November 14, 2004 in Sports

Whits finish season in style

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Whitworth College’s football team spent the better part of three hours Saturday afternoon looking for a defensive stop.

It was a long, frustrating search. But the one the Pirates finally stumbled onto proved to be decisive in their wildly entertaining and historic 38-35 home win over Northwest Conference rival Pacific Lutheran in the season finale for both teams.

After surrendering 585 yards, 31 first downs and five touchdowns, the Bucs’ defense came up with a huge play inside its own 20-yard line to turn back one final PLU scoring threat with just less than 3 minutes left in the game and beat the visiting Lutes in the Pine Bowl for the first time since 1965.

The big play came courtesy of junior defensive tackle Austin Richard, who took advantage of a missed blocking assignment to run down PLU halfback Anthony Canger deep in his own backfield on a third-down sweep. The 8-yard loss pushed the Lutes back to the Whitworth 27 and out of field-goal range. And after Dusty Macauley’s fourth-down pass bounced off the fingertips of Mark McCall, the Bucs were able to move the chains one time, run out the clock and send the 11 seniors on their roster out in style.

“How awesome,” coach John Tully said after watching his Pirates close out their season 7-2 overall and 3-2 in the NWC. “What a great college football game, and what a sendoff for our seniors.

“I told them before the game that there was probably nobody in the stands today who had ever witnessed Whitworth beating PLU in the Pine Bowl.”

But the Bucs got it done on this day, thanks to the efficiency of sophomore quarterback Joel Clark, who threw for 314 yards and two touchdowns, and the speed of junior wide receiver Kyle Snell, who caught a 62-yard scoring pass and returned a kickoff 91 yards for another touchdown.

“Kyle Snell had a career day today,” Tully said of the 6-foot-2, 208-pounder from Issaquah, Wash., who finished with eight receptions for 159 yards and also scampered 37 yards for a first down after taking a direct snap from center on a fake punt early in the second period.

“He shifted into a new gear today,” added Clark, who completed his first eight passes and finished the day 19 for 26 with one interception. “That’s the fastest we’ve seen him run in a long time.”

The Whits scored on their first possession and then hung up a second touchdown less than two minutes later after PLU quarterback Dusty Macauley threw an interception on the Lutes’ first play of the game.

The fact that his team (6-4, 2-3) recovered from such a disastrous start by marching 99 and 98 yards for a pair of second-quarter touchdowns was the high point of the day for first-year PLU coach Scott Westering.

“To throw a pick on that first play and then turn the ball over a couple of more times early was devastating,” Westering said. “For our guys just to hang in there after that and battle without letting it affect them was great to see.”

The Lutes, despite their early miscues, grabbed a 35-28 lead on Mark McCall’s 4-yard touchdown run early in the final period. But with the game as wild as it was, Westering had a feeling that wouldn’t be enough.

“It was almost like, ‘Did we score too early? What do we do with the clock?’ ” he said. “It got to the point where we literally started asking those kinds of questions, because the game had turned into such a track meet.”

Even after Whitworth regained the lead on a 5-yard touchdown run by Jared Thomas with 7:22 left on the clock, PLU managed to march 48 yards – to the Pirates’ 19-yard line – in 10 plays. But on third-and-2, Richard charged into the Lutes’ backfield, knocked pulling guard Scott Manning into the ballcarrier and made, perhaps, the biggest tackle of his career.

“The running back was waiting for his lead blocker, so I was able to catch up to him and make the play,” said Richard, a 5-11, 252-pounder from Seattle. “I was slanting on the play and just kind of ran right into it. It was a great call by the coach (defensive coordinator Kirk Westre).”

Westering said one of his offensive linemen failed to block back on the play, allowing Richard to race into the Lutes’ backfield untouched.

“But I don’t want to make a big deal out of it,” he added. “It was still a great game; just a great game for college football.”

Linfield 48, Willamette 14

The second-ranked Wildcats (9-0, 5-0) nailed down their fifth consecutive NWC championship by pounding the Bearcats (7-3, 4-1) in the regular-season finale at McMinnville, Ore.

Quarterback Brett Elliott threw for 372 yards and five scores, completing 25 of 33 throws for the Wildcats, who led 34-0 through 21/2 quarters.

The Wildcats learn today of their pairing in the NCAA Division III playoffs. Willamette also awaits word of its potential playoff fate.

Puget Sound 49, Lewis & Clark 6

NWC rushing leader Rory Lee went for 209 yards and three scores as the Loggers (5-4, 1-4) racked up 380 rushing yards during a win over the visiting Pioneers (1-8, 0-5) in Tacoma.

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