Linfield vs Pacific Lutheran: Instant Analysis...

#3 Linfield came back from an early 21-7 deficit, three turnovers, and a parade of penalties to defeat Pacific Lutheran 31-24 at Sparks Stadium.  The win improved Linfield to 4-0 on the season, which leaves them one win away from extending their NCAA-record winning season streak to 57.  The loss leaves PLU at 1-2, with a road trip to Lewis & Clark coming up next.

It was over when:  Safety Colin Forman intercepted a Ritchey Dalton pass with 1:32 to go, allowing the offense to run out the clock.

Game ball goes to:  Linfield's entire defense.  After giving up 169 yards of offense as PLU built up a 21-7 lead with 14:45 to go in the second quarter, Linfield's defense hunkered down and only gave up 146 yards for the rest of the game, putting ridiculous pressure on Ritchey Dalton after his hot start, and ended the game with an interception in the last two minutes.

Stat of the game:  19 yards rushing by PLU on 27 carries.  Ten tackles for loss, including seven quarterback sacks, by the Linfield defense contributed to this total.  After spending most of the first 16 minutes getting run over by the PLU offense, the Wildcat defense seemingly decided that they had enough, and spent the final 44 minutes of the game pressuring the crud out of the Lutes offense.

Unsung hero of the game:  Third-string running back John Shaffer had a big performance in relief of injured star Josh Hill, rushing for 83 yards and one touchdown on 14 carries.  His performance was especially critical as Linfield's offense was held to 341 yards, missed a field goal, and coughed up three more turnovers.

What it means:  Linfield overcame a disastrous start and dominated the final three and a half quarters of play, especially on defense.  On a side note, Linfield made no progress whatsoever with cleaning up their sloppy play from the first three games, even with having an extra week to prepare for PLU; They had three turnovers for the game, as well as a missed field goal and 11 penalties for 92 yards.  While Linfield definitely has the talent of a top-five team, they need to eliminate the sloppiness out of their game if they want to celebrate a fourth consecutive conference title at the end ofthe season.  For PLU, while they showed in their losses to Cal Lutheran and LInfield that they're a competitive football team, they just couldn't find a way to win a big game.  They'll have three more chances as Whitworth, Willamette, and Lewis & Clark remain on their schedule.

Link to boxscore:  http://www.linfield.edu/sports/stats/fb/plu0929.htm

Linfield vs Pacific Lutheran Preview...

                     They were picked by the coaches of the Northwest Conference to finish first and second in the conference preseason poll, and now they are on a collision course at Sparks Stadium on Saturday.  Third-ranked Linfield brings their 3-0 record against Pacific Lutheran, who sits at 1-1 on the season and has 1 receiving vote in the latest top 25 poll.

                

                In last season’s match-up, Linfield turned a potential conference championship-deciding match-up with PLU into a 45-7 rout that extended Linfield’s home win streak.  Pacific Lutheran will be looking to avenge not only that loss, but their home loss to Linfield in 2010, in which their only blemish in an 8-1 campaign that ended with no postseason invitation despite finishing the season ranked 21st in the country. 

                

                Linfield brings one of the most explosive offenses in the nation into the fray, averaging 37.3 points and 456.7 yards per game, including a conference-leading 187.3 yards per game on the ground.  Mickey Inns leads the explosive passing game, having completed 54 percent of his passes for 779 yards and seven touchdowns with three interceptions.  Josh Hill leads the explosive running game with 401 yards and one touchdown on the season, averaging 6.8 yards per carry; Hill’s 133.7 yards per game on the ground is second in the conference behind Whitworth’s Ronnie Thomas.  Josh Hill also has 11 receptions for 128 yards and a team-high two touchdowns.  Wide receiver Charlie Poppen leads the team with 193 yards receiving on 11 receptions, and Lucas Jepson has 182 yards and two touchdowns on 14 receptions.  Senior Deidre Wiersma has 146 yards and a touchdown on a team-high 17 receptions.

                

                Pacific Lutheran’s defense comes into the game as one of the better defenses in the conference.  Although their 25.5 points per game allowed ranks fifth in the conference, they rank second in the conference in yards per game allowed, and they’re tied for second in the conference in turnovers forced.  After giving up 37 points and 399 yards in their loss to Cal Lutheran, Pacific Lutheran held Redlands to 14 points and 286 yards in their win. 

                

                The Pacific Lutheran offense, though still not an elite unit, has made strides from a year ago, when they had the second worst offense in the league.  The Lutes average 25.5 points and 426 yards of offense, including 314 yards per game through the air (third in the NWC).  Leading the offense is quarterback Richey Dalton, who is completing 58 percent of his passes for 622 yards and two touchdowns and two interceptions.  Wide receiver Kyle Warner has 210 yards and one touchdown on 10 receptions, while receiver Kelle Westering has 14 receptions for 203 yards.  Brandon James leads the PLU rushing attack with 157 yards and two touchdowns with a 6.0 yard per carry average. 

