SPOKANE – Dalton Ritchey scored multiple rushing touchdowns for the third straight game and the PLU defense held Whitworth to negative-13 yards on the ground as the 15th-ranked Pacific Lutheran football team closed out the 2013 regular season with a 28-21 Northwest Conference win over Whitworth at the Pine Bowl.
Pacific Lutheran improved to 8-1 overall and 5-1 in conference play, while Whitworth falls to 3-6 overall and 1-4 in the NWC. The Lutes, ranked all season and sitting second in the NWC standings to No. 3 Linfield, have a bye next week and will await the announcement of a possible NCAA postseason bid following next weekend's contests.
The PLU pass rush was relentless against the Pirates, sacking quarterback Bryan Peterson six times for a total of 45 yards. Meanwhile, the run defense limited running back DJ Tripoli to 30 yards on 15 carries for a Whitworth total of negative-13 rushing yards on 30 carries. That marks the first time PLU has held an opponent to negative rushing yards since limiting California Lutheran to minus-5 in a 48-17 win over the Kingsmen during the 2007. The rushing total was the fewest yards a PLU defense has allowed on the ground since the Lutes' 1999 national championship win, when they held Rowan to an astounding minus-63 yards on the ground in a 42-13 win.
Saturday's win was closer than those contests due to four turnovers by the Lutes. Pacific Lutheran fumbled four times – losing two – and threw a pair of interceptions that helped the Pirates stay in the game late despite a 398-207 PLU advantage in total yards.
Ritchey threw for 175 yards and a touchdown while completing 15 of his 22 pass attempts, but it was on the ground where the junior quarterback caused most of his damage. Ritchey carried the ball a game-high 20 times for 129 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 6.4 yards per carry with a long of 22 yards. Niko Madison added 81 yards and a score on 16 carries as PLU finished with 249 yards on the ground. Kyle Warner caught four passes for 67 yards, and Kelly Morgan's lone reception went for an 11-yard touchdown grab.
Reigning Northwest Conference Defensive Student-Athlete of the Week Jordan Patterson was once again a one-man wrecking crew around the line of scrimmage, totaling eight tackles in the game with four going for a loss. He finished with one of PLU's six sacks, with NWC sack leader Joel Anthony adding two more to his season total. Sean McFadden finished with a game-high 10 tackles.
Peterson threw for 220 yards on 25-of-31 passing with three touchdowns, with scoring tosses going to Drew Clausen, Wade Meyer and Dustin Martin. Casey Monahan and Jacob Kriegbaum tied for the team lead with eight tackles, while Trevor Cooper and Kyle Davidson each snagged an interception.
The Lutes opened the game with long touchdown drives of seven plays for 72 yards and eight plays for 84 yards to take a 14-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. Whitworth began its comeback following PLU's second touchdown, putting together a 17-play, 80-yard drive that spanned 10:22 and featured three third-down and one fourth-down conversions to make it 14-7.
PLU turned the ball over on each of its next two drives, giving Whitworth back-to-back short fields to work with. The PLU defense forced a three-and-out on the first of those two drives, but four plays after the Pirates took over first-and-10 at the PLU 17 Peterson found Martin in the end zone from five yards out to tie it up at 14-14.
Pacific Lutheran countered Whitworth's lengthy first-half drive with one of its own in the second half, taking over following a punt with 7:47 to play in the third quarter and moving 87 yards down the field in 18 plays and 8:46. The Lutes reclaimed the lead at the conclusion of that drive when Ritchey hit Morgan from 11 yards out to make it 21-14 less than one minute into the fourth quarter.
A three-and-out for Whitworth followed, and the Lutes capitalized on the short field to score their final touchdown on a 4-yard run by Madison. The PLU defense stepped up on the next two drives to force another three-and-out and a fourth-down stop to sandwich the Lutes' second lost fumble of the game.
Whitworth reclaimed possession down two scores with 3:09 to play, and Peterson drove his offense 86 yards on nine plays and only 1:44 to pull the Pirates within seven on a 20-yard pass to Wade Meyer. But the Lutes recovered the ensuing onside kick attempt, and Ritchey converted the first-down PLU needed to run out the clock and clinch the win.
The Lutes conclude the 2013 regular season with an 8-1 record for the second time in the past four years, matching the most wins PLU has recorded in a season since the 2000 squad went 9-2.
