Willamette Bearcats to Host Lewis & Clark at McCulloch Stadium on Saturday

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

SALEM, ORE. -- Willamette University will host Lewis & Clark College in a Northwest Conference football game at McCulloch Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 18. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. (PDT). The Bearcats enter the game with a 3-1 overall record, including 1-1 in the NWC. Lewis & Clark is 0-5 on the season, 0-3 in the NWC.

You can watch Live Audio and follow Live Stats during the game. The webcast will feature play-by-play from Mike Allegre and commentary from Brandon Chinn starting at 1:15 p.m.

Last weekend, Willamette lost a high-scoring game against Whitworth University, 61-45, in Spokane, Wash. The Bearcats amassed 669 total yards, including 398 rushing yards and 271 passing yards.

Senior running back Dylan Jones (Sr., RB, Santa Maria, CA/Ernest Righetti HS) established a school record with 350 rushing yards on 30 carries against the Pirates. He scored three touchdowns on runs of 67, 75 and 4 yards. Jones was selected as the NWC Offensive Student-Athlete of the Week. He has rushed for 776 yards this year.

Trent Spallas (So., QB, Elk Grove, CA/Franklin HS) has connected on 56 of 104 passes this year (53.8%) for 661 yards and seven touchdowns. He was 18 of 38 for 274 yards at Whitworth last week.

Derek Traeger (Sr., WR, Mount Angel, OR/John F. Kennedy HS), Ryan Foote (Jr., WR, Sherwood, OR/Valley Catholic HS/Allan Hancock JC) and Beau Smith (Sr., WR, Roseville, CA/Roseville HS) have been Willamettes top receivers this year. Traeger leads the team with 16 catches and has gained 138 yards.

Foote ranks first on the team with 241 yards, while grabbing 13 passes and scoring three touchdowns. Smith has caught 13 passes for 134 yards.

Willamette is averaging 467.8 yards and 39.8 points per game, with 303.0 yards per game on the ground and 164.8 yards per game through the air. The Bearcats have allowed 393.8 yards and 25.2 points per game.

The Willamette defense is led by inside linebacker Jack Nelson (Sr., ILB, Portland, OR/Jesuit HS) with 45 total tackles, including 26 unassisted stops. Listed second is Brendan Manion (Sr., OLB, Los Altos, CA/Archbishop Mitty HS) with 24 tackles.

Jimmy Roberts (Jr., ILB, Galt, CA/Galt HS) follows with a total of 23 tackles. Benjamin Jahn (Fr., OLB, Juneau, AK/Thunder Mountain HS) ranks first on the team with 5.0 tackles for loss and 3.0 quarterback sacks.

Wendell Galvan (Sr., CB, Bothell, WA/Bothell HS) has intercepted three passes and earned 10 pass break-ups. He was selected NWC Defensive Student-Athlete of the Week after earning 14 unassisted tackles against Whitworth. Daley Smith (Sr., CB, St. Paul, OR/St. Paul HS) has one interception and eight pass break-ups.

Place-kicker Conner Mertens (Fr., PK/P, Kennewick, WA/Southridge HS) has made 21 of 22 extra points and is 2 for 2 on field goals. David Cheng (Jr., P/DB, Dublin CA/Dublin HS)
is averaging 35.8 yards per punt. He has placed seven of 23 punts inside the 20-yard line.

Beau Smith leads Willamette with 24.3 yards per kickoff return, and Traeger has averaged 19.7 yards on kickoff returns. Bryan Toles (So., DB, Clovis, CA/Clovis North HS) has gained 9.3 yards per punt return.

Lewis & Clark played its first home game of the season last Saturday following four games on the road. The Pioneers lost to Pacific Lutheran University, 44-7, as the Lutes built a 35-7 halftime advantage and limited L&C to just 188 yards during the game.

Quarterback Cody Rochon (Fr.) has supplied most of the L&C offense, but he was injured early in last weeks game. He has completed 88 of 158 passes (55.7%) for 788 yards and two touchdowns with four interceptions. Rochon has rushed for 264 yards on 78 carries.

Zach Littlefield (Sr., QB) has converted 62.2% of his passes (28 of 45) for 253 yards and three interceptions. He is listed as the starting quarterback for Lewis & Clark on Saturday.

Michael Hawkins (So., RB) tops the Pioneers with 30 receptions for 230 yards and two touchdowns. Zac Salois (Sr., TE) has caught 21 passes for 195 yards, and Jake Costantino (Sr., TE) has hauled in 20 passes for 191 yards.

Josh Bocker (Jr., RB) has grabbed 15 passes for 115 yards. Bocker also has rushed for 66 yards on 31 carries.

Top defenders for L&C include Andrew Traver (Sr., LB), Stein Retzlaff (Jr., LB) and Roy Taylor (Sr., S). Traver has recorded 45 tackles with six tackles for loss. Retzlaff has made 37 tackles and leads the team with 26 unassisted stops. Taylor has provided 32 tackles, including 24 solo stops.

Colin Brown (So, PK) is 6 of 6 on extra points and 2 for 3 on field goals. Rochon has punted 21 times for an average of 35.1 yards. Taylor has averaged 27.7 yards on seven punts. Curtis Shirey (Sr., WR) is averaging 25.8 yards on 19 kickoff returns.

Willamette will travel to Puyallup, Wash., next weekend to take on Pacific Lutheran University in a Northwest Conference game on Saturday, Oct. 25. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. (PDT).