Lewis & Clark's offense looms over Pacific Lutheran in NWC test

The biggest gap on the page is the one between Lewis & Clark's offense and everything Pacific Lutheran has shown defending anyone this fall. The Pioneers carry an A- offense, 45th among Division III teams, into a matchup with a Lutes defense graded B- and ranked 110th, and Versus projects that gap to show up on the scoreboard, with Lewis & Clark favored 35-18 and given an 84 percent chance to win.

Lewis & Clark comes in at 6-2 and graded B+ overall, with an offense-driven profile that Versus flags directly: the A- offense carries a defense graded only a B and ranked 87th. That offense has been explosive enough to produce four wins by 21 points or more this season, even though the Pioneers carry the weaker strength of schedule mark of the two teams at 133rd.

Pacific Lutheran sits at 3-5 and graded C overall, with a power rating that Versus notes has slipped in each of the last four weeks. The Lutes do get a lift at home, scoring more freely there than on the road, which offers their best path to keeping this one competitive against a more productive offense.

This is a Northwest Conference game and it counts in the standings, with Lewis & Clark looking to build on its best start in years and Pacific Lutheran trying to find its footing at home against the conference's more productive attack.