Oct. 2, 2006

FOOTBALL: After Big Win, Lutes Host Unbeaten Whitworth

THIS WEEK: PLU hosts the Whitworth Pirates in a Northwest Conference game at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7, at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup.

RECORDS: Pacific Lutheran is 1-3 overall and 1-0 in the Northwest Conference. The Lutes opened the season with non-conference losses at home to Cal Lutheran and Wisconsin-River Falls and on the road to Chapman. Whitworth is unbeaten in four games this season, all against non-conference opponents (Redlands, La Verne, Wisconsin-Stout and Azusa Pacific). The Pirates are ranked No. 14 in the most recent D3football.com Top 25 poll.

SERIES HISTORY: Saturday’s game will be the 62nd meeting between the two schools. PLU leads the all-time series 46-15. Whitworth has won the last two games between the teams, including a 54-35 shootout last year at Sparks Stadium. The Lutes won the first meeting between the schools, 27-0, back in 1931. From 1966 to 2000 the Lutes won 32 straight games in the series. In 2001 Whitworth ended the streak during the regular season, winning 27-26 at Sparks Stadium. The Lutes reversed that score in the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs, winning 27-26 in overtime in Spokane.

THE COACHES: Scott Westering is in his third season as PLU’s head coach and has a 10-12 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. John Tully has compiled a 54-52 record in what is now his 12th season at Whitworth. He was named the 2001 Northwest Conference Coach of the Year and has led the Pirates to a 40-19 record in the last six-plus years. He has been a college head coach for 16 seasons and has an 85-73 overall record.

2005 GAME: Whitworth built a 33-7 halftime lead and went on to defeat Pacific Lutheran, 54-35, in the season finale for both teams. The Pirates put the ball in the end zone on five of their seven first-half possessions, including the first four times they had the ball. After taking the opening kickoff, Whitworth drove 64 yards in 11 plays, with Chris Ahsing's one-yard carry giving the Pirates a 7-0 lead. Joel Clark tossed a 24-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Snell, and Clark’s one-yard TD pass to Michael Allen gave the Pirates a 20-0 lead with 37 seconds left in the first quarter. The Lutes scored on the first play of their ensuing possession when Chris Maine hooked up with Craig Chiado on a 64-yard scoring pass. The Pirates added two touchdowns in the second quarter on a 12-yard pass from Clark to Nick Koller and a 15-yard completion from Clark to Drew Griggs. The Lutes rallied in the third quarter with three touchdowns, those coming on Chase Reed’s 14-yard run, a 43-yard Maine-to-Chiado connection and on Anthony Canger’s two-yard run. The Pirates added a touchdown of their own in the quarter, then put the game away with two touchdowns in the early minutes of the fourth quarter. PLU got a late consolation score on a 10-yard pass from Maine to Reed. The Pirates accumulated 508 yards of total offense in the game. Clark completed 18-of-27 passes for 264 yards, while Ahsing led the running attack with 114 yards on 20 carries. Snell had 11 receptions for 169 yards to lead the Whitworth receivers. The Lutes finished with 432 yards in total offense, including 331 in the second half. Maine was 22-of-38 for 344 yards. Chiado caught nine passes for 217 yards and Reed led the ground game with 75 yards on seven carries. Andrew Eisentrout had 11 total tackles for the Lute defense.

LUTES LAST WEEK: Pacific Lutheran rallied from a 28-13 deficit, scoring the final 19 points of the game to pull out a stirring 32-28 Northwest Conference football victory over the host Puget Sound Loggers at Baker Stadium. PLU started its comeback with a five-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Brett Gordon (Yakima, Wash. / Eisenhower HS) to senior receiver Brian Stevens (Issaquah, Wash. / Issaquah HS). The play capped a nine-play, 42-yard drive after the Lutes defense forced the Loggers to punt from deep in their own territory. On the ensuing kickoff, freshman defensive back Clint Ludlow (Gig Harbor, Wash. / Peninsula HS) forced a Rory Lee fumble and freshman defensive back Lawrence Woods III (Tacoma, Wash. / Franklin Pierce HS) recovered for the Lutes at the Puget Sound 32-yard line. Gordon hooked up with junior receiver Craig Chiado (Albuquerque, NM / St. Pius X HS) on a 31-yard pass, and after a running play lost a yard, sophomore halfback Aaron Murphy (Leavenworth, Wash. / Cascade HS) scored on a two-yard run. The Lutes, trailing 28-26, went for two points, but the pass fell incomplete. PLU still needed a stop and the defense obliged, forcing the Loggers to punt the ball. The Lutes took over at their own 41-yard line and drove down the field in 10 plays, capped by a nine-yard run by junior halfback Chase Reed (Orting, Wash. / Orting HS) for the winning touchdown. Puget Sound led 14-0 after the first quarter, taking advantage of a muffed punt snap for one score and then driving 98 yards for the next touchdown, both coming on one-yard runs by Lee. In the second quarter, UPS quarterback Kavin Williams broke free on a 44-yard option keeper, giving the Loggers a 21-0 advantage. The Lutes got back in the game later in the quarter on Gordon's 65-yard touchdown pass to Chiado, but the Loggers opened the second half with a 13-play, 70-yard drive, scoring on Lee's 11-yard run and opening a 28-13 lead. That led to the Lutes' comeback. Pacific Lutheran gained 392 total yards to 298 for the Loggers. The teams' offensive philosophies showed in the breakdowns as the Lutes gained 336 yards through the air, while the Loggers picked up all but nine of their yards on the ground. Gordon finished the game 20-of-37 for 336 yards and three touchdowns. Chiado led the Lutes in receiving with nine catches for 210 yards and two scores, while Stevens added five catches for 45 yards and a touchdown. Defensively, sophomore lineman Andy Holden (University Place, Wash. / Tacoma Baptist HS) had a big game for the Lutes with 10 tackles, including three for loss, and a fumble recovery. Junior safety Jeff Ebel (Loveland, Colo. / Mountain View HS) added nine tackles and three other Lutes – junior lineman Andrew Eisentrout (Olympia, Wash. / Olympia HS), senior linebacker Kelly Brown (Colville, Wash. / Colville HS) and junior linebacker Chad Blau (Puyallup, Wash. / Puyallup HS) - had eight apiece. Brown also added an interception in the win.

