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THIS WEEK IN PACIFIC FOOTBALL
WHITWORTH AT PACIFIC (HOMECOMING)
Game No. 7/Home Game No. 4
Sat., Oct. 23, 1:30 p.m., Lincoln Park Stadium, Forest Grove
Live Stats: www.goboxers.com/live
Live Audio Webcast: client.stretchinternet.com/client/pacific.portal#
Live Video (Fee): client.stretchinternet.com/client/pacific.portal#
Audio replay Monday night, 7 p.m., on KUIK-AM (1360)

BOXERS WELCOME WHITWORTH FOR RENEWAL OF HOMECOMING
After playing the role of homecoming opponent for a pair of Northwest Conference rivals this season, the Pacific football team looks forward to being the homecoming home team this week.  The Boxers return home to Lincoln Park Stadium this Saturday and host Whitworth at 1:30 p.m.  The contest will be the key focus on Pacific's Homecoming & Family Weekend.

BOXER BYTES
• Pacific put together its best passing afternoon of the season Saturday as six quarterbacks combined for 291 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Boxers in a 66-14 loss to No. 14 ranked Linfield.

• P.J. Minaya connected for a 79-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Fukumoto on the Boxers' first drive of the game.  The strike ranks as the second longest passing play in school history behind a 95-yard play from Ralph Nickerson to Jim Wills against Eastern Oregon in 1973.

• Pacific's second touchdown also came on a long pass play as Quin Moore found Jacob Hauge for a 69-yard scoring reception in the third quarter.  The play was just Moore's fourth snap in a game this season.

• Jordan Fukumoto put together the first 100-yard plus receiving day for the new Pacific program, catching four passes for 106 yards.  Fukumoto enters the week ranked seventh in the NWC in receiving yards with 59 yards per game.

• As Pacific develops into more of a passing team, the Boxers continue to rank among the top throwing teams in the nation.  The Boxers enter the week ranked tied for 94th in passing efficiency at 127.96.

• Jon Lee continues to rank among the top kickers in the nation.  He enters the week tied for 23rd nationally among Division III kickers with one made per game.  Lee has not attempted a field goal since Oct. 9, but is now 4 for 6 in PAT conversions.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
WHITWORTH PIRATES
Location: Spokane, Wash.
Enrollment: 2,300
Colors: Crimson & Black
Conference: Northwest
Stadium: Pine Bowl (2,220, uncovered, FieldTurf)
President: Dr. Beck Taylor
Athletic Director: Warren Friedrichs
Head Coach: John Tully (Azusa Pacific 1975)
Tully's Record At Whitworth: 80-63/15 Seasons
Tully's Record Overall: 111-84/20 Seasons
2009 Record: 5-5    NWC Record: 3-3 (tie 3rd)
All-Time Series: Whitworth leads 16-2-1
Last Meeting: Whitworth won 34-18 in Forest Grove on Oct. 12, 1991

ABOUT THE COACH: Jay Tully is in his 15th season as Whitworth head coach and is the winningest and longest-serving head coach in school history.  Tully entered the season with a 80-63 record at Whitworth and is 66-30 over the last 10 seasons.  He has led Whitworth to three Northwest Conference championships, the latest coming in 2007, which included an undefeated 10-0 regular season record in 2006 that earned Tully NWC Coach of the Year honors.  Tully has led Whitworth to NCAA Division III playoff appearances in 2006 and 2007.

THE SERIES: Whitworth leads the all-time series 16-2-1, with the Pirates having won the last three meetings.  The two teams last met on Oct. 12, 1991, with the Pirates racking up 456 yards of total offense en route to a 34-18 victory.  The two teams tied in the 1988 season and the Boxers last beat the Pirates during the 1978 season, 31-23.

LAST GAME: PACIFIC LUTHERAN 39, WHITWORTH 21 (OCT. 9)
Whitworth found themselves stymied by Pacific Lutheran's special teams and defense in a 39-21 loss to the red hot Lutes.  PLU built a 19-0 lead after one quarter thanks to a 77-yard opening kickoff return by Kyle Whitford which set up a touchdown, along with a key fourth-down stand.  The Pirates received a pair of rushing touchdowns from Adam Anderson and a 10-yard passing touchdown from Jake DeGooyer to Taylor Eglet to close the game.  Whitworth finished with 321 yards of total offense.  Anderson rushed for 136 yards and had three kickoff returns for 60 yards.

WHITWORTH NOTES
• Whitworth brings one of the top ranked defenses to Forest Grove.  The Pirates enter the week ranked second in pass defense, allowing 198.8 yards per game, and second in total defense, allowing 323.5 yards per game.  The Pirates also lead the NWC in fewest penalties, taking just 34.3 penalty yards per game.

