SPOKANE, Wash. – Whitworth University is headed back to the NCAA Division III football playoffs for the second year in a row, this time as an at-large participant. The Pirates will host Pomona-Pitzer Colleges in a first-round contest on Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for noon in the Pine Bowl. Check the online football schedule for live stats and a link to the ESPN+ broadcast.
Whitworth (9-1 overall, 6-1 NWC), ranked 21st in the AVCA Division III coaches poll and 22nd in the D3football.com poll, lost at home to Linfield 34-7 last Saturday in a game that determined the 2024 Northwest Conference title. Pomona-Pitzer (8-2 overall, 6-1 SCIAC) earned its way to the NCAA playoffs by defeating Chapman 37-34 in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletics Conference championship game last Saturday.
NCAA Tickets: Digital tickets are required for entrance to the Whitworth Pine Bowl for all fans. Tickets can be purchased in advance using the Hometown Ticketing App. Follow the link for access. Tickets are $12 for adults and $6 for senior adults, students of participating institutions and children under 18.
Watch on ESPN: ESPN owns the broadcast rights to all NCAA Division III football playoff games, so Whitworth is unable to stream the game online as normal. Viewers will be able to find Saturday's game on ESPN+, through the ESPN app or on the ESPN network through a cable or satellite service. A subscription that includes ESPN+ is required to view the game. Bud Nameck will provide play by play and former Whitworth player and assistant coach Matt Miethe will provide color commentary.
NCAA Playoff Info: The NCAA Division III football playoffs consist of a 40-team field. The top 24 seeded teams do not play in the first round. As the 25th seeded team, Whitworth hosts one of the eight first-round games (bottom 16 seeds) on Saturday against Pomona-Pitzer. After Saturday, 32 schools will remain in the playoffs and will advance on a week-by-week basis to the NCAA Division III championship game, known as the Stagg Bowl. It will be played on January 5th in Houston, Texas. All games up to final are played on campus and will start at noon local time. Click here for an interactive online bracket.
With the vast majority of NCAA Division III schools located east of the Mississippi River, Saturday's contest in the Pine Bowl will be the last of the eight to kick off. All others will start two or three hours before the Pirates and Sagehens.
The Pirates: Whitworth scored a touchdown on the game's opening possession, but then could not score again in a 34-7 loss to Linfield in the regular season finale that determined the 2024 Northwest Conference championship.
The Pirates' offense moved quickly down the field on the first possession of the game, scoring on a two-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Blair to Evan Liggett, the 18th time this season that pair has connected for a TD. Whitworth would not move the ball into Linfield territory again until the fourth quarter of the game and trailed 23-7 at that point. Blair completed 24 of 34 passes for 180 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Liggett caught six passes for 71 yards and a touchdown. Caelin Johnson also caught six passes, while Cameron Sheley had four grabs for 60 yards. RB Luis Salgado had some openings in the first half, rushing for 45 of his 48 net yards before halftime. The Pirates finished with a season-low 221 yards of offense and lost their first fumble of the season.
Whitworth's defense allowed 364 yards and a season-high point total, but seven of those points came on an interception return that put the game out of reach in the fourth quarter. Zach Brooks once again led the Pirate defense with 12 tackles, and he also forced a fumble. Daniel McKeirnan had one of his best games as a Pirate, netting a career-high 10 tackles along with his fourth interception of the season. He was also in on one tackle for loss. Omari Williams picked off the second Pirate interception. JT Muñoz had one sack and Dylan Owens had another.
Matthew Herzog punted six times for an average of 34.5 yards. Iden Bone took over kick off duties and Jake Gaffaney made his only PAT attempt after the pair traded kicking responsibilities last week.
Back-to-Back: Saturday's game will be Whitworth's second straight appearance in the NCAA Division III playoffs, the first time in school history the Pirates have made the post-season in consecutive years. This is Whitworth's sixth NCAA playoff appearance, fourth under Rod Sandberg.
Pirate Playoff History: The Pirates played in the 2023 NCAA Division III playoffs, defeating Chapman 42-28 in the first round before falling to eventual DIII semifinalist Wartberg 42-20 on the road in the second round.
Whitworth previously appeared in the NCAA DIII playoffs in 2018 following a 10-0 regular season. The Bucs rolled past Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 48-6 in the first round, then lost 45-24 on the road at 3rd-ranked St. John's. In 2015 the Pirates were invited as an at-large participant and lost 48-10 at 2nd-ranked Linfield in the first round. In 2006 Whitworth finished the regular season 10-0 and defeated an unbeaten Occidental squad 27-23 in the first round of the tournament in the Pine Bowl. The Pirates fell to St. John's (Minn.) 21-3 in the second round, also played in the Pine Bowl Whitworth's first NCAA playoff appearance came in 2001 when the Pirates lost at home to Pacific Lutheran 27-26 in overtime in the first round.
The Bucs had one NAIA playoff appearance, falling 13-7 at Humboldt State in the semifinals in 1960.
