PORTLAND, Ore.—Fresh off their best season in over a decade, Lewis & Clark College football is looking to post back-to-back .500 seasons or better for the first time since the program recorded three-straight winning seasons from 1989-91. The Pioneers will open their season on Saturday at 1 p.m., when they host the University of Puget Sound in the Northwest Scholar Series. 
 
NWC PRESEASON POLL 
 
The Pioneers were picked to finish fifth in the Northwest Conference Coaches' Poll. Lewis & Clark received 28 points to finish narrowly behind third-place George Fox University (31 points) and fourth-place Pacific Lutheran University (30 points). Last fall, football went 4-3 in NWC play to finish in a tie for third-place with the Lutes. Lewis & Clark earned their first win in over a decade over fifth-place George Fox (3-4) and sixth-place Pacific University (2-5). 
 
2023 NWC runner-ups Linfield University were tabbed the preseason favorites. The Wildcats received seven first-place votes and 49 total points to edge 2023 NWC Champions Whitworth University (43 points, one first-place vote). Both teams opened the season in the top-25 of the D3football.com rankings. Linfield barely edged the Pirates with the two teams ranked #23 and #24 in the preseason poll. 
 
KEY RETURNERS
 
Third-year head coach Joe Bushman's squad returns 11 of their 14 All-Conference honorees from a year ago. The Pioneers had a banner year offensively as they ranked second in the league in yards per game (445.1), third in in scoring offense (35.4 points per game) and in the top-three in the conference in passing (302.1) and rushing (143.0) yards per game. Football returns two of the team's top three quarterbacks in seniors Trey Morris and JT Willis. Morris earned the starting job for the second half of last season and threw for a career-high 1,315 yards and 14 touchdowns. Willis saw action in all 10 games as a junior and has thrown for 272 career yards on 41 attempts through his first three seasons. Lewis & Clark returns two of the team's three All-Conference wide receivers and all three of their All-Conference offensive linemen. Seniors Ben Burnham and Devon Guest combined for 94 catches, 1,364 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2023. The pair each ranked in the top-10 of the NWC in all three categories. On the offensive line, the Pioneers bring back two-time honoree Nathan Lien and first-time award winners Mike Lloyd and Max Atchison. The senior trio will look to lead an offensive line that brings back the majority of their top linemen from a year ago. 
 
Lewis & Clark made strides in year one under a new defensive coordinator and will look to take an even bigger step in year two. Graduate student Justin Hope is back for his fifth year and will lead a talented and deep linebacking core. Hope earned an All-Conference nod as a senior after pacing the Pioneers with 32 solo tackles, 66 tackles and four tackles-for-loss. He's joined in the linebacker room by fellow senior and All-Conference honoree Silas Ticeson, along with veteran juniors Mitchell Sarmento and Andrew Baum. In the defensive backfield, junior Thomas Reagan earned Second Team All-Conference accolades after recording two interceptions, 10 pass breakups and 28 total tackles. Reagan will be working with another veteran group as the Pioneers bring back their starters at all four positions and have seven players in the secondary with lots of starting experience.
 
Sophomore kicker Thien Hoang returns for his second season after earning All-Region honors in his first campaign. Hoang went 9-10 on field goals and set the program record for total points in a season by a kicker (68).  
 
THREE THINGS TO WATCH

1. This season's team should be one of the most experienced and deepest teams in program history. Lewis & Clark's roster boasts two graduate students and 22 seniors. A large group of seniors elected to come back for a fifth-season and will look to help the program continue it's steady progression (3-6 in 2021, 4-5 in 2022, 5-5 in 2023). As a whole, the Pioneers have 107 players on the roster and 44 will be playing in their third, fourth or fifth season of collegiate football. 
2. Lewis & Clark will have a new starting running back for a third-straight season. In each of the past two years, the Pioneers top running back has earned First Team All-Conference accolades. This season, junior Jordan Lahusky and sophomore Chili Stephens will be two of the running backs trying to carve out much bigger roles in the backfield. Lahusky ran for 226 yards (4.8 per carry) and two touchdowns as a sophomore, while Stephens added 139 yards (5.3 per carry) and one score. 
3. The Pioneers will welcome three opponents to Palatine Hill this Fall that haven't made the trek since at least 2021. Montana Western (NAIA) will travel to Portland for the second half of a home-and-home series on September 21. Lewis & Clark will then have key games against George Fox and Pacific Lutheran in October. Football earned their first win over the Bruins since George Fox added football back as a varsity sport (2014) last year - with a thrilling 37-31 double-overtime win. The Pioneers will be looking to defeat the Lutes for the first time since 2019 (28-14), after suffering road losses to PLU in each of the past two seasons.