Willamette vs Pacific
(OR)
(6-2) (3-4)
Last Week: Willamette is coming off a 45-10 spanking
administered to them by Linfield. The
Bearcat offense was held to a season-low 108 yards of offense, and quarterback
Josh Dean was held to 13-30 for 96 yards with zero touchdowns and two
interceptions, getting sacked seven times along the way. The Bearcat defense held up strong in the
first half against Linfield, but then gave up 239 yards and 35 points in the
second half against the ‘Cat Attack.
Pacific is coming off an impressive 42-20 victory over Lewis & Clark
on Saturday. The Boxers offense piled up
607 yards of total offense, the highest total since the football program was
reinstated in 2010. Leading the way was
Quarterback P.J Minaya, who went 21-32 for 442 yards and four touchdowns with
one interception. The Boxers defense
gave up 442 yards to the Pios, but forced five turnovers for the game.
Thoughts entering the
game: Willamette is coming off two
straight losses against the top two teams in the NWC standings, and looking for
someone to pound away their frustrations on.
Pacific is a team that comes in with sky-high confidence. In NWC play, The boxers blew away Pudget Sound
and Lewis & Clark while hanging tough with Whitworth and Pacific
Lutheran. Even though they lost to
Willamette 51-17 earlier in the season, the Boxers have gotten a lot better
since that game, and will look to knock off Willamette at home. The thing to look at in this match-up is the
battle between the top-two passing teams in the NWC; Willamette comes into the
game averaging 38.2 points and 489 yards of offense on the season, ranking
second and first in the conference respectively. Josh Dean Leads the air show, completing 66
percent of his passes for 2,665 yards and 29 touchdowns with 11 interceptions
on the year. The Boxers come into the
game averaging 30 points (fifth in the NWC) and 421 yards of offense per game
(Third in NWC), showing major strides on that side of the ball this
season. Quarterback P.J Minaya has
completed 67 percent of his passes this season for 1,848 yards and 16 touchdowns
with 10 interceptions. While Pacific has
the potential to pull an upset, their defense had no answers for Willamette’s
offense earlier in the season, and I see no reason why that will change.
Winner: Willamette
Whitworth vs Pacific
Lutheran
(6-2) (5-2)
Last Week: Whitworth is coming off a bye week, which was
preceded by a 70-11 win over Pudget Sound.
Pacific Lutheran is coming off a 41-14 win over Pudget Sound, surviving
five turnovers and a 14-7 first half deficit to eventually rout the
Loggers. On offense, the lutes racked up
387 yards, including a season-high 251 yards on the ground. Cody Pohren gained 100 yards and a touchdown
on 13 carries, while Niko Madison added 61 yards and two touchdowns on seven
carries. Quarterback Richey Dalton went
12-20 for 136 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions, and racked up
47 yards on 10 carries on the ground.
The PLU defense held the Loggers to 267 yards of offense for the game,
and forced five turnovers themselves.
The only downside was that Loggers running back Austin Wagner produced
105 yards on 17 carries on the ground.
Thoughts entering the
game: This game has major
implications in terms of the Northwest conference standings: If Pacific Lutheran wins, they’ll finish the
season in second place in the conference, no matter what happens in their finale
against Menlo. If Whitworth wins, it
opens the door for a three-way tie for second place between PLU, Whitworth, and
Willamette. The Whitworth offense
continues to be an enigma in 2012, looking unstoppable in some games and
pathetic in others; the Pirates average 34.1 points and 373.8 yards, ranking
third and last in the NWC respectively.
The pirates have a big-three on offense between QB Bryan Peterson. RB
Ronnie Thomas, and WR Jake DeGooyer. Averaging
32.7 points and 393.9 yards, The Lutes feature a high-powered passing attack
lead by QB Richey Dalton and WRs Kyle Warner and Kelle Westering. The big difference in the game comes down to
defense: PLU has the second-best defense
in the conference, while Whitworth’s defense tanks near the bottom of the
NWC.
Winner: Pacific Lutheran
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