• Adam Anderson is the second leading rusher in the NWC and the 29th leading rusher in Division III with 114.3 yards per game.  Anderson is also 33rd nationally in all-purpose running with 152.5 yards per game and tied (1st NWC) for 37th in scoring at nine 9 points per game (2nd NWC).

• Defensively, Paul Werhane ranks second in the NWC in tackles with 48 (21 solo, 17 assists) and Jeff Erlenmeyer is tied for 10th with 38 (20 solo, 18 assists).  Robert Schaefer enters the week tied for 52nd nationally in interceptions with 0.50 picks per game.

• On special teams, Callen Thomason ranks second in the NWC and is tied for 49th nationally in kickoff returns, averaging 24.57 yards per return.  Punter Zack Clow is averaging 35.59 yards per punt, second in the NWC and 92nd nationally.

• Whitworth was picked fourth in the NWC preseason coaches poll with 31 points, one point behind Pacific Lutheran.

PACIFIC NEWS & NOTES
GO LONG: Pacific showed they came to play against Linfield on just their second play from scrimmage.  With the ball at the Pacific 21-yard-line, quarterback P.J. Minaya (Fr., Wahiawa, Hawaii) found Jordan Fukumoto (Fr., Mililani, Hawaii) for a 79-yard passing play that scored one of two Pacific touchdowns in the game.  The play ranks as the second longest in Pacific school history.  The play is surpassed only by a 95-yard pass play from Pacific Hall of Fame quarterback Ralph Nickerson to Jim Wills in a game vs. Eastern Oregon during the 1973 season.  Fukumoto went on to lead the Boxers in receiving against Linfield, registering the new team's first 100-yard receiving day with 106 yards.  The play proved bittersweet for Minaya, who was knocked out for the season on the next series with a dislocated elbow.

MAKING A GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION: If quarterback Quin Moore (Fr., Bellingham, Wash) and receiver Jacob Hauge (So., Nampa, Idaho) were looking to make good first impressions, they certainly did that in the third quarter against Linfield.  On just his fourth snap of the season, Moore found Hauge for a 69-yard touchdown reception to score the Boxers' second touchdown of the game.  It was just the first game of the season that Moore has seen action in.  While it is the fourth game of the season for Hauge, it was just his first reception of the season.

BECOMING A PASSING TEAM: Pacific continues to find their best success offensively when they go to the air.  Pacific enters the week averaging 215.2 yards passing per game, ranking fourth in the Northwest Conference.  The Boxers have also been quite efficient.  Their efficiency ranking of 127.9 ranks fourth in the NWC and is 94th nationally.  P.J. Minaya enters the week ranked fifth in the NWC in pass efficiency at 154.6 and eighth in passing yardage with 77 yards per game.  T.C. Campbell (Fr., Kaimuki, Hawaii) who is on top of the depth chart again after Minaya's season ending injury, enters the week ranked ninth in passing with 65.8 yards per game.

STILL AMONG THE NATION'S BEST: Despite not having sucessfully kicked a field goal in a month, Jon Lee (Sr., Kahulu'u, Hawaii) continues to be ranked among the nation's best place kickers.  Lee enters the week tied for 23rd among NCAA Division III kickers with 1.00 made per game.  Lee is 5 for 6 this season on field goals.  He hit a season-long 42-yarder against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Sept. 18.  He missed his first field goal of the season on Oct. 9, seeing a 42-yarder sail left of the upright against Willamette on Saturday.  Lee enters the week ranked second in the NWC in field goals and is fifth in the NWC in kick scoring with 3.2 points per game (19 total).  He is also 4 for 5 in PAT conversions.  Lee, a converted soccer player, is in his first year playing organized football.  He was named the NWC Special Teams Student-Athlete of the Week after going 4 for 4 in the opener against Puget Sound on Sept. 4.
 
KNOCKING IT AWAY: Forcing turnovers from a team like Linfield is always a big challenge, which makes Chrystian Johnson's (Fr., Rogue River, Ore.) hit all the more impressive.  Johnson landed a solo sack on Linfield quarterback Aaron Boheme in the first quarter Saturday.  In the process, Boheme coughed up the ball, which was subsequentally recovered by Pacific.  It was the 11th fumble forced by the Boxers this season and the fifth to be recovered.  Johnson, a tight end, was playing in his fourth game and making his third start at the position.  Linfield has lost the ball 13 times in five games and only seven times against conference opponents.

ALL-PURPOSE MAN:  London Amorin (Fr., Waipahu, Hawaii) continues to be a key component for the Boxers, especially on special teams.  Amorin enters the week leading the Boxers in all-purpose yards with 349 yards.  His total includes 224 yards in kick returns and 125 receiving yards.  Amorin added 50 yards on three returns against Linfield while also catching one pass for 15 yards.  Amorin enters the week ranked fourth in the NWC in kick return average with 18.7 yards per return.