PIRATES LAST WEEK: Whitworth improved to 4-0 with a 17-14 home victory over the Azusa Pacific Cougars. Cameron Collings capped an 84-yard drive by kicking a 28-yard field goal with 2:57 remaining to give the Pirates the victory. Whitworth allowed Azusa Pacific a touchdown in each of the first two quarters, and then shut down the Cougars after that. APU finished the game with 250 yards of total offense. Whitworth quarterback Joel Clark, a preseason All-America candidate, finished the game with 213 yards of total offense and completed 10-of-17 passes for 176 yard with no interceptions or touchdowns. Prior to that game, Clark had thrown a touchdown pass in 21 straight games. Clark and Kyle Havercroft had touchdown runs for the Pirates.

PLU BY THE NUMBERS: PLU comes into the game averaging 22.0 points and 323.2 yards – including 266.2 passing – per game while giving up an average of 27.8 points and 323.5 yards per contest. While the PLU offense has turned the ball over 13 times, the Lutes defense has been opportunistic with 13 takeaways. PLU has forced 10 opponent fumbles and has recovered nine of them. Individually, quarterback Brett Gordon has completed 65-of-117 passes for 920 yards with eight touchdowns and five interceptions. Craig Chiado is the leading receiver with 34 catches for 467 yards and four touchdowns, Chase Reed has 18 catches for 259 yards and three scores, and Brian Stevens has 13 catches for 194 yards and two touchdowns. Reed leads running attack with 143 yards on 47 carries. As a team, PLU averages just 1.7 rushing yards per attempt. Defensively, linebacker Chad Blau leads the Lutes with 30 tackles and 10.5 tackles for loss. Senior linebacker Jon Hergert (Seattle, Wash. / Evergreen HS) has 27 tackles this season, as does lineman Andrew Eisentrout, who also is the team leader with four quarterback sacks.

WHITWORTH BY THE NUMBERS: Whitworth averages 374 total yards per game, including 202.7 passing and 171.5 rushing, and 24 points per game. The Pirates have been tough on defense, giving up 297 yards and just 11 points per game. Whitworth has 11 total takeaways this year, including eight interceptions.

PIRATES TO WATCH: Senior quarterback Joel Clark is a preseason All-America candidate and has done nothing to ruin his chances. Clark has completed 56-of-84 passes for 811 yards with six touchdowns and three interceptions. In addition, he leads the Pirates in rushing with 53 carries for 265 yards and two touchdowns. His 132-yard effort against La Verne is Whitworth’s best single-game effort this season. Clark’s favorite target is Michael Allen, a 6-7, 264-pound tight end who has drawn the interest of numerous professional scouts. Allan has 18 catches for 304 yards and three touchdowns this season after a 2005 campaign that saw him break the Whitworth school record with 15 TD catches. Steve Silva, a wide receiver, also has 18 catches for 248 yards this season. Tailback Chris Ahsing has rushed for 162 yards in just two games this season, but he may be unavailable because of injury. If he doesn’t start, junioir Kyle Havercroft will get the nod. Defensively, middle linebacker Casey Clifton leads the Pirates with 34 tackles, including three for loss. Outside linebacker Nick Portrey has 28 tackles, and cornerback Ryan Marshall and strong safety Jay Tully (the coach’s son) both have two interceptions. A total of 12 different Whitworth players have recorded tackles for loss this season.

PLU INJURY REPORT: Pacific Lutheran is still without the services of its top two halfbacks. Junior starter Anthony Canger (Post Falls, Idaho / Post Falls HS) suffered a posterior cruciate ligament tear in his knee in the season opener and is out while doing rehabilitation. Sophomore Brian Dahl (Puyallup, Wash. / Cascade Christian HS) is out indefinitely after being diagnosed with Graves’ Disease, an autoimmune disease that causes hyperthyroidism. Team co-captain and senior tight end Adam Nichols (Bellingham, Wash. / Squalicum HS) continues to be hampered by a groin injury and has yet to play this season.

OFFENSE CHECKS IN: After struggling to a total of 425 yards in the first two games, the PLU offense has found its strike. Two weeks ago, the Lutes generated 476 total yards, including 381 via the passing route, against Chapman. Last Saturday, PLU rolled up 392 total yards.

RADIO/INTERNET COVERAGE: All PLU football games will be broadcast in the Tacoma area on KLAY 1180 AM. The broadcasts will also be on the worldwide web at http://www.plu.edu/~lutecast. Steve Thomas handles the play-by-play and Karl Hoseth provides commentary.

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