TACOMA, Wash.—Junior running back Dyontae Navarrete powered his way through the University of Puget Sound defense from nine yards out, to lift Lewis & Clark College football to a thrilling 47-41 comeback victory over the Logger on Saturday afternoon. 
 
THE BASICS
Lewis & Clark 47, Puget Sound 41 (OT) 
(Lewis & Clark 4-2, Northwest Conference 2-2) 
(Puget Sound 0-6, NWC 0-4) 

HOW IT HAPPENED
 
Saturday's game was a back-and-forth affair that saw Lewis & Clark jump out to a 13-0 lead, only to have to rally late for a game-tying touchdown to force overtime. The Pioneers got their first three-and-out of the second half to force overtime and then came up with several huge plays in the extra frame to earn a huge NWC victory. 
 
The Pioneers won the coin toss in overtime and elected to play defense first. After two short gains on first and second down, Silas Ticeson came up with a huge tackle on third-and-three to prevent Silas Washington from picking up a first down. The hosts elected to go for it on fourth-and-one and freshman Jack Warren was able to trip Washington up just short of the first down marker for a turnover on downs. 
 
Lewis & Clark needed just four plays to earn the win. The Pioneers put the ball in Navarrete's hands on all four plays. He picked up chunks of three yards and 15 yards, before the Loggers stopped him for a loss of two on first and goal. On the final play of the game, Navarrete cut left, looked as if he was bottled up in the middle of the field, bounced off at least four would be tacklers and dove across the line for the game-winning score. 
 
Navarrete was one of the stars in the victory for the Pioneers. He finished with 20 rushes for 151 yards and three touchdowns and chipped in six yards receiving. Navarrete averaged 7.6 yards rushing and didn't have a negative carry until his second-to-last rush of the day. 
 
Senior quarterback Cruz Montana, the reigning NWC Offensive Player of the Week, put together a big day in the air and on the ground. Montana finished 18-28 for 262 yards, two touchdowns and a Hail Mary interception. He also rushed for a career-high 50 yards and a touchdown. Montana's legs proved to be huge for the Pioneers, as the senior quarterback rushed for several first downs on third and fourth and long. 
 
Senior kicker Alex Koga came up big as well. He finished 2-2 on field goals and three for four on point after attempts despite an extremely slick field. Koga became just the third player in program history to reach 100 career kicking points when he hit his first PAT. 
 
Senior Sean Bodi led a Pioneers receiving corps that saw four players post 39 or more yards. Bodi finished with a team-best five catches and 76 yards. Senior tight end Adrian Daffy posted a career-high four catches and 69 yards and his career-high fourth touchdown of the season. Junior Devon Guest chipped in three catches for 47 yards and a touchdown and senior Jonathan Newsome added two catches for 39 yards including a huge 25-yard catch in the fourth quarter. 
 
Defensively Silas Ticeson and Jay'Den Dock each posted a team-high six tackles. Ticeson recorded five solo tackles, while Dock, the reigning NWC Defensive Player of the Week, notched the team's lone sack of the day. 
 
Sam Meinhard, Justin Hope and Ramsen Paz (one tackle for loss) each chipped in five tackles. Senior Isaac Cordova registered his second interception of the season and led the team with two pass break-ups. 
 
Lewis & Clark got off to a strong start to the contest. After forcing an early punt, junior Ben Burnham came through with 38-yard punt return to set the Pioneers up at the UPS 27. Lewis & Clark needed just four plays to score, with Navarrete muscling his way in from five yards out. 
 
The Pioneers added to their lead late in the quarter. Both teams nearly scored a touchdown in between. Puget Sound pushed the football down the field on their second drive but Cordova picked off Mason Binning in the end zone to end the threat. Lewis & Clark had a chance of their own, but the Loggers defense stopped the Pioneers on third and fourth and goal from inside the 2. 
 
Lewis & Clark opened their next drive from the Puget Sound 39 and used just five plays to score. Montana came up with a big 24-yard rush and then found Daffy from 11 yards out for a 13-0 edge. 
 
Puget Sound responded with a seven-yard touchdown pass and then scored on a strip sack of Montana to tie the game at 13-13 with 6:21 left in the half. Lewis & Clark methodically drove the ball 76 yards down the field and Koga kicked a field goal to make it 16-13 at half. 
 
The second half was an offensive slugfest. The two teams combined for seven touchdowns and 43 total points in the final 30 minutes of regulation. 
 
Lewis & Clark extended their lead 23-13 with their first possession of the second half when Montana connected with Guest for a 28-yard touchdown.
 
After a long touchdown run from the Loggers, Lewis & Clark started with a short field and drove inside the five, before Koga kicked his second field goal of the day. 
 
The two teams traded touchdowns on their next two drives, with Montana capping off a 12-play drive with a QB sneak from a yard out. Montana connected with Burnham for a two-point conversion to make it 34-27 Pioneers. During the drive, Montana used his legs to convert on third-and-four (14 yard rush) and fourth-and-12 (17 yards). 
 
Puget Sound answered with a touchdown of their own and after a Pioneers 3-and-out took their first lead of the game (41-34) with 6:02 left. 
 
Lewis & Clark calmly marched down the field on a 10-play, 73-yard drive to tie the score. Montana found Newsome for a big 25-yard catch, Navarrete carved out a 23-yard rush and the Loggers were whistled for pass interference on third-and-10. Navarrete charged into the end zone on second-and-goal from the one to tie the game with 2:28 left. 
 
Both teams would get the ball back, but Lewis & Clark forced a punt and Montana was picked off on a desperation heave to force overtime. 
 
BY THE NUMBERS

• According to available records, this was Lewis & Clark's first overtime victory in program history. The Pioneers fell in overtime to Pacific 48-42 (2014), Claremont Mudd-Scripps 31-28 (2013) and Pomona Pitzer 24-17 (1996). 
• The Pioneers have now won four-straight games over the Loggers. Lewis & Clark won a record five-straight over their NWC foes from 2009-13. Earlier this season, Lewis & Clark defeated Puget Sound 41-15 in the first-ever Northwest Scholars Series game. 
• Koga finished the game with nine points to bring his career total to 108 kicking points. He passed Simon Monley ('11) for second all-time and now sits just ten points behind Andrew Foote ('09) for the all-time program record (118 points).
• In two games this year against Puget Sound, Navarette racked up 261 yards rushing and four touchdowns on 41 carries (6.37 yards per carry). 
• With their fourth win of the year, Lewis & Clark matched the 2012 and 2019 teams for the most wins in a single-season since the 2011 team finished 7-2. 
• Lewis & Clark rushed for a season-high 239 yards and four touchdowns on a season-high 46 carries. 

WHO'S NEXT 
 
Lewis & Clark will return home to host Pacific University on Saturday at 1 p.m.