SPOKANE, Wash. -- The University of Redlands overcame an early 10-0 deficit to upset 16th-ranked Whitworth University 24-12 in the season opening football game for both schools at the Whitworth Pine Bowl on Saturday afternoon.

Dan Selway's 79-yard touchdown pass to Brian Putnam with 2:47 to go in the game gave Redlands a 24-10 lead and sealed the win for the Bulldogs.

Brown had 10 stops and a pick in his first game

Kory Kemp (Jr., Redmond, Wash.), making his first start at quarterback for Whitworth, ran 67 yards for a touchdown on his first carry, giving Whitworth a 7-0 lead just over five minutes into the season. The Pirates then recovered a fumble at the Redlands 13-yard line later in the quarter. Unable to get a first down, Whitworth settled for a 33 yard field goal by Andy Largent (So., Spokane, Wash.).

The Bulldogs, favored to win the SCIAC by D3football.com, scored their first touchdown midway through the second quarter when Zack Schafer scored from two yards out. Selway completed a 37-yard pass to Kyle Godfrey on the previous play, setting up the score.

Redlands took a 14-10 lead into halftime when Schafer scored on another two-yard run. Selway set up the score with a 24-yard run down to the two.

Neither team could move the ball effectively in the third quarter, but in the fourth quarter Redlands put together two key drives. First, the Bulldogs drove 51 yards to Whitworth's 22 yard line and Joe MacMillan kicked a 39 yard field goal to give Redlands a 17-10 advantage. Then after Whitworth got to the Redlands 20 yard line, Tyler Ferreria intercepted Kemp at the Bulldogs' 18 yard line. Two plays later, Selway lofted the ball up for Putnam. Putnam ran under the pass around midfield and sprinted away from the Whitworth defense to the endzone for the game clinching score.

Whitworth's final drive went to the Redlands one yard line, but Kemp was stopped on fourth down. After three short runs and three Pirate time outs, the Bulldogs elected to take a safety with seven seconds left in the game.

Redlands finished with 349 total yards, while Whitworth totaled 334 yards. The Pirates had a slight edge in time of possession (30:54 - 29:06).

Selway completed 15 of 25 passes for 209 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Schafer carried 22 times for 78 yards and two scores. Godfrey led the receivers with five catches for 47 yards.

Kemp was 18 of 42 for 172 yards with one interception. He also ran eight times for 97 yards. Steve Silva (Sr., Goleta, Calif.) was Kemp's favorite receiver with nine catches for 80 yards.

Layton Brown (Fr., LB, Kennewick, Wash.) had a strong first game for the Pirates, finishing with a team-high ten tackles and one interception. Greg Caster (Sr., LB, Sherwood, Ore.) also had 10 stops. Ryan Marshall (Sr., CB, Salem, Ore.) also had a pick for the Pirates. Justin Rundle (Sr., DE, Spokane, Wash.) had a 13-yard sack.

Kris Richardson and Brock Arndt led Redlands defensively with 9 and 7 tackles, respectively. Both were in on a pair of tackles for loss.

Redlands, which won an opener for the first time since 2003, will look for a 2-0 start at home next Saturday against the Haskell Indian Nations University.

Whitworth will try to rebound from its first season opening loss since 2003 next Saturday at University of La Verne. Kick off is at 1:00 p.m.