Whitworth falls to Pacific Lutheran on the road 28-7

From staff reports

PUYALLUP, Wash. – Pacific Lutheran ended an eight-game losing streak to Whitworth on Saturday afternoon by shutting down the Pirates’ offense in a 28-7 win.

The Lutes moved to 4-2 overall and 3-0 in the Northwest Conference. Whitworth fell to 3-3, 1-2.

Whitworth, which finished with 272 total yards, was hindered by the loss of starting quarterback Ryan Blair, who limped off the field after the Pirates’ second possession.

Down 21-7 to start the second half, Whitworth failed to grab momentum when four consecutive possessions ended in PLU territory with two turnovers and two failed fourth-down conversions.

Freshman quarterback Logan Lacio, who replaced Blair, led the Pirates to their only score on a 16-play, 81-yard drive that ended with Logan Kitselman’s 5-yard touchdown run to pull the Bucs within 14-7 in the second quarter.

Lacio, who was sacked four times, completed 25 of 36 passes for 263 yards and an interception.

Pirates receiver Evan Liggett caught five passes for 88 yards, and Jet Uechi had five grabs for 50 yards.

Senior Dylan Ventress led the Pirates’ defense with 15 tackles.