FOREST GROVE, Ore. - The script seemed familiar, but this time the book had a different ending during Pacific's 31-29 loss to the University of Dubuque on Saturday night at Hanson Stadium.
A 19-point fourth quarter comeback gave Pacific a win over the College of Idaho two weeks ago, and the Boxers were looking at 17-point mountain to climb tonight after the Spartans scored on the first play of the fourth quarter to make it 31-14 "visitors" on Pacific's new giant video board.
But even with two fourth quarter touchdowns and a two-point conversion, the Boxers (1-1) came up just short in front of 2,075 fans in their 2015 home opener.
Senior quarterback Warner Shaw passed for a career high 409 yards and three touchdowns in the heart breaking loss, while senior wideout Jason Smith grabbed 10 of those passes for 179 yards. For Smith, those totals more than doubled his accumulative career output prior to tonight.
Shaw was 31-for-46. The 31 completions was one pitch shy of tying PJ Minaya's school record of 32 against Lewis & Clark in 2012.
Dubuque (1-2) took a 31-14 lead on Maurece Herrion's five-yard run on the first play of the fourth quarter, and looked to seal the game a little over five minutes later when they were knocking on the door inside Pacific's 10-yard line.
But Dalton Schwetz's interception of a Rio Johnson pass in the end zone kept the Boxer hopes alive. On the very next play, Shaw found Smith on a 80-yard catch and carry for six points, and Bronson Barretto's blast into the end for two points pulled Pacific to within nine digits at 31-22 with 9:11 left.
The Boxer defense forced a three-and-out and the offense went on the march again. Shaw ran for a first down inside the Spartan 20-yard line, but his next pass sailed high and Derek Schambow nabbed it and raced 54 yards down the sideline into Boxer territory with just over three and a half minutes left.
Again, the end appeared near for the hosts.
But Dubuque (Iowa) caughed up the football, and with less than two minutes to play Shaw led his team on another march. In just 36 seconds, the Boxers moved 68 yards in four plays with Shaw finding Smith again, this time from 17 yards out. Alex Beekman's point after made it 31-29.
Only when Beekman's onside kick was recovered by the Spartans did the drama end.
Pacific had 432 total yards of offense, but also had four turnovers to hurt the cause. Nathan Suyematsu had six catches for 72 yards and James Berry added four grabs for 84 yards to pace the offense.
Dubuque, who had lost to two Top 25 NCAA Division III teams to start the season, came out of the blocks looking to reverse their fortunes. They scored on two of their first three drives (14-0) and pushed out to a 24-7 lead with 2:41 to go in the half.
Pacific answered with a 12-play, 86-yard drive capped by Shaw's 1-yard pass to Zak Porche with eight seconds left to make it 24-14 at the break. The third quarter was scoreless, although the Spartans began a nine-play, 87-yard scoring drive that ended with a fourth quarter score.
Pacific's defense kept them in the game, holding Dubuque to just 72 yards of offense in the fourth quarter. The Boxers had two end zone interceptions (Schwetz and Shahin Marzband) and Jacquari People had a quarterback sack, a forced fumble and a pass break-up.
Dubuque's Johnson threw for 246 yards (18 for 27), while Herrion rushed for 122 yards on 25 carries with two scores.
Pacific will hit the road next weekend, traveling to the Los Angeles area to take on Occidental (Sept. 26) at 7 p.m.
Boxer comeback falls just short this time
/seasons/2015/boxscores/20150919_f4ik.xml
2015
Dubuque
31
Pacific
29
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 18 Dubuque (1-2) | 14 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 31 |
| Pacific (1-1) | 7 | 7 | 0 | 15 | 29 |
Sep 19, 2015