Jones Ties Record with Four TD Catches, Leads Bearcats to 49-14 Win over L&C

By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director

SALEM, Ore. -- Willamette University tight end and wide receiver Austin Jones (Jr., Oakdale, CA/Oakdale HS) tied a school record with four touchdown catches and running back Taylor Livingston (So., RB, Ojai, CA/Nordhoff HS) rushed for 142 yards and one touchdown, as the Bearcats rolled past Lewis & Clark College, 49-14, on Saturday, Oct. 31 at McCulloch Stadium.

The Bearcats improved to 2-5 on the season, 2-3 in the Northwest Conference. Lewis & Clark fell to 0-7 overall, 0-5 in the NWC.

Willamette led 28-0 at halftime and owned a 42-0 advantage after three quarters. The Bearcats amassed 531 total yards, including 323 rushing yards on 49 carries. L&C was limited to 234 yards, with just 30 rushing yards on 32 carries.

Jones scored on catches of 12, 34 and 4 yards in the second quarter, and 27 yards in the third quarter. He tied the record of four touchdown receptions previously set six times by five Bearcat athletes.

Also holding the record are Jake Knecht in 2011 against L&C, Scott Schoettgen versus L&C in 2010 and against University of Puget Sound in 2009, Justin Pate versus Linfiled in 1993, Darren Holsey versus Puget Sound in 1989 and Gib Gilmore in 1967 (opponent not known).

Neither team scored during the first quarter, although Willamette ran 22 plays and gained 97 yards on three drives. The Bearcats had the ball at the L&C 11-yard line when the quarter ended.

On the second play of the second quarter, Jones caught his first touchdown pass on a 12-yard toss from Ryan Knowlton (So., QB, Puyallup, WA/Emerald Ridge HS). Cameron Coe (Fr., PK, La Puente, CA/Bishop Amat Memorial HS) kicked the extra point with 14:35 on the clock, giving WU a 7-0 lead.

After stopping L&C on three plays and punt, the Bearcats drove 55 yards on four plays to extend the lead. Knowlton hit Jones on a 34-yard pass to complete the drive with 12:10 left in the half.

Daniel Dennis of the Pioneers returned the kickoff 52 yards to the Willamette 40-yard line.

Three plays later, on 3rd-and-13, free safety Damian Jackson (Jr., Puyallup, WA/Rogers HS) intercepted Pioneer quarterback Niko Fortino at the WU 24 and returned the ball 31 yards to the L&C 45. The Bearcats kept the ball for seven plays on their way to a 1-yard touchdown run by Nikk Ryan (Jr., DE, Oakdale, CA/Oakdale HS). Coe's extra point created a 21-0 lead.

L&C responded with a 10-play, 53-yard drive from its own 7-yard line, but the Pioneers had to punt from the WU 40 on 4th-and-5. Willamette took over with 3:29 left in the half and drove 83-yards on 11 plays.

Jones completed the drive with his third touchdown catch of the game on a 4-yard throw from Knowlton with nine seconds remaining in the half.

Willamette's first possession of the third quarter began with 13:27 on the clock and lasted seven plays and 59 yards. Jones earned his record-tying touchdown on a 27-yard pass from Knowlton. After Coe kicked the PAT, the Bearcats led 35-0 with 10:21 left in the quarter.

A bit later, Tanner Stevens (Fr., RB, Redmond, OR/Ridgeview HS) dashed 48 yards for another Willamette touchdown at the 6:20 mark.

Early in the fourth quarter, the Pioneers scored on a 1-yard run by Eric Hawkins. The touchdown was recorded on 4th-and-inches, when Hawkins barely reached the goal line while leaping toward the end zone. The drive covered 19 yards on eight plays following a fumbled punt return by the Bearcats.

Later in the quarter, a fumble recovery by John McClenny gave L&C the ball at the WU 42. A personal foul set the Pioneers back 15 yards, but they scored six plays later on a 20-yard pass from Mike Machado to Bryce Johnson. The extra point by Colin Brown pulled the Pioneers within 42-14 with 4:52 left.

Three plays after the kickoff, Livingston rushed 81 yards for a Willamette touchdown. It was the first touchdown of the freshman's career and it was the Bearcats' longest play so far this season.

Knowlton completed 16 of 22 passes for 202 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. Jones led all receivers with six catches for 95 yards. Livingston gained his 142 yards on 13 carries. Jacob Swilley (Jr., RB, Olympia, WA/Yelm HS/Central Washington Univ.) rushed 16 times for 81 yards and Stevens achieved 68 yards on five carries.

Fortino was 16 of 29 passing for Lewis & Clark, as he threw for 156 yards with one interception. Machado was 4 for 9 in the air for 48 yards and a touchdown. Carl Appleton hauled in 4 passes for 64 yards.

Mark Mulligan (Jr., DE, San Francisco, CA/Archbishop Riordan HS) led Willamette's defensive with 10 tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack. Ryan, in addition to scoring a touchdown on offense, recorded six tackles on defense. Henry Adelman (Sr., ILB, Arroyo Grande, CA/Arroyo Grande HS) added six tackles. WU registered nine tackles for loss, with four quarterback sacks.

For L&C, the top tacklers were Stein Retzlaff and Remington Campbell, each with 13 total stops. Campbell recorded two of the Pioneers' five tackles for loss.

The Bearcats will play at McCulloch Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 7 against NWC rival Whitworth University. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. (PST).