Complete box score and play by play

PUYALLUP, Wash. -- (From PLU Sports Information Office) In a game that featured nearly 900 yards of total offense, Whitworth tailback Adam Anderson broke his own school record with six rushing touchdowns to lead the Whitworth Pirates past Pacific Lutheran, 40-29, in a Northwest Conference football game played Saturday at Sparks Stadium.

Anderson broke his own school record with six rushing touchdowns

Anderson led a Whitworth ground game that controlled the clock and took the air out of Pacific Lutheran’s quick-strike offense. With the junior tailback carrying the ball 31 times for 217 yards and the six scores, the Pirates (5-3 overall, 3-2 NWC) were able to dominate in time of possession with 39 minutes to just 21 for the Lutes.

As it turned out, the host Lutes (2-5 overall, 2-2 NWC) actually out-gained the Pirates in total yardage, 450-431, but Whitworth’s relentless ground game eventually wore down the Lutes. The Pirates scored the final 19 points of the game to erase a 29-21 lead the Pacific Lutheran built early in the third period.

The Lutes got on the board first when linebacker Haden Gienger sacked Whitworth quarterback Cub Jansen in the end zone for a safety with 4:26 to play in the first period. After Matt Wolford returned Whitworth’s free kick to the PLU 49-yard line, the Lutes went 51 yards in three plays with Michael Byrne hitting Greg Ford in stride on a 40-yard touchdown pass.

Whitworth answered on the first play of the second quarter with the first of Anderson’s six touchdown runs, an 8-yard carry that capped a seven-play, 83-yard drive. The Lutes responded immediately when Byrne hit Ford with a short pass that the sophomore wide receiver turned into a 68-yard touchdown. He bounced off of two would-be tacklers and sprinted past three more to complete the play.

The Pirates answered with touchdown runs of 34 and 31 yards from Anderson to take a 21-16 lead, but the Lutes made it 22-21 at the half when Byrne found Drew Griffin on a 19-yard touchdown pass with 33 seconds left in the half.

PLU scored on its first possession of the second half when reserve quarterback Nick Caraballo, in the game for the momentarily injured Byrne, found Ford behind the defense on a 38-yard touchdown pass. That score gave the Lutes a 29-21 lead, but it was also the last time that the host team would score.

Anderson scored his fourth touchdown of the game on a 1-yard run with 6:39 left in the third quarter. Layton Brown intercepted Byrne on PLU’s next play and returned the ball nine yards to the PLU 3-yard line, from where Anderson added touchdown number five to make it 33-29.

The Lutes turned the ball over on downs on their next possession when Byrne was sacked by Sean Jung on a fourth down play in Whitworth territory, and the Pirates drove 60 yards in just five plays with Anderson adding his final score on a 28-yard run.

Trailing 40-29 with 6:41 left to play, the Lutes drove the ball from their own 34-yard line to the Whitworth 28-yard line when Whitworth’s Jesse Clark stepped in front of Byrne’s fade pass at the corner flag, intercepted the ball and returned it 70 yards to the PLU 29-yard line. That iced the win for the Pirates.

In addition to Anderson’s 217 yards, Milton Nelson gained 68 yards as the Pirates finished with 293 rushing yards on 58 carries. Whitworth was efficient in the air, completing 10-of-13 pass attempts for 138 yards.

Byrne completed 22-of-46 passes for 405 yard with three interceptions and three touchdowns, and Caraballo added his 38-yard touchdown pass on one attempt. Ford finished the game with 180 receiving yards on six catches, Drew Griffin had his best game as a collegian with seven catches for 112 yards, and Kyle Whitford had six receptions for 78 yards.

Of Pacific Lutheran’s 60 offensive plays, only 13 were rushes and they netted just seven yards.

Neal Chalmers, Justin Kelly and Gienger were all in on 11 tackles and Andy Sturza contributed 10 for the Lutes. Drew Belton, Cameron Stroyan and Brown all had five tackles to lead the Pirates, and Stroyan and Brown also added an interception.

Anderson's six touchdowns give him 22 for the season, extending his own single-season school record for touchdowns. The NCAA Division III leader in all-purpose yards, he added 60 return yards for a total of 277 all-purpose yards on Saturday.

Whitworth will conclude the 2008 season by hosting Lewis & Clark next Saturday in the Pine Bowl.