Whitworth University travels to the University of La Verne on Saturday for the second game of the 2007 football season. The Pirates (0-1) are looking to limit the mistakes and capitalize on opportunities that got away in last Saturday's 24-12 season opening loss to the University of Redlands. The Leopards (0-1) likewise are looking to improve on last week's outcome after a 21-7 loss at University of Puget Sound. Saturday will mark the fourth meeting between the west coast schools.
The Pirates: Whitworth got off to a strong start against Redlands, taking a 10-0 lead in the first quarter. But the Pirates could not get any more points on the board until the Bulldogs took a safety in the final seconds of the contest. Both defenses controlled the action for much of the afternoon. Redlands slightly outgained Whitworth 349 - 334. The Pirate defense had three takeaways to two for the Bulldog defense. But Redlands was able to put the game away with a 79-yard touchdown pass and catch with just under three minutes to play. Kory Kemp (Jr., QB, Redmond, Wash. - Eastlake) had a solid outing in his first collegiate start. He ran 67 yards for a touchdown on Whitworth's third play from scrimmage and finished with 97 yards rushing on eight carries. He was not sacked. Kemp completed 18 of 42 passes for 172 yards with an interception. Steve Silva (Sr., WR, Goleta, Calif.) and Nick Koller (Sr., WR, La Crosse, Wash.) were his favorite targets. Silva had nine catches for 80 yards, while Koller had five grabs for 48 yards. The Pirate's finished with 162 rushing yards on 37 attempts. Adam Anderson (So., RB, Elk, Wash.) carried 17 times for 48 yards. The final defensive stats showed Phillip Entel (Sr., FS, Clarkston, Wash.) with 11 tackles. Layton Brown (Fr., LB, Kennewick, Wash.) had nine tackles, one interception and a forced fumble in his first collegiate game. Greg Caster (Sr., LB, Sherwood, Ore.) also had nine stops and recovered a fumble. Ryan Marshall (Sr., DB, Salem, Ore.) made his 15th career interception. Zack Clow (Fr., P, Blanchard, Idaho - Priest River) punted well for the Bucs, averaging 32.2 yards per attempt. Andy Largent (So., WR/PK, Spokane, Wash.) kicked his first career field goal, making the 33-yard attempt in the first quarter.
Seniors Everywhere: Fifteen seniors started the opener for the Pirates on Saturday, the most veteran starting lineup in John Tully's tenure as head coach. Nine seniors started on defense, where eight have at least one full season of starting experience behind them. Six seniors started on offense, and four of those players started last year. Versus California: Whitworth saw its 14 game winning streak against teams from the Golden State come to an end after last Saturday's loss to Redlands. The Bucs are now 9-1-1 at home against California schools and 8-8 in California. Whitworth has won the last seven in a row on the road, including last season's wins at Redlands and Menlo and the Pirates will try to improve that streak this week at La Verne. The Pirates will play two more schools from California, Menlo and Azusa Pacific, later in the season. Looking Back at 2006: Whitworth accomplished a great deal in its 100th season of varsity football. The Pirates went 10-0 during the regular season, setting a school record for total number of wins. Whitworth went on to win the first post-season playoff game in school history before finishing 11-1. The Pirates won the Northwest Conference title outright for the first time, after sharing titles in 1975 and 2001, and finished the year ranked 9th in the final D3football.com poll. Quarterback Joel Clark and linebacker Casey Clifton were the Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year in the NWC. John Tully was named Coach of the Year in the conference. Pirate Roster Changes: Sophomore Danjuma Quarless (Tacoma, Wash.) has moved from defensive line to offensive line. His number has changed from 94 to 70. Freshmen Jeremy Frank (Selah, Wash.) and Casey Gentz (Selah, Wash.) have elected to "greyshirt" this season. The redshirt rule, allowing players to practice and not play in a game without burning a year of eligibility, has been eliminated by NCAA DIII. So Frank and Gentz have not participated in practices since last week and won't again until next season. National Ranking: Whitworth dropped from 16th to "others receiving votes" in the lasted D3football.com top-25 poll. NWC Poll: Whitworth finished second in the NWC preseason coaches poll with 44 points and two first place votes. Linfield finished first with five first place votes and 52 points. Menlo is in its second season in the NWC as a football-only affiliate. Link to NWC Football Coaches Poll.
The Opponents: The University of La Verne opened the 2007 season with a 21-7 loss at Puget Sound last Saturday. The Leopards trailed 21-0 at halftime, then settled down to outscore the Loggers 7-0 in the second half. Senior quarterback Troy Doolittle completed 21 of 33 passes for 148 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. That touchdown went to senior wide receiver Michael Moreno. Junior Charles Lacy, listed as a QB on the roster, caught seven passes for 56 yards to lead the team. Freshman Chris Lara led the Leopards with 37 rushing yards, but ULV was limited to 62 yards on the ground. Doolittle and Moreno are the most experienced offensive weapons back for first year head coach Rick Ankeny. Doolittle completed 59.6% of his passes for 1999 yards last season, with 14 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. Moreno, a First Team All-SCIAC choice last fall, caught 61 balls for 817 yards with seven touchdowns. Junior defensive back Grant Woods is the leading returning tackler from 2006, when he had 26 tackles and three interceptions. Sophomore linebacker Branamier Courtney led the Leopards with 17 tackles last Saturday. The Series: Whitworth leads the series 3-0 after last year's 37-16 win in the Pine Bowl. This will be the second meeting between the teams in California. Whitworth won the first meeting, which took place at La Verne, 43-23 in 2004. The last two meetings have taken place in Spokane. The Pirates won the 2004 game 43-28. Last Year: Whitworth earned a 37-16 win over visiting La Verne, taking a 21-0 lead in the second quarter. Steve Silva caught seven passes for 72 yards, while Nick Koller caught three passes for 63 yards, including a touchdown. Chris Ahsing (Sr., RB, Ewa Beach, Hawaii) ran for 59 yards on eight carries before injuring his left ankle in the second quarter, leading a Pirate rushing game that accumulated 255 yards on 35 carries (7.3 yards per run). Jay Tully (Sr., SS, Spokane, Wash.) led the defensive effort against La Verne with ten tackles. He intercepted a pass in the endzone to kill one of the Leopards' scoring opportunities, then broke up another pass on fourth down. Casey Clifton (Sr., LB, Spokane, Wash.) also had 10 tackles, including two for loss, with three QB hurries. Ryan Marshall intercepted his second pass of the season, returned a blocked extra point for a defensive two-point conversion, and returned three punts for 65 yards.
On the Redlands game: "I was very pleased with our overall effort. The preparation of our players was what we wanted. A game like that comes down to a couple of plays and we weren't able to complete the opportunities we had." On La Verne: "We really don't know much about La Verne at this point because they have a new staff and will run a new system, both offensively and defensively. But a change in staff usually brings great energy to a team. At this point we will focus on the things we want to do and what we want to improve on." The Coaches: John Tully is in his 13th season as head coach of the Pirates. He has a 61-54 record at Whitworth. However, he has led the Pirates to a 47-21 record over the past seven-plus years and was named the NWC Coach of the Year in 2001 and 2006. 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 92-76 in his 17th season as a head coach. Rick Ankeny is in his first season as head coach at La Verne. He previously served as the defensive coordinator for East Texas Baptist University from 2003 through 2006 and spent seven years as part of the ETBU staff. He is only the fourth head coach in the last 48 years at La Verne. Other Division III Football Links: American Football Coaches Association |
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Coach Tully's Quotes: 