Elliott's theme of focus pays off

By Mike Safford Jr. (posted Sept. 25)

Gordon Elliott knew that the University of Puget Sound was capable of playing defending Northwest Conference champion Willamette tough, even on the road in Salem, Ore. However, it was the Loggers 17-14 victory over the 1999 NCAA Division III playoff club that sent shockwaves down the West Coast, and respect to the campus in Tacoma, Wash. 

"Our theme this week was to focus on the things that we do well, and not on playing Willamette," said the seventh-year head coach. "Too often players get caught up in playing a high-profile opponent, and do not focus on their own responsibilities."

The Loggers (1-0 NWC, 2-1 overall), who have not had a winning season since 1987, took the opening kickoff and marched 80 yards against a defense that was touted as one of the 'Best in the West,' with Chad Mahoe plunging in from three yards out to give Puget Sound a 7-0 lead. "We spread the field out on the first drive -- mixing up the run and the pass -- trying to control the line of scrimmage," Elliott said. "After we scored, I looked and there was 7:01 left on the clock."

Since former Willamette head coach Dan Hawkins introduced the "Fly" offense in 1995, which troubles defenses trying to stop an unbalanced line and deceptive handoffs, Puget Sound has struggled to stop the Bearcats.

"As a coach, you know that they will get their yards," Elliott stated about Willamette, ranked No. 6 nationally in rushing yards per game (290.0). "The key is stopping the big play, which we did." 

Besides Andrew Ecklund's 37-yard run early in the third quarter, the Loggers did not give up the big play. Willamette managed 208 yards on the ground, well below their average. "We ran our basic defense the entire game, staying as simple as we could. Each player had his own assignment and had to remain disciplined for four quarters. We did that," Elliott said.

The Bearcats (0-1, 1-2), coming off a 21-0 loss at No. 4 Trinity the week before, held a 14-7 lead at halftime, thanks to a 1-yard scamper by flanker Andy Miguel and a 15-yard touchdown pass from Bucky Rivera to Mike Bernatz. However, Puget Sound did not let the evils of 12 consecutive losing seasons plague their thoughts and actions.

"This is the first-time in my coaching career at Puget Sound that we have experience on both sides of the ball," Elliott said. "That paid off in the second half."

While the Loggers stymied the Willamette offensive attack, the Puget Sound offense went to work. Late in the third quarter, Puget Sound was stopped deep in Bearcat territory, but a roughing the passer penalty gave UPS new life. The white and maroon clad Loggers responded as Stephen Graves bulled his way in from 5 yards out to make it 14-14.

On the Bearcats first offensive play following the touchdown, corner David Sugihara recovered a Willamette fumble. The turnover set up a Michael Cassaw 21-yard field goal, which ended up being the game-winner early in the fourth quarter, and silenced the homecoming crowd.

Mahoe finished with 101 yards rushing on 23 carries, while senior quarterback Craig Knapp was 22-for-37 for 110 yards.

"We are still young maturity-wise, but each week we develop," Elliott said. "Against Simon Fraser in the opener, we played a tough, physical team and still almost pulled a victory out. Against Claremont, we had the distractions of a trip to California, but competed and played to the end and got a victory. This week, we competed with a top team in the best league in the nation and won."

Menlo upset bid fails
Quarterback Zamir Amin scrambled for a 13-yard touchdown run with 31-seconds left, but his two-point conversion pass was intercepted as the University of San Diego held on for a wild 39-37 victory over Menlo College. 

The Oaks (1-2) dominated the statistics and led 31-17 going into the final stanza against the NCAA Division I-AA Torerros. In the fourth period comeback, USD scored three consecutive touchdowns -- a Phillip 9-yard run with 14:33 left that culminated an 8-play, 56 yard drive to pull the Toreros to within 31-24; senior Sean McClinton caught a 24-yard pass from Mike Stadler to get USD within one at 31-30, and Dylan Mora picked up an errant snap and converted the two-point conversion with a pass that put the Toreros up 32-31 with 8:46 to go in the game; and Thrash extended USD's lead to 39-31 with 3:29 to go on a 5-yard run.

