Willamette at Azusa Pacific, Saturday (Sept. 17)

Cougar Stadium, 6 p.m.

Records:

Azusa Pacific – 0-2

Willamette – 0-2

THIS WEEK: A pair of perennial powers in their respective associations meet for the first time ever when NCAA Division III member Willamette University of Salem, Ore., drops in on Azusa Pacific, Saturday (Sept. 17), for a 6 p.m. kickoff in Cougar Stadium. Surprisingly, both enter the third week of the season in search of their first victory. One will right the ship this while the other will have to regroup.

RADIO: The Azusa Pacific-Willamette game can be heard live on the Internet on Azusa Pacific’s student-run KAPU. Andrew Wheeler, Alex Charles and Christen Buckner will call the game live beginning at 5:50 p.m.

TICKETS: Tickets for the game are $5 for adults, $3 for student with ID. Children under 12 are free.

DIRECTIONS (from the north): Take 5 Freeway south to the 210 Freeway east. Go through Pasadena and follow signs to San Bernardino. Cross the 605 Freeway. Exit Citrus Ave., and turn left (north). Cross Alosta Ave. and turn right into campus. Stadium will be on the left.

SERIES NOTES: Azusa Pacific and Willamette are meeting for the first time ever. Against Willamette’s Northwest Conference mates, Azusa Pacific is 3-0, beating Pacific Lutheran all 3 times from 2001 to 2003.

The Cougars are 5-6 against teams from Oregon but that includes a 3-2 mark in Azusa.

vs. NCAA DIII: Since 1996, Azusa Pacific is 39-7 vs. NCAA Division III teams and has won 12 straight, last falling to a DIII squad in 2001 (at Chapman, 27-25).

HOME AT LAST: After 2 difficult road tests, Azusa Pacific finally makes its 2005 home debut, hoping that home cooking will settle the Cougars. Azusa Pacific is 15-1 at home since 2002 with the only setback at the hand of No. 1 Carroll (12-0) last year. Over the past 3 years at home, the Cougars are winning games by an average score of 30-11. Since its 1998 NAIA championship season, Azusa Pacific is 35-5 in Cougar Stadium.

ABOUT THE COACHES: Azusa Pacific head coach Peter Shinnick, son of former Baltimore Colt linebacker and UCLA All-American Don Shinnick, is now in his seventh season at the Cougar helm. Shinnick has just brought Azusa Pacific through its best 6-year span in program history, guiding the Cougars to victory in 47 of the past 65 games, which includes an impressive 28-6 record over the past 3 seasons. He is currently 47-20. In Shinnick’s tenure the Cougars have appeared in 65 of 76 NAIA Coaches Top 25 Polls, including the 38 in a row, which has translated into 4 NAIA playoff berths, 2 of which had the Cougars advance to the semifinals. Shinnick has coached 22 All-Americans, 11 scholar-athletes and 73 school records have been broken since his 1999 arrival.

Willamette’s Mark Speckman returns to his alma mater in a football capacity for the first time since his 1976 senior season. Speckman, who was a 2-year linebacker for Azusa Pacific, is now in his eighth season as the head coach of the Bearcats. He has fashioned a 42-32 record to date and has guided Willamette to a pair of NCAA Division III playoff berths, including one last year.

NATIONAL RANKINGS: Azusa Pacific is ranked No. 20 in this week’s NAIA Coaches Top 25 Poll. The Cougars have appeared in 38 consecutive NAIA Polls dating back to Sept. 17, 2002.

Willamette is not ranked.

BACK HOME AGAIN: Willamette head coach Mark Speckman was a 2-year standout linebacker at Azusa Pacific during the 1975 and 1976 seasons. Despite being born without hands, Speckman enjoyed an outstanding football career at Carlmont High in Belmont, Calif., Menlo Junior College and Azusa Pacific. He concluded his career in grand fashion with an interception (second of his Cougar career) in the closing minutes to clinch a 1976 season-finale victory over U.S. International (26-19). Upon graduation Speckman embarked on a high school coaching career and in the process established himself as an authority on the “fly” offense. He led Merced (Calif.) High to national prominence during his 8 years there (1986-93), highlighted by back-to-back 14-0 seasons in 1989 and 1990. He is currently in his 11th season at Willamette, his eighth as the head coach.

