PUYALLUP, Wash. - The Pacific Lutheran University football team turned Saturday's game into a track meet in the second and third quarters, scoring four touchdowns of 50 or more yards but it wasn't enough to secure the win, stumbling 44-31 to Northwest Conference rival Pacific University inside Sparks Stadium.
The Lutes (1-7, 0-6 NWC) had a banner day through the air with quarterback
Bryce Missey throwing for 411 yards and four touchdowns, part of an offense that averaged 8.2 yards per play on the afternoon.
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PLU drew first blood with
Alex Brost nailing a 35-yard field goal midway through the first quarter. The Boxers (4-5, 4-2 NWC) would answer by scoring touchdowns on their next three drives to take a 20-3 lead with 4:55 left before halftime.
The Lutes responded with Missey hitting
Jace Keim for a 51-yard touchdown score, capping off an efficient five-play, 74-yard drive covering just 91 seconds.
Pacific Lutheran would narrow the gap to just three points midway through the third quarter with Missey finding
Wesley Nixon for a 60-yard touchdown strike. Pacific would mount a 78-yard scoring drive before the Lutes aerial attack struck again with Missey hitting
Alex Rendon for a 64-yard score. The Boxers would again answer with a touchdown before Missey found Keim for a 57-yard touchdown strike, closing the gap to just 34-31 with 1:03 left in a wild third quarter that saw five touchdowns between the two teams.
Pacific earned separation early in the fourth, scoring a touchdown on a six yard Kash Taylor run before taking on a 38-yard field goal later in the quarter to escape with the win.
It was a banner day for the Lute receiving corps. Nixon finished with seven catches for 143 yards and a score while Rendon had seven grabs for 118 yards and a score. Keim caught just three balls but made the most of those chances, racking up 124 yards and two scores.
Marcus Wiley did the heavy lifting on the ground, netting 49 yards on 13 carries.
Nicholas Bautista led the defense with 15 tackles, including eight solo takedowns while
Syi Campbell had 13 tackles and an interception.
Max Larson wrecked havoc in the interior, collecting two sacks and one fumble recovery.
The two teams combined for a mind-boggling 1,126 yards of total offense, executing 158 total plays on the day. Pacific held a slim 426-411 advantage in passing yards but held a sizable edge in the ground game, outgaining the Lutes 232 to 57.
"It was really awesome to see the offense clicking and getting the ball out and seeing guys make big plays. It was just awesome to see the team fight all around. We were down 20-3 at one point but we kept fighting and came together no matter what the circumstances were," said
Logan Black.
The Lutes close out their season next Saturday facing Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m.
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