Redlands dominates fourth quarter to send Whitworth to second straight loss
The margin for error for the Whitworth football team through its nonconference schedule is razor thin.
And most of that scenario rests squarely on the shoulders of the Pirates. No opponent in a 1-2 start has dominated the Bucs.
So the silver lining following a 34-17 loss to the Redlands Bulldogs at the Pine Bowl on Saturday afternoon is Whitworth has time to fix what’s not working.
A bye comes at the right time – with a Northwest Conference opener two weeks away.
Whitworth coach Rod Sandberg didn’t sound any alarms afterward. He cautioned his players that if they’re going to do any finger pointing, it must start with themselves individually.
There’s plenty of concern to share teamwide.
What Whitworth does know is the only way it’s going to earn a record third straight playoff berth is it must win the conference championship.
“I think we knew that after last week,” Sandberg said of the Pirates’ 16-10 loss at Eastern Oregon.
Saturday was the first time Whitworth has lost two straight dating back to 2022.
Whitworth, which led 14-13 at halftime, took a 17-13 lead into the fourth quarter. But a defense that was left on the field too much because of a lack of sustained drives offensively wore down in the final period.
It began with Redlands (2-0) converting on a 12-play, 89-yard drive to take a 20-17 lead with 12:18 to go.
Another drive stalled for Whitworth. The good news was Redlands’ next possession also didn’t go anywhere, and the Bucs had the ball back with 5 minutes to go.
But on second-and-14, quarterback Logan Lacio threw an interception that was returned 20 yards for a clinching touchdown. Redlands led 27-17.
Redlands added a final touchdown when Whitworth stalled again.
“We dropped a lot of balls in the first half and we had a hard time protecting our quarterback,” Sandberg said. “We couldn’t take advantage of some things we had in the first half. And we put our (defensive players) backs to the wall again and again in the second half.”
Where oh where has a productive running game gone for Whitworth? The Pirates returned Luis Salgado, an All-NWC First Team selection. But the answer probably lies in the fact that the Pirates had to rebuild their line after graduating all five starters.
Salgado almost matched his season yards in the first half, breaking off a 62-yard gain that set up one of his two touchdowns.
Mysteriously, after Salgado’s big run, the Pirates threw three straight incomplete passes on their next offensive series.
Salgado managed to break 100 yards for the first time, finishing with 103 and 17 carries.
Lacio was under constant pressure. He completed 14 of 34 for 121 yards while being sacked three times. Many of his passes were hurried.
There aren’t any quick fixes. But Sandberg said his team will begin the process of improvement this week.
“We talked after last week that we’ve got an inexperienced team and we needed to grow from that,” Sandberg said. “How do we get experience? You have to play. So we’re getting experience and it’s painful. Are we going to have a season of growing and (inexperience) or is there going to be a point where we mature, grow up and are able to execute at a higher level.”
Time will tell.