'Cat's Get Rolled 49-34...

Linfield's incredible season came to an end in the second round of the playoffs as Wesley beat the wildcats 49-34.  The links to the boxscore and the postgame video are listed below; be sure to check out my analysis of the entire Northwest Conference later this week!

Boxscore:  http://www.linfield.edu/sports/stats/fb/wes1126.htm

Postgame Analysis Video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ixezxW_IG4

Linfield vs Wesley Preview...

It is super-late in coming, but here is my preview video for the Linfield-Wesley game today.  Enjoy the game!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZvuI5gRv-o

Linfield survives Cal Lutheran onslaught 30-27...

Here is the boxscore and postgame analysis of Linfield's 30-27 victory over Cal Lutheran in the first round of the NCAA Playoffs:

Boxscore:  http://www.linfield.edu/sports/stats/fb/clu1119.htm

Postgame Analysis:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfQYbsJwL-w

Be sure to check out my preview of the Linfield-Wesley game later this week!

Linfield vs Cal Lutheran Preview 2...

Experimented with a new format for my preview video.  Check it out and tell me what you think:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NY_PX7RBdCk

Linfield Season stats:  http://www.linfield.edu/sports/stats/fb/teamcume.htm

Cal Lutheran Season stats:  http://www.clusports.com/stats/football/2011/teamcume.htm

What We Learned About Linfield in The Regular Season...

Linfield’s offense didn’t miss a beat:  After losing Aaron Boehme, Simon Lamson, and Chris Slezak to graduation, some people thought that Linfield’s explosive spread offense would see a decrease in production this season.  After averaging 41.7 points and 440 yards of offense, it’s fair to say that Linfield didn’t have any drop-off.  That’s not to say things are exactly the same; the zone read from the last two seasons has virtually been discarded because of Mickey Inn’s lack of running ability.  Linfield has mixed in the pistol offense to try and get the running game going this season, and the rushing production has dropped off considerably from last season.  However, the passing yards have gone up substantially from last season, thanks to Mickey Inns, so the offense as a whole is as efficient as last season.    

Mickey Inns is one of the best Linfield quarterbacks ever:  Can’t believe I would be saying that after watching the season opener against Cal Lutheran, but Linfield quarterback Mickey Inns has gone on since that game to have one of the greatest regular seasons in Linfield history.  Inns completed 59.4 percent of his passes for 2296 yards, 25 touchdowns and only five interceptions.  His quarterback rating of 155.6 was tops in the conference, and was a better rating than Aaron Boehme ever had.        

Josh Hill is a stud running back:  Most people thought that Aaron Williams was going to be the man running the ball this season after his incredible 09 season and after injuries cut his season short last season.  Unfortunately, injuries hit Williams again in the season opener, and he’s barely played this season.  Josh Hill came in for Williams against Cal Lutheran, and rushed for 164 yards in the best rushing performance by a Linfield player since 2003.  On the season, Hill has run for 731 yards and eight touchdowns with a 4.7 yard per carry average.  Amazingly, all four of his 100 yard games came against the four toughest games on Linfield’s schedule (Cal Lutheran, Willamette, Pacific Lutheran, Lewis & Clark).    

Linfield’s defense one of the best in the country: Linfield’s defense figured to be the strength of the team coming into the season, and they lived up to all the hype.  Although most people figured they would carry the offense more than they did, that didn’t prevent Linfield’s defense from being one of the best units in the nation.  Giving up 11.7 points and 285.3 yards per game, the Wildcat defense also forced 22 turnovers (15 of them interceptions) and held opponents to 22 percent on third down conversions on the season.  The numbers would have been even more impressive if Whitworth hadn’t put up 38 points and 422 yards on them a couple weeks ago, but they’re impressive nonetheless.     

Linfield the king of the NWC:  While the Northwest conference was very competitive between the teams that finished between second and fifth in the conference, nobody really gave Linfield much of a challenge.  While Linfield did struggle to put away Willamette in the beginning of the season and with Whitworth a couple weeks ago, Linfield brutally beat down Lewis & Clark (second place) 47-14, and did the same to Pacific Lutheran (third place) in a 45-7 win.  Linfield gets to rule the conference for one more season, and Linfield will have enough key players coming back next season that winning a fourth straight NWC title isn’t out of the question.    

Wildcats Crush Pios 47-14...

           It was supposed to be the Northwest Conference game of the year:  A pass-heavy spread offense against a no-huddle, up-tempo spread offense, and the top-two quarterbacks in the conference facing off.  Linfield was playing for their third straight conference title, while Lewis & Clark was seeking their first conference title since sharing the conference title with Linfield in 1991.

