Whitworth College, ranked 20th in this week's D3football.com top 25, will play the University of La Verne on Saturday at 1:00 pm in the Pirates' home opener. Whitworth is coming off of a 28-3 win at Redlands last Saturday, while the Leopards were defeated 28-21 at home by UPS in their season opener. Whitworth and La Verne are meeting for the third consecutive season, and for the second time in a row in Spokane.
The Pirates: Joel Clark (Sr., QB, Spokane, Wash. - Mt. Spokane) accounted for 237 yards of total offense and three touchdown passes without an interception to lead Whitworth over Redlands 28-3. Michael Allan (Sr., TE, Bellevue, Wash. - Interlake) caught two of the touchdowns and finished with five receptions for 80 yards. Steve Silva (Jr., WR, Goleta, Calif. - College of the Canyons) added four catches for 68 yards, while Drew Griggs (RS Jr., TE, Spokane, Wash. - Mt. Spokane) caught Clark's final touchdown pass at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Chris Ahsing (RS Jr., RB, Ewa Beach, Hawaii - Campbell) ran for 104 yards on 26 attempts. He concluded an 18-play, 80 yard drive that used most of the second quarter with a four yard touchdown run. Earlier in the drive, he converted a fourth and one by rushing for three yards. The defensive effort was the Pirates' best in many games. Not only did Whitworth limit Redlands to the lowest point total by a Pirate opponent since a 35-0 win over L&C in 2003, the defense came away with five turnovers and did not allow Redlands to threaten the endzone in the second half. The turning point in the game came after Whitworth's only turnover gave the Bulldogs possession in Whitworth territory in the second quarter. Redlands moved the ball to first and goal at the four yard line. But a batted pass by the defensive line was followed by two run stops that netted a total of one yard. Choosing to kick a field goal, Redlands' attempt failed and the Pirate offense followed with the long scoring drive finished by Ahsing.
Casey Clifton (RS Jr., LB, Spokane, Wash. - University) led the team with seven tackles, while Nick Portrey (Sr., LB, Ritzville, Wash. - Ritzville) had six stops and a QB hurry that forced an interception in the fourth quarter. Marc Grow (Jr., SS, Warden, Wash. - Warden) had a drive killing sack in the first half, and ended the Bulldogs' last drive with an interception in the second half. Jay Tully (Jr., SS, Spokane, Wash. - Mead), Phil Entel (RS Jr., FS, Clarkston, Wash. - Clarkston) and Ryan Marshall (Jr., CB, Salem, Ore. - Sprague) each picked off a pass. Cameron Collings (Sr., Spokane, Wash. - Mead) averaged 35.3 yards per punt on three attempts, and made all four of his extra points. He missed his only field goal attempt, from 40 yards in the first quarter. On the Road to California: The Pirates have now played 15 total games in California, with a record of 7-8. Whitworth has won the last six in a row, including this season's win at Redlands. National Ranking: Whitworth is ranked 20th in the second weekly release of the D3football.com poll. 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. 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 ten scouts so far this season. 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. Tracking Joel Clark: A starter at quarterback since midway through his freshman year, Joel Clark has already broken the Whitworth career total offense record and is on track to set several other Whitworth passing records. Clark's 237 yards of total offense on Saturday gave him 6,979 yards of total offense in his career, surpassing former Pirate quarterback Danny Figuiera's record of 6,763 set in 1993. 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 needs 680 yards to break Figueria's career passing yardage record of 6,805. He is also on track to break career records for attempts, completions and touchdowns. 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 La Verne opened its season with a 28-21 loss at home to NWC member Puget Sound. After the Leopards tied the game 14-14 late in the third quarter, UPS used a short punt and a fumble to set up quick touchdowns and take control of the game in the fourth quarter. ULV junior Troy Doolittle went 17 of 34 for 209 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions as the starting quarterback. Another junior, Steven Martinez, played some QB as well, finishing 5 of 14 for 109 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception. Senior wide receiver Matt Griffen caught seven passes for 92 yards and a score, while fellow senior Zaven Paronian had five catches for 94 yards and another score. The Leopards' running game struggled, gaining only 40 yards on 23 carries. All-SCIAC linebacker DeAndre Valencia led the team with nine tackles. La Verne is coming off of a 5-4 season, its second winning record in a row. The Leopards finished 3-3 in the SCIAC to tie for fourth place. The Series: Whitworth leads the series 2-0 after last year's game in Spokane. The teams played in La Verne, California in 2004, with the Pirates winning 43-23. The teams will return to Southern California for their game next fall. Last Year: Whitworth defeated La Verne 43-28, rolling to 506 yards of offense. The Pirates led 43-14 after three quarters before the Leopards scored a pair of late touchdowns. Tight end Michael Allan was named the Northwest Conference Offensive Player of the Week after he caught three touchdown passes and five total passes for 94 yards. Two of his three touchdowns came on fourth down. Joel Clark completed 17 of 25 passes for 271 yards and four touchdowns in only three quarters of play. Chris Ahsing had his best day as a Pirate, carrying 25 times for 150 yards and two touchdowns. He averaged six yards per carry, with a long gain of 33 yards. The defense held La Verne to only 70 yards rushing. The Leopards picked up much of their 320 yards passing in the fourth quarter. Coach Tully's Quotes: On the Redlands Win: "I am very excited we played as well as we did, especially on the road. Our defense really stepped up, with our front seven playing very well and our secondary was as good as ever. Offensively we sustained three long drives and made good decisions on the field. Our special teams played very hard and did a good job getting down the field. The best part is we can still get better." On La Verne: "We know they will be well coached. They have good athletes on their roster. Offensively they will create challenges when they spread the field. Defensively they will be very physical." The Coaches: John Tully is in his twelfth season as head coach of the Pirates. He has a 51-52 record at Whitworth. However, he has led the Pirates to a 47-29 record over the past eight+ 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 82-73 in his 16th season as a head coach. Don Morel is 46-51 in his 12th year as head coach at La Verne. He led the Leopards to a SCIAC championship in 1995. Other Division III Football Links: American Football Coaches Association |
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