Lutes Get Bye After Falling to 0-2

THIS WEEK: Pacific Lutheran has a bye this week before hosting Lewis & Clark in the Lutes' 2009 Homecoming Game.

LAST WEEK: California Lutheran raced out to a 28-0 halftime lead and cruised from there in defeating visiting Pacific Lutheran, 49-7. After falling behind, 49-0, Pacific Lutheran scored at the 6:31 mark in the fourth quarter on a 21-yard pass from quarterback Jordan Rasmussen to Drew Griffin. Rasmussen finished the game with 272 passing yards, six passes going to Greg Ford for a total of 93 yards and five ending up in the hands of Kyle Whitford for 105 yards. For the second straight game the PLU running attack was ineffective. Though Rockey Rosser finished with 38 net yards on just five carries, five quarterback sacks led to the Lutes netting just two yards on 21 attempts. Cal Lutheran ended up with a 367-274 advantage in total yards and held the ball for 35 minutes to just 25 for the Lutes. Pat Burke led the PLU defense with seven solo tackles and Bryan Neumiller, Tony Rice, Tim Cumming and Tony Slater all finished with a quarterback sack.

HALL OF FAME HONORS: The 20th class to enter the Pacific Lutheran University Athletic Hall of Fame will be its biggest - by any measure - as four national championship football teams will be inducted at a dinner scheduled for Friday, Oct. 2, in Olson Auditorium. The 1980 Lutes won the school's first-ever national title, the first of three National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Division II football crowns. The other two titles came in 1987 and 1993. The 1999 PLU football team won the school's only NCAA Division III championship. There were several common denominators on those title teams - longtime PLU football head coach Frosty Westering; Scott Westering, Frosty's son, who played on the 1980 title team before serving as offensive coordinator; and Paul Hoseth, the defensive coordinator for the first three title winners and PLU's athletic director in 1999. Profiles on each of the teams can be found in the Hall of Fame press release.

HISTORIC STRUGGLES: Through two games, Pacific Lutheran has been outscored by 81 points, 14-95. This is the greatest scoring deficit in consecutive games in PLU history, breaking the previous record of -75 points in 1963 when the Lutes were outscored 27-102 by Whitworth and Lewis & Clark.

LUTES ON THE AIR: All Pacific Lutheran football games may be heard in the Puget Sound area on KLAY 1180 AM with Steve Thomas calling the action and Karl Hoseth handling the color commentary. The games may also be heard online at www.klay1180.com.

- PLU-