This Pirate wears many hats

What’s beyond a two-way player on the football field? Whatever that is, Whitworth’s Adam Anderson surely qualifies.

He’s primarily a record-setting running back, but he’s also the team’s second-leading receiver. He’s not the quarterback, but he occasionally takes direct snaps from the center. He’s completed 2 of 3 passes for 60 yards. He’s returned one kick for a touchdown and his 28-yard average leads the Northwest Conference.

Anderson blocks on point-after attempts and helps with coverage on punts. Last week, he added another notch in his throwback belt. The Pirates have been stung by injuries in the secondary so Anderson played a couple of series at safety. He made a tackle and nearly had an interception.

“It was fun, a change of scenery,” the unassuming Anderson said. “I was a little rusty.”

A change of scenery is exactly what Anderson needed after starting his college career at Idaho. The Riverside High product wasn’t in Moscow long, but he was there long enough to see three coaching tenures. He signed when Nick Holt was the coach, played when Dennis Erickson was the head man and departed during Robb Akey’s first season.

Anderson went to Idaho with his twin brother, Aaron, who was an invited walk-on. As a true freshman, Anderson played on special teams and for one defensive snap against Washington State.

“I loved being there. It was a good experience, but I just didn’t like the coaching and the way they handled things,” said Anderson, who added that his issues weren’t with Akey’s staff. “The new coaching staff was better, but if I was going to get out of there, I had to get out of there now.”

“Now” actually being a couple of years ago. He informed Akey of his decision to leave and quickly settled on Whitworth, where his first priority was improving his grades. Anderson shared time with senior Chris Ahsing in 2007, but still racked up 958 yards rushing and earned NWC offensive player of the year honors.

Anderson’s numbers have swelled to 1,115 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns this season. The 5-foot-11, 219-pound junior has scored a school-record 22 touchdowns and he leads NCAA Division III at 247.1 all-purpose yards per game. Anderson still has a chance at Whitworth’s single-season rushing record (1,293) set by Damian Putney in 1999.

“His shoulders are always square, his eyes are downfield and his legs are churning,” said Pirates head coach John Tully, whose team closes the season against Lewis & Clark at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at the Pine Bowl. “He just has those intangibles. He’s able to run with power and speed and make fluid moves.”

Anderson doesn’t mind the heavy workload. He had 33 carries in the season opener against La Verne (Calif.). He had 31 carries and ran for a career-high 217 yards and school-record six touchdowns in last Saturday’s win over Pacific Lutheran. He would have had seven TDs, but one was nullified by a penalty.

“After the La Verne game, I just wanted to pass out on the field,” Anderson said. “I didn’t want to move.”

He was in good shape entering the season, but said he probably should have jogged more over the summer. His stamina has improved as the season has progressed and he takes a breather when Milton Nelson (83 carries, 413 yards) is in the backfield.

Anderson absorbs a lot of pounding in games, but his punishing running style helps him administer bruises as well. Coaches were concerned that additional downs at safety last week might overtax Anderson.

“They understood if I thought it would be too much,” said Anderson, whose brother Aaron recently enlisted in the Marines. “I was like, ‘If we need it, that’s fine with me.’ ”

Anderson said transferring to Whitworth has turned out to be a smart move.

“The team seems closer than what it was at Idaho,” he said. “I’ve enjoyed the move because it helps my parents and grandparents – they don’t have to come so far to see me.”

Anderson is a failure in one aspect: He’s a lousy self-promoter.

“If you’re going to have a special team, your best players have to be your best workers, and he fits that mold big time,” Tully said. “He just does the job and you never hear him talk about himself.”

No, the numbers do that for him.