KELSON COMING ON:  While Kelson Kawai (Fr., North Kohala, Hawaii) has started the last three games at wide receiver, he is making his most impact in the kickoff return department.  Kawai returned five kickoffs against Linfield on Saturday for a total of 99 yards.  His runs included a game-long 27-yard run in the third quarter.  Kawai enters the week ranked third for the Boxers in all-purpose yards at 273.  He currently leads the Boxers in kickoff returns with a 19.3 yard per return average, rnaking him third in the NWC.

MEDICAL REPORT: Pacific experienced another injury to a key player when quarterback P.J. Minaya was lost for the season with a disclocated elbow against Linfield on Saturday.  That brought the list of lost-for-the-season Boxers to five.  Linebacker Marc Moody was lost for the year after suffering an ankle injury against Lewis & Clark on Oct. 2.  Wide receiver Darin Kamealoha (Fr., Waipahu, Hawaii) was lost for the year after breaking his leg in the Sept. 18 game against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.  Kamealoha started each of the first two games of the season and had averaged 19.5 yards receiving per game.  Defensive lineman Courtland Thompson (Fr., Hollister, Calif.) is out with a shoulder injury. Frank Howard (Jr., Orland, Calif.) and Scott Imanaka (Fr., Kaneohe, Hawaii) are also gone for the year with an unspecified injuries.

RETURNING TO CONFERENCE PLAY: With the Oct. 2 game against Lewis & Clark, the Boxers played their first Northwest Conference game in nearly three decades.  Prior to that date, Pacific played their last Northwest Conference contest to end the 1984 season, dropping a 34-19 decision to those same Pioneers.  Pacific's last NWC win came earlier that season when the Boxers beat Willamette 35-13.  The Boxers played seven more years after that season, competing as part of the Columbia Football Association.  The NWC reinistated football as a conference sport in 1996 in preparation for the league's transition from NAIA membership to NCAA Division III.

ON CAMPUS RECRUITS: A handful of players have come out for the Pacific program after being on campus for the majority of their college careers.  Two of those are out for football are competing for the Boxers in other sports.  Jon Lee is scheduled to be the starting place kicker on Saturday.  Lee competed as a freshman for the Pacific men's soccer program.  C.J. Aalona (Sr., Hauula, Hawaii) is also out for football after three seasons competing for the Pacific men's wrestling team and one season as a student assistant coach.  Aalona will play on the defensive line after returning from injuries incurred during training camp.

ISLAND PRESENCE: In what should be no surprise to those familiar with Pacific University, the Boxers have a number of Hawaii students on the roster.  A total of 30 of Pacific's 124 players hail from the Islands, well in line with 1:4 ratio of Hawaii students in Pacific's undergraduate College of Arts & Sciences.  The list includes five players who played Kamehameha's 2009 state championship team, including Landon Aano (Fr., Ewa Beach, Hawaii), Chaz Bajet (Fr., Waipahu, Hawaii), Cameron Baron (Fr., Waianae, Hawaii), T.C. Campbell and Kamu Morita (Fr., Honolulu, Hawaii).

MAINLAND PRESENCE: Hawaii is not the only state well represented on the Pacific roster.  The Boxers feature 31 players from Oregon, 27 from California and 12 from Washington.  Pacific boasts players on the roster from literally every corner of the nation, including Arizona, North Dakota and Georgia.

SNAPPING THE SKID: Pacific will be looking to snap a 14-game losing streak on Saturday that stretches back to the end of the old program.  The Boxers enter the game having lost 14 straight, dropping all of their games during the 1991 campaign.  Pacific's last win came on Nov. 10, 1990, at the old McCready Field on the Pacific campus.  The Boxers came back from a 14-0 deficit in the first half, tying it with a Joe Spanish four-yard run and taking the lead on Carlos Valdivia's extra point as the Boxers beat Oregon Tech 15-14.

PACIFIC TO BROADCAST ALL NINE GAMES: All nine Pacific football games will be broadcast online via Pacific's Boxer Sports Network.  Audio webcasts of all nine games will be available live, with the pregame show beginning 15 minutes prior to kickoff.  Audio webcasts will be available free of charge and will also be replayed Monday nights at 7 p.m. in the Portland area on KUIK-AM (1360).  In addition, a video webcast will be available for all four home Pacific games.  The video webcast will be available for $10 per game.  The webcasts are available a link at www.goboxers.com.

Matt Richert will provide the play-by-play voice for Pacific football.  A 20-year broadcast veteran, Richert most recently worked as one of the prep play-by-play voices for KUIK-AM in Hillsboro.  He has also lent his voice to a number of OSAA Radio Network state championship broadcasts.  Scott Hermo will provide the color analysis.  Hermo has worked as a color commentator and sports host for KUIK since 1994.