Nov. 1, 2006

FOOTBALL: Lutes Beat Pioneers, Get Next Weekend Off

THIS WEEK: Pacific Lutheran has a bye.

LUTES LAST WEEK: Pacific Lutheran defeated the Lewis & Clark Pioneers, 44-7, last Saturday afternoon at Griswold Stadium in Portland, Ore. PLU improved its season record to 3-5 and its Northwest Conference mark to 3-2, while the Pioneers remained winless in seven games this season. Pacific Lutheran struck first after recovering a Lewis & Clark fumble at its own 42-yard line. The Lutes marched 58 yards on eight plays to make take a 7-0 lead on a 2-yard run by junior fullback Jacob Schonau-Taylor (Newport, Ore. / Newport HS). The touchdown was Schonau-Taylor’s first as a collegian, and he added another late in the game. The Lutes made it a 10-0 game on a 26-yard field goal by freshman kicker Pat Burke (Spokane, Wash. / Ferris HS) late in the first quarter. The Lutes then turned a second L&C fumble into another seven points after recovering the ball on the Pioneer 33. Junior quarterback Brett Gordon (Yakima, Wash. / Eisenhower HS) connected with junior receiver Chase Reed (Orting, Wash. / Orting HS) from 12 yards out to increase the lead to 16-0. Later in the quarter, starting senior fullback Craig Stahl (Port Townsend, Wash. / Port Townsend HS) ran eight yards to give the Lutes a 23-0 halftime lead. The Lutes came out after the break and drove 63 yards to take a 30-0 lead on Stahl's second rushing touchdown of the game, this time from 13 yards out. PLU pushed its advantage to 37-0 on 3-yard run by senior quarterback Chris Maine (Lynnwood, Wash. / Edmonds-Woodway HS) following an interception by junior defensive back Evan Bratz (Puyallup, Wash. / Cascade Christian HS). The Pioneers scored their lone touchdown on a 28-yard pass from AJ Brown to Brock Argyropoulos with just over two minutes left in the third quarter, and the Lutes added the final points on a 12-yard rushing touchdown by Schonau-Taylor in the fourth period to end with the 44-7 victory. Pacific Lutheran came into the game averaging just 65.1 rushing yards per game but had 56 rushes for 286 yards in this contest. Their 403 yards of total offense was almost 100 yards more than their season average. Gordon completed 9-for-14 for 117 yards with a touchdown. Reed had eight carries for 63 yards and Schonau-Taylor had nine carries for 61 yards with two touchdowns. In all, 12 different PLU players carried the ball against Lewis & Clark.

A BYE WEEK: Pacific Lutheran has a bye this coming Saturday, then closes out its 2006 season on Saturday, Nov. 11, when it hosts the Willamette Bearcats in a Northwest Conference contest at Sparks Stadium. Willamette, 1-6 overall and 1-3 in the conference, plays this weekend against Lewis & Clark.

SCORING STREAK: Going all the way back to the 1979 postseason, Pacific Lutheran has scored in 297 consecutive games. The last time a PLU football team did not score in a game was 1979 when the Lutes dropped a 9-0 decision at Findlay (Ohio) during the second round of the NAIA Division II national playoffs. You’d have to go all the way back to 1969 to discover the last time that the Lutes did not score in a regular season game. That season, they dropped a 20-0 decision to Puget Sound in the fifth game.

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 www.klay1180.com. Steve Thomas handles the play-by-play and Karl Hoseth provides commentary.

- PLU -