            It wasn’t much of a contest, as it turned out.

            The fifth-ranked Linfield Wildcats beat down Lewis & Clark 47-14 in a cold, rainy game at Maxwell Field, giving Linfield the second undefeated regular season in the last three years.  Linfield improved to 9-0 on the season, and extended their home winning streak to 17 games.  Lewis & Clark finished the season 7-2, and second in the Northwest Conference.

            “I think what we pretend to see is that the rich stay rich, and the poor get poorer, so maybe that’s why it doesn’t seem as special” Linfield coach Joseph Smith said when addressing the team’s undefeated season.  “When you’re in the middle of it, it’s hard to do.  The margin of error is so small between a win and a loss; just because you should win doesn’t mean you’re going to.  I’m very proud that our guys were able to do that; ten teams out of 240 went undefeated this year; it’s not bad.” 

            “It was disappointing, very disappointing,” Lewis & Clark coach Chris Sulages said.   

            Linfield’s spread offense took advantage of Lewis & Clark’s mediocre defense, totaling 477 yards and 29 first downs on the afternoon.  Quarterback Mickey Inns lived up to his sterling reputation, going 20-30 for 286 yards and four touchdowns with zero interceptions.  Evan Peterson led the receiving core with 94 yards and one touchdown on six receptions.  Deidre Wiersma added 75 yards and one touchdown on five receptions.  Buddy Saxon had 38 yards and two touchdowns on three catches.  Josh Hill finished with 111 yards and one touchdown on 18 carries, his fourth 100-yard game of the season.

            “I’m very pleased with how we played:  I felt that we should score on every possession.  I was disappointed that we didn’t score touchdowns on the first two,” Smith said.  “I felt that we could’ve scored right before halftime; we stumbled a bit there, and I thought we should have scored right out of the gate.  We played well, but we could have played a little bit better on offense.”

            “We came up short, especially on some third and longs,” Sulages said.  “We got hurt on some third and longs, and we should have done a better job with that.”

            Lewis & Clark, an offense arguably as explosive as Linfield’s over the course of the season, was held in check on Saturday; The Pioneers were held to 347 yards of offense including 128 on the ground.  Quarterback Phenomenon Keith Welch went 18-30 for 198 yards, one touchdown and one interception, but was held to 49 yards rushing on 15 carries.  All-American tight end Shawn Evans had a team-high 57 yards on four receptions.  Andrew Frisina had six catches for 49 yards and one touchdown.  Running back Joevonte Mayes was held to 14 yards on eight carries, but had five catches for 52 yards.

            “Their tempo is really good when their able to get first downs,” Smith said.  “When you’re a fast-tempo offense and you’re three and out, that’s not good.  It was important to get those three and outs and keep their drives short.”   

            The game opened up with a bang for Linfield; the wildcats drove 52 yards in five plays, capped by a 25-yard field goal by Josh Kay.  Linfield led 3-0 not even 90 seconds into the game.  After Lewis & Clark went three and out on their first possession of the game, Linfield drove 89 yards in 12 plays before settling for a 27-yard field goal by Kay, giving them a 6-0 lead with 9:08 to go in the first quarter.  After another Pioneer three and out, Linfield went 67 yards in 11 plays, capped by Hill’s 6-yard touchdown run, giving Linfield a 13-0 lead with 3:36 to go in the first quarter.  On their next possession, Lewis & Clark drove deep into the Linfield redzone, and was on the verge of scoring a touchdown when Curtis Shirey fumbled the ball into the endzone.

            The second quarter got even worse for Lewis & Clark; Linfield went 80 yards in 12 plays, with Inns tossing a 3-yard touchdown pass to Wiersma to make the score 20-0 Linfield with 10:41 to go in the second quarter.  After yet another three and out for Lewis & Clark, Linfield marched right back down the field, going 44 yards in five plays, and Inns found Saxon for a 9-yard touchdown pass to make it 27-0 with 7:37 to go in the second quarter.  Déjà vu struck the Pioneers again as they went three and out on the following possession, and Linfield marched down the field for another Inns-to-Saxon touchdown pass, this one a 10-yarder, to make it 34-0 Linfield with 4:50 to go in the second quarter.

            After Lewis & Clark fumbled the ball away to Linfield on their first possession of the second half, the Wildcats had a rare three and out, settling for a 40-yard field goal by Kay to make it 37-0 with 12:51 to go in the third quarter.  Welch hit Frisina for a 28-yard touchdown pass to make it 37-7 with 4:43 to go in the third quarter.  Linfield responded by returning the ensueing kickoff to the Pioneer 29-yard line, and Inns hit Peterson for a touchdown on the next play to make it 44-7 with 4:30 to go in the third quarter.  Josh Kay added a 24-yard field goal with 13:43 to go in the Fourth quarter.  Lewis & Clark’s back-up quarterback Dustin Dailey tossed a 21-yard touchdown strike to Evan Stanbro to make it 47-14 with 11:27 to go in the game.    

