Box Score FOREST GROVE, Ore. — Connor Meade returned the opening kickoff 90-yards to the endzone as the Pacific Lutheran University football team spoiled Pacific University's homecoming on Saturday, etching out a 34-18 Northwest Conference victory on the road at Hanson Stadium. 

Noah Palitz caught the opening kickoff and lateraled it to Meade who did the rest, rumbling 90 yards for the score to give visiting PLU (3-2, 1-1 NWC) the early 6-0 lead. 
 
The host Boxers (3-2, 1-1 NWC) drove down the field on the next possession but their drive stalled out on the PLU 12-yard line after a Micah Ragaza-Bourassa break-up on third down, settling for a 30-yard field goal. 
 
PLU tallied another touchdown on its next drive, covering 80 yards on nine plays, including a two-yard plunge from Jacob Schuh to make it 13-3. Quarterback Darius Chaffin played a big role in the drive, running 40-yards into the Boxer red zone.

Pacific made it a third point game early in the second quarter but a three-yard run by Darius Chaffin made it 20-10 PLU with 70 seconds left before halftime. A 36-yard Thor Stepina set up the score as the Lutes enjoyed a 10-point buffer at the halftime intermission.

PLU was full throttle in the third, mounting a 88-yard scoring drive in its first drive of the second half. A 46-yard Noah Palitz scamper put the Lutes inside the red zone before Raysen Motoyama scored from eight yards out. 

Kalen Davis-White stuffed the Boxers on a fourth and one later in the quarter setting the Lute offense up on the Pacific 28-yard line. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty made the distance even shorter and PLU needed just two plays for Jacob Schuh to score his second TD of the game, making it 34-10. 

The Boxers scored another touchdown with 5:07 left in the game but it was too little, too late as the Lutes secured the 16-point victory.

"We're proud of the ways our team stepped up and competed today. It was definitely our best three-phase performance of the year," said Head Coach Brant McAdams.

"We knew it would be a battle in the trenches because Pacific came in with a top rushing attack and our guys got it done on both sides of the ball."

PLU racked up 371 yards on the day, including 221 on the ground, averaging 5.7 yards per rush and scoring four touchdowns. 
 
Darius Chaffin was 12-for-17 on the day while rushing for 73 yards. His top target was Thor Stepina who had three catches for 55 yards. Noah Palitz had 67 yards on just three rushes while Schuh had a pair of touchdowns. 
 
Ragaza-Bourassa had 10 tackles on the night, including one tackle for loss while Davis-White also had 10 stops. Sam Morasch had eight takedowns and two pass beak-ups while Nico Golla had a pair of sacks.

The Lutes are back at home next weekend, hosting Willamette University at Sparks Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.