SALEM, ORE. -- Willamette University senior place-kicker Matt Bicocca (San Andreas, CA/Calaveras HS) has been named Northwest Conference Football Special Teams Player of the Week for his efforts in the Bearcats' 33-32 victory over 12th-ranked (D3Football.com) Linfield College on Saturday, Sept. 29. Bicocca scored the winning point in a 42-yard field goal with four seconds left in the game.
Overall, Bicocca went 2 for 2 on field goals and converted 3 of 3 extra points. His first field goal was from 25 yards with 3:59 left in the third quarter, as Willamette pulled within 29-23. Later, WU took a 30-29 lead on a 1-yard touchdown run by C.J. Washington (Sr., RB, Spokane, WA/Shadle Park HS) and an extra point from Bicocca with 13:23 left in the fourth quarter.
Linfield regained the lead with 2:32 left on a 31-yard field goal by Scott Birkhofer. The Bearcats then drove from their own 36-yard line to the Linfield 25 to set up Bicocca's winning field goal.
Bicocca is now 4 of 6 on field goals and 10 of 10 on extra points this season. He has converted 17 of 23 field goals (73.9%) and 54 of 58 extra points (93.1%) since the start of the 2005 season.
Willamette is idle on Saturday, Oct. 6. The Bearcats will return to action on Saturday, Oct. 13 at the Univesity of Puget Sound. Game time at Baker Stadium in Tacoma, Wash., is set for 1:30 p.m.
