Football

Occidental Tigers Draw Whitworth in NCAA Football First Round  

After a thrilling 34-30 comeback victory over Whittier Saturday at Patterson Field, Occidental (9-0) learned its first-round opponent in the NCAA Division III Football Championship.

The Tigers, currently ranked 11th by D3Football.com, will travel to Spokane, Wash. to face ninth-ranked Whitworth College (10-0), champions of the Northwest Conference, Saturday Nov. 18 at 12noon Pacific.

Whitworth clinched its first outright Northwest Conference title with a comeback victory of its own Saturday at the Pine Bowl, defeating Puget Sound 44-27. All-American tight end Michael Allan set a Whitworth school record for yards receiving in a game with 251 yards on six catches.

Whitworth ranks 5th nationally against the pass and owns a turnover margin of 1.8, second in NCAA Division III. Joel Clark, the Pirates' quarterback, ranks 18th in passing efficiency (153.2) and 28th in total offense with 237.6 yards per game.

This will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools in football and the first time Occidental has played a team nicknamed "Pirates".

Occidental will be making its third consecutive playoff appearance, its fifth in program history. Quarterback Andy Collins '08 directed a 20-point fourth quarter comeback against Whittier, tossing a 13-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Inabnit '10 for the go-ahead touchdown.

Collins ranks 10th in total offense (283.5 ypg), 11th in passing efficiency (161.9), and is a two-time SCIAC Offensive Player of the Year.

For more information, including printable tournament brackets, log on to http://www.ncaasports.com/. Ticket and travel information will be released as soon as it becomes available.