            Linfield will be playing #8 Cal Lutheran in the first round of the NCAA playoffs at Maxwell field on November 19; Linfield defeated the Kingsmen 24-14 in the season opener.    

           

Link to Boxscore:  http://www.linfield.edu/sports/stats/fb/lc1112.htm

Link to Postgame Analysis:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysrttvHvqow&feature=channel_video_title

Linfield vs Lewis & Clark Preview...

It seems that I'll be doing another video preview this week; This journalist has been starting another blog in order to catch the start of the college basketball season, as well as covering other events.  Here is an extensive video preview of the Linfield-Lewis & Clark game:  It should be a dandy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Xglvu2fXL8

Wildcats survive upset bid 42-38...

Unfortunately, too many personal emergencies came up recently for this blog to produce it's normal postgame article this week.  As an apology present, here's the link to my Postgame Analysis video and the boxscore.  Hopefully you viewers can gain some insight from these:

Boxscore:  http://www.linfield.edu/sports/stats/fb/ww1104.htm

Postgame Analysis:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83yCEc7Gd5Q&feature=channel_video_title

Linfield vs Whitworth Preview...

Due to a tough and stressful week in the other parts of life, this journalist didn't have the time to put together his normal preview article.  However, I did make a little preview video of the upcoming Linfield-Whitworth game that I hope you all enjoy, those who follow this blog.  here's the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DF7b8U0QsE

'Cats Chop Down Oaks 23-6...

            For the first time since week 5, Linfield found themselves in a tough game:  Their dynamic up-tempo spread offense finally ran into a defense that could give them serious fits; Inns had his first turnover since week 5, and all the miscues and penalties from earlier in the season returned on a sunny afternoon at Conner Field.

            Fortunately for Linfield, their defense was more than ready to rise to the occasion in the Wildcat’s first true road test of the season.

            The fifth-ranked Wildcats turned back the upset bid of Menlo, the 25th ranked team in NAIA, to the tune of a 23-6 victory in a late-season non-conference game.  The win pushed Linfield to 7-0, while Menlo dropped to 5-3.

            “I’m very pleased with our team having to go through something; we needed to feel pressure again,” Linfield coach Joseph Smith said. 

            The Linfield offense finally ran into an opponent that could give them some trouble; The Wildcats were held to a season-low 299 yards, which is the first time this season that they’ve had under 400 yards, and their second-lowest point total of the season.  The lack of a running game was the biggest issue, as Linfield totaled a season-low 44 yards on the day.  Josh Hill was held to 39 yards on 13 carries, while Stephen Nasca led the team with 42 yards on three carries.  Mickey Inns went 21-38 for 255 yards, two touchdowns and one interception on the afternoon.  Lucas Jepson led all receivers with 136 yards and two touchdowns on four receptions.

            “They just schematically lined up in such a way that it forced us to pass most downs,” Smith said.  “I felt these guys studied us up pretty well, and played us like Cal Lutheran played us.  The sacks are what destroyed us, and we had so many penalties that put us in long yardage situations that our running game never had a chance to get going; I don’t know that we got stopped as much as we just never had a chance to do it. ”

            “We got a great defensive staff here,” Menlo coach Fred Guidici said.  “Our kids have been together here for a while; when there’s continuity, it gives you a chance.  We had a lot of success on defense.” 

            While Linfield’s offense had their worst performance of the season, Linfield’s defense came up big to protect their undefeated record.  The Wildcat defense allowed a season-low 161 yards to Menlo’s offense, which included 40 yards on the ground.  Linfield wasn’t able to force any turnovers, but Menlo’s inability to move the ball with any consistency negated any chance they had of pulling off an upset.  Quarterback Matt Palesasa went 12-28 for 73 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions.  Robert Adan had 109 yards and no touchdowns on seven receptions.

            “We made a lot of mental mistakes, and you can’t do that against a team like Linfield; that’s going to get you killed,” Guidici said.  “One guy going the wrong way, one guy missing a block, we have a penalty, and the penalty sets you back, and you’re trying to dig yourself out of a hole.”

            “We talk all the time about each phase having a mindset to win the game regardless of what the other phase is doing, and if it’s one of those days where we need to win 2-0, then so be it,” Smith said.    

