Mid-Season Report...

Linfield Wildcats:

Record: 5-0

         Entering the 2012 season, Linfield returned 14 starters from a team that went 10-1 and won the Northwest conference championship in 2011, which includes nearly their entire offensive personnel and their defensive front seven.  The expectations for this season were a fourth straight conference title and playoff appearance, and so far the Wildcats seem on track with that.

                

         Linfield’s non-conference schedule to open the season was arguably the toughest in Linfield history, but the Wildcats won all three of their games.  Linfield opened the season by beating Menlo 30-9 at Maxwell field; Menlo currently has a 4-2 record and is loaded with play-makers on both sides of the ball.  Linfield then beat Hardin-Simmons 49-35 at Maxwell Field a week after the Cowboys had the worst defensive performance in school history against Willamette; since that game, Hardin-Simmons has won four straight, and is tied for first in the ASC with #2 Mary Hardin-Baylor.  Linfield then went on the road and defeated Cal Lutheran 33-30; Cal Lutheran is 4-1 and ranked eighth in the nation.  Linfield then went on to beat Pacific Lutheran on the road 31-24 and Whitworth at Maxwell Field last Saturday 54-14.      

         With virtually their entire offense from last season returning, the ‘Cat Attack had a high-standard to live up to in 2012.  So far they've been a little hit and miss, but with the exception of Whitworth, Linfield has faced athletic, tough defenses this season.  The Wildcats have averaged 39.4 points and 459.2 yards of offense per game so far this season, both of which rank second in the conference behind Willamette.  Linfield does lead the conference in rushing at 185 yards per game, despite the fact that Josh Hill was lost to a season-ending injury.  The Linfield passing attack has dropped a little bit from last season, down to 274.2 yards per game, which surprisingly only ranks fifth in the NWC. 

                

         After graduating their entire secondary from last season, a lot of people thought that Linfield’s defense would take a sizable step back in 2012.  While their defensive stats have noticeably slipped from a season ago, the Wildcat defense is still among the best in the NWC; giving up 22.4 points and 350.8 yards per game, Linfield’s defense ranks first and second in the NWC in those categories, respectively.  Linfield’s defense also leads the conference in quarterback sacks and tackles for loss.  Surprisingly, the Wildcat defense has forced 12 turnovers on the season, tied for fourth in the conference.

                

         Unlike last season, Linfield’s schedule appears to be lightening up as the season goes further along.  After traveling to Lewis & Clark (4-2) on Saturday, the Wildcats will host #22 Willamette (6-0) at Maxwell field on October 27.  Linfield travels to Pudget Sound (0-5) on November 3, and then wraps up the regular season at home against Pacific (2-4).  Willamette will be a tough one that will most likely decide the winner of the Northwest conference in 2012, but Linfield should be able to win the rest.

Offensive MVP:  I was leaning towards giving this award to Josh Hill until he suffered a season-ending injury, so I’ll give this award to Mickey Inns again this season.  Coming off of a first-team all-conference campaign in 2011, Inns came into the season held to a high standard.  Up until the Whitworth game, Inns had one of the lowest passer ratings in the conference and was seemingly having a super-down season.  On the year, Inns has completed 57.4 percent of his passes for 1,248 yards with 15 touchdowns and five interceptions, giving him a QB rating of 139.39.  His passer rating ranks fourth in the conference, but considering how many good defensive teams Linfield has faced so far this season compared to last season’s midway point, all is forgiven.  Also worth noting is that Inns' yards, touchdowns, and completion percentage are higher than they were at the midway point of 2011.    

Defensive MVP:  Defensive end Brynnan Hyland.  Hyland has 18 tackles on the season, including 8.5 tackles for loss and eight quarterback sacks, which is first in the NWC.  Hyland is the leader of a Linfield defense that lives in opponents’ backfields.