SPOKANE, Wash. – Cam Collings’ 28-yard field goal with 2:57 left in the game lifted NCAA Division III No. 17-ranked Whitworth to a 17-14 victory over Azusa Pacific, Saturday afternoon at the Pine Bowl in Spokane, Wash.

Collings boot, his first successful field goal attempt of the season, capped Whitworth’s only sustained drive of the second half to keep the Pirates undefeated in 4 games this year and propel them to their first win in 2 meetings with Azusa Pacific.

The Cougars appeared to have put themselves in good position for a possible win when freshman punter Andrew Lutton pinned Whitworth at its own 5-yard line with 6 minutes left and the game tied at 14-14. However, behind quarterback Joel Clark and aided by a Cougar personal foul penalty, the Pirates moved 84 yards on 9 plays to the Cougar 11-yard line before Collings split the uprights for the eventual game-winner. On the drive, Clark threw for 44 yards on 2 completions, the first getting a bonus 15 yards for the Cougar foul, and then he ran for another 11 yards, taking the ball down to the 15-yard line and essentially setting up Collings heroics.

Sophomore lineman Jermaine Easterlin then sealed the victory when he picked off Cougar QB Ryan Bridges 2 plays into the ensuing drive.

Azusa Pacific’s defense was outstanding on the day, holding a Pirate offense that came in averaging 400 yards a contest to just 280. Led by senior end Josh Zeno, the Cougars sacked Clark 4 times and held the Pirate ground game to just 104 yards on 44 carries. Zeno accounted for 2.5 sacks.

Azusa Pacific assumed a quick 7-0 lead when Marcus Lampkin capped the Cougars’ first drive with a 5-yard touchdown run. However, the drive was costly to Azusa Pacific. Senior quarterback Rudy Carlton, who completed his first 2 passes of the game, went down with an injury on the fourth play from scrimmage and was replaced for the rest of the day by Bridges.

By the end of the first quarter, Whitworth owned a 14-7 advantage, first parlaying an 81-yard drive into a touchdown on a Clark 9-yard run. On the Cougars’ ensuing possession, Bridges fumbled, and the Pirates recovered at the Cougar 5-yard line. Kyle Havercroft bounced in from 5 yards out to give the Pirates their first advantage.

Azusa Pacific got the equalizer with less than a minute left in the first half, when Lampkin took a Bridges’ short pass and weaved his way 33 yards to the end zone, knotting the game at 14-14 at halftime.

Following its first touchdown score, Whitworth was limited to just 137 yards of offense over the course of its next 8 drives by a Cougar defense that swarmed all over the Pirate spread offense, giving legitimate reason for the Cougars’ hopes when Whitworth was pinned at its 5-yard line. Nevin Flores’ sack of Clark led to one of 2 Pirate fumbles, this one setting up Lampkin’s second touchdown score.

Clark finished the game 10-of-16 passes for 176 yards and was the Pirates’ top rusher with 37 yards on 18 carries. Bridges was admirable in only his second action as a collegiate signal caller, completing 9-of-18 passes for 99 yards. Lampkin finished with a season-high 79 yards rushing on 21 carries. Zeno capped his game with a career-high 11 tackles, including 4 for loss.

With the setback Azusa Pacific falls to 1-4. Whitworth improves to 4-0.