Sept. 29, 2007

Lutes Surge to Early Lead in Beating Puget Sound, 37-8

Box Score

Chase Reed (file photo)

PUYALLUP, Wash. - After scoring 30 points and putting up more than 300 yards of total offense in the first half, Pacific Lutheran cruised to a 37-8 Northwest Conference football victory over the Puget Sound Loggers at Sparks Stadium.

The win improves the Lutes’ record to 4-0 for the first time since 1997. Puget Sound, meanwhile, lost for the second straight game and is now 2-2 this season. In addition, the contest was the conference opener for both teams.

Senior wide receiver Chase Reed torched the Loggers defense for four touchdowns and 130 total yards, and junior quarterback Michael Byrne performed brilliantly in place of the injured Brett Gordon, completing 11 of his 17 attempts for 271 yards and two touchdowns.

The Lutes were aggressive from the start on offense, scoring touchdowns on four of their first five drives. After the defense forced a three-and-out on the Loggers’ first possession, PLU took the ball on its own 34-yard line and drove 66 yards in eight plays, putting the first points on the board on Reed’s 13-yard run.

On the Loggers’ next drive, the Lute defense forced a turnover on downs at the PLU 29-yard line. A 71-yard touchdown pass from Byrne to Reed on the first play put the Lutes ahead, 13-0.

The Loggers had their best drive of the game late in the first quarter. UPS quarterback Kavin Williams, who started the game after missing two contests because of a shoulder injury, drove the team 62 yards in eight plays, highlighted by his own three-yard run into the end zone.

Four of the Loggers’ next five drives ended with fumbles, and the Lutes capitalized on the opportunities. On the first play of the second quarter, Reed took the ball on the UPS 14-yard line and rushed it in for the Lutes’ third touchdown of the game. The run was a designed sweep to the right, but after breaking a tackle at what looked to be the end of a five-yard gain, Reed reversed directions and ran all the way to the left side of the field to put the points on the board for the Lutes.

“We designed it that way,” head coach Scott Westering joked. “No, it was like a three-point shot from half court where the coach is yelling ‘No! No!’ But then the shot goes through the hoop and you just say, ‘Great shot!’ Those are the instincts that Chase has, how he runs. He doesn’t always break free, but he has that ability and it has led to a lot of big plays.”

Three more Logger fumbles in the first half led to another touchdown for the Lutes, as well as a 30-yard field goal by junior Neal Chalmers, the first Lute field goal of the season.

The Lutes scored the final points of the game early in the second half. Byrne connected with freshman wide receiver Greg Ford for a 49-yard touchdown pass that put the Lutes ahead 37-8. Ford had a huge game for the Lutes, catching three passes for 125 yards and the touchdown.

“When we came into camp, (Ford) and I were both on second team, so I spent the whole (preseason) throwing to him,” Byrne said.

Senior defensive end Andrew Eisentrout also put up big numbers for the Lutes with five total tackles, 3.5 for a loss, 2.5 quarterback sacks and one forced fumble. The defense pressured the Loggers the entire game, sacking the quarterback four times and recovering five of the Loggers’ six fumbles.

The Lutes put up 391 total yards on 50 offensive plays, while the Loggers gained 332 yards on 74 plays. UPS possessed the ball a full five minutes longer than the Lutes and also achieved 17 first downs compared to PLU’s 11, stats that reveal the impact of the Lutes’ big-play offense.

PLU, seeking its fifth straight win and a 2-0 start to the conference season, will face a difficult challenge next Saturday when it travels to Spokane to take on defending conference champion Whitworth at 1 p.m. in the Pine Bowl.

- PLU -