Whitworth has ‘hands full’ against Chapman in first round of DIII playoffs
It will be a clash of revived seasons this weekend.
Whitworth (8-2, 7-0) and Chapman (8-2, 8-0) both stumbled early during nonconference play before going unblemished through their respective conferences and earning automatic bids into the NCAA Division III tournament.
Playing their best football of the year at the right time, the two programs will go head-to-head in the Pine Bowl on Saturday in the first round of the playoffs.
“We love competing against them,” Whitworth coach Rod Sandberg said. “They’re a first-class organization. They do things right. They’re really well-coached. … Both of us are trending in the right direction. They’re a conference champ for a reason, so we’ll have our hands full.”
Whitworth has taken its last three matchups against Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champ Chapman, all in the past three seasons, including a 42-28 takedown in the 2023 postseason in the Pine Bowl.
The Pirates did not face the Panthers during the regular season this year, but lost to fellow Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference member Redlands 34-17 in September. The defeat marked a turning point for Whitworth, and the Pirates successfully turned the page and have not suffered a loss since.
Chapman shut out Redlands 27-0 in their lone matchup. Yet one of Chapman’s two nonconference losses came at Linfield, which the Pirates knocked off on the road in October.
The Panthers are led by senior quarterback Tyler Pacheco, who was recently named SCIAC Player of the Year. He paces the offense with an efficient attack through the air, but is a major threat with his legs as well.
Junior running backs Fischer Huss and Andrew Latu bolster a conference-leading rushing group, while senior receiver Kade Zimmerman finished second in their conference in receiving yards.
“They use their talent well,” Sandberg said. “They want to run the ball. They’re a physical team, so you have to stop the run, but the more you have to take to stop the run, the more you leave that receiver open. It’s kind of a chess match.
“The thing that puts them over the top is that any time, the quarterback can beat you with his legs, whether it be a designed run or just all of a sudden, you have everything covered, and he takes off and scrambles. He’s very efficient and he makes everything go for them.”
The Panthers’ dynamic offense will be a worthy test for sophomore linebacker Drew Cody and the rest of the Pirates’ defense that led the Northwest Conference in points allowed per game.
Linebacker Tate Zimmerman, who was named the defensive player of the year, leads the charge for the Panthers’ defense, but has a tall task to slow down a streaking Whitworth offense that is fresh off a 35-point fourth quarter in last weekend’s victory over Puget Sound.
In the leadup to this weekend, Sandberg’s message to his team is simple – “Take advantage of it.”
“We love playing football, and we didn’t turn in the equipment this week,” he said. “We get to keep doing what we love so let’s just enjoy that and maximize the opportunity. … When you lose, you’re done, so let’s keep this thing going and let’s be at our best this Saturday.”
Kickoff is at noon. The game can be streamed on ESPN+.
The winner will face Wisconsin-River Falls, the fourth-ranked team in the AFCA Division III coaches poll.