WHITWORTH (3-1, 0-0 NWC) AT PACIFIC (0-2, 0-0 NWC)
Game No. 3 • Home Game No. 2Sat., Oct. 2, 1 p.m., Hanson Stadium, Forest Grove, Ore.
Radio: 1360 AM KUIK (Live)
Play By Play: Matt Richert  Analyst: Scott Hermo
Live Stats |
Live Audio & VideoBOXERS READY FOR ACTION AFTER UNEXPECTED WEEKEND OFFThe Pacific football team is more than ready to get back to the field after Saturday's scheduled game against the Univ. of Chicago was canceled due to travel difficulties. The Boxers move from the unscheduled bye week to Northwest Conference play as they host Whitworth this Saturday on Homecoming.
BOXER BYTES• After a week of preparation, Pacific's scheduled Saturday game at the Univ. of Chicago was canceled after a fire was set on Friday in the FAA's main radar center in the Chicago area. The fire caused ground stops at both Midway and O'Hare airports, forcing the cancellation of nearly 2,000 flights, including the one Pacific was scheduled to travel on.
• Pacific used the unexpected bye weekend to prepare for the game against Whitworth, using the time for additional team meetings and practices.
• Pacific enters the week ranked as one of the fewest penalized teams in Division III. The Boxers are ranked 10th nationally for fewest penalties (12) and 14th in fewest penalty yards (109).
• The Boxers will return home to Hanson Stadium for the first time in a month and will play two home games in the month of October. Pacific last played at home on Sat., Sept. 6, when they hosted the College of Idaho.
A WIN OVER WHITWORTH WOULD...• Give Pacific their second straight win over Whitworth (beat the Pirates in 2012 31-21) and their second straight win in the team's NWC season opener.
• Would snap a two-game NWC losing streak and a four-game overall losing streak that dates back to a 21-17 loss at Willamette on Nov. 9, 2013.
• Improve Pacific to 3-1 in Homecoming games since the program's 2010 reinstatement.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT: WHITWORTHLocation: Spokane, Wash.   Enrollment: 2,300
Nickname: Pirates   Colors: Crimson & Black
Conference: Northwest (NCAA Division III)
Stadium: Pine Bowl (2,200, uncovered, natural grass)
President: Dr. Beck Taylor                Â
Athletic Director: Tim Demant
Sports Information Director: Steve Flegel
SID Phone: 509-777-3239 Â Â Â Â
SID E-Mail: sflegel@whitworth.edu
Athletics Website: whitworthpirates.com
Facebook: facebook.com/whitworthpirates     Twitter: @gobucs
Head Coach: Rod Sandberg (Wheaton, Ill., 1991)
Sandberg's Record At Whitworth: First Year
Sandberg's Record Overall: First Year
Assistant Coaches: Adam Richbart (DC), Alan Stanfield (OC), Jason Tobeck (Special Teams/Receivers), Jay Tully (DB), Matt Miethe (OL), Matt Johnson (RB), Adam Lindley (LB), Joel Clark (QB), Jim Puryear (Def. Asst.)
Returning Letterwinners: 27 (12 offense, 15 defense)
Returning Starters: 9 (4 offense, 5 defense)
2013 Record: 4-6Â Â Â Â Â Â NWC Record: 2-4 (5th)
All-Time Series: Whitworth leads 19-3-1
Last Meeting: Pacific won 31-21 at Spokane, Wash., on Oct. 5, 2013
About The Coach: Rod Sandberg was named head football coach at Whitworth in December after 19 years as a member of the staff at Wheaton (Ill.). He spent the last 11 seasons as the Thunder's defensive coordinator. During his time at Wheaton, Sandberg coached six different players to NCAA Division III All-America honors and 49 all-conference laurels. Sandberg has also had coaching stints at Aurora University and at Georgetown University (Ky.). A graduate of Wheaton in 1991, Sandberg was a team captain in 1990 and is a two-time All-CCIW honoree.
