Sept. 26, 2006

FOOTBALL: Lutes Open Conference Play at Puget Sound

THIS WEEK: PLU at Puget Sound, Saturday, 1:30 p.m. This is the Northwest Conference opener for both teams.

RECORDS: Pacific Lutheran is 0-3 this season after non-conference losses to Cal Lutheran and Wisconsin-River Falls at home and to Chapman on the road. Puget Sound is 3-0 this season after road wins at Whittier and La Verne and at home against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.

THE SERIES: Saturday’s game marks the 81st time – and the 23rd consecutive year - that these two rivals have played. The first meeting was in 1926 and marked the debut game for the Pacific Lutheran football program. Puget Sound won that contest, 12-0. Puget Sounds leads the all-time series 44-31-5, including last year’s 23-13 result at Sparks Stadium that ended a string of 17 straight PLU victories over the Loggers. Prior to that, the Loggers’ most recent victory in the series was 24-7 in 1987.

THE COACHES: Scott Westering is in his third season as PLU’s head coach and has a 9-12 overall record. He previously was an assistant coach for 23 years – 21 as the offensive coordinator – under his father, Frosty Westering. Scott Westering was a three-year letterman and an All-America tight end at PLU after transferring from UCLA, and he was a member of the 1980 NAIA Division II national championship team. Phil Willenbrock is in his fifth season as the head coach at Puget Sound. His record at UPS is 13-26. He previously was an assistant head coach, offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Allegheny College in Pennsylvania from 1998-2002.

2005 GAME: Puget Sound took advantage of five straight second-half PLU turnovers to defeat the Lutes, 23-13, at Sparks Stadium. The loss gave the Lutes a 0-4 start to the season, the first time that has happened since 1967. The Lutes grabbed a 6-0 lead with 7:37 left in the first quarter on Chris Maine's 45-yard pass to Jacob Washburn, but the extra point kick was blocked. The Loggers got on the scoreboard with 2:15 left in the opening quarter on Joe Stuckrath's 24-yard field goal. Andy Carlson then tossed a 17-yard touchdown pass to Rory Lee with 6:44 remaining in the first half to put UPS in front 9-6. The Lutes, in turn, blocked the extra point kick. The Lutes went back in front early in the third quarter on Maine's 30-yard pass to Chase Reed. Neal Chalmers' extra-point kick gave PLU a 13-9 advantage, but four interceptions and a fumble in PLU’s final five possessions doomed the Lutes. The Loggers turned the first two interceptions into a pair of one-yard touchdown runs by James Olcott for the final outcome. Maine completed 12-of-25 passes for 195 yards, with Reed making seven receptions for 106 yards. Matt Steiner led the ground game with 45 net yards on 12 carries. Lee, Puget Sound’s all-conference back, gained 98 yards rushing on 20 carries, while Carlson had 97 yards on 19 attempts for most of the Loggers' 269 rushing yards. Carlson was 8-of-12 for 79 yards passing.

LUTES LAST WEEK: Chapman College celebrated the opening of its brand new football stadium, Wilson Field, with a 42-25 win over Pacific Lutheran. The Panthers scored on the first play from scrimmage, a 71-yard pass from quarterback Eric Marty to wide receiver Harrison Dull, and they never trailed. Dull not only scored the first touchdown at Wilson Field, he shattered the school record for receiving yards in a game with 327. Marty finished the game with 386 yards passing – the second-highest passing total in Chapman history – and three touchdowns, two of them to Dull. Pacific Lutheran got on the board in the second quarter on a 24-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Brett Gordon to halfback Chase Reed. That cut the Chapman lead to 14-7. Pacific Lutheran never got any closer, though the Lutes out-gained the Panthers in total offensive yards, 476-455. Gordon, making his second collegiate start, completed 30-of-44 passes for 381 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. He also connected with Reed on a 35-yard scoring pass and with Brian Stevens on a 12-yard score. The other PLU touchdown came on Craig Stahl's five-yard run. Craig Chiado had 10 receptions for 90 yards, Reed had seven grabs for 97 yards and two scores, Stevens had six catches for 125 yards and one score, and Jacob Washburn added six catches for 69 yards for the Lutes. Reed led the running game with 48 yards on 14 carries. Chapman’s defense came up with several big plays – including two blocked PAT attempts – to keep PLU from gaining any momentum, and helped give the Panthers their first win in five tries against PLU.

