Kuykendall Passes for 264 yards and Two TDs, in 49-19 Loss to Pacific

By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SALEM, Ore. -- Willamette University quarterback Aidan Kuykendall (Sr., QB, San Pedro, CA/Palos Verdes Peninsula HS/L.A. Harbor College) completed 31 of 46 passes for 264 yards and two touchdowns, but the Pacific University Boxers pulled away in the second half to defeat the Bearcats, 49-19, in a Northwest Conference football game on Saturday, Oct. 2. The win at McCulloch Stadium advanced Pacific's record to 2-1 on the season, 1-0 in the conference. Willamette fell to 1-3 overall, 0-1 in the NWC.

Kuykendall threw his touchdown passes to Joseph Castillo (Fy., RB, Alta Loma, CA/Northview HS) and to Noah Niblett (Fy., TE/WR, Coos Bay, OR/Marshfield HS). For the season, Kuykendall has connected on 79 of 137 passes (57.7%) for 743 yards and nine touchdowns. Niblett caught eight passes for 74 yards, while Nik Goff (So., WR, Phoenix, OR/Phoenix HS) hauled in seven passes for 67 yards. Castillo had five catches for 55 yards.

Pacific quarterback Kenyon Harris was 17 of 24 passing in Saturday's game for 233 yards and five touchdowns. Kyle Kern led the Boxers with five receptions for 79 yards and two touchdowns. Isaiah Pitre grabbed three passes for 68 yards and two scores.

The Boxers scored on the game's first possession with a 7-play, 71-yard drive that ended with a 41-yard pass from Harris to Ethan Kameshige. Caden Almer kicked the extra point with 11:27 left in the first quarter. On Pacific's next drive, Harris hit Kern with a 5-yard touchdown pass at the 5:52 mark, as the Boxers claimed a 14-0 lead.

Willamette pulled within 14-7 just over four minutes later, when Dylan Sparks (Sr., RB, Beaumont, CA/Beaumont HS) scored a touchdown on a 1-yard run to complete a 7-play, 75-yard drive. Camdin Dirnberger (Fy., PK, Missoula, MT/Sentinel HS) kicked the PAT with 1:41 on the clock.

Pacific tallied the only points of the second quarter with 1:55 remaining in the half on a 1-yard run by Lucas Voss and an extra point by Almer. The Bearcats threatened to score moments before halftime after driving from their own 26-yard line to the Pacific 5. A delay of game penalty on 4th-and-goal, followed by an incomplete pass, kept WU from scoring.

A 40-yard touchdown pass from Harris to Pitre with 9:57 to go in the third quarter allowed Pacific to increase its lead to 28-7. Willamette answered with a 38-yard touchdown strike from Kuykendall to Castillo with 6:05 on the clock. After a holding penalty on the extra point, Dirnberger's second attempt hit the crossbar and bounced out, leaving the Boxers with a 28-13 advantage.

The Boxers added two scores before the third quarter ended to grab a 42-13 lead. The touchdowns were scored on a 10-yard pass from Harris to Kern and an 18-yard pass to Pitre. Kuykendall connected with Niblett on a 3-yard touchdown pass with 6:32 left in the game to end a 13-play, 78-yard drive. Kameshige scored the game's final touchdown on a 21-yard run for the Boxers with 2:21 remaining.

Joshua Harris of Pacific was the game's leading rusher with 22 carries for 75 yards. Kameshige added 39 yards on four carries. Castillo led Willamette's ground game with six rushes for 40 yards, as he averaged 6.7 yards per attempt.

Pacific finished with 433 yards of total offense, while Willamette gained 342 yards. The Boxers accumulated 25 first downs and the Bearcats were credited with 23 first downs. Neither team committed a turnover.

Willamette's defensive efforts were led by Dylan Streett (Sr., S, Santa Barbara, CA/Bishop Diego HS) and Dom Torres (Sr., DT, North Salt Lake, UT/Woods Cross HS), each with seven total tackles. Michael Wong (Fy., LB, Apple Valley, CA/Apple Valley HS), Albert Ramon Jr. (Sr., S, Hesperia, CA/Northview HS), and Taka Kanai (Fy., DB, Tokyo, Japan/Tsurugoaka HS) each registered five tackles.

Chase Hofmann provided the Boxers with eight tackles -- all solo stops -- and broke up two passes. Koa Atkinson-Sioloa recorded six tackles. Carter Atkins made four tackles, with 3.0 tackles for loss, including 2.0 quarterback sacks.

The Bearcats will travel to Newberg, Oregon, to play George Fox University on Saturday, Oct. 9. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. (PDT).