PUYALLUP - Penalties and turnovers undermined the Pacific Lutheran football team's 2015 home opener, as the Lutes accumulated 417 yards of total offense but fell to Trinity 23-13 Saturday afternoon at Sparks Stadium.

PLU fell to 0-2 on the season while Trinity improved to 4-0. The Lutes out-gained the Tigers by nearly 150 yards (417-to-269) and picked up eight more first downs than the Tigers, but five turnovers and a total of 15 penalties proved costly. Three PLU drives ended with turnovers in the red zone as Trinity scored 23 straight points in the second and third quarters before PLU tallied its second touchdown of the day in the final minute.

"That started a lot of 1st down and 15s," PLU head coach Scott Westering said of the high penalty count. "It popped the balloon of momentum."

Jon Schaub put up his second consecutive 300-yard passing day in his second start at quarterback, throwing for 378 yards and two touchdowns for the Lutes. Richard Johnson was the Lutes' top receiver with 152 yards on 10 catches, while Juston Lind caught seven passes for 127 yards and a score. Chase Houser picked up a pair of sacks on defense for PLU, while Kris Singstad led the team with eight tackles and Derek Chase intercepted a pass in the game.

The opening quarter saw the PLU offense put together an eight-play, 53-yard drive that culminated with a 6-yard touchdown pass from Schaub to Marc Gallant, while the Lute defense shut down Trinity to the tune of negative-2 yards over the Tigers' first three possessions.

Trinity broke through with a touchdown in the second quarter, scoring on a 7-yard pass play from Austin Grauer to Keller Murphey. The point-after attempt missed, leaving the Lutes up one going into halftime. The roles reversed early in the second half, as Trinity forced a fumble and consecutive 3-and-outs while converting the ensuing drives into a field goal and back-to-back touchdowns to claim a 23-7 advantage.

From that point the PLU defense limited Trinity to an interception and three punts on its final four possessions, but the Lute offense turned the ball over via interception on three straight drives to stifle any comeback hopes. A 14-play, 96-yard drive at the end of the game broke PLU's scoring drought with Schaub's second passing touchdown of the day, but by then time had run out on the Lutes.

Trinity picks up its first-ever win over PLU after the Lutes won the first two meetings between the teams. Evan McDowell and Jeremy Simmons combined for 107 yards on 30 rushes, while Grauer threw for 156 yards and two scores. Rhodes Legg caught a pair of long passes for the Tigers, totaling 100 yards and a score on two receptions. Jai Boatman intercepted two passes for the Tigers, while Adam Saunders also grabbed an interception.

PLU will look to bounce back in the 2015 Northwest Conference opener next weekend. The Lutes are set to travel to Forest Grove, Ore., Saturday for a 1 p.m. kickoff against Pacific.