Setting the Scene: It's Homecoming for the Lutes as they host their first home game of the Northwest Conference slate, welcoming Oregon rival Pacific to Sparks Stadium.
Series History: The Lutes and Boxers have met 48 times since the series began in 1937 with the scales tilted 31-14-3 in favor of the Lutes. The two programs have met 12 times since Pacific revived its program in 2010 with the series deadlocked at 6-6. Pacific has won the last three meetings, including an 18-7 triumph last fall at Sparks Stadium on Nov. 12.
About the Lutes: Thor Stepina made his Lute debut in style, racking up 146 receiving yards and a touchdown but it wasn't enough last Saturday inside the Pine Bowl with the Pacific Lutheran University football team coming up short 42-13 against Whitworth University in the Northwest Conference opener.
The host Pirates (3-0, 1-0 NWC) scored on the game's opening drive. A big 51-yard return from Jordan Etter set up the Lutes (1-3, 0-1 NWC) on the Whitworth 42 in their opening offensive drive. Darius Chaffin hit Stepina for a 32 yard completion to the Pirate 10-yard line but PLU was unable to cash in on the drive after the Pirates blocked a field goal attempt.
PLU's defense rose to the occasion on the next drive with Kellen Meade picking off a third down pass and rumbling 19 yards to the Whitworth 19-yard line. The Lute offense took it from there with a four-yard pass from Chaffin to Jacob Schuh tying the game at 7-7.
Whitworth answered with touchdowns on its next two drives and built a 28-7 advantage with 2:54 left in the second quarter. A Lute fumble on the ensuing kickoff gave the Pirates a short field on the 14-yard line but the Lute defense came up big once again with Nico Golla stuffing Austin Ewing on fourth and one at the five-yard line.
The Lutes immediately pounced with Chaffin hitting Stepina for a 95-yard touchdown pass, closing the gap to 28-13 with 35 seconds left in the half. The scales would shift back in favor of Whitworth with the Pirates getting a sack-fumble and returning it 33-yards for a touchdown as time expired, enjoying a 35-13 lead at the halftime intermission.
PLU was in the Pirate redzone twice in the second half but couldn't come away with points as the hosts came away with the 42-13 victory to open conference play.
Chaffin finished with 241 yards passing and 33 yards rushing, throwing for two touchdowns. Stepina had five catches for 146 yards and a score while Marc Basa also finished with four receptions.
Kalen Davis-White led the defense with 13 tackles, including eight solo takedowns. Nico Golla and Kaysen Higa each had a sack while Meade had an interception and two pass break-ups.
Whitworth outgained the Lutes 371-299 and controlled the clock, holding the ball for almost 13 more minutes than PLU.
PLU heads into today's clash averaging 217.8 yards through the air and 104.8 yards on the ground. Darius Chaffin has completed 63.7 percent of his passes tossing for 838 yards and six touchdowns while also leading the Lutes on the ground, running for 149 yards and two scores. Raisin Motoyama adds 145 yards and two scores on the ground, averaging 4.3 yards per carry.
Manuel Felan leads the Lutes with 18 catches for 274 yards, one of seven receivers to score this season.
Defensively, Kalen Davis-White leads the team in tackles with 39 while Nico Golla has a team-best 7.5 TFLs and 5.0 sacks. Kellen Meade has been a ball hawk in the secondary with two of the team's three interceptions this fall.
PLU ranks sixth nationally as a team and first in the NWC in team sacks, averaging 3.75 per game. The Lutes sit fifth nationally in punt return defense (-1.50) and 33rd in third down conversion percentage (0.492).
About the Boxers: Pacific (1-2, 1-0 NWC) opened up league play last Saturday, picking up its first victory of the season 28-14 at home against Puget Sound.
The Boxers opened the season on Sept. 2 and were trailing visiting Chapman 24-0 midway through the third quarter when a lightning delay forced the game to be declared a no contest. Pacific dropped a non-league showdown with George Fox 14-9 the following weekend before coming up short, 24-17 to Pomona-Pitzer in the Boxers' non-conference finale.
Pacific racked up 413 yards in its win over Puget Sound last weekend, including 303 coming on the ground. The Boxers' ground game averaged 8.7 yards per carry with Brody Bantolina leading the way with 216 yards on just 18 carries with two touchdowns. Pacific's defense was equally as dominant, recording two safeties and picking off three passes on the day.
As a team, the Boxers are averaging 182 yards per game on the ground. Brody Bantolina leads that rushing attack with 299 yards on the season while Kalai Pass has 174 rushing yards.
Ryan Helt is completing 57.7 percent of his passes, tossing for 438 yards with three touchdowns and a pair of interceptions. Isaiah Pitre is the top target with nine catches on the season with Kai Brookland hauling in eight passes.
Hunter Brown is Pacific's leading tackler with 27 tackles and 5 TFLs while Zion Booker has a team best two sacks.
Bjug Day 2023
October 17-18 is the 10th annual Bug Day of Giving. Lutes like you are giving to what they love, including LanceLute who has been training for the big day.
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. 21 vs. Lewis & Clark 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