Menlo drove 71 yards on eight plays that culminated on the 13-yard run by Amir, but the Oaks' two-point conversion pass for the potential tie was intercepted by Bryan Baxter. Amin went 36-for-57 for 446 yards and four touchdowns, each to receiver Nate Jackson, who grabbed 15 balls for 267 yards.

Sicocan becomes Eastern Oregon's all-time rusher
Fullback Tim Sicocan became the all-time leading rusher at Eastern Oregon, leading the Mountaineers to a 49-18 against Simon Fraser. The 6-1, 240 pound senior from Milton-Freewater, Ore., eclipsed the mark of 2,305 yards set by Chris Vogt from 1992-95. Sicocan rushed for 167 yards and two touchdowns in the Eastern (1-2) romp, giving him 2,450 yards for his career. 

Quarterback Chuck Nyby was 15-for-18 for 216 yards and three touchdowns, and rushed for 70 yards himself as the Mountaineers jumped to a 35-10 halftime cushion. EOU punter Chris Setser also set a school record with an 84-yard punt in the third quarter. The Mountaineers rolled up 596 total yards on the afternoon after struggling offensively in losses to UC-Davis and Carroll College.

Around the region
Pacific Lutheran jumped out to a 21-0 lead and held on for a 34-28 Northwest Conference victory against Whitworth. Chad Johnson went 17-for-24 for 261 yards and three touchdowns as the defending champion Lutes (1-0 NWC, 3-0) withstood a 21-point fourth quarter rally by the Pirates (0-1,1-2). … Bobby Calderon hauled in a 42-yard pass from Stan Villanueva and Matthew Deter kicked two field goals in the second half as Chapman defeated Whittier 20-10. Phil Cruz rushed for 102 yards on 15 carries for the Panthers (1-2), as Chapman erased a 10-7 third quarter lead by the Poets (0-2). … Brandon Ford rushed for 158 yards and two touchdowns as Redlands stopped Cal Lutheran 38-31. The Bulldogs (1-0 SCIAC, 2-1) built a 38-16 lead in the fourth quarter before two late Kingsmen (0-1, 0-2) touchdowns made the game interesting. Chris Czernek went 23-for-40 for 261 yards and two touchdowns in the loss. … La Verne took advantage of seven Claremont turnovers on the way to a 48-7 victory. The Leopards (1-0 SCIAC, 1-1) led 31-0 at the half as Aaron Becker threw for 144 yards and two scores, and Flynn Turner hit field goals from 43 and 50 yards. Ryan Gocong had 80 yards on the ground for the Stags (0-1, 1-2). … Pomona-Pitzer (3-0) scored on four straight first half possessions, defeating Lewis and Clark (1-1), 37-13, in a battle of unbeatens. … Occidental (1-1) picked up its first win of the season with a 13-7 victory against Colorado College (1-2).

Game of the Week
Linfield (2-0) at Pacific Lutheran (3-0)
The Wildcats have had an extra week to prepare for their Northwest Conference rival. Linfield, which stopped Southern Oregon 23-11 two weeks ago, has its sights set on the top-ranked team in the Division III. The time off has allowed starting offensive linemen Ryan Adams and Chris Flores to heal and head coach Jay Locey seven more days to devise a scheme to stop the Lutes. Running back Carl Haberberger has averaged 93 yards rushing in two games, while quarterback Curt Musser has thrown for 463 yards and five touchdowns. 

PLU, which defeated Whitworth 34-28 on Saturday, is hoping for a repeat of the 56-23 victory against Linfield in 1999. Quarterback Chad Johnson is off to a tremendous start throwing for 931 yards and seven touchdowns, with a 65.3 completion percentage. The Lutes are averaging 526.7 yards of offense and 41.7 points per game. PLU hopes to have linebacker Luke Gearhard back in the lineup after he missed the last two games with a severe ankle sprain. A question mark for the Lutes is freshman running back Aaron Binger, who missed most of the Whitworth game with an injury. Binger currently leads the conference in rushing (96.3) and all-purpose yards (157.7). 

Linfield owns a 25-20-3 series advantage over the Lutes, and last beat PLU 28-12 in 1997. The two teams combined for six NAIA championships between 1980-93.

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