PORTLAND, Ore.--Senior quarterback Cruz Montana accounted for five touchdowns and the Pioneers defense allowed three points over the final 41+ minutes to lift Lewis & Clark College football past Willamette University in the Wagon Wheel Rivalry Game on Homecoming. 

THE BASICS
Lewis & Clark 39, Willamette 17
(Lewis & Clark 3-2, Northwest Conference 1-2)
(Willamette 2-4, Northwest Conference 0-3) 

HOW IT HAPPENED

After falling behind 14-3 early, Lewis & Clark scored 36 of the final 39 points to retain the Wagon Wheel for a program-record, fifth-consecutive season. 

Montana was a huge part of the team's success. The senior threw for three touchdowns, rushed for another and recorded his first career reception: a 23-yard touchdown catch on 4th and 1 that sealed the victory. The senior finished an efficient 21-of-28 for 255 yards and no interceptions. He tacked on nine rushing yards in the win. 

Junior Ben Burnham led a balanced receiving corps that saw five players post three or more catches. The junior wideout posted a season-high 85 yards in the air and caught his first touchdown of the season. 

Fellow junior Devon Guest caught four passes for 79 yards and junior running back Dyontae Navarrete caught a team-high six balls out of the back field (30 yards). Seniors Sean Bodi, Aaron Krause and Montana added touchdown receptions. Krause's one-yard touchdown catch was his first collegiate catch and touchdown. 

Elijah Washington and Navarrete led the rushing attack. Washington rushed for 58 yards on 15 carries and added 28 yards in the air. Navarrete recorded 41 yards on 11 rushes, 30 yards in the air and completed his first collegiate pass: the 23-yard touchdown to Montana. 

After a slow start, the Pioneers defense buckled down and dominated Willamette for the final 40+ minutes. 
 
Freshman Jay'Den Dock enjoyed the best game of his young career. The defensive end posted a game-high nine tackles and added two tackles for loss, a sack and a fumble recovery. 
 
Fellow freshman Jack Warren saw his most playing time at home this season and did not disappoint. He racked up a team-best two sacks and three tackles for loss and chipped in six tackles. 

Juniors Silas Ticeson (eight tackles) and Justin Hope (seven tackles) finished second and third in tackles. Senior Jake Bushman matched Warren with six tackles on the afternoon. 

Converted wide-receiver-turned-cornerback Isaac Cordova posted his first collegiate interception in the win. 

After Lewis & Clark took an early 3-0 lead on a career-long 44-yard field goal from Alex Koga, Willamette answered with back-to-back touchdowns to take a 14-3 lead with 11:38 to go in the second quarter. 

Lewis & Clark came out of huddle looking like a different team from that point on. 

The Pioneers ran the ball eight times on their 10-play drive down the field as they cut the deficit to 14-11 with 7:06 to go in the half. Washington accounted for 34 of the 61 yards. The Pioneers were stuffed on first and second and goal from the one but Montana held the ball up over the line and dove across for his first touchdown of the game. Montana connected with Bodi for a 2-point conversion to cut the deficit to 14-11. 

Willamette briefly stemmed the tide with a field goal from Camdin Dirnberger (43 yards) to make it 17-11 in favor of the visitors with only three minutes to go in the half. 

That proved far too long for the Pioneers offense. Montana found Guest (38 yards) and Burnham (23 yards) for huge chunks of yards and then connected with Krause for a go-ahead touchdown with just 33 seconds left in the half. 
 
After Willamette fumbled a punt on their opening drive of the second half, Lewis & Clark started their next drive at the Bearcats 47. Eight plays later the Pioneers were celebrating a 25-17 lead with 6:28 to go in the quarter. Navarrete and Washington each saw three touches in a row, before Montana connected with Jonathan Newsome for an eight-yard catch to put the Pioneers at the 13th. Montana found Bodi in the end zone on third and six for his second passing touchdown of the contest. 
 
Willamette went three-and-out on their next drive but got the ball back on a strange punt that bounced off the back of a Pioneers player. The Bearcats drove all the way down to the Pioneers eight, but on third and goal, the Bearcats quarterback couldn't handle the snap and Dock dove on top of the loose ball for the first Willamette turnover of the game. 
 
Lewis & Clark promptly drove the ball 94 yards for another touchdown on their fourth-consecutive drive. Washington, Navarette and Guest helped the Pioneers get the ball out to the Willamette 47 and then Montana found Burnham in space and he kicked in the jets for a 47-yard touchdown reception to make it 32-17. 

The Pioneers forced a turnover on downs to get the ball back at the Bearcats 32. Four plays later the hosts put the game away. Facing a 4th and 1 from the Willamette 23, the Pioneers tried to get Willamette to jump offside to no avail. After a timeout, Montana pitched the ball back to Navarette to the right and then sprinted out to his left all alone. Navarette found the Pioneers quarterback in the flat and Montana broke one leg tackle and reached across the pylon for an exclamation point in the victory. 
 
BY THE NUMBERS

• Montana's five touchdowns in a single-game are one shy of tying the program record for total touchdowns in a game. Mike Fanger threw for six touchdowns in three separate games in 1988 and 1989. 
• After scoring three points on their first three drives, Lewis & Clark scored touchdowns on their next five drives. 
• Saturday's game was partially decided by the Pioneers superior execution. Lewis & Clark finished 8-13 on third downs, 1-1 on fourth downs and 3-3 in the red zone. The Pioneers held Willamette to 6-13 on third downs, 0-2 on fourth down and 1-3 in the red zone. Both of the Pioneers forced turnovers were when Willamette was inside the 20. 
• Lewis & Clark has now won three-straight Homecoming Games. There were over 1,800 people in attendance at Griswold Stadium on Saturday. 
• This is the first time in program history the Pioneers have ever won five-straight games over Willamette. Lewis & Clark won the first four matchups (1948-51) and four in a row from 1989-1992. 

WHO'S NEXT 

Lewis & Clark will look to get back to .500 in conference play, when they take on the University of Puget Sound on the road on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Pioneers defeated the Loggers in the first-ever Northwest Scholars Series game on September 3 by a 41-15 margin.