            The game started out fast for Linfield; on their first possession, the Wildcats marched 60 yards in eight plays, capped by Inns’ 31-yard touchdown strike to Jepson to put Linfield up 7-0 with 10:05 to go in the first quarter.  Linfield later would block a Menlo punt for a touchdown; a blocked extra point made it 13-0 Linfield with 4:54 to go in the first quarter.

            “At the time, we didn’t know it was going to be a tough defensive game, but it sure turned out to be one,” Smith said.  “Having a lead is really nice on defense; it allows you to be a little more aggressive with your play-calling; you don’t have to worry about making that one mistake that can cost you the game.”   

            Menlo’s Thomas Reynolds’ 40-yard touchdown run, followed by a blocked extra point, made it 13-6 Linfield with 10:19 to go in the second quarter.  After a few punt exchanges, Linfield kicker Josh Kay tacked on a 37-yard field goal to make it 16-6 Wildcats with 1:37 to go in the second quarter.  After both teams battled through a scoreless, defensive third quarter, Linfield solidified the win in the fourth quarter win Inns’ 73-yard touchdown bomb to Jepson with 6:01 to go in the game, making it 23-6 Linfield.

            “We had a lot of opportunities on offense, but they played real well on defense,” Guidici said.  “I thought it was offensive pass interference to tell you the truth, but the kid made a good play, and that’s how it goes; what are you gonna do?”

            “It put the game away; it left no doubt,” Smith said.  “I don’t know if it would have mattered the way our defense was playing, but it was nice not taking those chances.  I think our offense needed that; they were pretty frustrated with how things were going, and it builds their confidence a little bit.” 

            Linfield resumes conference play in their trip to the Pine Bowl to take on Whitworth next Saturday; Linfield came behind from a halftime deficit to beat Whitworth 42-17 at Maxwell Field last season.

            Menlo takes on Azusa Pacific, the tenth-ranked team in NAIA, next Saturday at Conner Field.     

Link to Boxscore:  http://www.linfield.edu/sports/stats/fb/men1029.htm

Link to Postgame Analysis:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQgWCocuOt8&feature=channel_video_title

Linfield vs Menlo Preview...

     Two seasons ago on Linfield’s march to the semifinals of the NCAA playoffs, Linfield made a regular season pit stop at Menlo that turned out to be a sloppy game.  Despite three missed field goals and Aaron Boehme completing less than 40 percent of his passes on a super-windy day, Linfield pulled out a 31-7 win.

     In the 2011 season, a similar situation presents itself for both schools:  another road bump on the path to a title for one team, and a chance at a major upset for the other.   

     Fifth-ranked Linfield travels to Conner Field to take on Menlo on Saturday in a game that used to be a conference match-up until last season when Menlo went to the NAIA.  Linfield is 6-0 on the season, 4-0 in Northwest Conference play.  Menlo is 5-2 on the season.  Saturday will only be Menlo’s third home game of the season.

     “You always like to be at home,” Menlo coach Fred Guidici said.  “It’s nice to not have to get on a plane, because that’s what we have to do all the time.  It’s nice to be in warm California, and hope the weather’s in your favor.”

     “The grass typically is lousy, the field goals have two sizes to them, they have no locker room; at halftime you’re out underneath an Oak tree with some chairs,” Linfield coach Joseph Smith said.  “Other than it being like a camping trip experience, it’s a regular football game.”

     Linfield brings one of the nation’s most prolific offenses to the table on Saturday.  Using the up-tempo, no-huddle spread offense, Linfield averages 43.8 points and 455 yards per game. 

     The field general for the ‘Cat Attack is quarterback Mickey Inns, who has gone from an unknown coming into the season to being the top-rated passer in the Northwest Conference; Inns has completed 59 percent of his passes for 1411 yards, 14 touchdowns, and only three interceptions so far on the season.

     “You hope that you can get a good pass rush, and put as much as you can on Mickey,” Guidici said.    

     While Inns and Linfield’s passing game gets most of the media and national attention, Linfield’s running game continues to be productive this season despite hardly ever using the zone-read option like they have been the last two seasons.  Josh Hill has had a strong season in place of the often-injured Aaron Williams, rushing for 504 yards and six touchdowns with a 4.8 yard per carry average through six games.

     “You have to load up inside, but then again, if you do that, they can get the ball outside,” Guidici said.  “You’ve got to be mistake-free, and you got to make your assignments; that’s the best opportunity you’re going to have to slow Linfield down.”

     Menlo’s defense should provide a stiff challenge for Linfield’s offense on Saturday.  The Oaks give up 15.4 points and 287.1 yards per game on the season, and have forced 13 turnovers on the season.

