Bucs fall short on big day

"We just went into coast mode after we got the lead," junior offensive lineman Jeff Kintner said. "We have to go into every drive as if we were down and never get complacent."

The Bearcats snapped the Bucs 13-game conference winning streak on this season’s opening weekend of Northwest Conference play.

Whitworth came into the game with the conference’s top rushing defense, but gave up 256 yards on the ground to the Bearcats. Willamette was forced to punt on their first three possessions, but would only be stopped once the rest of the game.

The Whitworth offense drove the ball well early, but managed only 76 yards in the second half before their meaningless last drive. Whitworth’s two turnovers proved costly: one taking away a prime scoring opportunity, the other giving Willamette the lead.

"The little mistakes really cost us," sophomore linebacker Dane Gilbertson said. "Defending Willamette’s offense requires that everyone does their assignment; when people try to do too much it opens oppurtunities for their offense."

Whitworth took the opening kickoff deep into Bearcat territory, but a fumble stalled the Pirates’ first drive. After forcing a punt, junior quarterback Mike Peck found junior wide receiver Eric Entel on a 24-yard touchdown pass to give Whitworth a 7-0 lead.

Following a Bearcat three-and-out, Peck capped off a seven-minute, 67-yard drive with a touchdown pass to junior running back Adam Anderson. Willamette found the end zone just before halftime, leaving the score 14-7.

After the teams traded field goals to open the second half, the Bearcats went on a 74-yard touchdown drive to tie the score at 17.

A Bearcat interception on Whitworth’s first drive of the fourth quarter set up the Willamette offense in the red zone. The Bearcats scored on a rushing touchdown and added a two-point conversion after the Pirates blocked the extra point. Willamette took a 25-17 lead, their first of the game.

After forcing a Whitworth punt, the Bearcats iced the game on a 44-yard touchdown run with just over a minute left. Peck rushed in for the Pirates as the game expired, leaving the final score 32-23.

"We just didn’t execute well enough," Peck said. "The coaches put together a good game plan every week; after that it is just our job to go out, execute and get the job done."

Peck was 14 for 24 passing with three total touchdowns, including one rushing. Entel was Peck’s favorite target, ending with three catches for 54 yards and a touchdown.

The Pirates had another successful day rushing the ball, finishing with 175 yards as team. Anderson, the NWC’s leading rusher, had 133 yards on 35 carries. He also leads the conference in all-purpose yards, averaging just over 250 a game.

The Pirate defense hasn’t been able to stop teams when it counts: opponents are 15 for 15 in red zone appearances, including 13 touchdowns.

Senior defensive back Jesse Clark and Gilbertson led the Pirates with nine tackles each. Junior defensive lineman Brandon Martin and sophomore defensive lineman Travis Niles each added a sack. Next week the Pirates will look to rebound on the road against 2-1 Linfield.

"If we go in with the right attitude and dictate the tempo the result next week will be different," Kintner said.