SPOKANE, Wash. - The Pacific Lutheran University football team held defending Northwest Conference Champion Whitworth University scoreless in the opening quarter but untimely turnovers sabotaged the Lutes on Saturday, falling 31-6 to the Pirates inside the Pine Bowl.

"I'm extremely proud of the way our guys fought today," said Head Coach Brant McAdams. "We did some really good things on every side of the ball but it's difficult to overcome a -4 turnover margin."
 
Neither team was able to generate any points in the opening quarter. The Lutes (1-6, 0-5 NWC) were on the move before an interception at the one-yard line derailed the drive. The host Pirates (5-2, 4-1 NWC) capitalized on the miscue, marching 99-yards on 12-plays to take a 7-0 lead with 11:53 left before halftime. 
 
Whitworth took a 14-0 lead with 2:35 left in the half, punching the ball in from two yards out after a sack fumble gave the Pirates a first and goal at the two-yard line. Whitworth cashed in another turnover with four seconds left, booting a 42-yard field goal to enjoy a 17-0 lead at the halftime intermission.
 
The Pirates tacked on two more scores in the third before the Lutes got on the board midway through the fourth quarter with quarterback Liam Nabors engineering a seven-play, 68-yard drive that culminated in a one-yard touchdown pass to Jacob Revell. 
 
Nabors finished the game five-for-six for 45 yards while Bryce Misey threw for 162 yards. On the ground, Cody Brown finished with 86 yards on 17 carries while Marcus Wiley had 69 yards on 10 touches. Wesley Nixon headlined the receiving corps, grabbing five catches for 64-yards. 
 
Defensively, Jackson Intlekofer, Kord Tuttle, and Syi Campbell all finished with seven tackles while Tristan Zucktriegal had two TFLs and one sack. 
 
PLU racked up 381 yards of offense while the host Pirates finished with an even 400 yards. The Lutes won the time of possession battle, holding the ball for nearly 37 minutes but was on the wrong side of the turnover battle (4-0).

"This group has weathered a large amount of adversity through injuries and more and they continue to come together, take ownership, and commit to the work required to be a great team."
 
The Lutes close out their home slate next Saturday, hosting Pacific University at 1 p.m. inside Sparks Stadium.