Battered Pirates Try To Revive While Playing Still Another Road Game

The backfield is banged up and the team’s confidence is bruised, but the Whitworth College football team will to try change its luck Saturday at Eastern Oregon University.

After a promising start, the Pirates (3-5) have lost four straight games to Linfield, Pacific Lutheran, Azusa Pacific and Willamette. Last year, Whitworth beat Eastern Oregon 38-17.

Saturday’s game in LaGrande will be the last of four straight road games. Whitworth returns home on Nov. 13 for its final game against Lewis & Clark College.

The Mountaineers (5-4) are coming off a 69-3 win over Lewis & Clark in which they set a small-college record with nine rushing touchdowns. Running backs Tim Sicocan and Justin Marshall have combined this season for 1,246 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Whitworth’s running game had been all Damian Putney until the senior tailback went down with a knee injury on the third play of last week’s loss to Willamette. Quarterback Josh Parbon injured his shoulder in the same game and was unable to finish.

Coach John Tully said both players are “close to playing” this Saturday. When Parbon went down, his younger brother, Jesse, took over and was hit with a knee injury. The freshman backup is out for the season.

If Josh isn’t healthy enough to play, freshman Scott Biglin, formerly of Pasco High, is ready. Biglin played in the second half against Willamette, completing 11 of 22 passes for 113 yards and one touchdown.

Putney, meanwhile, has rushed for 1,010 yards this year and is 207 yards short of tying the Whitworth record set by Charlie Reed in 1963.

Freshman backup Jared Hanson is questionable with a sprained ankle. This could open the door for freshmen running backs Jason Roorda and Billy Condon.