LAST WEEK: Azusa Pacific dropped its second road game in as many weeks, falling to the NAIA’s No. 1-ranked Carroll College, 27-7, in Helena, Mont. The Cougars struggled to collect yards and had a hard time keeping the Saints from accumulating a massive amount. The Saints, who led 10-0 at halftime, opened up a 27-0 lead by the fourth quarter before surrendering the Cougars’ first TD of the season in the final 4 minutes. Senior QB Sean Davis completed 5-of-10 passes for 40 yard before being relieved by junior Rudy Carlton, who saw the first significant action of his college career and completed 7-of-23 passes for 64 yards. Carlton connected with John Davis on a 17-yard strike for both players’ first-ever collegiate TD. The Cougars tallied 206 yard of total offense while Carroll registered 521, the most given up by a Cougar defense in regulation play since Georgetown (Ky.) total 619 yards in the semifinals of the 1999 NAIA playoffs (Pacific Lutheran had 612 in a 2002 triple OT game with Azusa Pacific).

Willamette fell to at home to NCAA Division III No. 2-ranked Mary Hardin-Baylor, 45-24. UMHB led 38-10 at halftime and cruised in for the win. Willamette surrendered 5 big-play TDs that covered 64, 55, 54, 44 and 21 yards. In the end, UMHB finished with 500 yards of total offense.

IN GOOD HANDS: Senior TE Ricky Burgan has been named the American Football Coaches Association "Good Works Team" for his volunteer and community work off the field. Burgan, who is 1 of just 2 NAIA players to be named to the 23-man teams, has been involved in the Special Olympics, city clean-ups, youth mentor programs along with youth coaching. He also has taught Sunday School at his home church in Redlands. Burgan is the first Cougar to be named to AFCA's "Good Hands Team." Click here to view the entire team and for more information on the award.

GETTING HIS KICKS: Senior PK Mike Betancourth, who a year ago led the NAIA with 19 field goals made, pushed his school-record consecutive field goals made streak to 12 straight by converting his first 2 attempts at San Diego. However, his third try from 35 yards out clipped the right upright to snap the streak. Earlier in the game, Betancourth nailed a 45-yarder for the second longest boot of his career (he had a 52-yarder vs. Valley City State last year) and the fourth over 42 yards since coming to Azusa Pacific last year.

ALL-AMERICAN PLAY Senior LB Stephen Holte, an NAIA All-American first teamer from a year ago, continues his stellar play of a year ago. Against USD, Holte tallied a game- and career-high 12 tackles (6 solo) to lead the Cougars and through 2 games he leads the team 22 take-downs.

ABOUT THE BEARCATS: Willamette employs the “fly” offense which brings the flanker in motion through the formation before each snap where it can either take a handoff, block or become a receiver. A year ago, the Bearcats averaged 26 points and 378 yards a game on their way to a 7-4 record that featured a first-round appearance in the NCAA Division III playoffs (Willamette lost to Occidental, 28-14, in Los Angeles). Heading the Bearcat offense is returning starting QB Cameron Walton, who a year ago completed 53% of his passes for 1,221 yads and 5 TDs and rushed for nearly 400 yards while scoring another 7 TDs on the ground. Running back Quenton Brock is back as well after rushing for 447 yards (5.5/carry) and a team-high 8 TDs in 2005. On defense Willamette returns 4 of its top 5 tacklers, which includes team leaders Philip Sweet and Megdy Khoury, both of whom had 90 tackles last year.

Willamette opened the season with 2 extremely difficult opponents, falling at NCAA Division II Western Oregon, 35-0, to open the season before losing to No. 2-ranked Mary Hardin-Baylor, 45-24, at home last week. Through 2 games, Walton has completed 16-of-28 passes for 150 yards and while he is still looking for his first aerial TD he has yet to throw an interception. Brock is pacing the ground game with 181 yards on 37 carries (4.9 avg.) with a TD. Walton has 85 rushing yards and a TD.

Defensively, the Bearcats are struggling to slow the foe, yielding 432 yards and 40 points a contest thus far.

FOR PETE’S SAKE: “Azusa Pacific and Willamette are in the same place with one another,” said Cougar coach Peter Shinnick, “and our expectations are still very high of what can we accomplish. By no means is the season over. We can still have a great season, and I’m sure Willamette believes the same thing, but whoever plays the best football Saturday will take care of a lot of problems.

“For us, our issues are that we’ve just missed way too many opportunities to score. We’re missing blocks and missing holes when they’re there. We have to be better and what we’re doing. The blame is not one person, it’s everywhere. The problem isn’t one aspect, it’s all over. The good thing is that the guys are not hanging their heads. They know they have to work hard.

“Willamette has played 2 very good football teams, and if they had played just about anyone else they could very well be 2-0. They are disciplined and run a unique offense that makes you spend time preparing for it because if you don’t, it will expose you. On defense, they come at your from all angles. They play multiple coverages and blitz. I’m very impressed with what I see. I don’t’ think it’s getting any easier for us.”