Fresh off of the first victory of the 2007 season, Whitworth University returns home to host University of Wisconsin-Stout (1-1) in the Pine Bowl on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. The game against the Blue Devils is the first of three straight home contests for the Pirates (1-1). Whitworth won 34-0 at University of La Verne last Saturday, while Stout is coming off of a bye weekend after dropping a 28-10 decision to University of Missouri-Rolla (NCAA Div. II) the week before. The Blue Devils will probably be the biggest team that the Pirates will see this season. This game marks the second meeting between the NCAA Division III West Region opponents.
The Pirates: Whitworth's defense dominated at La Verne, outscoring the Leopards 9-0 and limiting ULV to 1 rushing yard. Casey Clifton (Sr., LB, Spokane, Wash. - University) scored a safety on the Leopards' first series when he forced ULV quarterback Troy Doolittle into an intentional grounding penalty in the endzone (the safety was originally credited to Justin Rundle, but film indicated it was actually Clifton). In the third quarter Greg Caster (Sr., LB, Sherwood, Ore. - Sherwood) sacked Doolittle and forced a fumble that Marc Grow (Sr., LB, Warden, Wash. - Warden) picked up inside the ten yard line and took into the endzone for a 19-0 Pirate lead. Grow has been named Northwest Conference Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts in the La Verne game. In addition to the fumble return, he intercepted a pass at the Pirate goal line to preserve the shutout, was in on a 10-yard sack and recorded six tackles.
Brandon Martin (So., DT, Sweet Home, Ore. - Sweet Home) led the Pirates with eight tackles. Jay Tully (Sr., SS, Spokane, Wash - Mead.) intercepted his first pass of the season and the 11th of his career, while Phil Entel (Sr., FS, Clarkston, Wash. - Univ. of Idaho) came up with his first pick off of the season. Whitworth ran for 284 yards and outgained the Leopards 461-215. The Pirates also had a 35:01 - 24:59 advantage in time of possession. Adam Anderson (So., RB, Elk, Wash. - Riverside) carried 14 times for 102 yards, while Tyler Mattair (Jr., RB, Kennewick, Wash. - WWU) carried 13 times for 102 yards. Chris Ahsing (Sr., RB, Ewa Beach, Hawaii - Campbell) returned to the line up to rush for 79 yards and a score, while Milton Nelson (So., RB, Spokane, Wash. - EWU) also ran for a touchdown. Kory Kemp (Jr., QB, Redmond, Wash. - Eastlake) completed 10 of 18 passes for 91 yards without an interception, while Jon Luke (Jr., QB, Enumclaw, Wash. - Enumclaw) was 3 for 3 for 86 yards and a touchdown. Steve Silva (Sr., WR, Goleta, Calif. - Coll. of the Canyons) caught five passes for 71 yards, including the 35 yard touchdown from Luke. Andy Largent (So., WR/PK, Spokane, Wash. - WSU) kicked his second field goal of the season, making the 34 yard attempt in the second quarter. Zack Clow (Fr., P, Blanchard, Idaho - Priest River) punted well for the Bucs, averaging 31.2 yards per attempt. Home Sweet Home: Whitworth's three game homestand this season is the longest in the Pine Bowl since the Pirates played four games in a row at home in 1999. While Whitworth is able to enjoy four of the first five games of 2007 at home, it also means that the Pirates will finish the year with four of five games on the road.
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 bounced back from the loss to Redlands to beat La Verne. That means the Pirates have won 15 of the last 16 against schools from the Golden State. The Bucs are 9-1-1 at home against California schools and now 9-8 in California. Whitworth has won the last eight in a row on the road. The Pirates will play two more schools from California, Menlo (at home) and Azusa Pacific (on the road), later in the season. Coming West: Wisconsin-Stout is only the third school from east of the Rocky Mountains ever to play in the Pine Bowl. Whitworth hosted St. John's (Minn.) in 1975 and again in the second round of the NCAA Division III playoffs last season. In 2002 the Pirates opened the season at home with a thrilling 27-26 win over Bethel (Minn.). 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 continues to be listed with "others receiving votes" in the latest D3football.com top-25 poll, as well as the AFCA Division III Coaches 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 Blue Devils are coming off of a bye weekend. On September 8th Stout lost 28-10 at University of Missouri-Rolla (NCAA DII) after a pair of early turnovers led to a 21-0 deficit 20 minutes into the game. The Blue Devils regrouped and got within 21-10 in the third quarter before the Miners put the game away with another touchdown in the fourth quarter. Senior quarterback Tanner Kattre is a two-way threat for Stout. He has completed 60.4% of his passes this season for 355 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions. He has also carried 31 times for 102 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore halfback Ron Fricke also has 102 yards on 36 carries. Senior wide receiver Shawn Karth has 11 receptions for 177 yards. A pair of outstanding linebackers lead the defense. Senior Stephen Schils, an All-WIAC selection in 2006, has 16 tackles, including two for losses of 17 yards. Junior Kyle Seiler leads the team with 19 stops. As a state school it is not surprising that 69 of the 94 players on the roster are from Wisconsin. However, a large number (22) of Blue Devil players also come from the state of Minnesota, which is only 45 minutes from Menomonie, the town where Wisconsin-Stout is located. In addition, the states of Minnesota and Wisconsin have a reciprocal arrangement for in-state tuition, which many Minnesota students take advantage of. Did We Say Big?: Wisconsin-Stout's starting offensive line of tackles Marko Obravac (Sr.) and Jacob Haag (Sr.), guards Jake Graycarek (So.) and Jamie Hinker (Sr.) and center Cody Weltzin (So.) averages 6'-3" and 302 pounds. Hinker is the biggest of the group at 6-4, 350. The Series: Whitworth leads the series 1-0 after last year's win in Menomonie. Last Year: Whitworth earned a hard-fought 14-13 double-overtime victory in dramatic fashion. Jay Tully caught a four yard touchdown pass with three seconds left in regulation, capping a 76-yard touchdown drive in the final 1:06 that tied the game 7-7. After each team missed field goals during the first overtime possessions, Stout scored first in the second overtime to take a 13-7 lead. Whitworth followed with its own score, set up by a 20-yard pass from All-American QB Joel Clark to All-American TE Michael Allan. Cam Collings made the PAT to give the Pirates the victory.
On the La Verne game: "Defensively, our guys played really well. They were aggressive, caused turnovers and made positive things happen for our team. When the defense can create opportunities for our offense, or score points themselves, we will be successful. Our offensive line got better as the game went on. We ask our running backs to secure the ball, which they did, since our goal is no turnovers. I was very pleased with the overall outcome." On Wisconsin-Stout: "They are very big and physical. They will be the biggest team we play this season. We expect it to be another truly exciting game this year." The Coaches: John Tully is in his 13th season as head coach of the Pirates. He has a 62-54 record at Whitworth. However, he has led the Pirates to a 48-21 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 93-76 in his 17th season as a head coach. Duey Naatz is in his first season as head coach for the Blue Devils. Naatz, who was a UW-Stout assistant coach under three different head coaches for the previous 18 years, coached the defensive backs, running backs and offensive line. He had been the assistant head coach for the last eight seasons and also the offensive coordinator. Other Division III Football Links: American Football Coaches Association |
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Coach Tully's Quotes: 