Wildcats Rob Kingsmen 24-14...

     It was a game that had it all coming in: two big-time offenses, two stellar defenses, top-notch skill players, two great coaches, and a lot of recent history between the two teams.

     In their third match-up in the last year and a rematch of the first round of the 2009 and 2010 NCAA playoffs, seventh-ranked Linfield defeated 16th ranked Cal Lutheran 24-14 at Maxwell Field. The Wildcats were powered by Josh Hill’s career-high 164 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries.

     “I feel really good; it was fun,” Hill said. “Been working hard all summer, all spring; it was a good collective day for all of us.”

     After not getting a single first down in the first quarter, Linfield finished the game with 409 yards of offense against an aggressive Cal Lutheran defense. Linfield’s running game racked up 256 yards, most of which came by way of the famed zone-read option that Linfield employs. Along with Hill’s career day, third-string running back Stephen Nasca added 61 yards on 10 carries. Starter Aaron Williams got injured on the first possession of the game and didn’t return, finishing with two yards on two carries.

     “I’m very pleased with how we played,” Linfield coach Joseph Smith said.  “It wasn’t pretty, and we knew that it would be a little bit ugly, but I really liked how our guys competed.”

     Linfield quarterback Mickey Inns completed 9 of 24 passes for 122 yards and one touchdown with two interceptions in his first ever start for Linfield, replacing graduated senior Aaron Boehme. Inns had seven carries for 20 yards, which don’t look big on the stat sheet, but prevented Cal Lutheran from loading up on the running backs on the zone-read option.

     “I didn’t really do as well as I wanted to, but we got the win, and that’s all that matters,” Inns said.

     More important than the numbers was the fact that after a horrendous first quarter, the Linfield offense eventually got rolling with Inns under center, which spoke volumes about the junior quarterback’s leadership on the field.

     “It was probably the brightest part about the whole game: just seeing him under pressure, taking those hits, and make some throws under duress,” Smith said.     

     Cal Lutheran gathered 342 yards of offense on the day, but was held to 122 yards rushing compared to the 252 yards they had against Linfield in last season’s opener. Running back Daniel Mosier was held to 55 yards on 16 carries.

     “That obviously was key,” Linfield coach Joseph Smith said.  “I told our defense at halftime that if we can stop their running game, the game’s over.”

     “He’s a good running back,” Linfield safety Drew Fisher said. “He bounces around and stays on his feet; we had to wrap him up with good tackles. Once we contained him, it forced them to pass and play right into our game.”

     Quarterback Jake Laudenslayer went 19 of 30 for 220 yards and one touchdown, but threw two costly interceptions. Wide receiver Eric Rodgers led all receivers with 91 yards and one touchdown on four receptions, and a 28-yard touchdown run.

      This was the same Cal Lutheran offense that dropped 47 points on the Wildcats in last season’s opener at Cal Lutheran; considering how good the previous season’s defense was, the performance by Linfield’s defense on Saturday was jaw-dropping.

     “It went pretty well; you turn around and there’s 14 points on the board. It’s pretty big,” Fisher said.

     The first quarter was all Cal Lutheran. Linfield opened the game with a three and out, and Cal Lutheran scored on their first possession of the game, the 28-yard touchdown run by Rodgers. By the end of the first quarter, Linfield still hadn’t gotten a first down, and even though they hadn’t scored since the opening drive, Cal Lutheran’s 7-0 lead felt larger.

     In the second quarter, things got going for Linfield. Powered by punter Josh Repp’s 31-yard pass to returner James Testa on a fake punt, they managed to drive 72 yards in 10 plays.  Even though the drive ended with an Inns interception at the Cal Lutheran 13-yard line, the Wildcats became confident that they could move the ball on Cal Lutheran’s defense.

     “We just stayed positive, and we had pretty good confidence on offense, and the team as a whole,” Inns said.

     While the offense was trying to figure things out, Linfield’s defense was forced to keep the team in the game; they met the challenge head on. Three plays later, monster (safety) Kalae Parish picked off Laudenslayer and returned it to the Cal Lutheran 25-yard line. Linfield capitalized off the pick, with Hill scoring on a 1-yard run with 7:42 to go in the second quarter.

     “They (the defense) were pretty upset about the first drive; I don’t think they ever waivered in their confidence,” Smith said.  “The fake punt was a huge momentum shift; it changed field position dramatically.  That and Kalae’s pick, those are two big plays in a short span that really started to turn the momentum around.”  

     After a long Cal Lutheran drive that ended in a punt, Linfield had the ball on their 1-yard line with 2:42 to go in the first half. Using a mix of run and pass, Linfield drove all the way down to Cal Lutheran’s 5-yard line before settling for a 22-yard field goal, giving them a 10-7 lead going into halftime. After totaling only eight yards of offense in the first quarter, Linfield had 152 yards of offense in the second to swing momentum on their side.

     “It wasn’t really changes that we made; it was just calming and settling down,” Hill said. “We were out there firing off the ball, not making our reads or assignments, but as we started to calm down, we started to click and started to roll.”

     After having control of the game for the first quarter and a half, Cal Lutheran was left wondering how they lost control.

     “That’s the million-dollar question,” Cal Lutheran coach Ben McEnroe said. “I give Linfield credit for creating that momentum swing; I’m sitting here as the coach, and I’m trying to figure out how we lost that football game. Momentum is one of those things where you love it when you have it, and you try to figure out how to get it back when you lose it.”

     The second half opened up with both teams trading punts and defensive stops. Linfield was able to take advantage of the field position game to set up a four play, 24-yard drive that ended with Josh Hill’s second touchdown run of the day, a 3-yarder with 4:24 to go in the third quarter, to give Linfield a 17-7 lead.

     Cal Lutheran marched back down the field, going 70 yards in seven plays, capped off by Laudenslayer’s 28-yard touchdown pass to Rodgers with 48 seconds to go in the third quarter, cutting Linfield’s lead to 17-14.

     The fourth quarter opened up with both teams trading punts before Linfield strung together a six play, 75-yard drive that resulted in a 4-yard touchdown strike from Inns to tight end Jacob Priester, giving Linfield a 24-14 lead with 8:07 to go. Linfield spent the rest of the game fending off Cal Lutheran’s offense and burning as much clock as possible. Laudenslayer’s pass was picked off by Fisher at the Linfield 11-yard line with 2:30 to go, essentially ending the game.

     Linfield has a bye next week before hosting La Verne on September 24. La Verne, a 65-14 loser to Azusa Pacific on Saturday, lost to Linfield 30-3 at Ortmayer Stadium last season, and will be looking for payback.

     “I think we’re gonna try to rest up and get our legs back,” Inns said. “We’ll worry about La Verne on Monday.”

     Cal Lutheran takes on Pacific Lutheran at home next weekend; the Kingsmen will be looking to avenge last season’s 35-20 loss to the Lutes.

     “We just need to work on offensive consistency and defensive fits,” McEnroe said.

Link to boxscore: http://www.linfield.edu/sports/stats/fb/clu0910.htm 

Link to postgame video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vyk1qXKptSA&feature=channel_video_title