     “They’re keeping them in games and creating some turnovers, and they’re hard to sustain drives on,” Smith said.  “They do a lot of man to man coverage, and they’re big and physical up front, very similar to Cal Lutheran.”     

     Menlo’s offense has had their ups and downs on the season, averaging 23.3 points and 276.3 yards per game on the season.  Quarterback Matt Pelasasa leads the way for the Oaks, completing 55 percent of his passes for 1219 yards, 14 touchdowns and six interceptions on the season.  Wide receiver Adan Robert is the big-play threat for Menlo, leading the team with 43 receptions for 617 yards and nine touchdowns.

     “They’re pretty solid at what they do,” Smith said.  “They come out with that West Coast offense, and with all the Stanford-Walsh connections and the Cal connections that they’ve had over the years, It’s a difficult combination to face.”      

     Linfield’s defense enters the game among the nation’s elite, giving up only 7.8 points and 273 yards of offense per game on the season.  Linfield also leads the conference with 17 turnovers forced on the season (12 of them being interceptions).  The Wildcat defense also leads the Northwest Conference in third-down defense, allowing opponents to convert only 18 percent of their opportunities.

     “We just got to keep them off-balance,” Guidici said.  “We just got to play assignment, mistake-free football, and we got to try to keep the defense guessing.  That’s your best bet on a real good, disciplined defense like Linfield.”

     Here are some keys to the game for both teams that will better their chances of winning if they follow them:      

         

Keys to the game for Linfield:

-Play crisp and clean:  Earlier in the season, Linfield looked as sharp as could be in their historic 73-7 win over Puget Sound before they looked dull as a butter knife the following week against a Pacific team similar to Puget Sound.  Menlo’s team has a similar make-up to the Pacific Lutheran team that the Wildcats just trashed:  good defense, mediocre offense.  If Linfield can avoid the temptation to come out flat, we could have another dominant showing on our hands.

-Establish the run:  With all the attention that Linfield’s passing game draws from opposing defensive coordinators, People forget that Linfield can run the ball efficiently.  If Josh Hill can get over 100 yards on Saturday, Menlo’s defense will be in a world of trouble.

Keys to the game for Menlo:

-Establish offensive rhythm:  Menlo has scored a combined 7 points on Linfield’s defense the last two seasons, and this season’s Wildcat defense looks better than the last two seasons’ units.  If Menlo wants to have any chance at scoring, they’re going to have to convert on third-downs, and they’re going to have to find a way to soften up Linfield’s secondary, perhaps by establishing a running game.

-Force turnovers:  The teams that have had success slowing down Linfield’s offense this season (Cal Lutheran, Willamette) have done so by forcing turnovers (Cal Lutheran forced two, and Willamette forced three).  By forcing some turnovers, Menlo might become the first team to hold Linfield’s offense under 400 yards this season.    

                   

What We Learned About Linfield in Week 8...

Linfield’s offense is exploding:  While Linfield’s offense has been producing at a level not seen since 2005, they had trouble putting points on the board against good defenses earlier in the season (24 against Cal Lutheran, 20 against Willamette); in those games, Linfield turned the ball over on multiple drives where they had something going.  On Saturday, Linfield’s offense corrected the miscues of those earlier games, and put a huge hurt on PLU’s defense to the tune of 460 yards and 45 points.  More impressive than the numbers was the fast tempo that Linfield played at; as the game wore on, Pacific Lutheran’s defense just flat-out got worn down and ran over.     

Josh Hill is a gamer:  Against Pacific Lutheran, Josh Hill ran for 100 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries, his third 100-yard game of the season.  Strangely, all three of Hill’s 100-yard games have come against the three best defensive teams that Linfield has played against so far (Cal Lutheran, Willamette, PLU); Hill has rushed for 504 yards and six touchdowns on the season thus far.  While Mickey Inns and the passing game draw most of the attention, Josh Hill continues to go largely unnoticed despite being one of the best backs, if not the best, in the Northwest Conference.

Linfield in a class of their own:  Linfield’s game against Pacific Lutheran on Saturday was supposed to be the game that would decide the Northwest Conference title race.  If the 45-7 score was any indication, nobody in the NWC can even come close to touching the Wildcats this season.  Lewis & Clark may have a slim chance at upsetting Linfield because of their quarterback sensation Keith Welch and all the skill players around him, but their lack of defense and Linfield’s nationally-elite defense will prevent such a thing from occurring.  

Lutes Get PLU'd 45-7...

            It was shaping up to be a game that would decide the Northwest Conference championship, much like last season: Linfield with the potent spread offense and killer defense; Pacific Lutheran with the solid defense and the highest ranking in the Northwest Conference outside of Linfield (23 votes).  A classic game in the Linfield-PLU rivalry seemed inevitable.

