Setting the Scene: Pacific Lutheran opens up Northwest Conference play today, welcoming Oregon rival Willamette University to Sparks Stadium for the annual homecoming game.
Series History: The Lutes hold a 35-17-2 advantage in the all-time series against the Bearcats in a rivalry dating back to the 1966 season. PLU has won eight straight against the Bearcats and 13 of the last 14 meetings.
Pacific Lutheran has steamrolled the Bearcats over the last four years, outscoring Willamette 189-7 during that stretch. That includes a 50-0 shutout win last season, a game the Lutes racked up 534 yards of total offense.
About the Lutes: Pacific Lutheran (1-2) wrapped up its non-conference schedule two weeks ago, falling 45-8 to 23rd-ranked Trinity University. The visiting Tigers jumped to a 10-0 lead after one quarter of play and enjoyed a 31-0 halftime advantage.
Emmett Holt got the Sparks Stadium crowd on their feet in the third quarter, catching a four-yard touchdown pass from Darius Chaffin to cap off a nine-play, 73-yard drive. Dayton Savea caught the two-point conversion pass on a day the Lutes had just 201 yards of total offense.
Prior to Trinity, the Lutes played a pair of California schools with mixed results. PLU's late rally ran out of time in an 18-15 setback to California Lutheran University in the season opener back on Sept. 6 before the Lutes scored early and often in a 42-16 drubbing of Simpson University.
The Lutes head into the seven-game league slate averaging 21.7 points per game and averaging 318 yards of total offense. That includes averaging 5.1 yards per carry. The Lutes have done most of that through the air, averaging almost 250 yards of passing per game.
Quarterback Darius Chaffin leads the team with 714 passing yards and six touchdowns while Anthony Mahaffey takes the starting role having completed 50 percent of his attempts.
Jacob Schuh leads the ground attack with 110 yards and a touchdown while Richie Fotualii-Aliifua is averaging an impressive 4.0 yards per carry.
Four different receivers have caught touchdowns so far this year with Connor Meade the top target with 11 receptions for 174 yards and a score. Dayton Savea has 161 yards receiving while AJ Stepina has tallied 141 yards and two touchdowns. Jase Ellamar has 131 yards receiving while Emmett Holt has four catches with two going for touchdowns.
Defensively, Eli Fernandez leads the Lutes with 28 tackles, including 15 solo takedowns. Fernandez also has one of PLU's three interceptions this season. Avery Coleman has 22 tackles with Will Frank adding 18 and a team-best four pass break ups. Zach Gable is a menace up front with a team-best 5.5 TFLs and two sacks. Jackson Hale also has a pair of quarterback takedowns.
Ryan Dikover averages 36.9 yards per punt, booting five of his 13 inside the opponent's 20 yard line. Evan Harvey has converted his lone field goal of the season, hitting a 34-yarder in the season opener while also converting six extra points so far this fall.
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 Bearcats: Willamette (1-2) had a rocky start to the season, dropping the opener 41-17 to Pomona-Pitzer Colleges on Sept. 6 and getting blanked 42-0 the following week by Pacific University but closed the non-league slate on a positive note with a 29-14 victory over University of La Verne.
The host Leopards struck first, owning a 6-0 lead after one quarter of play but the visiting Bearcats exploded for 22 points in the second quarter en route to the win. That scoring onslaught included a pair of field goals from Nick Beswick-Seidl, including a 27-yarder as time expired while the defense scored on a 54-yard fumble recovery and a safety.
Willamette heads to Sparks Stadium averaging 15.3 points per game. Luke Rasmussen is the team's signal caller, tossing for 608 yards this season but has been picked off seven times in the opening three games.
Jonah Luhrsen is the top target with 14 receptions for 265 yards. Elijah Romero is the only other Bearcat with at least 10 catches, hauling in 10 for 80 yards. Masen Uribe and Austin Snodgrass are the top running backs, netting 103 and 100 yards on the season so far. Snodgrass is averaging an impressive 8.3 yards per carry through the opening three games.
Javi Rodriguez is the top tackler with 24 on the year along with three sacks and seven TFLs.
All-Star Attaways
Connor Meade earned a pair of awards for his exploits against Simpson, landing Northwest Conference Special Teams Player of the Week and D3football.com Team of the Week.
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
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...
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. 18 vs. Pacific 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