The match-up that this blogger
has been looking forward to all season is finally here: Whitworth, a team many thought could
challenge for the Northwest Conference crown in 2012, and third-ranked Linfield,
the reigning three-time NWC champs. Whitworth
is 5-1 and looking to keep their NWC title hopes alive, while Linfield is 4-0
on the season, but still looking to put together a complete game.
The
main reason for anticipation in this match-up is last season’s shootout between
these two teams, which Linfield won 42-38.
With the Pirates’ completely opposite start from last season and
Linfield’s top-three ranking, another classic seems to be in the making.
Linfield
brings an explosive offense into the game, even if it’s somewhat inconsistent
at this point in the season. Averaging
35.8 points and 427.8 yards per game (both ranked second in the NWC), the ‘Cat
attack is led by quarterback Mickey Inns, who seems to be off to a slower start
than last season. Inns has completed
54.5 percent of his passes for 987 yards with 10 touchdowns and five
interceptions on the season; his passer rating of 127.71 ranks among the lowest
in the conference. Leading a balanced
receiving core is wide receiver Charlie Poppen, who has a team-high 262 yards
and one touchdown on 14 receptions, an astounding 18.7 yards per
reception. Lucas Jepson has 207 yards
and a team-high two touchdowns on 16 receptions. Deidre Weirsma has 156 yards and one
touchdown on a team-high 19 receptions.
After losing star running back Josh Hill for the season, previously
third-string running back John Shaffer stepped up with 88 yards and a touchdown
on 15 carries in their win over PLU two weeks ago.
Whitworth’s
defense is a hit-and-miss operation in 2012; some games they look really good,
and in other games, such as against Willamette and Whittier, they get their world
rocked. On the season, the Pirate
defense gives up 25.3 points (fourth in the NWC) and 410.2 yards (fifth in the
NWC). They also rank near the bottom of
the conference in turnovers forced and sacks.
The
Whitworth offense, the strength of the team, hasn’t quite been living up to the
pre-season expectations, averaging 31.5 points (fourth in the NWC) and 378.5
yards (Last in the NWC). Leading the way
at Quarterback is Bryan Peterson, who’s completing 56.6 percent of his passes
for 1,143 yards with 10 touchdowns and four interceptions, giving him a passer
rating of 141.27. Leading the way at wide
receiver is Jake Degooyer, who has 717 yards and seven touchdowns on 47
receptions on the season, his 119.5 yards per game ranking second in the
Northwest conference. The real gem of
the offense is tailback Ronnie Thomas, who leads the Northwest conference with
758 yards and eight touchdowns, averaging 4.5 yards per carry; Thomas has been
the motor for the Pirate offense all season.
The
Linfield defense began to take life against Pacific Lutheran nearly two weeks
ago, essentially shutting down the Lute offense after falling behind 21-7 in
the second quarter. On the season, the
Wildcat defense is giving up 24.5 points (second in the NWC) and 382.2 yards
(fourth in the NWC). The Linfield defense
continues to lead the conference in sacks, and in tackles for loss per
game.
Keys to the game for Linfield:
-Third-down battles: I said this was a key before the PLU game,
and even though Linfield continued to struggle with third down on both sides of
the ball, they managed to win. If there
was ever a time to reverse the trend, Whitworth would be the perfect
opportunity to do it.
-Cut down on turnovers: Linfield lost the turnover battle against
PLU, and somehow managed to pull off a road win. However, PLU does not have the QB-RB-WR combo
like Whitworth has with Peterson, Thomas, and Degooyer. If Linfield turns the ball over against these
guys, I can see Whitworth cashing in on most of them and having a shot at
pulling off the upset, so taking care of the ball needs to be a major emphasis
going into the game.
-Establishing the running
game: Since Linfield leads the
conference in rushing at the moment, most people are probably thinking that
this isn't a problem area. It’s not, but
it’s going to be important from this point forward to get John Shaffer and
Stephen Nasca established on the ground so that Inns can ease into a rhythm passing. Since Linfield Amazingly only ranks sixth in
the NWC in passing yards per game, getting the ground game established first
would help Linfield regain their efficient form from last season.
Keys to the game for Whitworth:
-Establishing a passing
game: In order for Whitworth’s offense
to operate at optimum efficiency and explosiveness, they need to establish the passing game, which is something that
they have a hard time doing consistently (As indicated by their
conference-worst passing numbers), but were able to get done against Linfield
last season in their near-upset. Doing
so again would greatly help increase their chances of an upset.
-Force turnovers: While Whitworth’s defense hasn't exactly been
a play-making unit, Linfield’s offense has shown a tendency to turn the ball
over in the past two games. If Whitworth
can continue that trend, It might help their chances of getting the upset, even
though forcing four turnovers in last year’s match-up ultimately didn’t
help.
-Bring their A-game: This is it for Whitworth: Winning would give them control of their own
destiny in terms of winning the conference, and losing will take them out of
the race entirely. With stakes that
high, Whitworth better bring their A-game, because Linfield usually does at
home in Maxwell Field.
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