gained only one yard, and a field goal try from 20 yards was short when the snap was mishandled.

The Bucs then drove 80 yards over the next 8:34, using 18 plays before Ahsing scored from four yards out. Clark scrambled on 3rd and 12 for a first down from his own 18 yard line to keep the drive alive.

After the teams traded punts to start the third quarter, Whitworth's Tyler Hall recovered a Redlands fumble at the Pirates' 26 yard line. Whitworth then drove 74 yards in nine plays, capped by Clark to Allan from 31 yards, to make the score 21-3.

Whitworth's final score came at the end of a 53 yard drive that spanned the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth. Clark opened the drive with a 26 yard completion to Drew Griggs, and ended it when he scrambled left and found Griggs in the back of the endzone from nine yards out with 14:15 to play in the game.

Grow had a sack and an interception

The Pirates prevented any hope of a Redlands comeback by intercepting passes on the next four consecutive Bulldog drives. Jay Tully had the first and preseason All-American Ryan Marshall had the second, returning the ball 13 yards. Phil Entel and Marc Grow had the next two. Redlands starting QB Chris Saras and back up Dan Selway each gave up two.

Whitworth finished with 37:15 - 22:45 edge in time of possession, thanks to the 5-1 edge in turnovers.

Grow also had one sack that killed a Redlands drive in the first half, while Jermane Easterlin stopped a drive in the second half with another sack. Casey Clifton led the Bucs with seven tackles, including five solo stops. Nick Portrey added five tackles.

The Pirates will return to Spokane next Saturday to host La Verne in the 2006 home opener. Redlands will travel to San Antonio, Texas to take on Trinity.