LOGGERS LAST WEEK: For the first time in 180 games, the Puget Sound Logger football team posted a shutout, 21-0, over the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Stags. The game marked the 2006 home opener for the Loggers. As a result, the Loggers start the season 3-0 for only the third time in the past 25 years but the second time in the past three seasons. Puget Sound scored on a 19-yard pass from Kavin Williams to Andy Bean in the first quarter and on Isaac Blum’s 69-yard punt return in the second period. They put the game away in the third quarter on a 30-yard scoring pass from Williams to Darrell Stewart. Rory Lee led the UPS running game with 72 yards on 21 carries, and Williams finished 8-of-13 passing for 84 yards and two touchdowns.

LUTES BY THE NUMBERS: PLU comes into the game averaging 18.7 points and 300.3 yards – including 247.0 passing – per game while giving up an average of 27.7 points and 332.0 yards per contest. Individually, quarterback Brett Gordon has completed 45-of-80 passes for 584 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions. Craig Chiado is the leading receiver with 25 catches for 257 yards and two touchdowns, while Chase Reed has 14 catches for 197 yards and three scores. Reed leads the injury-decimated running attack with 88 yards on 30 carries. Defensively, linebackers Jon Hergert and Chad Blau both have 22 total tackles through the first three games, and Blau has spent part of each game in the opponents’ backfield with 8.5 tackles for loss. Lineman Andy Eisentrout leads the Lutes with three quarterback sacks.

LOGGERS BY THE NUMBERS: Puget Sound averages 25.0 points and 289.3 yards per game, including 218.3 rushing. On defense, the Loggers give up 13.3 points per game and have held their first three opponents to an average of 255.0 yards per contest. Rory Lee averages 105.3 rushing yards per game and Kavin Williams has completed 17-of-33 passes for 203 yards with four touchdowns and only one interception. Andy Bean leads the receivers with five catches for 101 yards and two scores. Defensively, linebacker Steve Martin already has 36 total tackles this season, while linebacker Jake Parks has five quarterback sacks among his 14 total tackles. Defensive back Matt Vanek has two of the Loggers’ five interceptions.

HONORABLE MENTION: Brett Gordon, making just his second career start, earned honorable mention Northwest Conference Offensive Player of the Week recognition after throwing for 381 yards and three touchdowns against Chapman.

INJURY REPORT: Pacific Lutheran will be without the services of its top two halfbacks for the majority of the season. Junior starter Anthony Canger (Post Falls, Idaho / Post Falls HS) suffered a posterior cruciate ligament tear in his knee. He is expected to miss at least six weeks while doing rehabilitation. Sophomore Brian Dahl (Puyallup, Wash. / Cascade Christian HS) is out indefinitely after being diagnosed with Graves’ Disease. This is a type of autoimmune disease that causes over-activity of the thyroid gland, causing hyperthyroidism. Medications can treat this disease, but only if and until Dahl’s condition is brought under control will he be cleared to return to the football field. The Lutes will be without team co-captain and senior tight end Adam Nichols (Bellingham, Wash. / Squalicum HS) for several more weeks because of a groin injury.

OFFENSE CHECKS IN: Last week, the Lutes generated 476 total yards, including 381 via the passing route, after managing only 425 total yards in the first two games. As mentioned earlier, PLU now averages 300.3 yards per game, contrasted to 449.1 yards per game averaged by the 2005 team.

RADIO/INTERNET COVERAGE: All PLU football games will be broadcast in the Tacoma area on KLAY 1180 AM. Steve Thomas handles the play-by-play and Karl Hoseth provides commentary.

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