Willamette Steps Up to #19 in D3Football.com Top 25

By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director, (503) 370-6110

SALEM, ORE. -- Willamette University moved up to #19 in this week's D3Football.com Top 25 following a 76-10
pounding of Lewis & Clark College in Northwest Conference action on Saturday, Oct. 11. The Bearcats are 6-0 overall and 2-0 in the NWC.

So far this season, Willamette has averaged 41.5 points per game, while posting at least 30 points each weekend. In the rout of Lewis & Clark, the Bearcats led 27-0 after the first quarter and owned a 48-10 advantage at halftime. Willamette is one of 17 undefeated teams in this week's poll.

Mount Union College (Ohio), 5-0, stayed at #1 and received 21 of 25 first place votes. The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, also 5-0, received four first place votes and continued to hold the #2 ranking. The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (Texas), 5-0 remained at #3 this week.

Willamette's opponent in the season-opener, Concordia College-Moorhead (Minn.), fell to 3-2 and dropped out of the poll from the #23 position after losing to the University of St. Thomas (Minn.), 14-13. Linfield College (3-1), which will host Willamette on Oct. 25, moved into the poll at #25 following a 31-28 win over Whitworth University.

This weekend, the Bearcats will travel to Puyallup, Wash., to take on Pacific Lutheran University on Saturday, Oct. 18. Game time for the NWC match-up at Sparks Stadium is set for 1:30 p.m. (PDT).