Whitworth University will officially begin defense of its 2006 Northwest Conference football championship this week when the Pirates host Menlo College in the Pine Bowl for the NWC opener for both schools. Whitworth (2-1) is coming off of a dramatic victory over Wisconsin-Stout, while the Oaks fell 44-7 to NCAA Division II Humboldt State. The Menlo game is the second of three home games in a row for Whitworth.
The Pirates: For the second year in a row Whitworth defeated Wisconsin-Stout on the final play of the game. Last season it was Cam Collings' PAT that gave the Pirates a 14-13 double overtime victory in Menomonie, Wisconsin. This year Kory Kemp (Jr., QB, Redmond, Wash. - Eastlake) passed one yard to Jay Tully (Sr., SS, Spokane, Wash. - Mead) as the clock expired to lift Whitworth to a 23-21 win. The Bucs did have to run a PAT, which Kemp downed, because in theory Stout could have returned the attempt the other way for a defensive two-point conversion. Tully was also the player who caught a touchdown with three seconds left in regulation in last season's game to force overtime. Adam Anderson (So., RB, Elk, Wash. - Riverside/Univ. of Idaho) was named NWC Offensive Player of the Week after gaining 94 of his 114 yards in the second half to help the Pirates overcome a 14-3 halftime deficit. His 28 yard carry on a fake punt during Whitworth's first possession of the second half led to a 26 yard touchdown pass from Kemp to Andy Largent (So., WR, Spokane, Wash. - Shadle Park/Washington State) that pulled the Bucs within 14-9. Then on the next possession, Anderson followed the great pulling blocks of Levi Wyman (Sr., OG, Aiea, Hawaii - Aiea) and Dan Sanders (Jr., OT, Valleyford, Wash. - Freeman) around right end for a 66 yard touchdown run that gave Whitworth a 17-14 lead after Kemp passed to Drew Griggs (Sr., TE, Colbert, Wash. - Mt. Spokane) for a two-point conversion.
Kemp completed 6 of 10 passes for 55 yards on the final 56 yard drive, converting three first downs with passes to Nick Koller (Sr., WR, LaCrosse, Wash. - LaCrosse) and a third and ten situation into a first down with a 15 yard pass to Tully. Greg Caster (Sr., LB, Sherwood, Ore. - Sherwood) led a Pirate defense that limited Stout to 149 yards over the final three quarters after the Blue Devils had gained 129 in the first quarter. Caster finished with 17 tackles, including 2.5 for losses of seven yards, to earn NWC Defensive Player of the Week honors. Justin Rundle (Sr., DE, Spokane, Wash. - Mt. Spokane) had five tackles, including 3.5 for losses of 20 yards. Tully and Ryan Marshall (Sr., CB, Salem, Ore. - Sprague) each picked off his second pass of the season. Largent kicked his third field goal of the season, he's three for three, making the 23 yard attempt in the second quarter to give the Pirates their first points of the game. Zack Clow (Fr., P, Blanchard, Idaho - Priest River) punted well for the Bucs, averaging 36.1 yards per attempt with a long of 50 yards. 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, 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 season-opening loss to Redlands to beat La Verne in week two. 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 this week) 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. National Ranking: Whitworth continues to be listed with "others receiving votes" in the latest D3football.com top-25 poll (Sept. 24), 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: Menlo College, in its second season as a football-affiliate member of the NWC, has struggled to an 0-4 start this season. The Oaks opened the season with a 24-19 loss at Wisconsin-Stout, scoring twice in the final five minutes to scare the Blue Devils. Menlo also has a 24-7 loss at Chapman and home losses in the last two weeks to defending SCIAC champion Occidental (38-0) and NCAA Division II Humboldt State (44-7). Freshmen have been forced to take key roles on offense for Menlo. Tony Rehn and Angel Molina, both freshmen, have split time at quarterback the last three games. Rehn has completed 45.6% of his passes for 313 yards with two touchdowns and five interceptions. Molina has completed 40.6% of his throws for 81 yards, but has been more of a running threat with 162 yards on the ground. Freshman wide receiver Eric Rasmussen has 12 catches for 96 yards this season. The Oaks have averaged 122 yards per game rushing and 122 yards per game passing so far this fall. Junior strong safety Curtis Barry leads the team with 29 tackles. Senior linebacker Travis Correa has 25 tackles, including 4.5 for losses of 37 yards. Last week the Oaks hurt themselves by giving away the ball six times in the loss to Humboldt State. Four interceptions and two lost fumbles led to many short-field opportunities for the Lumberjacks. HSU had six scoring drives that only averaged 29 yards long, and also returned a fumble 79 yards for another touchdown. Molina ran 13 times for 112 yards and a touchdown, and was 9 of 20 for 59 yards in the air with two interceptions. The Series: Whitworth leads the series 6-1 after last year's 26-7 win in Atherton, California. The Pirates have won the last five in a row and are 3-0 against the Oaks in Spokane. The largest margin of victory was Whitworth's 48-10 win over Menlo in Spokane in 2005. The Oaks' win came in 1999 at home in overtime (24-21). In addition to the overtime game in 1999, there have been other dramatic finishes in games between Menlo and Whitworth: in 2003 the Pirates built a big halftime lead then held off a strong Oak comeback for a 30-24 win in the Pine Bowl and in 2004 Whitworth won 41-35 in overtime at Menlo. Last Year: Whitworth improved to 7-0, the team's 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 (Sr., 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 first half 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 (Sr., LB, Spokane, Wash. - University) led the team with nine tackles, including a 14 yard sack. Greg Caster also had nine stops.
On the Wis.-Stout game: "It was an incredible win. We talked about mental toughness because we knew that Stout was going to be physical. I was very pleased with how our defense played and our offense showed great determination when they moved down the field and was able to finish, like we've been able to do so many times throughout the years. I thought Stout was a very good football team and this was a very big win for us." On Menlo: "It seems every year we play them it is an exciting game, and this year should be no different. When you compare both teams' scores with Stout, they are very similar. I expect Menlo to be a big challenge for us." The Coaches: John Tully is in his 13th season as head coach of the Pirates. He has a 63-54 record at Whitworth. However, he has led the Pirates to a 49-21 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. Mark Kaanapu is in his 7th season leading Menlo and has a 25-37 record. A graduate of Pacific (Ore.) University in 1989, Kaanapu is very familiar with the Northwest Conference. Other Division III Football Links: American Football Coaches Association |
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Coach Tully's Quotes: 