            Much to the surprise of everyone, the game was decided by halftime.

            Fifth-ranked Linfield demolished Pacific Lutheran 45-7 at Maxwell Field on a sunny afternoon in McMinnville.  The win upped Linfield’s record to 6-0, 4-0 in NWC play, and gave them their 10th straight win in the series.  The loss dropped the Lutes to 4-2 on the season, 2-1 in conference play.

            “That was probably as focused and as emotional of an effort as we’ve had in a while,” Linfield coach Joseph Smith said.  “You could feel it in the locker room:  the guys were ready, you could kind of cut the air with a knife, so to speak.”

            Having struggled to score points in games against good defenses this season (Cal Lutheran and Willamette), Linfield’s offense turned in arguably their most dominant effort of the season.  Linfield’s up-tempo spread offense was on full display, racking up 460 yards of offense, 326 through the air, and 25 first downs against a Pacific Lutheran defense that was only giving up 11.6 points and 311 yards of offense per game coming in.

            “We thought that if we could protect our quarterback for most of the game, that there was a lot of holes in that zone whenever you blitz like that; you leave yourself vulnerable.  Mickey was able to find those, and so our passing game was pretty productive.” 

            Mickey Inns turned in another dominant day, going 23-33 for 297 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions.  Wide receiver Lucas Jepson led the receiving attack with 85 yards and one touchdown on six receptions.  Wide receiver Deidre Wiersma had 68 yards on five receptions, while Buddy Saxon had 60 yards and two touchdowns on five receptions.  Running back Josh Hill led all rushers with 100 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries, with 74 of his yards coming in the second half.

            “In the second half, we got that run game going,” Smith said.  “We moved into the pistol for a little bit, and hit it a little more downhill.  I thought we got Josh Hill on track quite nicely in the second half.”

            Pacific Lutheran’s offense, already a struggling unit coming into the game, lived up to their porous reputation, totaling 183 yards and 12 first downs on the day to go with their four turnovers.  Quarterback Zach Halverson went 16-30 for 137 yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions.  Running back Brandon James was held to 45 yards on 12 carries.

            “I thought the defense played pretty darn well, but it’s always like the ying and the yang, whether it’s us, Linfield or anybody,” Pacific Lutheran coach Scott Westering said.  “If you’re not getting it done, going three and out and they’re (the defense) running back out there, it wears you down and it wears them down.”  

            The game started off with a bang for the Wildcat defense; Cornerback Nate Dixon picked off a deep throw by Halverson on the first play from scrimmage.  Linfield’s offense immediately capitalized, going 43 yards in 1:37.  Jespon’s 20-yard touchdown reception from Inns made the score 7-0 Linfield not even two minutes into the game.  Pacific Lutheran’s next possession ended like the first one:  an interception of Halverson by Dixon.  After the two teams traded three-and-outs, Linfield put together a seven play, 50 yard drive that was capped by a 5-yard touchdown run by Hill, making it 14-0 Linfield with 4:38 to go in the first quarter.

            “With a great team like Linfield, you can’t do that,“ Westering said.  “You can’t give them short fields, you can’t give them momentum; you can’t turn the ball over like that.”   

            Linfield safety Drew Fisher intercepted a Halverson pass and returned it to the Pacific Lutheran 5-yard line.  Linfield ended up settling for a 32-yard field goal by kicker Josh Kay, making it 17-0 Linfield with 7:29 to go in the second quarter.  It seemed like Linfield would go for another field goal in the final minute of the second quarter, but Linfield ran a fake field goal, with Taylor Skore rushing 23 yards untouched for the touchdown, making it 24-0 Linfield with 31 seconds to go in the first half.

            “That was something that coach Hazenberg had watched on film and thought they were vulnerable if they did a certain look, and so we talked about when we’d want to do that, and coach approached me and said ‘this might be the time’, and I said ‘absolutely, it’s what we wanna do; let’s do it.’  It worked out nice,” Smith said.

            Linfield capitalized on their first possession of the third quarter, going 68 yards in seven plays.  Josh Hill’s 11-yard touchdown scamper made it 31-0 with 12:28 to go in the third quarter.  After a Pacific Lutheran fumble was recovered by Linfield, the ‘Cat Attack drove 60 yards in six plays.  A 6-yard touchdown strike from Inns to Saxon made it 38-0 with 3:32 to go in the third quarter.

            “It was a great call by Joe,” Westering said.  “You go from thinking, ‘we’re close; there’s 1:30 to go, we’re gonna go in 17-0,' and then you blink, and its 24, and they get the ball to start the second half; you blink, and it’s now 31.”    

