By Christian Bond, PLU Sports Information Student Writer

TACOMA – It took a late fourth quarter drive from NCAA Div. III's second-ranked passing offense for Puget Sound to beat Pacific Lutheran, as the Loggers scored the game's first touchdown with 4:25 left to play to defeat PLU 6-2 on a rainy Saturday afternoon at Baker Stadium.

While Puget Sound came into Saturday averaging just shy of 400 passing yards per game, the Lute defense was able to hold the prolific Logger offense to just 293 total yards. Hans Fortune finished the day 20-of-41 for a total 248 yards with the game-winning touchdown and a first-quarter interception to Justyn Simmons.

The Lutes got on the scoreboard in an unusual way against Puget Sound. Two plays after a 4th-and-1 pass attempt by Cole Chandler fell incomplete to give the Loggers the ball at their own 5-yard line, Lute defensive lineman Isaiah Watkins got PLU on the scoreboard in his own way. Watkins sacked UPS backup quarterback Tanner Diebold in the end zone for a safety and a two-point PLU lead.

That looked like it might prove to be the lone score of the game until late in the fourth quarter when the Puget Sound offense finally broke through. The key play came on 4th-and-6 at the UPS 36-yard line, when Fortune found Brennan Schon for 19 yards and the key first down. That was the first of three long pass completions for Fortune in a four-play stretch, with the final completion coming on an 18-yard scoring pass to Schon that proved to be the game-winner.

Pacific Lutheran had a chance to drive for the game-winning touchdown in the final minutes. After taking possession on their own 32-yard line, the Lutes picked up three first downs and moved 55 yards down the field in 12 plays. Walker LaVoy – who came into the game in relief of Chandler in the second half – connected with Beau Lockmer for 22 yards on 4th-and-9 and it looked like PLU might match Puget Sound's previous drive formula. That set the Lutes up 1st-and-10 at the UPS 16, but LaVoy's next three passes fell incomplete with less than a minute to play, and the Marc Gallant was tackled for a gain of only three yards following a reception on 4th-and-10 to give the ball back to UPS for the Logger victory.

PLU was able to control the pace of play by keeping possession of the ball. The Lutes had the ball for more than two-thirds of the 60-minute game – 41:11 to be exact. PLU rushed the ball 47 times for 147 yards, with Gallant keeping the team moving forward with 60 yards on 18 carries. Chandler finished with 40 yards on 10 carries, and Elijah Clayton ran seven times for 35 yards.

Chandler and LaVoy combined to complete 12 of 25 pass attempts for 168 yards with one interception. The conditions hindered scoring opportunities, including negating kicking opportunities for both teams. Dallan Rodriguez missed a 32-yard field goal for the Lutes in the second quarter, and Puget Sound kicker Sawyer Petre missed a 42-yard field goal in the first quarter.

The low-scoring contest marked the lowest combined point total in a matchup between PLU and UPS since a scoreless tie in 1962. It also marked Puget Sound's first win over PLU since 2005 and only the Loggers' second win over the Lutes since 1987.

Pacific Lutheran travels to Lewis & Clark next weekend for its final road game of the year. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 7