Whitworth University hits the road this Saturday to take on Linfield College, the preseason favorites in the Northwest Conference this season. The Pirates are coming off of a 32-23 loss to 21st-ranked Willamette last season, while the Wildcats earned a 9-0 win at home over Menlo. Last Saturday was the NWC opener for both schools. Whitworth saw its 13-game Northwest Conference winning streak come to an end last week.
The Pirates: Whitworth grabbed an early two-touchdown lead, but could not sustain the momentum in a 32-23 loss to nationally-ranked Willamette last Saturday. A pair of turnovers, a fumble that ended a promising drive and an interception returned to the Whitworth 20 yard line early in the fourth quarter, had a big influence in the outcome. Adam Anderson had another big game for Whitworth, accumulating 268 all-purpose yards. He ran 35 times for 133 yards on the ground and caught two passes for 16 yards, including a seven-yard touchdown in the second quarter. And he returned four kickoffs for 119 yards. Mike Peck (Jr., QB, Longview, Wash.) completed 14 of 24 passes for 168 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He also ran for 13 yards on four carries and rushed for one touchdown. Eric Entel (Jr., WR, Clarkston, Wash.) caught three passes for 54 yards, including the first touchdown. Justin Monahan (Fr., WR, West Linn, Ore.) caught three passes for 39 yards, the first three receptions of his career.
Dane Gilbertson (So., LB, Lake Stevens, Wash.) led the Pirate defense with nine tackles (all solo), while Jesse Clark (Sr., SS, Spokane, Wash.) added nine total stops (seven solo, two assisted) and broke up a pass. Brandon Martin (Jr., DT, Sweet Home, Ore.) finished with seven tackles, including a six-yard sack. Travis Niles (So., DE, Spokane, Wash.) had a seven-yard sack for the Bucs. For the first time this season Whitworth was unable to come up with a turnover on defense. Zack Clow (So., P/K, Blanchard, Idaho - Priest River) averaged 36.0 yards on three punts. Andy Largent (Jr., WR/PK, Spokane, Wash.) kicked his first field goal of the season, a 32 yarder, in the third quarter.
The Captains: Adam Anderson, Kory Kemp and Brandon Martin will serve as team captains for the Pirates in 2008. 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. 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, will be a workhorse for the Pirates this season. He leads all of NCAA DIII in all-purpose yards (251.75 per game). He also leads the Northwest Conference in rushing average (120.0 yards per game) and touchdowns scored (7). 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: Linfield defeated Menlo 9-0 last week, handing the Oaks their first shutout of the season. Senior place kicker Scott Birkhofer booted three first quarter field goals, including one from 54 yards, for all the points the Wildcat defense would need. Freshman safety Drew Fischer led the team in tackles with ten, but it was all-star lineman Taylor Summers who dominated the game with four sacks for 31 yards in losses. Sophomore Cole Bixenman, Linfield's third QB to start a game this season, completed 7 of 17 passes for 62 yards with two interceptions. Overall the Wildcats are last in the NWC in scoring offense (15.0 ppg), but first in scoring defense (12.0 ppg). Linfield ranks first in the NWC in both rushing defense (87.0 ypg) and total defense (262.0 ypg). The team has a conference-best 13 sacks. On offense, Linfield has been able to sustain drives with a strong running game, averaging 184.7 yards per game. Summers leads the NWC by a wide margin with 8 total sacks for 45 yards in losses this season. Senior Taylor McCann leads the defense with 23 tackles. Bubba Lemon has two interceptions. Birkhofer, an All-American, is a threat to kick a field goal from anywhere across midfield. Senior slot Travis Masters is dangerous as a runner, pass catcher and punt returner and is capable of breaking open any game. The Series: Linfield leads the overall series 26-5-2 and had won 14 in a row before the Pirates claimed the last two meetings. The first meeting was a 13-13 tie in 1952. Linfield's largest margin of victory was 61-0 in 1966, while Whitworth's largest win was 41-13 in 1954. The Wildcats' 14 game winning streak was the longest in the series. Last season the Pirates earned their first back to back wins over Linfield since 1953-54. Last Season: Whitworth's defense did it again. Much like last 2006's ground-breaking win, the Pirate defense stymied the high-powered Wildcat offense with five takeaways (all interceptions), led by senior FS Phil Entel - who picked off three passes and returned one of them 32 yards for the only touchdown in the 10-6 victory. Entel tied a school record (shared by three other players) for interceptions in a game and earned Northwest Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors for his efforts. While the Bucs were outgained by the Wildcats 323-239, the Whitworth defense faced down five Linfield fourth quarter possessions that started with an average field position on the Wildcat 45 yard line. One ended on a field goal that was partially blocked and three ended on interceptions (two by Entel, one by Jay Tully). The final Linfield drive (which began with 16 seconds left in the game), ended when Derek Stottlemeyer knocked down the final pass after the last seconds had ticked off of the clock. It was the first time since the second contest of the 2001 season that Linfield did not score a touchdown in a game, a string of 63 games. Andy Largent kicked a 19 yard field goal early in the fourth quarter to give the Pirates a little breathing room.
On the Willamette Game: "It was a great college football game. Both teams played well, but Willamette made a few more plays than we did. It seems simple, but that was the difference in the game." On Linfield: "Once again they are a well-coached football team with tremendously talented athletes at all positions. Saturday will be a tremendous challenge for our football team." The Coaches: John Tully is in his 14th season as head coach of the Pirates and has a 71-57 record at Whitworth. However, he has led the Pirates to a 58-23 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 102-78 in his 18th season as a head coach. Joe Smith, a Wildcat alum and long time assistant and former defensive coordinator, took over as Linfield's head coach in 2006. He has an 14-7 record in his third season leading the Wildcats. Other Division III Football Links: American Football Coaches Association |
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Coach Tully's Quotes: 