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Sept. 25, 2007 FOOTBALL: Lutes Look to Go 4-0 Against Rival Loggers THIS WEEK: Pacific Lutheran hosts University of Puget Sound at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup, Saturday, 1:30 p.m. MATCHUP: Saturday’s game will be the 82nd meeting between the Lutes and the Loggers. UPS leads the all-time series 44-32-5 and ended a 17-game losing streak to the Lutes in 2005. THE COACHES: Scott Westering, the son of legendary PLU football coach Frosty Westering, is in his fourth season as Pacific Lutheran's head coach. He has compiled a 16-14 record. Phil Willenbrock is in his sixth season as Puget Sound head coach and has a 19-30 record. ABOUT THE LOGGERS: The Loggers are 2-1 this season, with wins over La Verne (21-7) at home and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (22-12) on the road before last week’s home loss to the Whittier Poets (28-26). UPS is currently averaging 193.3 passing yards and 174.7 rushing yards per game, choosing to run the ball on more than 70 percent of its plays. Spencer Crace has filled in nicely for injured quarterback Kavin Williams, completing 37 of his 61 passes for 542 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He is joined in the Logger backfield by halfback Silas Paul, averaging 83 rushing yards per game, and fullback James Olcott, averaging 62 yards per game. The two runners have combined for eight touchdowns this season. FILLING UP THE SACKS: The Lutes’ aggressive defensive line could have a big game against a UPS line that has given up 11 quarterback sacks. On the other side of the ball, junior Michael Byrne could have the time he needs in the pocket in his first start as the Loggers have yet to record a sack this season. LAST YEAR: The 0-3 Lutes claimed their first victory of the season, scoring the final 19 points of the game to come back from a 28-13 deficit for the 32-28 win. PLU started its comeback with a five-yard touchdown pass from Brett Gordon to Brian Stevens. On the ensuing kickoff, Clint Ludlow forced a Rory Lee fumble and Lawrence Woods III recovered the ball for the Lutes at the UPS 32-yard line. Gordon connected with Craig Chiado on a 31-yard pass, and Aaron Murphy punched it in for the touchdown two plays later. After a failed two-point conversion attempt, the Lutes still trailed 28-26 and desperately needed a defensive stop. Up to the challenge, PLU’s defense forced the Loggers to punt the ball, with the Lutes taking over possession at their own 41-yard line. Chase Reed’s nine-yard touchdown run capped a 10-play drive that gave the Lutes the comeback win. Gordon finished the game 20-37 for 336 yards and three touchdowns. Chiado lit up the Loggers’ secondary for 210 yards on nine catches with two touchdowns. Andy Holden recorded 10 tackles, three for a loss, and one fumble recovery. LAST WEEK: The Lutes defeated Chapman 34-13 in their 2007 home opener. The Lutes took a 14-0 lead after the first quarter on a 30-yard pass from Brett Gordon to Greg Ford and a 13-yard pass from Gordon to Anthony Canger. The lead went to 20-0 on a 7-yard touchdown run by Jacob Schonau-Taylor, but the visiting Panthers cut their deficit to 20-13 on a couple of scoring passes. With Gordon out of the game following injury, reserve quarterback Michael Byrne found Craig Chiado on a 33-yard scoring play, with Chiado pulling the ball away from the Chapman cornerback. Less than two minutes into the third quarter, PLU put the final points on the board on Schonau-Taylor’s second touchdown run of the game. The touchdown came one play after Andy Holden sacked the quarterback and forced a fumble, which was recovered by Robert Thomsen at the Chapman 4-yard line. The Panthers’ offense could not put together a solid drive in the second half, in spite of great field position after a couple of Byrne interceptions. The Lutes held the Panthers to minus two rushing yards on 28 attempts and a total of 299 yards for the game. Holden led the team with eight total tackles, including three tackles for a loss, one sack and one forced fumble. Andrew Eisentrout and Haden Geinger had two sacks each and Thomsen had one. On offense, PLU rushed for 107 yards and passed for 254. Shonau-Taylor led the Lutes’ rushing attack with 50 yards and his two touchdowns, while Chiado led all receivers with 113 yards and one touchdown. Ford finished with 78 yards and one touchdown, and senior running back Anthony Canger totaled 56 all-purpose yards and one touchdown. BYRNE, BABY, BYRNE: The Panthers seemed to have the momentum in their favor as they scored back-to-back touchdowns in the second quarter to come within one touchdown of the Lutes at 20-13. When Brett Gordon left the game, it appeared as if the Lutes had lost all momentum. Michael Byrne entered the game on a third-and-21 play and completed a 35-yard pass to Greg Ford, who leaped high over the defender to pull in the pass. A couple plays later, Byrne connected with Craig Chiado, his former teammate at St. Pius X High School in Albuquerque, N.M., for a key touchdown that put the Lutes ahead 27-13. After Byrne stepped in and led the Lutes to the score just before halftime it brought the momentum back to PLU’s side. Byrne finished the game at quarterback for the Lutes, throwing for 101 yards and a touchdown on 6-for-11 passing. CATCH CHIADO: Wide receiver Craig Chiado gained more than 200 yards in last season’s game, and look for him to be a key contributor again with Michael Byrne, his high school teammate, throwing his way once again. LUTES FELLED BY INJURY: Unfortunately, the victory did not come without some defeat, as the Lutes lost three players to injury. Brett Gordon threw for 153 yards and two touchdowns before dislocating his shoulder on his throwing arm, forcing him to miss the rest of the game. He is out for an indefinite time period. Two senior defensive backs, Sean McIlraith and Justin Kelly, were also injured in the game. Kelly fractured his leg and will miss the rest of the season, and McIlraith injured his knee and is awaiting test results to see how much time he will miss. LUTE NOTES:
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