Ryan Blair tosses five TDs to lead Whitworth over Puget Sound 42-24

From staff reports

TACOMA – Whitworth surged in the fourth quarter, separating late to stay unbeaten.

The Pirates struggled to break free from a tight game against Northwest Conference foe Puget Sound. The teams traded the lead four times in the third quarter.

But Whitworth made a couple of defensive stops in the final quarter and scored twice to pull away for a 42-24 win over the Loggers on Saturday afternoon at Baker Stadium.

The 14th-ranked Pirates (6-0, 3-0 NWC) led 15-0 early in the second quarter, but Puget Sound (1-5, 0-3) hung around and trimmed the deficit to 15-9 at halftime.

The Loggers took the lead on quarterback Mason Binning’s 14-yard TD run early in the third quarter. Whitworth answered with Evan Liggett’s 28-yard touchdown catch.

Puget Sound responded with Joe Gallagher’s 2-yard scoring reception. The Pirates took a 28-24 lead into the fourth quarter after receiver Nathan Owens broke into the open field for a 73-yard TD catch.

Whitworth gained some breathing room early in the fourth quarter, going up 35-24 on tailback Luis Salgado’s 44-yard touchdown carry.

The Pirates’ defense forced a turnover on downs with a midfield stop, but Whitworth couldn’t capitalize, missing a 37-yard field goal on the next drive.

Whitworth’s defense held in the red zone on Puget Sound’s last-ditch drive, making three stops from the 2-yard line. The Loggers missed a 19-yard field-goal attempt, and the Pirates put the game away on Michael Workman’s 3-yard touchdown catch with about 5 minutes left.

The Pirates outgained Puget Sound 547-517.

Whitworth matched a season high with 184 rushing yards. Salgado, a junior from Kennewick, had a career-high 168 rushing yards and a score.

Whitworth quarterback Ryan Blair completed 20 of 34 passes for 363 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions. The senior out of Mead High has thrown 25 touchdown passes against one pick this year.

Liggett, one of the top receivers in Division III, had 130 yards and two receiving touchdowns. He took a short reception down the sideline 87 yards for a touchdown on Whitworth’s first play of its third possession. The grad student from Kirkland, Washington, entered the game tied for first in Division III with 10 receiving TDs.

Owens had 133 yards and two TD catches. He caught a 19-yard touchdown pass early in the second quarter to put Whitworth up 15-0. At that point, the Pirates had amassed more than 200 yards of offense and held Puget Sound to less than 30.

Binning completed 37 of 68 passes for 382 yards and two TDs for Puget Sound. Gallagher had 162 yards on 20 receptions

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