Whitworth gave Linfield all it could on the road last Saturday before falling 31-28 to the Wildcats, who are now ranked in the D3football.com top 25 poll. The Pirates (2-3 overall, 0-2 NWC) will return home to host Puget Sound on Saturday in the Pine Bowl at 1:00 p.m. UPS (2-2, 0-1) is also looking for its first NWC win of the season after dropping a tough 35-28 decision at Menlo last weekend. The Loggers are the Pirates' oldest continuous football rival and the teams are meeting for the 60th time.
The Pirates: Whitworth had two long scoring drives, made key defensive plays, punted well and won the battle of turnovers, but could not get the one extra play it needed to overcome a very good Linfield squad on the road last Saturday. After the Wildcats kicked a field goal to go ahead 31-28 with just over 12 minutes left, the Pirates could not generate a first down in the next two possessions. Adam Anderson (Jr., RB, Elk, Wash.) worked very hard for his 181 all-purpose yards on Saturday. He carried the ball 25 times for a net of 62 yards. He returned five kick offs for 112 yards. He ran for one touchdown and caught another to increase his NWC-leading touchdown total to nine. Mike Peck (Jr., QB, Longview, Wash.) completed 6 of 15 passes for 93 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He also ran for a net of 23 yards, gaining 49 and losing 26 on three sacks. Eric Entel (Jr., WR, Clarkston, Wash.) caught three passes for 28 yards.
Down by a touchdown late in the third quarter, Whitworth drove inside the Wildcats' five yard line when it looked like Whitworth would kick a field goal. After a bad snap, Chad Flett (Sr., WR, Spokane, Wash.) rolled out and found Cameron Stroyan (Jr., LB, Chewelah, Wash.) for a two yard touchdown pass. It was the first career touchdown for both players. Dane Gilbertson (So., LB, Lake Stevens, Wash.) led the Pirate defense for the second consecutive week. He had six solo tackles, including three for losses of 15 yards, and also forced a Linfield fumble. McLane Stone (Sr., DB, Orcas Island, Wash.) made the defensive play of the game for the Bucs, picking off a Linfield pass and returning it 92 yards for a touchdown. Brandon Martin (Jr., DT, Sweet Home, Ore.) and Layton Brown (So., LB, Kennewick, Wash.) both finished with a team-high eight tackles and Brown also had a forced fumble. Paul Werhane (So., LB, Beaverton, Ore.) returned after missing the previous week's game with four tackles and two fumble recoveries. Zack Clow (So., P/K, Blanchard, Idaho - Priest River) averaged 39.4 yards on seven punts, depositing two inside the Linfield 20 yard line. He was named NWC Special Teams Student-Athlete of the Week for his effort.
The Captains: Adam Anderson, Kory Kemp and Brandon Martin will serve as team captains for the Pirates in 2008. Was it a record?: McLane Stone's 92 yard interception return for a touchdown at Linfield is not a school record. Tom Shanholtzer returned an interception 97 yards for a touchdown in 1986 against Pacific Lutheran. Stone's return is the second longest in school history, moving ahead of George Elliott's 86 yard return in 1965. Stottlemyer and Kemp Lost for the Year: The Pirates lost starters on consecutive Saturdays earlier this season. Kory Kemp (Sr., QB, Redmond, Wash.) broke his fibula in the game at Redlands on Sept. 20th. Derek Stottlemyer (So., DB, Bothell, Wash.) suffered a broken tibia in the Chapman game on September 27th. To Break a Streak: Whitworth is hoping to break a two-game Northwest Conference losing streak on Saturday. The last time the Pirates lost two consecutive conference games was 2006 (at Willamette and at PLU). They ended that one with a 13-7 win over Puget Sound at home. Whitworth has not lost three conference games in a row since 1999. Versus California: The Pirates have won 18 of the last 21 against schools from the Golden State. The Bucs are 11-1-1 at home against California schools and 10-10 on the road. Whitworth will return to California for the third time this season on October 25th at Menlo College. A for Effort: Adam Anderson, the 2007 NWC Offensive Player of the Year, continues to be a workhorse for the Pirates this season. He leads all of NCAA DIII in all-purpose yards (237.6 per game). He also leads the Northwest Conference in rushing average (108.4 yards per game) and touchdowns scored (9). Anderson was the NWC Player of the Week after 324 all-purpose yards in a come-from-behind 41-35 win at previously unbeaten Chapman on September 27th. Looking Back at 2007: Whitworth surprised some by winning a second straight Northwest Conference championship despite the graduation of record-setting quarterback Joel Clark and NFL-bound tight end Michael Allan. But the Pirates shook off a season opening loss to Redlands to win eight of the remaining nine games. The only other loss was to NAIA power Azusa Pacific (38-34) in California. Whitworth swept through Northwest Conference play with a 6-0 record, winning a showdown with Linfield College 10-6 in the Pine Bowl on the second to last week of the season. The Pirates led the nation in takeaways (35) and turnover margin (+26). Anderson was named NWC Offensive Player of the Year, Jay Tully was selected as the co-NWC Defensive Player of the Year and John Tully was voted as the NWC Coach of the Year by the conference head coaches. NWC Poll: Whitworth finished second in the NWC preseason coaches poll with 40 points and one first place vote. Linfield finished first with six first place votes and 54 points. Menlo is in its third season in the NWC as a football-only affiliate. Link to NWC Football Coaches Poll.
