PUYALLUP, Wash. — The Pacific Lutheran University football team took 19^th-ranked and reigning Northwest Conference Champion Whitworth University to the brink during Saturday's homecoming clash at Sparks Stadium. Noah Palitz scored twice, including in the third quarter to pull within three points but the Pirates pulled away in the fourth, securing a 34-23 victory. 
 
"We did some good things against a great opponent that we'll keep building on," said Head Coach Brant McAdams.

"Some games come down to a handful of plays and we came up short in those this afternoon."
 
The 19^th-ranked Pirates (4-0, 1-0 NWC)  drew first blood on the game's opening drive, marching 72 yards on 10 plays to take a 7-0 lead. 
 
The host Lutes (2-2, 0-1 NWC) answered later in the quarter, mounting a 52-yard drive that culminated in a 34-yard field goal from Cole Sargent. Whitworth capitalized on good field position in the second quarter after a failed fourth down attempt from the Lutes, covering 46-yards on six plays to seize a 13-3 lead.
 
Pacific Lutheran made it a one score game heading into the halftime break with Palitz catching a five-yard pass from Darius Chaffin with one second left on the clock. The score capped off a 76-yard drive that included a heavy dose of Thor Stepina, with the receiver hauling in three passes for a combined 37 yards. 
 
Whitworth made it 20-9 midway through the third quarter but the Lutes immediately countered, capitalizing on good field position from an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and a kick out of bounds. Setup at the midfield stripe, the Lutes needed just six plays to find the endzone with Palitz plunging in from four yards out. Jacob Schuh kickstarted the scoring drive, rumbling 35-yards on the drive's first play from scrimmage while Stepina caught the two point conversion to make it a three-point game.
 
The Pirates scored twice in less than two minutes in the fourth quarter, building a 34-17 buffer with 9:58 left to play. PLU would continue to fight with Darius Chaffin scoring from two yards out with just over five minutes left. Palitz again played a key role with a 15-yard catch and run while Chaffin scrambled 14 yards into the redzone before finally punching it in three plays later.
 
"We did some good things that we will continue to build on. We still have plenty to get better at and will dial those in this week. The best part is when you've got no quit like our team does, you're always poised to get better."
 
Chaffin finished the game 20-for-28 through the air with 200-yards and a touchdown while also adding 70 yards and a score on the ground. Jacob Schuh had 66 yards on the ground, netting 4.7 per rush. Stepina was Chaffin's top target, catching eight balls for 94 yards. 
 
Kalen Davis-White and Layne DePeralta paced the Lute defense, each collecting six tackles while Nico Golla had a pair of tackles for loss. 
 
PLU outgained the nationally-ranked Pirates 360-351 while executing 11 more offensive plays than the visitors. The Lutes racked up 160 yards on the ground while limited the Pirate run game to a paltry 2.8 yards per rush. 
 
The Lutes are back on the gridiron next Saturday, trekking to Forest Grove, Oregon to face Pacific University. 

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