Last Meeting: Pacific rebounded from a 14-0 deficit early in the second quarter to score 31 of the game's final 38 points to beat Whitworth 31-21 at the Pine Bowl. The win gave Pacific their first 4-0 start since 1950. After the Boxers turned the ball over twice in the first 20 minutes, the offense turned and gained momentum when
Jordan Fukumoto scored on a pass from
P.J. Minaya. That started a string of 24 unanswered points scored by the Boxers, with a
Moses Villareal-Gomez 26-yard field goal putting the Boxers up 24-14 late in the third quarter. Pacific finished the day with 408 yards of total offense, 279 in the air. Minaya completed 10 of 15 for 174 yards and two touchdowns.Â
Gunther Schultze rushed seven times for 56 yards while
Bobby Ladiges and
Deven McKinney each rushed for scores. Whitworth quarterback Bryan Petersen completed 18 of 26 for 217 yards and two touchdowns as the Pirates finished with 331 yards of total offense.
WHITWORTH NOTES• Whitworth has developed into one of the top offensive teams in the nation, thanks in part to their shootouts with La Verne and Chapman. The Pirates enter the week ranked 24th in Division III in total offense with 495 yards per game. They also rank third in passing offense with 408.5 yards per game and 17th in scoring offense, averaging 44.3 points per game.
• Whitworth was the victim of turnovers in their last game, losing 49-34 to Chapman on Saturday. The Pirates coughed up the ball on four consecutive possessions in the third quarter, three of which Chapman converted into touchdowns. The Pirates finished with 447 yards of total offense, including 280 yards passing by starting quarterback Bryan Petersen.
• Against La Verne on Sept. 20, Bryan Petersen set NCAA Division III records for completions in a game (58) and most consecutive passes without an interception (82). He came within two passes of tying the record for most attempts. Petersen and La Verne quarterback William Livingston combiend to set Division III records for combined passing yards (1,049) and combined touchdown passes (13).
• The Whitworth defense is allowing 31 points per game and an average of 472.5 yards per game, but has succeeded in making 10 sacks and intercepting four passes. JT Phelan leads the defense with 27 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and one fumble recovery.
• Founded in 1883 in Sumner, Wash., Whitworth moved to Tacoma in 1899 and eventually landed in Spokane in 1914. Among its notable alumni with football connections include Oregon State head coach Mike Riley (1977, master's degree), who was part of the Whitworth coaching staff, and 2007 NFL draftee Michael Allan.
PACIFIC NEWS & NOTES
What Happened In Chicago Anyway?: The cancellation of Saturday's game at the Univ. of Chicago was collateral damage from an intentional fire set by a contract employee at the FAA's main radar control center for air traffic in the Chicago area. The fire at the Aurora, Ill., facility forced the shutdown of air traffic in and out of Chicago's two airports, O'Hare International Airport and Midway International Airport. According to the Chicago Tribune, more than 2,000 flights were canceled as a result of the radar facility going off-line. As of Monday, the two airports were operating at just 60 percent of their normal capacity and, according to the Tribune, the radar center will not be fully operational again until at least Oct. 13.
The Pacific football coaching staff was made aware of the flight situation early Friday morning, but continued to prepare for the trip as scheduled. The team was loading onto buses to travel to Portland International Airport when word came around 11:30 a.m., that their Southwest Airlines flight was canceled. Head Coach
Keith Buckley looked into alternative travel arrangements, including flying into another airport and then bussing to Chicago, but the logistics of the changes combined with the severity of the cancellations made any alternative arrangement impossible.
Still Growing In The Starter Role: Overlook the interceptions he threw in the Sept. 20 game at Dubuque.Â
Warner Shaw (Jr., Waimea, Hawaii) is continuing to grow in a positive way as the Boxers' starting quarterback. Shaw completed 28 of 40 passes (a .700 completion percentage) in Saturday's loss at Dubuque, throwing for 222 yards. He completed passes to nine different receivers in the contest. Shaw enters the week with numbers comparable to that of his predecessors in their first weeks of competition. He leads the NWC and ranks 21st among Division III quarterbacks with his .677 completion percentage. He also ranks fifth in the NWC and 60th in Division with his average of 236 yards per game and is ranked 91st in Division III with a pass efficiency rating of 131.60.