The Opponents: Puget Sound trailed 18-7 at Menlo at halftime before rallying to tie the game at 21-21, and again at 28-28 with 2:35 to go. But two plays later the Oaks completed a 72 yard, game-winning touchdown pass for a 35-28 win over the Loggers. Senior QB Kavin Williams completed 9 of 25 passes for 114 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He was also the leading rusher with 98 yards on the ground. Senior WR Darrell Stewart caught six passes for 82 yards and a score. Senior LB Eric Borton recorded a game-high 15 tackles. Overall UPS is third in the NWC in total offense, averaging 332.8 yards per game. The Loggers are very balanced between the run (154.5 yards per game) and the pass (178.2 yards per game). UPS has averaged 26.5 points per contest, while allowing 32.5 points per game. Williams is the NWC leader in total offense, averaging 228.8 yards per game. He has completed 51% of his passes for 683 yards with six touchdowns and three interceptions. He has also averaged 58 yards per game on the ground. Stewart leads the conference in receptions with 24 for 403 yards and three touchdowns. Borton is the conference leader in tackles, averaging 11 per ball game. Sophomore Cory Dunn is first in the NWC in passes defended with five (four breakups, one interception). The Series: Puget Sound is Whitworth's oldest and longest running rival. Whitworth's first official collegiate game was a 6-0 victory over the College of Puget Sound in 1904 (when Whitworth was located in Lacey, Washington). The teams have played each other 58 times since then. The Pirates hold a 33-25-1 edge in the series with the Loggers. Whitworth has won the last 12 meetings. The biggest Pirate win in the series was 45-0 in 1908. The biggest Logger win (41-0) came in 1967. Puget Sound last defeated Whitworth in 1995, John Tully's first year as head coach, by a score of 48-35. Last Season: Whitworth's defense was dominant in a 34-13 win in Tacoma. The Loggers gained more than half of their yards in the fourth quarter after the Pirates had taken a 34-0 lead and began to substitute liberally. Even so, Whitworth outgained UPS 510-280, had more first downs (22-12) and had an advantage in time of possession of 35:48 - 24:12. Cameron Stroyan picked off his first pass of the season and the Pirates also recovered three fumbles for five total turnovers. Chris Ahsing and Adam Anderson each rushed for more than 90 yards. Anderson had three touchdowns (two rushing, one receiving) and Ahsing ran for a score. Joey Vanhoomissen (Sr., TE, Renton, Wash.) caught his second touchdown of the season.
On the Linfield Game: "It was a tremendous football game. Both teams competed exceptionally well and both teams responded to adversity at different times in a positive way. Defensively we are continually improving and I have seen guys on that side of the ball really step forward." On Puget Sound: "They have a very talented quarterback and offensively they can really challenge you, while defensively they are solid. They are a very well-coached football team and they have always presented a great challenge for our group." The Coaches: John Tully is in his 14th season as head coach of the Pirates and has a 71-58 record at Whitworth. However, he has led the Pirates to a 58-24 record over the past eight+ years and has been named the NWC Coach of the Year three times (2001, 2006 and 2007). 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 102-79 in his 18th season as a head coach. Phil Willenbrock (23-36 in his 7th year) has led the resurgence of the UPS football program. After taking over in 2002, his teams have gone 0-9, 1-8, 5-4, 4-5, 7-3, and 4-5 last fall. Prior to coaching at UPS, Willenbrock was the offensive coordinator at Allegheny College (Pa.). Other Division III Football Links: American Football Coaches Association |
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Coach Tully's Quotes: 