Pirates Looking to Pick Up Initial Home Win of 2009
Whitworth University plays its second straight home game of 2009 when the Pirates host Chapman University on Saturday for the annual Homecoming and Hall of Fame festivities. Whitworth is coming off of a 29-24 loss to Redlands, while the Panthers have had the benefit of a week off. On September 12th Chapman opened the season at home with a 21-7 win over Menlo. This is the fourth all-time meeting between the schools, the second ever in the Pine Bowl.
The Pirates: After trailing 23-3 in the third quarter Whitworth began a comeback that ended just short in a 29-24 loss to Redlands. The Bulldogs dominated the first half before the Pirates got going offensively. Andrew Durant (So., QB, Spokane, Wash.) survived four first half sacks to post career high numbers for completions, attempts and yards passing on Saturday. And it was the defense that allowed the team to stay close, and two key second-half interceptions turned the tide back toward Whitworth. Durant completed 25 of 40 passes for 243 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions, despite being under heavy pressure early in the game. He responded to the pressure by completing 12 of 21 passes for 173 yards and both scores in the second half. The Pirates played without All-American running back Adam Anderson (Sr., Elk, Wash.), and the running game struggled. Whitworth finished with 47 net yards on the ground and Durant was the leading runner with 22 of those yards, including a 14 yard scramble on fourth down. Eric Entel (Sr., WR, Clarkston, Wash.) had nine catches for 92 yards, while Dale Entel (So., WR, Clarkston, Wash.) added seven grabs for 45 yards. Each had a touchdown catch. Justin Wimberly (Jr., TE, Tumwater, Wash.) had three catches, including a 34 yard reception on fourth down in the fourth quarter. Matt McDermott (Jr., DB, Fort Collins, Colo.) and Robert Schaefer (Jr., DB, Bothell, Wash.) had seven tackles each to lead the team. Brian O'Kelley (So., LB, Clarkston, Wash.) had his biggest game as a Pirate defender with six tackles, including the Pirates' only tackle for loss. But it was the second-half interceptions, first by Nick Ashley (Jr., DE, Lind, Wash.) and then by Paul Werhane (Jr., LB, Beaverton, Ore.), that sparked the Pirates toward the comeback trail. Zack Clow (Jr., P/DB, Blanchard, Idaho) punted five times for an average of 38.6 yards, while Andy Largent (Sr., WR/PK, Spokane, Wash.) kicked a 28 yard field goal on the final play of the first half. Cailen Thomason (So., DB, Vancouver, Wash.) took over the primary kickoff return responsibility and averaged 29.5 yards on four returns. Hall of Fame: Saturday morning Whitworth will induct three new members into the 20th class of the Heritage Gallery Hall of Fame. Kristin (Shields) Hinton, who was the NCAA Division III national champion in the 100 meters and the CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year as a senior in 2004; Arnie Tyler, Sr., who coached four individuals to national track and field titles and had 25 All-Americans, all without the benefit of an on-campus track; and football All-American Wayne Ralph, who set NAIA records with 101 receptions as a junior (1985) and 105 catches as a senior (1986), will be recognized during halftime of Saturday's game. Versus California: After this past Saturday the Pirates have won 20 of the last 24 against schools from the Golden State and are 23-12-1 all-time against Californian colleges. The Bucs are 11-2-1 at home against California schools and 12-10 on the road. Whitworth went 3-1 against schools from the Golden State last season, defeating La Verne (H), Chapman (A) and Menlo (A). Whitworth lost at Redlands (A). The Pirates play the same four schools in 2009 with all the locations reversed and a 1-1 so far this season.
