Setting the Scene: Pacific Lutheran closes out its non-conference slate today, welcoming 23rd-ranked Trinity University (Texas) to Sparks Stadium.
Series History: This is the fourth all-time meeting between the Lutes and Tigers with the series deadlocked at 2-2. The series first began during the 1999 playoffs with PLU scoring a 49-28 road win en route to winning the NCAA Division III national title.
The two squads played annually from 2014 through 2016 but haven't met since. The last meeting was a 9-3 Tiger win on Sept. 17, 2016, with the home team mounting a 92-yard drive and scoring the winning touchdown with 16 seconds remaining.
About the Lutes: Connor Meade set the tone with a 90-yard kickoff return to start the game as the Pacific Lutheran University football team laid the hammer on Simpson University in the home opener, pummeling the California visitors 42-16 at Sparks Stadium.
A short opening kickoff was initially caught by Marcus Samia who used some misdirection with a fake handoff before tossing it to Meade who rumbled 90-yards into the endzone to put PLU (1-1) on the scoreboard.
The Lute defense forced a three and out on the ensuing possession while a short punt and a penalty put PLU's offense back in business at the Simpson 33-yard line. The Lutes needed just five plays to find the endzone with Jacob Schuh diving in from one-yard out.
PLU enjoyed another short field later in the opening quarter with quarterback Darius Chaffin hitting AJ Stepina on a 45-yard touchdown pass to put the hosts up 21-0 with 3:08 left.
The Lutes pushed its advantage to 28-0 early in the second quarter with Dayton Savea catching a 70-yard pass from Chaffin.
The Red Hawks (0-2) got on the board with 7:47 left before halftime, recovering a Lute fumble and going 35-yards on six plays to break up the shutout. Simpson narrowed the gap to just two touchdowns early in the third but the Lutes answered with a 73-yard drive that included a big 35-yard catch from Stepina and a three-yard touchdown scamper from Chaffin.
Stepina tallied his second touchdown early in the fourth quarter, scoring from 25-yards out. It was Chaffin's third passing touchdown of the day and his fourth overall, pushing the PLU edge to 42-14. Simpson concluded the scoring by getting a safety with 18 seconds left.
Chaffin threw for 341 yards on the day, going 18-for-28 with three TD passes while rushing for another. Stepina was the top target, racking up 121 yards on five catches with two TDs. Jase Ellamar had four catches for 55 yards. Schuh led the ground attack with 57 rushing yards and one touchdown.
Defensively, Eli Fernandez led the Lutes with 13 tackles while Avery Coleman had nine. Jackson Hale had 1.5 TFLs while Ryan Morgan had the Lutes' lone interception on the afternoon.
PLU outgained the Red Hawks 476 to 272 on Saturday, averaging 7.2 yards per play. The Lute defense limited Simpson to just 149 passing yards and held them to three for 15 on third down conversions.
Meet the 2024 Team Captains
This year's team captains are Jake Schuh, Josh Holder, and Darius Chaffin on offense and Micah Ragaza-Bourassa, Zak Gable, and Jackson Hale on defense.
About the Tigers: #23 Trinity (2-0) heads to the Pacific Northwest with a pair of wins under its belt. The Tigers opened the season on Sept. 4, surging to an early 23-7 lead in a 26-14 road win over Texas Lutheran University. Neither team was able to score in the second half in a game the Tigers controlled the clock, finishing the day with over 38 minutes of possession and going seven-for-15 on third down conversions.
Trinity opened its home slate last weekend, pummeling Belhaven University 49-0 in San Antonio, Texas. That game saw the host Tigers score 21 points in both the first and second quarters, racking up 462 yards of offense while holding the Blazers to just 104 yards on the day. The Tigers were nine for 14 on third downs and held Belhaven to converting just one of its 11 third downs on the day.
Trinity averages 192 yards per game on the ground with Adrian Huerta the main ballcarrier with 181 yards and two touchdowns and averaging 7.5 yards per rush. Hondo Franklin is the quarterback throwing for 324 yards and four touchdowns.
Lamont Nickleberry and Alejandro Tavarez the top receivers for Trinity. Nickleberry has 11 catches for 131 yards and a score while Tavarez has racked up nine catches for 120 yards and two touchdowns.
Judson Crockett leads the team run tackles with 10 while Kody Brown has a team best two interceptions on the season.
All-Star Attaways
Connor Meade earned a pair of awards this week for his exploits against Simpson, landing Northwest Conference Special Teams Player of the Week on Monday and D3football.com Team of the Week as a returner on Tuesday.
In addition to returning the opening kickoff 90-yards for a touchdown, Meade finished the afternoon with 145 total yards, getting 103 on kick returns, 35 yards on a pair of receptions, and seven more yards on a punt return in the 42-16 Lute win.
The NWC Player of the Week nod was Meade's second of his career. The Tacoma native also won the award last fall after returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown in a win over Pacific University.
Meade became the 21st Lute to secure D3football Team of the Week honors which is now in its 27th season, recognizing the best weekly performances from the 241 NCAA Division III programs.
Highlights from Luteville
Walk with Us: Jacob Schuh
Learn more about running back Jacob Schuh in season 2 episode 2 of Walk With Us...
It is with deep sadness that we share the news of the passing of Coach Jud Keim after a courageous battle with cancer.
An ’86 PLU graduate, “Keim Time” was a four-year letterwinner in both football and track & field for the Lutes and was a two-time All-Conference running back. Jud went on to coach football for over three decades, including 20 seasons at PLU (2004-2023) where he served in a variety of roles, including special teams coordinator, defensive coordinator, and interim head coach. In addition to PLU, Jud had coaching stops at Gustavus Adolphus, California Lutheran, Mankato State, Lewis & Clark, and Puget Sound.
Jud had a tremendous impact on PLU, the NWC, and all of Division III. A student of the game, his Lute defenses were routinely some of the toughest in the conference. But beyond the X’s and O’s, Jud had infectious energy and cared deeply about his student-athletes.
A servant warrior, Jud gave back to the community, as a high school track & field official and ran the “More than Champions” youth football camp in Gig Harbor.
He is survived by his wife Sari and children Kalen and Jace who are all Lute graduates.
4 National Titles. 22 Conference Championships. This is PLU Football.
NWC Coaches' Poll
This August, the Lutes were picked to finish third in the NWC standings in the annual coaches' poll. Last fall, PLU finished third in the league standings behind playoff qualifiers Linfield and Whitworth.
Trailblazing NIL the D3 Way: PLU Athletics continues to lead the way nationally in Name, Image, and Likeness, unveiling the Luteville Marketplace last fall through the department's partnership with Opendorse. But don't stay on the sidelines, get involved and connect with PLU student-athletes on the Luteville Marketplace: LINK
The Luteville Marketplace is the first dedicated NIL marketplace in Division III on the Opendorse platform that directly connects student-athletes with fans, supporters, and business partners in an easy to use website.
Stay connected to your favorite teams by downloading the official mobile app of the Pacific Lutheran University athletic department powered by SIDEARM Sports, available in the Apple App Store and on Google Play.
Featuring real-time news alerts, schedules, exclusive multimedia content, gameday details and more, the new PLU Athletics app is free and compatible with both iOS and Android devices.
Next Home Game:
Oct. 4 vs. Willamette (Homecoming) at 1 p.m.
PLU Non-Discrimination Policy: Pacific Lutheran University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, disability or age in its programs and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies: Title IX Coordinator Jennifer Childress-White; 253-535-7361; TitleIX@plu.edu