Lutes Face Tough Test Against Willamette

THIS WEEK: Willamette (5-1 overall, 2-0 Northwest Conference) hosts Pacific Lutheran (1-3, 1-0) in a Northwest Conference game at McCulloch Stadium in Salem, Ore., Saturday, 1:30 p.m.

THE SERIES: Saturday's matchup will be the 40th meeting between Pacific Lutheran and Willamette, dating back to 1966. The Bearcats won the first four meetings (1966-69), tied for their longest winning streak in the series with a recent four-game skein from 2002 to 2005. The Lutes have had a pair of six-game winning streaks (1970-75 and 1979-84) and lead the overall series with a record of 22-15-2. Willamette broke a two-game winning streak for the Lutes last year at Sparks Stadium, winning by a score of 45-18 on their way to the Northwest Conference championship.

LAST YEAR: Merben Woo scored a pair of touchdowns and accumulated 202 yards rushing and receiving to lead the Willamette Bearcats to a 45-18 victory over the Pacific Lutheran Lutes. Woo, a 165-pound senior flanker, led the Willamette rushing attack with 72 yards on 11 carries, including a 32-yard touchdown run, and he caught five passes for 130 yards, including a 59-yard score. The Bearcats' running game, held in check for the most part through three quarters by a PLU defense led by Neal Chalmers, finally broke free in the final quarter on Woo's long scoring run and a 39-yard touchdown gallop by Jamiere Abney. As a result, Willamette finished with 222 net yards on 45 carries. What was surprising, however, considering the Bearcats' penchant for the run, was a very effective passing game. Quarterback Grant Leslie completed 15-of-20 passes for 198 yard for two touchdowns and no interceptions. Woo was the only one of Leslie's seven targets with more than 19 receiving yards, but he proved to be nearly unstoppable in this game. The Lutes, meanwhile, continued to struggle running the football with just 26 net yards on 24 rushing attempts. The passing game netted 197 yards, with quarterback Michael Byrne completing 18-of-29 for 159 yards and one touchdown. Wide receiver Greg Ford completed a 38-yard pass to halfback Aaron Murphy on an end-around. Drew Griffin was PLU's leading receiver with six catches for 52 yards. The Bearcats, who converted on 10-of-17 third down attempts, finished with 420 offensive yards while controlling the ball for 34:30. Pacific Lutheran ended up with 223 yards and converted just 3-of-10 on third down.

ABOUT THE COACHES: Scott Westering is in his sixth year as head coach at Pacific Lutheran, where he has compiled a 24-25 overall record. Scott joined the PLU coaching staff in 1981 after playing tight end for the Lutes under his father, Frosty Westering. Since 1983, Scott has served as the Lutes' offensive coordinator, helping PLU to two NAIA Division II and one NCAA Division III national championships, as well as four runner-up finishes. He has coached 11 first-team All-Americans, including the 1999 NCAA Division III Player of the Year, Chad Johnson. Scott was a captain and All-American tight end on the 1980 PLU team that won the Lutes' first NAIA national championship. He was inducted into the PLU Hall of Fame in 1998. For the Bearcats, Mark Speckman is in his 12th year as Willamette head coach, compiling a career record of 63-48, including an 11-1 NWC championship season last year. The 2008 season marked the third time Speckman took his team to the playoffs (1999 and 2004). He was named NWC Coach of the Year in 1999 and 2008.

BEASTLY BEARCATS: Willamette, ranked no. 17 nationally in the latest d3football poll, lead the Northwest Conference in scoring offense, scoring defense, passing defense and total defense. The Bearcats have scored 222 points through six games, an average of 37 points per game, while giving up only 96 points, an average of 16. Willamette is a run-first team with a stingy passing defense, giving up a league-low 158.5 yards per game and only three touchdowns through the air. The Bearcats are allowing a conference-low 51.8 completion percentage and an average of only 5.7 yards per passing play. Their defense is by no means one-dimensional, however, as the Bearcats boast the second-best run defense in the league, giving up only 3.0 yards per carry for a total of 109.8 yards per game. Willamette is one of only two teams in the conference with a positive turnover margin, with the Bearcats' +9 for the season ranking behind only Linfield's +14 in the NWC. In total, the Willamette defense gives up a league-low 268.3 yards per game, an average of 4.2 yards per play, and has yielded a mere 10 touchdowns through six games this season. The Bearcat's dominant running game has compiled nearly 75 more yards per game than the second-best team in the conference with 237.8 yards per game. Willamette averages 5.1 yards per carry and has scored an astounding 19 touchdowns on the ground through six games. While their passing offense does not compile as many yards or scores, it is not due to any sort of struggle on the field. Willamette's passing attack ranks second in the conference in passing efficiency (141.3), behind only Pacific Lutheran (148.4). Other Northwest Conference statistical categories led by Willamette include pass defense efficiency (95.7), first downs (119), sacks (22 for 94 yards), opponent's fourth-down conversion percentage (22.2), Red Zone offense (87.5 percent) and third-down conversion percentage (43.0).

LAST WEEK: Greg Ford had the kind of day on Saturday you can't help remember, but might want to forget, in Pacific Lutheran's heart-breaking 34-33 non-conference football loss to host Gustavus Adolphus. Ford broke his own school record with 292 receiving yards on Saturday, but his effort went for naught when the Gusties scored the winning touchdown on a 1-yard pass with 12 seconds remaining in the game. The visiting Lutes took a 33-22 lead with 10:17 left when Ford caught the final of his four touchdown receptions, a 34-yard strike from AJ Palazzolo. Gustavus promptly drove 63 yards and scored on Jordan Becker's 6-yard pass to Blake Noennig, cutting the PLU lead to 33-28 with 6:28 left. PLU picked up one first down on its ensuing possession but eventually punted, and a 31-yard return by Cody Sukalski gave the hosts the ball at their own 44-yard line with 3:52 remaining. They methodically drove down the field, converting a 4th-and-6 with a 7-yard pass that set them up with a 1st-and-goal at the PLU 2-yard line. After the Lutes held on two downs, Becker threw in the flat to Elliott Herdina, and he plucked the ball off his shoe tops, turned and dove into the end zone for the winning score. Ford caught 57- and 33-yard touchdown pass from Jordan Rasmussen in the second quarter and 23- and 34-yard scoring aerials from Palazzolo in the fourth period. The Lutes' other touchdown opened the scoring and came on a 28-yard pass from Palazzolo to Kyle Whitford. The Lutes finished the game with 499 yards of total offense, including 415 through the air. For the second straight game, Rasmussen and Palazzolo successfully shared the quarterback duties. Rasmussen started the game and completed 12-of-16 passes for 207 yards, while Palazzolo finished 16-of-22 for 208 yards. Neither quarterback threw an interception. PLU was less effective on the ground with 27 carries for a net of 84 yards, including 36 yards on six carries by Drew Griffin.

CONFERENCE HONORS FORD: Junior wide receiver Greg Ford was selected Northwest Conference Player of the Week for the second consecutive week after his record-setting performance against Gustavus Adolphus last weekend. Ford caught 13 passes for 292 yards and a four touchdowns, breaking his own school record of 272 receiving yards set last year at Lewis & Clark. His 13 catches were one shy of tying Gavin Stanley's school record of 14 against Western Washington in 1993.

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.

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