Team Captains: The Pirate team captains in 2024 are QB Ryan Blair and OG Jake Trost from the offense and ILB Zach Brooks and DT JT Muñoz from the defense. A special forces captain is selected on a week-by-week basis. Last week's special forces captain was Marcus Viramontes.
Special Forces Captains, week-by-week: Sept. 7 – Luke Roberts; Sept. 14 – Ryan Kinney; Sept. 21 - Micajah Weisner; Oct. 5 – Dawson Tobeck; Oct. 12 – Chris Knutson; Oct. 19 – Trey Rose; Oct. 26 – Daniel McKiernan; Nov. 2 – Cameron Sheley; Nov. 9 – Luke McCorkle; Nov. 16 – Marcus Viramontes.
In the Polls: The Pirates dropped in both Division III football polls following last Saturday's loss to Linfield. Whitworth fell from 10th to 21st in the AFCA Division III coaches poll and from 16th to 22nd in the D3football.com poll.
It's Better to Take than Give: Whitworth's defense has been downright effective taking away the ball in 2024. Through ten games this season the Pirates have 24 takeaways, which is second in the NWC and ranks 13th in NCAA Division III. More importantly, Whitworth is second in the nation in turnover margin (24-5, or +1.90 turnovers per game). The Bucs are first in the NWC and rank 18th in Division III in fumbled recovered (10) and second in the NWC in pass interceptions with 14 (26th in DIII). Daniel McKeirnan, who earned first team All-NWC and led the Bucs in interceptions last season, has four in 2024.
Selfish with the Ball: On the flip side, the Pirate offense has been downright selfish with the ball. Whitworth leads all of NCAA Division III in turnovers lost with five. The Pirates gave up one interception in the first half of the season opener at Gustavus Adolphus and went 25 quarters without a turnover until the third quarter at Pacific.
To Protect and to Serve: The Whitworth offensive line is a huge reason for the records broken and milestones attained in 2024. Dillon Helle (RT) and Patton Miller (C) were first team All-NWC honorees last season, while Jake Trost (RG) was an honorable mention selection. Along with returning starters Kiefer Furness (LT) and Jake McCabe (LG), the offensive line is playing at a high level. The Pirates lead the NWC in yards per play (7.3) by a wide margin ov. The offensive line has allowed only eight sacks in ten games (0.80 per game), which leads the NWC and ranks 18th in DIII.
Touchdown Machine: Evan Liggett has 18 touchdown receptions in 2024, which is fourth in all of NCAA Division III and double any other player in the NWC. That total is also a new Whitworth record, breaking the mark of 15 set by former All-American tight end Michael Allen in 2005. He has caught 62 passes for 1149 yards, an average of 18.5 yards per reception, which leads the NWC. He became the first Pirate with 1,000 receiving yards since Garrett McKay in 2018. Liggett was a second team All-Northwest Conference honoree in 2023 when he caught seven touchdowns.
Surgical Precision: Ryan Blair has thrown the ball to devastating effect for Whitworth's opponents in 2024. He has completed 211 of 309 passes (68.3%) for 2721 yards with 33 touchdowns and only four interceptions. Blair threw 181 passes between his first and second interceptions of the season. He leads the NWC and is 10th in NCAA DIII in touchdown passes. Blair has broken Whitworth's single season record of 29, previously shared by Joel Clark (2005) and Ian Kolste (2016). His passing efficiency rating of 174.9 leads the NWC and ranks 22nd in NCAA Division III.
Running Man: Luis Salgado now has 1198 yards this season (14th in NCAA Div. III) and is averaging 119.8 yards per game (16th in Division III). His average of 7.09 yards per carry is 6th in Division III. He is Whitworth's first 1,000-yard rusher since Duke DeGaetano ran for 1,001 yards in 2016 and is within distance of the Pirates' single-season record of 1,293 set by Damion Putney in 1999.
Inside Man: Zach Brooks, Whitworth's inside linebacker, is proving his worth in 2024. Brooks leads the NWC, and ranks ninth in Division III, in tackles per game (11.1). He has 111 tackles in 2024. The next closest total in the NWC is 88. Brooks, who was a first team All-NWC honoree in 2023, has led Whitworth in tackles in nine out of ten games of the season.
11th Heaven: With the win over Puget Sound on October 19th, Whitworth clinched its 11th consecutive winning season under head coach Rod Sandberg. That extended the longest streak of winning campaigns in school history. The previous long streak of seven was set between 1959 and 1965.
Above Water: The Pirates' all-time record in football now stands at 427-419-18. This season Whitworth moved above the .500 mark in all-time won-loss record for the first time since the Bucs were 32-31-2 before the start of the 1929 season.
Whitworth won its 100th game in 1959, during Heritage Gallery member Sam Adams' second season. The 200th victory came in 1981 under Bruce Grambo and the 300th win came in 2006 when John Tully led the Pirates to an 11-1 finish. Whitworth won for the 400th time in school history on October 16, 2021 vs. PLU. It took 55 years to get the 100th win, 22 more to get to 200 and 25 to get to 300. It took Whitworth only 15 years to get to 400.
