TACOMA, Wash. — No Logger has ever touched The Trophy. The Pacific Lutheran University football team ensured it stayed that way on Saturday afternoon, putting together a dominant day on the ground in a 42-7 blowout of crosstown rival University of Puget Sound to close out the 2023 season. 
 
The win keeps The Trophy inside Olson Gymnasium for another year. Since The Trophy's inception in 2021, the Lutes (5-5, 4-3 Northwest Conference) have won all three games by a combined 110-17 scoreline. 

"We're proud of the way our guys finished the season," said Head Coach Brant McAdams.

"Good teams play great defense, establish the run, and take care of the football and we did that today."
 
Saturday's game was won on the ground with the Lutes rolling up 269 yards inside Baker Stadium while limiting the host Loggers (3-6, 2-5 NWC) to just 14 total rushing yards on 16 carries.
 
Davyn Waters recovered a Logger fumble on the opening drive and a steady dose of the run allowed the Lutes to cover 68-yards on seven plays, taking a 7-0 lead on a one-yard run from Raysen Motoyama midway through the first quarter. Darius Chaffin ignited the scoring drive with a 31-yard run on the Lutes' first offensive snap.
 
A Nico Golla fourth down sack put the Lutes in business on their own 40-yard line. The offense took over from there, driving 60-yards on eight plays with Jacob Schuh scampering 38-yards for a score to make it 14-0 with 7:32 left before halftime. 
 
A long kick return from Manuel Felan put the Lutes on the plus side of the field to start the third quarter and Motoyama took over from there. The running back had three carries totally 42 yards on the drive, including a five yard touchdown run to up the lead to 21-0. 
 
Fellow running back Jacob Schuh made it 28-0 the next possession, scoring on a 22-yard run. Puget Sound scored its first and only points early in the fourth but a failed onside kick was followed by an 18-yard run from Darius Chaffin to increase the buffer back up to 28 for the Lutes. 
 
Backup QB Logan Rodriguez capped off the scoring, running in from eight yards out with 1:19 left on the clock. 
 
PLU racked up 431 total yards of offense, including 269 on the ground. The Lutes averaged 6.0 yards per rush on the day.
 
Motoyama, Chaffin, and Schuh did the heavy lifting, combining for five TDs on the ground. Motoyama had 13 carries for 83 yards and two scores while Chaffin averaged 11.9 yards per carry, covering 83 yards on just seven carries. Schuh had two TDs on just eight touches, racking up 78 yards. 
 
Chaffin was nine-for-13 with 162 yards in the air with Thor Stepina the top target. Stepina finished with five catches for 103 yards while Felan had two receptions for 45 yards.
 
Nico Golla was in the backfield all day, registering three sacks. Colby Rhinelander finished with nine solo tackles and two pass breakups while Waters had nine tackles, a sack, and a fumble recovery. Kellen Meade had an interception and two breakups while also netting four tackles.

Saturday was the 99th all-time meeting between the longtime rivals in a series that dates back to the 1931 season.