There is his passion about his NCAA Division III team. There is the passion his coaching staff displays. And there is the passion his players feel about playing.

Maybe it is easy to display such emotion when you have 19 starters returning from a team that was 7-3 last year. Maybe it is easy because, despite those 19 starters, his team will still be able to play the underdog card, as exemplified in the recent poll of Northwest Conference coaches where the Pirates were picked fourth out of the conference's six teams.

But in talking with Tully, starting his ninth year as Whitworth's head coach, the reason is easy to hear: He's just passionate about his job.

‘‘We have a good group of kids who are very easy to coach,'' Tully said. ‘‘We have so many kids who have been in the program for so long, they've become a tight-knit family.''

So tight-knit, free safety Jeff Riddell, a first-team All-NWC selection last year, recently informed Tully he'll return for another year, becoming a full-time student when all he needed was one class to graduate.

Riddell's unexpected return means the Pirates will have 11 defensive starters back from a unit that yielded 18.9 points a game last season. It also means there are no question marks on that side of the ball.

‘‘We have seven guys who can really play on the line,'' Tully said, ‘‘and this group of linebackers (Jonathon Hook, Mel Leary and Aaron Sedler) may challenge as the best ever since I've been here. And, with Riddell back, we're really solid in the secondary.''

There is a big question on the offensive side, despite eight starters returning. Those eight include preseason All-America wide receiver Dwayne Tawney, along with the school record-holder for touchdowns scored, running back Billy Condon (both seniors), and the entire offensive line.

But the graduation of the NWC's best quarterback, Scott Biglin, deletes a big part of an offense that scored 27 points a game in 2002. It also sparks Whitworth's biggest question: Who will take control of the offense?

‘‘When you lose somebody, you know what,'' Tully said, ‘‘somebody steps forward. You change, the team changes, but the change is good.''

The four players who will vie to fill Biglin's spot if not his shoes include three Spokane high school products, redshirt sophomore Ben McCracken (Shadle Park), redshirt freshman Derek Austin (Central Valley) and true freshman Joel Clark (Mt. Spokane). The fourth candidate is redshirt sophomore Joe Gore from Prosser High.

The quartet has one thing in common: None have ever thrown a college pass.

‘‘No matter who emerges, they will have the advantage of running an experienced offense,'' Tully said, expressing little concern over the situation.

That experience is needed as the Pirates' schedule includes non-conference games in St. Paul, Minn., against Bethel College, and in Butte, Mont., against Montana Tech. Then there is back-to-back conference trips to Salem, Ore., (versus Willamette University) and Tacoma (versus Pacific Lutheran University). The Pirates do get defending champion and preseason NWC favorite Linfield College at home in the Pine Bowl on Nov. 8. That second-to-last conference contest may just decide the NWC title.

Tully's sense is, his team thinks so.

‘‘When we've recruited, we've always tried to recruit guys with a passion to play,'' he said. ‘‘We got a few of those guys and then it all started to snowball, we got more and more. Now we've got a group of guys who have real positive attitudes. I think they're really excited about this season.''

Maybe even passionate.

Whitworth fast facts

Head coach: John Tully, ninth year at Whitworth, 34-41 record; 12th year overall, 65-63-1.

2002 record: 7-3; 3-2 in NWC (second)

Starters returning: offense, 8; defense 11

On the radio: KSBN (1230-AM) Play-by-play: Bob Castle