From staff reports

SALEM – Whitworth was down to its fourth-string quarterback, but it turned out its first-string running back would be more than enough as the Pirates downed Willamette 42-14 on Saturday.

Solo Hines, the Pirates’ 6-foot, 190-pound junior running back from Kent, Washington, flipped over to the quarterback spot in the wildcat formation and promptly scored the Pirates’ first touchdown on a 58-yard run.

Hines took off again in the second quarter, this one for a 51-yard score, to put Whitworth up 14-0 at halftime.

Hines wasn’t done.

He scored on a 28-yard run on the Pirates’ second possession of the second half. THines ran 45 yards for his fourth touchdown 3 minutes later.

On the day, Hines rushed for 243 yards on 15 carries, averaging 16.2 yards each time he ran.

Junior Noah Stifle, Whitworth’s only available true quarterback, helped keep the Bearcats defense on its heels, going 12 of 19 through the air for 160 yards and one touchdown, which came on a 43-yard pass to senior receiver Ethan Peloquin in the fourth quarter.

Hines’ rushing show, combined with Stifle’s arm, helped Whitworth (4-3 overall, 2-2 Northwest Conference) break a two-game losing streak. The Bearcats (2-5, 0-4) dropped their 34th consecutive conference game.

In all, four Whitworth players took snaps. Junior receiver Dylan Ashbeck threw a 2-yard jump pass to junior tight end Isaac Fields for a TD with 1:53 left, and freshman running back Luis Salgado took snaps and carried nine times.

Whitworth seniors Dylan Ventress (11 tackles), Jacob Hogger (eight stops and an interception) and Patrick Serrano (seven tackles and an interception) led the defense.