Panthers travel to St. Louis to take on Washington University
Oct. 5, 2007

This Week's Opponent
The Panthers travel to St. Louis, Mo. to face the Bears of Washington University. The Bears come into the game with a 4-1 record, their best start since. 2001. Washington is coming off a 24-3 win over Rhodes at home last week. The Bears' lone loss was to No. 5 Wheaton. They defeated then No. 14 North Central 16-13, their first win over a ranked team since 2001.

Series Notes
Washington leads the series 1-0. The Bears won 31-21 last season at Callaway Stadium.

The Coaches
Washington University head coach Larry Kindbom is in his 19th season with an overall record of 118-67 (.638). His 118 wins rank him as the all-time winningest coach at Washington U. Overall, in 24 seasons as a head coach, Kindbom is 146-97-1 (.600).

LaGrange's Todd Mooney is 0-15 in his second season as a head coach.

Last Meeting
Senior quarterback Pat McCarthy threw for 222 yards and two touchdowns, while senior running back DaRonne Jenkins ran for 152 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Bears (3-3) past the Panthers (0-6) 31-21.
The Bears rolled up 454 yards of total offense. The Panthers were held to two yards rushing in the game and 192 yards of total offense.
After a scoreless first quarter, Washington took 21-0 lead. LaGrange got on the scoreboard late in the first half. A touchdown pass made it 21-7 at the half. The Bears extended their lead to 28-7 on their first possession of the second half.
The Panthers' Devin Allison stepped in front of a McCarthy pass and returned it 61 yards to the Washington 18.The Panthers cashed in the opportunity. Another touchdown pass cut the Bears' lead to 28-14 only one play into the fourth quarter. Erik Hardison scored on a 47-yard pass play that cut Washington's lead to 28-21 with 11:33 left.
The Bears closed out the scoring as Mike Elliott booted a 31-yard field goal for a 31-21 lead.

Last Week's Recap
Washington scored 24 unanswered points en
route to a 24-3 win over Rhodes in St. Louis. The Bears limited Rhodes to 122 yards of total offense in the second half. Junior quarterback Buck Smith finished 19-of-30 for 228 yards and two touchdowns, while senior Michael Casper had three receptions for 71 yards, and junior Kyle Gray added three catches for 61 yards.
Louisiana College broke a 17-17 tie in the fourth quarter to defeat the Panthers 30-17 at Callaway Stadium. The Panthers had leads of 7-0 and 10-7 in the game. They tied the game on Brandon Crawford's 26-yard reception from Drew Carter at the start of the fourth quarter. Running back Mario Wallace had 241 all-purpose yards in the game for the Panthers.

Washington Statistics
The Bears are 20th in the NCAA Division III statistics defending against the run. Opponents are averaging only 70.2 yards per game against the Bears. The Bears are 10th in forcing turnovers, with 16 in five games. The Bears are 16th in interceptions with 10 in five games. Quarterback Buck Smith is 40th in the nation in passing yards with 1,014.
 
LaGrange Statistics
Mario Wallace is sixth in punt returns in NCAA Division III, averaging 19.5 yards per return. Wallace also ranks 20th in all-purpose yards, averaging 169.8 yards per game. Wallace has 219 yards rushing to lead the team. After allowing 20 sacks in the first three games, the offensive line has allowed only two in the last two games. Quarterback Drew Carter is 61st nationally with 875 yards passing.

Washington Defensive Leaders
Linebacker Mike Elliott leads the team with total tackles. He also handles the place kicking. Elliott had a career-best 37-yard field goal against Rhodes. Defensive back Tim Machan has five interceptions and is fourth on the team with 22 total tackles.

LaGrange Defensive Leaders
Defensive back Jeremy Pickens leads the Panthers with 37 total tackles. The Panthers forced a season-high four turnovers (2 fumbles/2 interceptions) against Louisiana. The defense has forced 10 turnovers in five games. Last  season, the Panthers' defense forced 13.