TACOMA, Wash. – Time ticked away as Duncan White marched the Puget Sound football team down the field and eventually tied up the game with 21 seconds left. However, Pacific Lutheran was able to hit a 49-yard field goal as time expired to sneak out of Baker Stadium with a 31-28 win.
It is the second consecutive week that the Loggers have had their hearts broken with a field goal on the last play of the game.
White had the best game of his Logger career as he tossed four TD passes in the game on 21-of-34 passing for 235 yards, including the game-tying toss with just 21 seconds on the clock.
While White constructed an efficient passing attack, Casey Larson and Kyle Reynvaan each had breakout games to lead the Loggers to 168 rushing yards. Larson had a season-high 115 yards on 18 attempts, including a 44-yard scamper that set up a Loggers score. Reynvaan carried the ball 20 times for 84 yards.
White, Larson and Reynvaan led the Loggers down the field for the game-tying drive. The Loggers took over on their own 27-yard line with 4:14 remaining. A healthy dose of Larson and Reynvaan helped move the Loggers down the field and White connected on three of his six passes on the drive, including a nine yard TD strike to John Duncan on third-and-goal with 21 seconds left. The extra point tied up the game at 28-28.
A squib kick on the ensuing kickoff, coupled with a personal foul against the Loggers moved the Lutes to the Logger 32 to start the drive with seven seconds remaining. Nasser Abdelrasul knocked down a hail mary attempt with just one second remaining. However, Richrd Isett nailed a 49-yarder as time expired to end the game.
The Loggers and Lutes traded leads and kept the game close through all 60 minutes as both teams continued to fight. The Loggers scored first after Cory Dunn picked off a pass on the first play from scrimmage to give the Loggers the ball. White later found Adam Kniffin on a fade route to give the Loggers a 7-0 lead. In the second quarter, the Lutes tied up the game at 7-7.
The Loggers were quick to respond when White and Kniffin hooked up again on a two-yard slant route to regain the lead for the Loggers at 14-7. However, the Lutes marched down the field for another score just before halftime. A bad snap on the extra point was picked up and run in for the two-point conversion, giving the Lutes a 15-14 lead at the half.
The Loggers next strike came on a 43-yard pass to Lukas Diesing, who led the Logger receivers with 102 yards. Diesing had found his way behind the defense where White hit him in stride and he waltzed into the end zone to once again give the Loggers the lead, 21-15. About two minutes later, the Lutes responded with a 49-yard run by Alec Simmons to take a 22-21 lead. Jordan Rasmussen finally found Greg Ford on a 73-yard TD strike after Ford had been limited to just three catches for 39 yards in the game to seemingly seal the deal. However, the Logger defense responded .
Damarkus Millner pushed his way through the line to block the extra point and keep the Loggers within striking distance, down 28-21. The crucial block set up the final sequence of events as the Loggers hopes were lifted and dashed in just a few ticks of the clock.
The Loggers will conclude their three-game homestand next Saturday when they host nationally-ranked Linfield for the 2010 Homecoming game at 1 p.m.