Game Leaders
Team Stats
Passing Yards
Rushing Yards
Turnovers
Time of Poss.
PORTLAND, Ore. – Whitworth scored on nine of 10 offensive possessions and put up season-high totals in yardage and first downs while rolling to a 63-21 win at Lewis & Clark in a Northwest Conference football game on Saturday afternoon at Griswold Stadium.
The Pirates (7-0 overall, 5-0 NWC) spoiled Homecoming for the Pioneers (3-5, 2-3) and over 2,300 spectators. Whitworth will host George Fox next Saturday in the final home game on the 2023 schedule. Kickoff is at 1:00 pm.
Austin Ewing completed 21 of 29 passes for 313 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions, and ran for 43 yards and two scores, in three quarters of play. Solomon Hines ran for 104 yards on 13 carries (8.0 ypc) and scored twice, while Dillon Kuk caught his tenth touchdown of the season.
Whitworth built a 21-0 lead through one quarter. Luis Salgado took a swing pass and scored from 24 yards out to cap the opening possession. Ewing ran in from 13 yards on the next drive, then Hines ran in from 15 yards out on the final play of the opening period. In between the Pirate defense came up big after Elijah Washington ran for 70 yards on the Pioneers' first offensive play. The defense held and forced a fake field goal attempt, that was stopped by Hines on the four yard-line.
L&C finally got on the board midway through the second, only after the Whitworth defense had another stand. The Pios had first and goal at the three, but did not score until backup QB Cruz Montana scored on a keeper from one yard away on fourth down.
Ewing capped the ensuing drive with his own one-yard touchdown run, then hit Kuk with a 50-yard touchdown pass with 1:16 to play for a 35-7 halftime lead. The Bucs had that 28-point advantage thanks to an interception by Joshua Lawson deep in Whitworth territory in the final minute. He had a chance at a touchdown return, but was caught from behind at the L&C 30. That was the only Pirate possession of the game which they did not score a touchdown. A 40-yard field goal attempt by Iden Bone was blocked.
Caelin Johnson caught a 25-yard touchdown pass from Ewing on Whitworth's first drive of the third quarter, and Hines scored on a 25-yard run at the end of the period for a 49-14 lead.
Johnson caught his second touchdown of the game early in the fourth, a one-yard pass from back-up Ryan Blair. Isaiah Jones capped Whitworth's last drive of the game with a one-yard run. He had converted a fourth down run one play earlier.
The Pirates rolled up 606 yards of offense, averaging 8.1 yards per play. Whitworth passed for 333 yards and ran for 273 in the most balanced attack of the season and did not give up a single negative yardage play from scrimmage. The Pirates had 35 first downs and converted 8 of 13 third downs.
L&C had 371 yards, 209 through the air and 162 on the ground. Washington finished with 138 rushing yards and a touchdown. Trey Morris, the starting QB, completed 15 of 20 passes for 175 yards and one touchdown with one interception.
Zach Brooks had a team-high seven tackles, including a fourth down stop, and broke up a pass. Caleb Shawen made six tackles in his return to the starting lineup. Defensive end Nathan DePaolo had five stops, including an eight-yard sack. Dylan Owen forced a fumble with a sack in the second half, which was recovered by Lane Watkins.