Football Game Preview: Willamette Wolverines vs. Springfield Millers

The Willamette Wolverines will take on the Springfield Millers at 7:15 p.m. on Thursday. Willamette's offense hasn't had much luck over their past seven contests, but Thursday's matchup will give them a chance to turn things around.

Willamette is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Oregon's top teams: Marist, who was ranked seventh at the time (Willamette was ranked ninth). The Wolverines came up short against the Spartans on Thursday, falling 26-0.

Meanwhile, Springfield was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Friday as they fell 12-6 to Sheldon.

Willamette will have to keep a close watch on Kailie Hill and Kennedi Cofey, a pair of players who had a big impact on Springfield's prior game. Hill rushed for 89 yards and one score on only nine carries, while Cofey gained 138 total yards.

Springfield didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Hill and Aliyah Roldan.

Springfield's defeat dropped their record down to 2-8. As for Willamette, their loss dropped their record down to 0-7.

Willamette took a serious blow against Springfield in their previous meeting back in April, falling 39-6. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of the Millers' Jeweliawna Panko, who rushed for 65 yards and a pair of TDs on only five carries. Now that the Wolverines know the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.