This Week: The Oaks will travel to Orange County to compete against Chapman University this Saturday, September 8th.

Scouting the Panthers: This game will mark the opening of the 2007 season for Chapman. Having adapted to a new offense last season, the Panthers are fully loaded with a deep receiving corps that includes a healthy Harrison Dull (19 catches, 459 yards in two-plus games before a season-ending knee injury), Brandon Koller (37 catches, 481 yards, five TDs, all team-highs), and Nick Pierson (31 catches, 393 yards).

Scouting the Oaks: Freshman quarterback Tony Rehn came off the bench at the end of the third quarter last Friday to finish 10-for-19 for 140 yards and two touchdowns. Junior Matt Truscott ended with 124 receiving yards and a touchdown.

Northwest Notes: Northwest Conference football coaches have selected Linfield College as the favorite for the 2007 season, the seventh straight year the Wildcats have place first in the NWC preseason poll. Linfield finished ahead of 2006 champion Whitworth, gaining five first place votes to the Pirates' two. Menlo was slated in the sixth spot for the second consecutive year, ahead of Lewis & Clark College.

History of the NWC: The Northwest Conference was affiliated with the NAIA from 1929 to 1984. The conference then merged with the Evergreen Conference to form the Columbia Football Conference (CFA). In 1996, the Northwest Conference reassembled again to be affiliated with NCAA Division III, during which time the following schools fielded football: Lewis & Clark, Linfield, Pacific Lutheran, Puget Sound, Whitworth and Willamette. Menlo joined the Northwest Conference in 2006 as an affiliate member, ending a 17-year span as an independent.

Looking Back: The Menlo College football team mounted a late rally, scoring 12 fourth-quarter points, but an early deficit proved too tough to overcome as the Oaks fell to University of Wisconsin-Stout, 24-19, in last Friday’s season opener for both teams at Don & Nona Williams Stadium. The Oaks rallied in the fourth quarter, scoring two touchdowns in the final three minutes. Senior Kyle Mosby scored on a 2-yard pass from Rehn to close the lead to 24-13. With 1:09 on the clock, Rehn and Truscott teamed up for a 29-yard touchdown.

Series Notes: The Oaks lead the head-to-head competition with a record of 13-3. Menlo defeated Chapman University at Conner Field last year, 27-24 with the winning touchdown coming in the last five minutes of play.

About the Coaches: A figure on the Menlo College sidelines since 1996, Head coach Mark Kaanapu was named the program’s sixth head coach in December 2000 and owns a 26-31 record to date. Under Kaanapu, Menlo players have combined to claim three All-American awards and seven All-West Region honors. In addition, All-American wide receiver Nate Jackson is the first Menlo player to appear in an NFL game and is currently playing for the Denver Broncos.

In 2006, his first season as the head coach at Chapman, Coach Owens doubled the Panthers’ win total from the previous season and had them on the brink of their first winning season since 1999. Chapman went 4-5 and had one of the strongest defenses Chapman’s ever had, as well as a potent and explosive passing offense.Prior to serving as offensive coordinator at Humboldt State (most recently), Owens was the head coach at nearby Whittier College, where he led the Poets to two SCIAC championships (1997-98). Owens has 26 years of college coaching experience, including stops at Fresno State, Utah State and Oregon.

Coaches Corner: “The Chapman football game is a big game for the Oaks,” stated Kaanapu. “This game has turned into a huge rivalry game not only on the field but also in the recruiting trenches. We know that the Panthers will be fired up to play against us on Saturday.”