TACOMA, Wash. -- In a rainy Homecoming game, the Loggers battled hard, but couldn't quite sneak past the Lutes in a 41-27 defeat. 

How it Happened
The skies were clear early, as the Loggers jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in their first drive of the game. Ten straight pass attempts by quarterback Hayden Teeter led the team town the field, getting down to the Pacific Lutheran seven yard line. A sack on third down pushed the Loggers back, but Charlie Reisman drilled a 31 yard field goal to put the Loggers on top early. 

The defense then stepped up, putting an end to the Lutes' first drive of the day. After a forced punt, the Loggers marched down the field again, this time with nine straight pass attempts. Facing another third and goal, the Loggers fumbled the ball on a bad snap, and the Lutes jumped on it. PLU marched down the field, kicking a 32-yard field goal to tie the game with 11:40 left in the second quarter. 

Puget Sound just needed four plays to go 70 yards, as Teeter found Josiah James for a 27-yard touchdown. James recorded not only his first touchdown of the year, but also his first reception as well. The Lutes punched right back, scoring a 42-yard touchdown to tie the game at ten apiece. Another great drive, highlighted by a 38-yard pass to Darius Bailey, put the Loggers in field goal range yet again. Reisman knocked in his second of the day to put Puget Sound back on top, 13-10. 

Another touchdown put PLU on top with 2:35 left to go in the half, but the Logger's up-tempo offense showed how efficient they can be. They only needed three plays to go 63 yards, as Bailey caught another 48-yard pass to put Puget Sound at the Lutes' eight-yard line. Bailey secured the touchdown as well, putting the Loggers on top 20-17. A strong defensive stop led to a turnover on downs, as Puget Sound took a three-point lead into halftime. 

In the second half, the Lutes took the first drive down the field for a field goal, tying the game at 20 apiece. A Teeter interception led to seven more points for the Lutes, and another fumble gave the Lutes the ball in positive territory. The Loggers suddenly found themselves down 34-20, but didn't give up hope. 

A Traevon Phifer interception on the goal line and 35-yard return put the momentum back in the hands of the Loggers. They took the ball down the field, converting on a fourth down to give them a first and goal at the five. Teeter found Isaac Tran in the end zone, cutting the lead to seven with just under eight minutes to play. 

The Lutes then marched down the field to extend the lead to fourteen, handing the ball back to the Loggers with five minutes left on the clock. A turnover on downs sealed their fate, as the game ended in a 41-27 defeat. 

Top Performers
Phifer had a breakout game, picking up a whopping 15 tackles, an interception, a pass break-up, and a half sack to lead the team on defense. Teeter threw for 515 yards and three touchdowns, as Bailey led the team with 6 receptions, 149 yards, and a touchdown. Joe Gallagher was the top target, picking up 11 receptions for 122 yards as well. Tran was the third receiver with a 100+ yard receiving game, recording 7 catches for 112 yards and a touchdown. 

Coach's Thoughts
"We had many opportunities today to cause a different outcome, and unfortunately, PLU won more of those plays than we did," said Logger head coach Jeff Thomas. "We will continue to work to get better and be better a week from now." 

What Happens Next
The Loggers play host to Willamette University at home, next Saturday, October 18th, at 1:00 pm.