            Inns connected with Saxon again for a 5-yard touchdown pass, making it 45-0 with 14:45 to go in the fourth quarter.  Daniel Herr scored on a 1-yard touchdown run with 4:25 to go to prevent the shutout, making it 45-7.

            Linfield travels to Conner Field next Saturday to take on a 5-2 Menlo team that offers many of the same challenges that Pacific Lutheran.  Linfield beat Menlo 38-0 at Maxwell Field last season.

            Pacific Lutheran will host undefeated Lewis & Clark at Sparks Stadium next week.  Pacific Lutheran defeated Lewis & Clark 35-23 last season following their loss to Linfield.           

           

Link to Boxscore:  http://www.linfield.edu/sports/stats/fb/plu1022.htm

Link to Postgame Analysis:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsxE5mLmbX4&feature=channel_video_title

Linfield vs Pacific Lutheran Preview...

     Last season, Pacific Lutheran’s 35-20 loss to Linfield at Sparks Stadium not only cost Pacific Lutheran the Northwest Conference title, but it also caused the NCAA playoff committee to pass on them despite finishing the season 8-1 and ranked 21st in the polls. 

     This season, Pacific Lutheran will be looking to foil Linfield’s plans for a third consecutive conference title while keeping their hopes alive.

     The fifth-ranked Wildcats host the Lutes at Maxwell field in a battle between the conference’s highest ranked teams (Pacific Lutheran has 23 receiving votes).  Linfield is 5-0 on the season, 3-0 in NWC play.  Pacific Lutheran is 4-1 on the year, 2-0 in conference play.  Linfield also holds a 15-game home win streak at Maxwell field, a streak that they would love to keep going.

     “The environment down there, the fans, the JumboTron, the whole deal, the conference implications, I think there’s a spike of adrenaline because of everything that’s in play here,” Pacific Lutheran assistant coach Jude Keim said.

     Although they returned four starting lineman and two of their top three receivers from last season, the graduation of their top passer, rusher, and receiver from the 2010 season had some people wondering if Linfield’s spread offense would see a drop in production from the last two seasons.  Linfield has responded this season by averaging 43.6 points and 454 yards of offense per game so far.

     “Linfield has always been very potent, especially in the vertical game,” Keim said.  “They have the new quarterback this year, but obviously they haven’t skipped a beat, they just keep the train rolling.”   

     Leading the ‘Cat attack is quarterback Mickey Inns, who spent the last two seasons riding pine behind Aaron Boehme.  Inns has shown through five games that while he’s not a running quarterback like Boehme was, he’s every bit as good of a thrower as Boehme was.  Inns has completed 56.6 percent of his passes for 1114 yards and 11 touchdowns, while throwing only three interceptions.  His quarterback rating of 147.7 ranks second in the conference behind Lewis & Clark’s Keith Welch.

     “He’s playing at a high level,” Smith said.  “Is it is best level?  No, I think he can do better.”

     Pacific Lutheran, much like Linfield, lost a ton of offensive talent to graduation from last season, including quarterback Jord Rasmussen, running back Alec Simmons, and wide receivers Greg Ford and Issac Moog.  The loss of all-conference talent has shown in their offensive production.  The Lutes average 19.8 points and 309.2 yards per game coming into Saturday.

     “Their offense is very complicated, very sophisticated, so when you lose that amount of experience, it’s going to take time for them to get that same level of execution back,” Smith said.

     In replacement of Simmons, running back Brandon James has had a solid year, rushing for 368 yards and three touchdowns with 4.5 yard per carry average. 

     “It all starts up front, and for us to run the ball, Brandon’s got to have his hair on fire, and hopefully we can create some creases and seams,” Keim said.

     In replacement of Rasmussen, quarterback Zach Halverson has completed 56 percent of his passes for 974 yards and seven touchdowns with four interceptions, giving him an unspectacular quarterback rating of 117.6.

     “Coach Westering is a very good quarterback coach, and he’ll get him playing at a high level, I’m sure,” Smith said.

     Considering how mediocre Pacific Lutheran’s offense is, and that they have a 4-1 record, one would figure that the Lutes must have a killer defense; they would be right on.  Pacific Lutheran’s defense is giving up 11.6 points and 311 yards per game, and has forced 11 turnovers on the season (second in the conference).

     “I think their defense is outstanding, especially from a schematic standpoint,” Smith said.  “They create a lot of chaos with what they’re doing, so they make it difficult to sustain drives, and that’s why they keep the points down.  The key to them is to stay out of those second-and-long, third-and-long situations.  Being productive on first down becomes paramount; you get into long distance downs, and you’re in a bit of trouble.”

