SPOKANE, Wash. – Whitworth opened the 2014 football season with a dominating 63-10 win over visiting Lewis & Clark on Saturday afternoon in the Pine Bowl.
The Pirates won in Rod Sandberg's debut as head coach and also claimed a season-opening conference victory for the first time since 1990.
De' Hall's 65-yard interception return for a touchdown early in the second quarter gave Whitworth a 14-3 lead and set the tone for the rest of the game. The Pirates outgained the Pioneers 444-283 and finished with a 3-1 edge in turnover margin.
"This was a great opportunity for our team to get out and play a real opponent," Sandberg said. "We learned we have some talent and some depth. This is a team that really cares about the game and plays with a lot of passion."
Ian Kolste completed 20 of 29 passes for 224 yards and four touchdowns after coming on as Whitworth's quarterback at the start of the second quarter. He played only the second quarter and half of the third. Anthony Fullman caught six passes for 91 yards and two touchdowns in his Whitworth debut.
Bryan Peterson started the game at QB for the Pirates and directed a 60-yard scoring drive on Whitworth's first possession, finding Fullman for a three-yard score.
Josh Cena intercepted Peterson inside Pirate territory the next time Whitworth had the ball, but the defense held L&C to a 34-yard field goal by Colin Brown.
Hall's interception return came as the Pioneers moved the ball into Whitworth territory early in the second quarter. He stepped in front of the receiver on a sideline pass and ran untouched into the endzone for his second career touchdown.
After a deep snap sailed over the head of L&C's punter, Whitworth took ten plays to go 23 yards for its next score, a six-yard pass from Kolste to Conner Williams. The Pirates made it 28-3 late in the second quarter when freshman receiver Garrett McKay took a screen pass, broke a tackle and sprinted 46 yards for a score with 1:34 left in the half.
But Curtis Shirey took the ensuing kickoff back 93 yards down the L&C sideline for a touchdown that pulled the Pioneers to within 28-10 at halftime. It would be the only Lewis & Clark touchdown of the game.
Kolste tossed touchdowns of 15 yards to Drew Clausen and 13 yards to Fullman on Whitworth's first two possessions of the third quarter. Peterson came back in and found senior Jason Greer with a one-yard score for Greer's first career touchdown, giving Whitworth a 49-10 lead after three quarters.
Third string QB Michael McCune hit tight end Anthony Brommer on fourth down for a 30 yard touchdown 13:34 into the final quarter. Kevin Thomas, Whitworth's fourth QB of the game, scampered 20 yards up the middle for the final Pirate touchdown of the game.
"I'm really excited about how we came out with much more focus in the second half," Sandberg said. "Because of that, a lot of the guys on our team got to play in the game."
The Whitworth defense limited L&C to 51 yards rushing on 39 attempts and 232 yards passing between two QBs. Senior Zach Littlefield completed 10 of 13 passes for 62 yards with one interception. Freshman Cody Roshon completed 17 of 29 passes for 170 yards. Zac Salois caught seven passes for 43 yards.
In addition to Kolste's big day, Peterson finished 10-15 with one interception and one touchdown. Clausen added six catches to Fullman's total, while Williams finished with five grabs for 44 yards. Duke Degaetano ran for 37 yards on seven carries as Whitworth finished with 87 net yards rushing on 27 attempts.
"We still have a lot of things to clean up – penalties, protecting the ball and tightening up on special teams," Sandberg said. "But we will learn from this and get better."
Whitworth hits the road next weekend to battle Whittier College on Saturday in Whittier, California. It will be the Poets' season-opener.