In 1997 Whitworth's record in football was 248-337-18, 89 games under .500. Since that point Whitworth is 179-82.
Winning the Opener: Following the win at Gustavus Adolphus on Sept. 7, Whitworth has won nine of its 11 season-openers under head coach Rod Sandberg. The Pirates are 5-1 at home and 4-1 on the road. Whitworth's only season-opening losses under Sandberg came in 2016 and 2022.
On the Internet: This season the audio of Whitworth's games airs live on the internet at WhitworthPirates.com. Inland Northwest Athletics Hall of Fame inductee Bud Nameck, familiar in Spokane as the KXLY channel 4 sports director for over 20 years and the longtime host of the KXLY 920am Morning News, is in his tenth season as the voice of the Pirates in 2024. He was the voice of Washington State University men's basketball for 22 years and spent that same amount of time on the Cougar football broadcasts – the final three on play by play. He is a longtime resident of the Inland Northwest who began his career as the Sports Information Director and radio voice of Gonzaga University basketball and baseball in the 1980s.
The Head Coach: Now in his 11th season, Rod Sandberg has entrenched himself in the Whitworth and NCAA record books as the Pirates' head football coach. Sandberg has guided the Pirates to an 83-23 record over that span, including three appearances in the NCAA Division III playoffs (2015, 2018 and 2023). He is in second place in total victories in school history and no Pirate coach reached 50 victories as quickly as Sandberg. Sandberg's winning percentage of .771 is the best among Whitworth coaches with at least five seasons and currently ranks among the top 10 active coaches in all of Division III. He coached the Pirates to the fourth unbeaten regular season in school history (9-0) in 2018 and repeated that accomplishment last season. The Bucs' 15-game winning streak, counting the final five games of 2017 and the first ten of 2018, is the second-longest in school history. Whitworth was 6-4 in 2014, Sandberg's first season, the best first-year record for a Pirate football coach since Rod Enos led the team to a 6-3 mark in 1965. Sandberg spent 19 seasons on the defensive staff at Wheaton College (Ill.), including the last 11 as defensive coordinator. Wheaton made the NCAA Division III playoffs five times during Sandberg's tenure as defensive coordinator. The team never lost a first round playoff game and reached the Division III semifinals in 2008 and quarterfinals in 2003. Sandberg's 2007 and 2013 squads led the Collegiate Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin, regarded as one of the strongest football leagues at the Division III level, in scoring defense. The Thunder were second in the league in scoring defense five other times.
Sandberg wins in 100th game: Rod Sandberg coached his 100th game at Whitworth on Oct. 5 at Pacific Lutheran. Only John Tully, who went 131-103 in 24 seasons as Pirate head coach, reached the 100-game plateau at Whitworth.
The Sagehens: The Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens, comprised of student-athletes from Pomona College and Pitzer College, both part of the Claremont consortium of colleges, earned their second trip to the NCAA Division III playoffs in the last three years with last Saturday's dramatic 37-34 win over Chapman University in the championship game of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletics Conference. Pomona-Pitzer averages 25.5 points per game and 302.7 yards per game on offense. The Sagehens allow 20.6 points and 335.3 yards per contest.
John Walsh is in his ninth season as head coach at Pomona-Pitzer and his 13th season on staff. He has a 47-29 record, including a 35-19 mark against SCIAC foes. He has now led his team to a pair of NCAA playoff appearances. Pomona-Pitzer lost 51-24 at Linfield in the first round of the 2022 playoffs.
The Sagehens have playmakers on both sides of the ball. Sophomore QB Grady Russo is a dual-threat offensive option. He has completed 65.1% of his throws for 1,521 yards with 17 touchdowns and five interceptions. He is also the leading rusher with 344 yards and four scores on the ground. Senior TE Quinten Wimmer has 50 pass receptions for 560 yards with eight touchdowns. Senior LB Thomas McConnell leads the defense with 89 tackles, including six for losses of 14 yards. Sophomore DE Alden Kling has only 14 tackles, but 8.5 of those have been for loss, including 5.5 sacks for 37 yards.
Last week Pomona-Pitzer fell behind 28-7 at halftime to Chapman at home before outscoring the Panthers 30-6 in the second half of a 37-34 win in the SCIAC title game. The Sagehens survived when Chapman's potential game-tying 51-yard field goal attempt on the game's final play was no good. Russo completed 34 of his 49 throws for 397 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions, while running for 64 yards and a score. Wimmer caught ten passes for 164 yards and two touchdowns. McConnell led the defense with nine tackles.
The Series: Whitworth leads the all-time series 3-1 and defeated Pomona-Pitzer 35-7 in the last matchup in 2011. The teams first played in 1997 and the Pirates defeated the visiting Sagehens 49-35, one of only two Whitworth wins that season. The following season Pomona-Pitzer held on to win a defensive standoff 13-10 in Claremont. Whitworth won 34-7 in Claremont in 2010.
Coming up next: The winner of Saturday's game will travel to Naperville, Illinois for a match up with top-ranked North Central on Saturday, November 30th.
