Pacific Lutheran fells Bearcats

PUYALLUP, Wash. — Willamette (1-3) fell to Pacific Lutheran (2-2) with a final score of 31-28 at Sparks Stadium, despite a strong second-quarter performance highlighted by four passing touchdowns.

In the first quarter, Willamette began with a strong defensive stand, forcing Pacific Lutheran into a three-and-out after Austin Payne hurried the quarterback on third down. Jerrick Little sparked the Bearcats' offense with a 33-yard pass from Luke Rasmussen to Trajan Clark, moving the ball near midfield. Pacific Lutheran's Jacob Schuh ran for 17 yards, setting up a drive into Willamette territory, but the drive stalled after a sack by John Williamson and a penalty. The quarter ended with both teams unable to capitalize on their drives, leaving the score tied at 0-0.

Conley Moskot connected with Jonah Luhrsen on a 33-yard touchdown pass, putting the Bearcats on the board early in the second quarter. Willamette capitalized on a turnover on downs with a 65-yard touchdown pass from Rasmussen to Clark. Rasmussen found Luhrsen again, this time for a 35-yard touchdown pass, furthering their advantage at 5:15. Then Pacific Lutheran responded late with Anthony Mahaffey's 3-yard touchdown pass to Dayton Savea, closing the period at 00:15. At halftime, the Bearcats led 21-7.

Momentum shifted early in the third quarter with Avery Coleman's interception, giving Pacific Lutheran possession at Willamette's 39-yard line. A fumble recovery by Cole Becker on a sack set up Pacific Lutheran's first touchdown of the quarter. A 70-yard touchdown pass from Mahaffey to Jase Ellamar with 1:05 remaining allowed Pacific Lutheran to pull even, ending the quarter tied.

In the fourth quarter, Willamette's Rasmussen connected with Braden Ovitz for a 17-yard touchdown pass, putting the Bearcats up 28–21. But, Pacific Lutheran responded with a safety, which narrowed the score to 28–23. Mahaffey of Pacific Lutheran completed a 6-yard touchdown pass to AJ Stepina, and a successful two-point conversion gave Pacific Lutheran a 31–28 lead with 3:30 left. Eli Fernandez intercepted Rasmussen's pass, allowing Pacific Lutheran to run out the clock and secure a victory.

Clark led the offensive effort with 142 receiving yards and one touchdown on three catches. Rasmussen finished with 296 passing yards and three touchdowns on 14-of-23 passing, although he also threw three interceptions. Luhrsen contributed significantly with five receptions for 83 yards and two touchdowns. On the defensive side, Noah Reese recorded 11 tackles and recovered a fumble, while Tyler Schoenrock added two interceptions to the team's defensive stats.

The Bearcats fell to 1-3 overall and 0-1 in conference play after the loss. Pacific Lutheran evened their record at 2-2 and improved to 1-0 in conference competition.

Looking ahead, Willamette hosts Lewis & Clark College on Saturday, October 11 at McCulloch Stadium. Kickoff is at 1 p.m.