Third-ranked
Linfield comes into the game with a 10-0 record, the Northwest Conference
champions, and having just survived #20 Pacific Lutheran 27-24 in the first
round. North Central (IL) is 9-2,
co-champions for the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin, and thrashed #8 Cal Lutheran 41-21 on the road
in the first round.
Linfield’s
offense is among the most explosive in the nation, wearing people out with
their no-huddle offense and quick tempo; the ‘Cat Attack is averaging 43.0
points and 462.1 yards of offense.
Leading the attack is Quarterback Mickey Inns, who has really turned it
on of late. Inns is completing 60.8 percent
of his passes for 2,736 yards and 27 touchdowns with six interceptions on the
season, giving him a passer rating of 149.98.
Charlie Poppen leads the receiving core with 718 yards and eight
touchdowns on 47 receptions. Deidre
Weirsma has 568 yards and seven touchdowns on 49 receptions. Lucas Jepson has 489 yards and three
touchdowns on 37 receptions. John
Shaffer leads the rushing attack with 430 yards and seven touchdowns, averaging
4.4 yards per carry.
North
Central (IL)’s defense comes into the game as one of the best defenses in the
nation, giving up 15.3 points and 267 yards of offense per game. The Cardinal’s defense has forced 32
turnovers on the season, and in many ways mirrors the Linfield defense in terms
of tackles for loss and quarterback sacks.
It’s safe to say that the Wildcats face their toughest defensive
challenge to date.
North
Central (IL) brings into the game the most balanced offense that Linfield has
seen all season. Averaging 39.4 points
and 435.6 yards per game, the Cardinals average 217.1 yards on the ground and
218.5 yards through the air. Leading the
ground attack is running back Nick Kukuc, who has rushed for 1,259 yards and 15
touchdowns on the year, averaging 8.2 yards per carry. His back-up, Jordan Tassiso, has rushed for
441 yards and 14 touchdowns with a 4.8 yard per carry average. The air attack is lead by Spencer Stanek, who’s
completed 63.7 percent of his passes for 2,348 yards and 20 touchdowns with six
interceptions on the season. Chad O’kane
leads the team with 502 yards and two touchdowns on 32 receptions. Jeff Stolzenburg has 488 yards and seven
touchdowns on 25 receptions, an average of 19.7 yards per reception. Peter Sorenson has 390 yards and five
touchdowns on 27 receptions.
Linfield’s
defense, a unit that showed some vulnerability early in the season against some
of the best offenses in the nation, comes into the contest on an absolute roll
and with sky-high confidence. In the win over PLU last week, the ‘Cats forced five turnovers, set up 17 points off
turnovers in the first half, and scored the only touchdown of the second half
with an interception return for a touchdown in their 27-24 victory over the
Lutes. On the season, the Wildcat defense
gives up 17.0 points and 277.6 yards of offense per game, both first in the
NWC. The Wildcat defense leads the
conference in tackles for loss, and the nation in quarterback sacks.
Keys to the game for Linfield:
-Force turnovers: Turnovers
turned out to be Linfield’s best friend last Saturday against PLU in the first
round of the NCAA Playoffs, bringing back memories of the play-making of recent
years that had been missing in 2012. With
all the balance that the Cardinals bring to the table, the Wildcats will need
to force some big turnovers if they wanna have a chance of slowing down North
Central (IL)’s balanced offense.
-Establish a running game:
After being the top rushing offense in the NWC for the first two-thirds
of the season, the Wildcat’s have averaged only 94 yards per game on the ground
in the past four games. Whether it’s
been the offensive line not generating holes, the running backs not making the
right reads, other teams just going all out against the run, or whatever;
Linfield just isn't getting it done on the ground. Failure to establish a running game has hurt
Linfield in the playoffs the past three seasons, so the ‘Cats need to step up
in that department on Saturday.
Keys to the game for North Central (IL):
-Keep turnovers down:
Turnovers were the entire reason that Linfield was able to gut out a
victory against Pacific Lutheran despite having their worst offensive
performance of the season. If the
Cardinals can avoid turnovers, they’ll have a chance to get stuff done against
Linfield’s ferocious defense.
-Establish running game:
Running the ball has never been a problem for the Cardinals in 2012, but
Linfield’s defense is exceptionally good at taking away the run game and
forcing teams to pass against their talented secondary. If the Cardinals can have their normal day
running the ball against Linfield, they could have a good day on offense.
-Get off to a fast start:
Starting fast has always paid dividends for Linfield in the past four
years, and with the exception of Wesley last season and Cal Lutheran at the
start of the 2010 season, Linfield has an excellent track record after starting
out fast. If the Cardinals can get off
to a quick start at Maxwell Field, their chances of winning will be very
good.
Link to Linfield Press Conference on 11/20/12: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJgGd2QhWW0&feature=youtu.be
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