     Of course, when it comes to defense, nobody has been doing it better in the Northwest Conference this season than the Linfield Wildcats.  The Wildcat defense gives up only 8.0 points (seventh nationally) and 291 yards per game, and has forced 13 turnovers on the season (Tied for first in the conference with Lewis & Clark).

     “They look pretty special on tape, but they always look special down there at Linfield,” Keim said.  “Philosophically, they’ve certainly made a shift to a fast, movement-oriented defense.  It’s going to be a big challenge for us in that environment, and playing a very talented, fast, aggressive, hard-hitting type of defense is going to be a big test for our kids.”

     With an important game like this, where conference title implications are being made, on tap, let’s look at some keys to the game for both teams:          

         

Keys to the game for Linfield:

-Seize the moment:  Like last season’s game against Pacific Lutheran, an inside track to the Northwest Conference championship.  Linfield had the intensity and focus to pull off a win last season on the road, and it will require the same intensity this season to have a repeat performance.   

-Bring the pain on defense:  Pacific Lutheran’s offensive struggles have been well-documented this season.  When you only score 21 points on Puget Sound’s cruddy defense like Pacific Lutheran did a few weeks ago, you know that you have problems.  If Linfield’s defense comes with total focus, they’ll make Pacific Lutheran’s offense’s trip to Maxwell Field a living hell.

-Execute on offense:  In Linfield’s games against Cal Lutheran and Willamette this season, they had trouble with turning the ball over on drives where they were putting themselves in position to score.  Pacific Lutheran will bring a similar defense to town; if Linfield can clean up the turnovers against a quality defense like Pacific Lutheran’s and take advantage of all their scoring opportunities, they could win big.

Keys to the game for Pacific Lutheran:

-Establish the run:  The strength of Linfield’s incredible defense is their secondary; teams that have relied mostly on their passing game have had little success getting anything going.  If Pacific Lutheran can control the line of scrimmage and establish Brandon James on the ground, they might be able to soften Linfield’s pass defense up just enough to make a few plays.

-Force turnovers:  Teams that have had success slowing down Linfield’s offense this season (Cal Lutheran, Willamette) were able to force turnovers; teams that couldn’t get wiped out.  Pacific Lutheran’s defense will give Linfield’s offense fits as it is, so forcing a few turnovers would greatly increase Pacific Lutheran’s chances of pulling the upset.      

Mid-Season Report...

Linfield Wildcats

Record:  5-0

                Linfield came into the 2011 season with a large number of returning starters from the last two Northwest Conference championship teams, and high expectations along with it.  Halfway through the season, the Wildcats have met the expectations, and then some.

                Fifth-ranked Linfield opened their season at Maxwell Field against potentially the best Cal Lutheran team ever, and won 24-14.  Other than a 20-10 win at Willamette, Linfield has beaten three of the worst teams in the country in La Verne, Puget Sound, and Pacific.

                After losing their top passer (Aaron Boehme), Rusher (Simon Lamson), and receiver (Chris Slezak) to graduation, there were questions about whether Linfield’s offense would be as productive as they were in the last two seasons.  After five games, those doubts have been put to rest.  Linfield leads the conference in scoring at 43.6 points per game, and is second in total offense at 454 yards per game. 

                Linfield’s defense figured to be the strength of this season’s team coming into the season, but nobody outside of the program could have seen this wild storm of a defense coming.  Although they aren’t forcing turnovers at quite the wild rate of the last two seasons (13 in five games), The ‘Cat defense gives up only 8.0 points per game (ranked seventh nationally) and 291 yards of offense a game.

                Linfield’s schedule gets a lot tougher the rest of the season, starting this week with Pacific Lutheran (4-1).  They follow that with road trips to Menlo (5-2) and Whitworth (1-5) before finishing out the season at Maxwell Field against Lewis & Clark (5-0).  Winning out against this remaining schedule is an accomplishment worthy of a top-five team.        

Offensive MVP:  QB Mickey Inns.  After starting out the season as the question mark of an otherwise loaded offense, Inn has quickly developed into one of the nation’s most efficient passers, throwing the ball with the efficiency that Boehme did the last two seasons.  On the season, Inns has completed 56.6 percent of his passes for 1114 yards, with 11 touchdowns and only three interceptions.  His quarterback rating of 147.7 ranks second in the conference behind Lewis & Clark’s quarterback phenomenon Keith Welch.   

Defensive MVP:  Safety Drew Fisher.  A pre-season all-american, Fisher has lived up to his sterling reputation so far this season.  Fisher leads the team in tackles with 38, 19 of them solo.  He also leads the team in interceptions with two.