Whitworth won a dramatic battle between unbeaten Northwest Conference opponents after trailing 24-14 early in the fourth quarter. The Pirates improve to 9-0 and claim the NWC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III playoffs.
The Northwest Conference has never come down to a battle of unbeatens in the final week of the season, until this Saturday when Whitworth will try to upend Linfield. Brian Lester talks to the teams in a D3football.com feature.
Originally put in place for the 2019 playoffs, then allowed to expire during the COVID-19 pandemic, it's again official that conference teams will not have to meet in the first round of the NCAA playoffs, regardless of cost.
Jacob Hogger's interception in the end zone with 17 seconds left preserved Whitworth's 13-10 win over visiting Carnegie Mellon in a Friday night season opener featuring teams from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Spokane, Washington.
Third-ranked Saint John's pulled away in the second half for a 45-24 win over 10th-ranked Whitworth in the second round of the NCAA Division III football playoffs.
Mary Hardin-Baylor, St. John's and Berry all advanced easily in the top-left corner of the bracket in the first round of the 2018 Division III football playoffs, while Whitworth rolled as well in the final game of the afternoon.
Whitworth has taken down the top teams on its schedule this season and just needs one more win to clinch the Northwest Conference automatic bid. But coach Rod Sandberg is making sure his team doesn't think it can ease across the finish line. More in a feature from Brian Lester.
Whitworth outscored visiting Pacific 21-3 in the third quarter to move within one win of clinching the NWC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III football playoffs.