Setting the Scene: Pacific Lutheran sits in a tie for first place in the NWC standings with a perfect 3-0 record and welcomes conference juggernaut Linfield University to Sparks Stadium.
Series History: The two historical juggernauts in the Pacific Northwest, the Lutes and Wildcats have battled 75 times on the gridiron since the series began in 1933 with Linfield holding a 50-21-4 edge in the all-time series.
Linfield has dominated the series since the turn of the century, having won the last 24 meetings, including a 38-10 victory last fall in McMinnville. PLU's last win against Linfield was in McMinnville during the 2001 season, prevailing 31-20 as the Lutes finished the year as NWC Champions.
About the Lutes: Pacific Lutheran (4-2, 3-0 NWC) had another record-setting Saturday, rallying behind a big day from quarterback Anthony Mahaffey in a 47-29 rout of Pacific University. The victory keeps the Lutes in first place in the conference standings, tied with in-state rival Whitworth University.
Mahaffey, making just his third career start, was virtually unstoppable against the Boxers, tying a school record for passing touchdowns in a game after slinging six on the day to four different targets. That included four coming in a whirlwind second quarter that turned a tight game into a blowout.
The visiting Boxers scored on the game's opening drive but the Lutes buckled down. A safety late in the first quarter turned the tide, opening the window to a four touchdown quarter with Jase Ellmar scoring twice in addition to AJ Stepina and Dayton Savea. Ellamar's second TD came with six ticks left in the half as the Lutes enjoyed a 30-6 lead at the intermission.
Mahaffey's record tying sixth TD came with 5:38 left in the game, hitting Connor Meade for an 85-yard touchdown. The junior finished the day going 24-for-34 with 331 yards, tying the single game mark for TDs shared by PLU Hall of Famers Craig Kupp (1989) and Marc Weekly (1991 and 1993).
Jacob Schuh had 76 yards on the ground while Meade had six catches for 145 yards.
Defensively, Avery Coleman led the Lutes with eight tackles while Zachary Gable was an animal with three TFLs, two sacks, a forced fumble that setup the safety, and an interception.
The Lutes head into Saturday's clash averaging 30.7 points per game and averaging 409.8 yards per game.
Jacob Schuh leads the NWC in rushing with 579 yards on the season. Schuh is averaging 4.9 yards per touch and has four touchdowns on the year. Despite making just three starts, Anthony Mahaffey sits third in the league in touchdown passes with 12. Along with Darius Chaffin, the quarterback room has thrown 18 total touchdowns and thrown for 1,600 yards, averaging 266.7 yards per game through the air.
Jase Ellamar leads the team with 25 catches while Connor Meade leads the receiving corps in yardage with 413 yards and four scores. AJ Stepina leads the group in receiving touchdowns with five through the opening six games of the 2025 campaign.
PLU's defense is limiting its opponents to less than 100 yards a game, holding its first five foes to an average of just 88.3 rushing yards per game.
Eli Fernandez is the team's top tackler with 53 total tackles and 29 solo takedowns. Fernandez also has three of PLU's 10 interceptions this fall. Cole Becker leads the team with six sacks while Zachary Gable has a team-best 9.5 TFLs and five total sacks.
Evan Harvey is a perfect four-for-four in field goals with a long of 34 yards while nearly flawless in extra points having converted 20 of his 21 attempts. Ryan Dikover has punted 22 times this season, averaging 35.6 yards per boot and pinning opponents inside the 20 yard line on eight occasions.
Meet the 2025 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 Wildcats: Linfield (3-2, 2-1 NWC) looks to rebound the week after suffering its first conference loss of the season last Saturday, falling 30-20 at home to Whitworth University. The visiting Pirates put up 17 points in the second quarter, enjoying a 20-7 advantage at the halftime break.
The host Wildcats tied the game with 3:37 left in the third quarter thanks to a Luke McNabb seven yard run but the Pirates responded with an 11-play 71-yard drive to retake the lead early in the fourth. Whitworth would solidify the win with a 37-yard field goal with 2:24 remaining in the game.
Linfield opened the season with a rare loss, falling 31-14 to University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh from the juggernaut Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference before posting wins over Chapman University (28-13), George Fox University (35-17), and Pacific University (23-6).
Luke McNabb has thrown for 929 yards so far this season, tossing 10 touchdowns against five interceptions. Caleb Woodcock has been McNabb's top target with 19 receptions for 227 yards and five touchdowns. Dane Meddaugh, and Kai Laukkanen both have over 200 yards receiving through the first five games of 2025.
McNabb also doubles as the team's top rusher, averaging 52.6 yards per game.
Defensively, Brady Crenshaw leads the way with 37 total tackles along with three forced fumbles and two interceptions. Jaydon Kaio is the team-leader in both TFLs (six) and sacks (four) while recovering two fumbles this season.
All-Star Attaways
It's been a banner fall this year for the Lutes with four players securing D3football.com Team of the Week accolades. Connor Meade literally kicked off the awards, returning a kick against Simpson University while Cole Becker was named to the Team of the Week for his exploits against Willamette University. Two weeks ago it was Jacob Schuh's turn, securing a spot on the 11-player offensive team for his record breaking day against UPS.
On Tuesday it was Zachary Gable's turn, becoming the 24th 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.
Lutes Donate Over 3K to Texas Flood Victims
The Pacific Lutheran University community showed its support for the victims of the Texas floods this summer, combining to donate $3,200 to the Kellyanne Elizabeth Lytal Memorial Foundation from tickets sales, donations, and a direct match from the President's Office.
The Lutes announced that 25 percent of all tickets sales from the non-conference finale against Trinity University (Texas) would be donated to the Kellyanne Elizabeth Lytal Memorial Foundation. The Foundation was established in honor of Trinity offensive coordinator Wade Lytal's daughter who tragically passed away on July 4, 2025 along wth 26 others during the flooding at Camp Mystic.
Walk with Us: Jacob Schuh
Learn more about running back Jacob Schuh in season 2 episode 2 of Walk With Us...
Luteville Highlights
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:
Nov. 15 vs. George Fox 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