What A Rush: The Pacific rushing game continues to play a bigger part in the offense. The Boxers rushed for 138 yards in the loss to Dubuque and the team averaged 3.9 yards on 35 rushing attempts.Â
Bobby Ladiges (Jr., Escalon, Calif.) led the ground game for the Boxers, finishing with 51 yards on 11 carries. Quarterback
Warner Shaw rushed for a net of 43 yards on 10 carries.Â
Kamana Pimental (So., Kaneohe, Hawaii) rushed for 39 yards and had a 20-yard run that ended with the Boxers' only touchdown of the game. Pacific enters the week averaging 153.5 rushing yards per game. Ladiges enters the week ranked fifth in the NWC in rushing yards with an average of 70 yards per game and is ranked second with his average of 6.7 yards per rush. Pimental is ranked seventh in the NWC with an average of 48 rushing yards per game and is fifth with an average of 5.1 yards per rush.
Many Happy Returns: Pacific continues to excel at running back kickoffs for good field position. The Boxers enter the week averaging 28.88 yards per return, leading the NWC and ranking 13th among NCAA Division III teams.Â
Bronson Barretto (Jr., Mililani, Hawaii) had four returns in the loss at Dubuque on Sept. 20 and finished with 76 yards, including a long return of 23 yards. Thanks in part to his 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the Sept. 6 game against the College of Idaho, Barretto is ranked as one of the top kickoff return specialists in Division III. He is tied for second nationally with his one kickoff return for a touchdown and is also ranked third in the NWC and 36th nationally with his average of 28.9 yards per return.
Plenty Of Harm On Punt Returns: Brandon Harms (Sr., Canby, Ore.) has continued his role that he established last year as one of the top punt return specialists around. Harms returned three punts for 33 yards at Dubuque on Sept. 20, including a 30-yard return that set up Pacific with good field position for their final drive. Harms enters the week ranked third in the NWC and 72nd among NCAA Division III teams with an average of 8.6 yards per return. He also ranks third in the NWC with his total of 43 punt return yards. Defensively, Harms ranks second for the Boxers with 13 tackles and leads the team with 10 solo tackles.
Pacing The Defense: With a number of holes to fill in the defense as the season began, linebacker
Jack Perez (Jr., Petaluma, Calif.) has stepped in to be one of the Boxers' leaders. Perez enters the week leading the Boxers with 21 tackles. That ties him for 10th in the NWC and his average of 10.5 tackles per game ranks 65th among NCAA Division III players. Perez led the Boxers with an amazing 16 tackles against the College of Idaho on Sept. 6, the most by a Pacific player since the team's 2010 reinstatement. The performance earned Perez selection as the NWC Football Defensive Student-Athlete of the Week.
In The NCAA Division III Stats: Pacific is listed in 17 different cateogries in the NCAA Division III top-100 statistical categories. The Boxers rank ninth nationally in kickoff returns with an average of 28.88 yards per return. The Boxers are also rank 23rd with a .677 completion percentage. Individually, three Pacific players are ranked in the top-100 in four statistical categories.Â
Bronson Barretto leads the way as he is tied for second kickoff returns for a touchdown, 36th in both kickoff return average (28.6 yards per return) and 64th in combined kickoff return yards (231). The complete list can be found on page 6 of this release or online at http://stats.ncaa.org/team/index/11980?org_id=2751.
Keeping It Clean: Granted that it only includes two games, but Pacific ranks as one of the cleanest teams in Division III in terms on penalties. The Boxers enter the week ranked 10th in fewest penalties, having committed just 12 so far this season. The Boxers are ranked 14th in fewest panlty yards with 109 and 72nd with just six penalties per game.
SAAC To Raise Awareness For Parkinson's: As part of this week's Homecoming activities, Pacific's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee is putting the focus on Parkinson's disease. As part of their awareness activities, SAAC will sell "Strike Out Parkinson's" wristbands and stickers during the week in Pacific's University Center and at Saturday's football. Additionally, student-athletes and select faculty and staff will part in "Pies For Parkinson's" activities, where people can pay to pie their favorite student-athlete, coach or faculty member. Proceeds from the week's activities will be donated to the Parkinson's Center of Oregon at Oregon Health Sciences University. The focus on Parkinson's was chosen in honor of former Pacific baseball coach
Greg Bradley, who retired from coaching in May as he fights the progression of Parkinson's. Bradley remains on the Pacific athletics staff as the athletics facilities manager.
Boxers Picked Close Fourth In NWC Preseason Poll: In terms of how they will perform in conference games, Northwest Conference coaches do not expect a fifth year slump from the Boxers. Pacific was picked in close fourth place in the annual preseason poll conducted in August. Pacific received 34 votes, just two less than Willamette, who was picked third with 36 points. The Boxers finished fourth in the NWC in 2013, amassing a 3-3 conference record. Pacific Lutheran was picked second in the poll with 42 points. Linfield was the runaway pick to win the conference. The five-time defending champions received all but one first place vote and a total of 56 points.
