SALEM, ORE. -- Willamette University kept its hold on #17 for the third straight week in the D3Football.com Top 25 released on Sunday, Oct. 18. The Bearcats are 6-1 overall and 3-0 in the Northwest Conference. On Saturday (Oct. 17), WU rallied from a 17-7 deficit in the second half to defeat Pacific Lutheran University, 35-17, at McCulloch Stadium.
The Bearcats will play at home again on Saturday, Oct. 24, when they host #6-ranked Linfield College. Game time is set for 1:30 p.m. (PDT). Linfield, 6-0 on the season and 3-0 in the NWC, advanced one spot in the Top 25 this week after defeating Lewis & Clark College, 59-14.
Mount Union, 6-0, received 19 of 25 first place votes to retain the #1 ranking with 619 points. The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, 6-0, garnered the six remaining first place votes and was second in the poll at 606 points.
Wheaton College (Illinois), 6-0, moved up one spot to #3 this week with 551 points. The #3 spot was left open by the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (Texas), after UMHB fell to #8 in the poll following a 17-14 loss to previously unranked Mississippi College. The win vaulted Mississippi College, now 5-1, into the Top 25 at the #15 position.
The #4 team this week is Wesley College (Del.), 6-0, which received 531 points to advance one spot from a week ago. Likewise, St. John's University (Minn.), 6-0, went up a position to #5 with 497 points. Linfield also moved one spot to take over #6 in the poll with 459 points.
Willamette is averaging 36.7 points per game, while allowing just 16.1 points per contest. The Bearcats have gained an average of 372.7 total yards and given up an average of 291.3 total yards per game.
Jose Green returned a punt 29 yards to the 21-yard line to set up WU's go-ahead touchdown against Pacific Lutheran.
