PORTLAND, Oregon (Sept. 7, 2024) - Logger Football did their best to rally back from an early deficit against Lewis & Clark College today.

The first possession for Puget Sound saw the Loggers backed up on their own 13 yard line, relying on freshman Thomas Goeglein's 52-yard punt to attempt to salvage good defensive positioning as Lewis & Clark took over on offense. Unfortunately, after a couple of bounces the ball was scooped up by Pio returner Devon Guest, who returned the ball for Lewis & Clark's first points on the board.

Head Coach Jeff Thomas noted that many of the Loggers' opportunities were "squandered". "Credit to Lewis & Clark", he said, "as they capitalized on three first-half red zone turnovers and several crucial 3rd-down conversions."

The Loggers finished the first quarter down 0-14, but then gained some ground on the Pios in the second quarter, with a Henry Hernandez touchdown and a Bryson Boyea-Quiton extra point, leaving the Loggers trailing 7-14 with 14:08 left in the quarter. Unfortunately, this was the only score for the Loggers in the first half, and they conceded two more touchdowns before time expired, closing the period with a score of 7-28.

The Loggers were able to get more momentum in the third quarter when Tamaaulelei Maalona recovered a punt - scoring with 2:05 left before the fourth quarter.

Puget Sound continued offensive efforts in the fourth quarter, with Mason Binning relying heavily on a no-huddle offense. Binning threw a beautiful deep pass right to the goal line, targeting Isaac Tran, who caught the ball against the back of the defender and scored what would turn out to be the Loggers' last touchdown of the game. Binning finished the game with 279 passing yards, and 27 of 48 attempts were completed. The offensive line largely did their part; Binning was only sacked once by the Pios. Tran logged 8 receptions with a total of 111 yards, including the 34-yard reception for a touchdown.

Jaylan Bunch finished the game with a total of ten tackles, and Max Arneklev rounded out the game with seven.

"When we needed a play, we didn't get it today. I look forward to being a much improved team seven days from now", said Thomas.

The Loggers take on Southwestern (TX) next Saturday, Sept. 14th at home in Tacoma.