They're Smart Too: A total of 13 Pacific football players were named over the summer as Northwest Conference Scholar-Athletes. To be selected, student-athletes must achieve a cumulative grade point average of 3.50 by the end of the academic year and must have been an active member of the varsity roster the full season. The awards are in addition to the selection of
Jordan Fukumoto and
Brandon Harms to the 2013 Capital One/CoSIDA Division III Academic All-District VIII Football Team.
It's Hanson Stadium Now: It not only looks different, but Pacific's home stadium answers to a different name as well. A roof was added to the main stadium grandstand over the summer, providing coverage for over 1,100 fans who sit on the field's south sideline. Along with the roof came a name change to Hanson Stadium, which was approved by Pacific University's Board of Trustees in May. The moniker honors Trustee Rich Hanson and his wife, Joy, who provided the leadership gift to start fundraising for the stadium roof project. Mr. and Mrs. Hanson were honored by conducting the coin toss prior to the College of Idaho game on Sept. 6. Formerly known as Lincoln Park Stadium, Hanson Stadium was opened for the 2007 season and is home to Pacific's football, soccer, women's lacrosse and track and field programs.
From Scrimmage Line To Sideline: Some of Pacific's top players from the 2013 season have moved from the field to the sidelines to begin their coaching careers. Eight graduates from last year's team will help to lead the Boxers as part of the coaching staff. The list includes
Sean Bangs (defensive assistant),
Gabe Flory (assistant linebackers),
Eric Gietzen (assistant offensive line),
Aaron Koford (kickers),
Bryan Mills (safeties),
P.J. Minaya (quarterbacks),
Michael Smith (assistant defensive line) and
Brian Taylor (tight ends). Pacific is developing into a great starting spot for coaches. Over four years, seven coaches have moved on from Pacific to NCAA Division I coaching positions.
Yoro Promoted: In addition to the addition of eight coaches from Pacific's Class of 2014, Head Coach
Keith Buckley has promoted
Jacob Yoro to assistant head coach. One of two assistants who have been with the program since the 2010 reinstatement, Yoro serves as the Boxers' defensive coordinator and as the program's recruiting coordinator.
Season Honors: The following Pacific players have been recognized with NWC or national weekly honors this season...
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Jack Perez: NWC Defensive Student-Athlete of the Week for the week of Sept. 1-7. The linebacker finished with 16 tackles against the College of Idaho on Sept. 6. The total was a single game high since the program's 2010 reinstatement.
Bronson Barretto: NWC Special Teams Student-Athlete of the Week for the week of Sept. 1-7. The running back and kick return specialist finished with 179 all-purpose yards and had four kick returns for 155 yards against the College of Idaho. He capped his day with a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, the third longest in program history.
Pacific One-Liners (And Sometimes Two)• Two Pacific players spent the spring as key members of the Boxers' baseball program. Wide reciever/kicker
Nathan Suyematsu was a First Team All-NWC selection as a second baseman after hitting .342 with 53 hits, 29 runs and 13 doubles.Â
Kyle Treadway was one of the Boxers' starting pitcher, finishing with a team-leading 2.68 earned run average. Both Suyematsu and Treadway played summer baseball, with Treadway finishing as a Golden State Collegiate Baseball League all-star after a standout season with the Atwater Aviators.
• Offensive lineman
Riley Rankin is a cousin of late all-pro football player and Monday Night Football personality Don Meredith. In fact, Meredith predates Rankin's arrival on the Pacific campus by 52 years as he was part of the 1960 Dallas Cowboys' team that opened training camp in Forest Grove. Following in Meredith's footsteps, Rankin holds a Work Study job as a public address announcer for Pacific sporting events.
• Twenty-nine Pacific players hail from Hawaii, continuing a long-standing Pacific tradition. Nearly one-third of Pacific's undergraduate student body comes from the 50th state.
• The only state with more representation on the roster is California, with 42 athletes coming from the Golden State.
• Defensive lineman
Eddie Carrillo is in his second year as president of Pacific's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. He is the first multi-year president of the body.
