SPOKANE, Wash. – Solomon Hines scored three touchdowns as Whitworth dominated on both sides of the ball to defeat visiting Willamette 66-7 in a Northwest Conference football game on Saturday afternoon at the Pine Bowl.
The Pirates (6-1 overall, 3-1 NWC) ran up 496 yards off offense, held the Bearcats (1-6, 0-4) to 175 total yards and returned two turnovers for touchdowns. Whitworth sacked Willamette quarterbacks six times for 30 yards and limited the Bearcats to only 2.2 yards per play.
Hines ran for two scores and caught a pass for another touchdown. He finished with 45 yards rushing on ten carries and his touchdown reception went for 30 yards.
Whitworth QB Jaedyn Prewitt completed 14 of 18 passes for 295 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions in two and a half quarters of work. Prewitt also ran 10 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter. He connected with Alan Ballew on a 54-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter and a 77-yard pass to Jarvis Natividad for a score in the third.
Gio Fregoso saw his first action at quarterback for Whitworth and completed all three of his passes for 36 yards, including a four-yard score to Dylan Ashbeck in the third.
Twelve different Pirates caught a pass in the game, led by Matthew Fiesta, who caught four passes for 68 yards, and Kanen Ables who had three for 26 yards.
Hines had a four-yard touchdown run to cap Whitworth's second possession. Prewitt's ten-yard run later in the first gave the Bucs a 14-0 lead.
Willamette scored its only touchdown when Aidan Kuykendall ran eight yards for a score on fourth down to get the Bearcats within 14-7.
Hines ran 20-yards for a score on the Pirates' next possession. That run was set up by Prewitt's 58-yard pass to Fiesta on second and 28.
Hines took a screen pass 30 yards for a touchdown and a 28-7 lead. Ballew's long touchdown catch capped the first half scoring and gave Whitworth a 35-7 lead at halftime.
Willamette helped Whitworth extend the lead early in the third quarter. Derrick Platt returned a fumble 25-yards for a touchdown on the Bearcats' first place from scrimmage. After an interception on Willamette's next play, Nate Rapue kicked a 41-yard field goal for a 45-7 lead.
Three plays later Jaylen Gonzales picked off Kuykendall and returned the ball 32 yards for another defensive touchdown.
Later in the quarter Prewitt found Natividad open over the middle on a 3rd and 12 play from the Pirates' 23-yardline. Natividad outraced the defense for a 77-yard score, the longest touchdown play of the season for Whitworth.
Natividad set up the Pirates' final score with a 47-yard punt return to Willamette's six yard line. Three plays later Fregoso hit Dylan Ashbeck with a four-yard touchdown pass with 6:13 to play in the third.
Neither team scored in the fourth quarter.
Gonzales had six tackles to lead the defense. Shane Modena also had six, three on special teams. Dylan Peterson was in on a pair of sacks for the Bucs. Patrick Serrano and Chris Knutson also had interceptions for Whitworth.
Kuykendall completed 10 of 37 passes for 84 yards for Willamette. He also ran 13 times for a net of 34 yards. Max Anderson caught four passes for 49 yards.
Christopher Brown and Dylan Streett led the Bearcats' defense with six tackles each.
Whitworth returns to action next Saturday at Puget Sound.