The Captains: Adam Anderson, Jeff Kintner (Sr., OL, Wenatchee, Wash.) and Brandon Martin (Sr., DT, Sweet Home, Ore.) serve as team captains for the Pirates in 2009. Wait and See: Adam Anderson's status for this Saturday, and the rest of the season, will be on a week to week basis as he recovers from a sprained ankle suffered on the opening kickoff of Whitworth's game at La Verne. Looking Back at 2008: After starting the season 2-3, Whitworth reeled off four straight wins to finish 6-3 overall and 4-2 in the NWC (third place). It was a painful year in more ways than one as the Bucs saw five different starters lost for the season due to injury, and several other players miss games for the same reason. However there were highlights scattered throughout the fall. The Pirates bounced back from their most decisive loss in a almost a decade to win at Chapman. Adam Anderson led a comeback win at PLU by scoring six touchdowns to set a new school record. Anderson = All-American: Adam Anderson, the 2007 and 2008 NWC Offensive Player of the Year, simply had one of the greatest seasons in Whitworth history in 2008. He concluded the season as a D3football.com Second Team All-American, First Team All-Region honoree and shared the Northwest Conference Offensive Player of the Year award with slotback Merben Woo of NWC champion Willamette. Anderson led all of NCAA Division III in all-purpose yards (243.8) per game and was second in the nation in scoring average (16.89 points per game). He led the NWC in rushing yards (139.9 yards per game), touchdowns (25), total points (152) and all-purpose yards. He was named NWC Offensive Student-Athlete of the Week three times, including when he posted a school record 324 all-purpose yards in a 41-35 win at Chapman and when he scored a school-record six touchdowns and ran for 217 yards in a 40-29 win at PLU. NWC Poll: Whitworth finished third in the NWC preseason coaches poll with 37 points. Defending champion Willamette and Linfield finished first and second, respectively. Link to NWC Football Coaches Poll.
The Opponents: Chapman competes as an NCAA Division III independent and the Panthers went 5-4 last season with closes losses to Whitworth (41-35), Occidental (31-28) and Cal Lutheran (16-7). Chapman was 6-3 the season before and the Bulldogs are looking for their third straight winning campaign. Two Saturdays ago Chapman opened with a 21-7 win at home over Menlo College. The Panthers were outgained 310-200, but used four big turnovers to seal the win. Senior linebacker Steve Downs had a huge game with 13 tackles (including 10 solo stops) and a forced fumble. Andrew Carcova returned an interception 31 yards to set up a short touchdown drive. Akio Lloyd, a junior from the British West Indies, provided the offensive spark. He returned a kickoff 80 yards for Chapman's first touchdown, then finished with 104 yards rushing on 21 carries with another short TD run. Eric Willcockson and Blake Vanderweil shared QB duties and combined to complete 8 of 21 passes for 88 yards. Vanderweil threw a seven-yard TD pass in the third quarter to Preston Oklejas. Last Season: Whitworth put together a solid, if not complete, effort by the offense and defense to defeat a good Chapman team on the road. The Pirates outgained the Panthers 386-335 and had a 3-0 advantage in turnovers. Adam Anderson was the Northwest Conference Offensive Player of the Week after his record-breaking performance in the win. Anderson finished with 324 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns. The all-purpose yardage set a school record, breaking the 303 yards posted by Damian Putney in 1999. Anderson carried the ball 23 times for 144 yards and two scores, caught five passes for 56 yards and another score, and returned three kick offs for 124 yards, including an 82-yard touchdown. The Pirate defense made several key plays and came up big when Whitworth went to the fourth quarter trailing 35-27. Chapman only gained 14 total yards in the fourth quarter and only one first down. Nate Hadley (Sr., LB, Mukilteo, Wash.) led the team with eight tackles and recovered a fumble that led to a touchdown. Brandon Martin had four stops, including a four yard sack, and recovered a fumble that led to another Whitworth score. The Series: Whitworth leads the series 3-0, with the teams playing in 2000, 2001 and last season. Whitworth won the first meeting 49-22 in Spokane. The following year Whitworth began a march toward its first-ever Northwest Conference title with a 21-10 win over the Panthers in California.
Bob Owens took over at Chapman in 2006, following a 2-7 year for the Panthers in 2005. In his first year he coached the team to a 4-5 record and showed even more improvement in 2007 when Chapman finished 6-3. Overall he is 16-12 in his fourth season. Coach Tully's Quotes: John Tully talks about last Saturday's game at Redlands, this week's match up with Chapman, and the status of running back Adam Anderson. Other Division III Football Links: American Football Coaches Association |
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