                

                 Linfield’s defense, though not as elite as the defensive unit from the three previous seasons, is still a unit not to be taken lightly.  The Wildcat defense gives up 24.7 points per game (third in the conference) and 404.7 yards per game (fifth in the conference).  They lead the conference in tackles for loss and sacks, and are tied for second in the conference in turnovers forced, a sign of the dominance of Linfield’s front seven.   

Keys To The Game For Linfield:

-Cut Down On Turnovers:  After having only one turnover against Menlo in the opener, Linfield had two turnovers against Hardin-Simmons and three against Cal Lutheran.  The Wildcats need to reverse this negative trend soon, or they might find themselves on the wrong end of the scoreboard at the worst time (See the Menlo & Whitworth games of 2006).

-Win The Third-Down Battles:  Considering how dominant Linfield’s offense has shown to be at times this season, it was quite a shock to the system to see Linfield’s offense having the worst third-down conversion percentage in the NWC at 35 percent (They were 45 % in 2011).  Not only that, the defense has allowed opponents to convert 38 percent of their third downs (way up from the 26 percent allowed in 2011).  If Linfield can reverse these trends, it would go a long way towards helping them regain their top form. 

-Regain Their Top Passing Form:  Last season, Mickey Inns had a 153.73 QB rating, which was tops in the conference last season.  As it stands, Inns has a QB rating of 127.03; contributing to this is the fact that Inns has already thrown three interceptions this season, compared to just seven for all of last season.  Inn’s completion percentage has also dropped from 60.5 percent to just 54 percent.  Linfield returns almost their entire receiving core from last season, so who knows why things aren’t going as smoothly.  A big day from Inns through the air will not only help get his season on track, but it would also allow Josh Hill to continue to have the success that he’s been having thus far in 2012.

Keys To The Game For Pacific Lutheran:

-Get Something Going On Offense:  In last season’s 45-7 loss to Linfield, Pacific Lutheran was held to a season-low 183 yards of offense and could only produce one touchdown in garbage time against Linfield, all of their offensive inadequacies on display.  While the Lutes look much better offensively this season, they’ll need to prove themselves against the Wildcat defense.

-Avoid Turnovers:  Last season, PLU compounded their offensive troubles against Linfield by turning the ball over four times.  In order to pull off an upset of Linfield, the Lutes will have to minimize their offensive mistakes, and not having turnovers would be a big help.

-Get Some Stops On Defense:  Last season, I thought PLU’s defense was going to give Linfield’s offense some fits; instead, the Lutes defense got ran over by the Wildcats in the form of 45 points and 460 yards of offense, which included big days by both Mickey Inns and Josh Hill.  PLU’s defense will have to have a big day on Saturday in order to have a chance of an upset.

Link to Linfield Coach Joseph Smith's Thoughts on PLU:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CsOa-GAcLc&feature=youtu.be

Link to NWC Predictions Week 5:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoR-uyoVeUk                          

What We Learned About Linfield: Week 3...

I apologize for not posting this last week; I was swept up in work and couldn't find the time to get it done.  nevertheless, here is what we know about Linfield after three games:

Linfield's Defense Has Chinks:  While Linfield's defense still leads the NWC in tackles for loss and sacks, and is up there in turnovers forced and defensive touchdowns, their last two games against Hardin-Simmons and Cal Lutheran have shown that they have trouble stopping talented offenses, which doesn't seem to bode well for future match-ups with Willamette, Whitworth, and Lewis & Clark.  With that being said, there's a lot of season left for the defense to get better, and Linfield has an excellent coaching staff.

Linfield Still Hasn't Cleaned Up Their Game:  After three games, Linfield still has yet to clean up the slopiness that they showed against Menlo and Hardin-Simmons.  Against Cal Lutheran, Linfield had a season-high three turnovers, as well as 15 penalties for 142 yards.  While Linfield was able to pull off the victory on the road against Cal Lutheran, playing that sloppy on the road against someone like PLU or Lewis & Clark could prove costly down the road.

Despite The Mistakes, Linfield's Still Pretty Good:  We can talk all we want about all the mistakes that Linfield's making every week, and we can talk about all the vulnerabilities of Linfield's defense, but the fact of the matter is that even with these mistakes, Linfield went 3-0 against arguably the toughest non-conference schedule they ever had, and their offense is arguably among the nations toughest even with all the mistakes they've made in the first three games; Linfield is going to be a scary team when they get the sloppiness out of their game.    

Week 4 action...

I must apologize my audience for not posting much last week.  I was busy training for a new job that I got hired for, and it took up all my time last week.  As an apology present, I present to you three items of interest:  My analysis of Linfield's win over Cal Lutheran, the audio of Linfield's weekly football press conference from this week, and my predictions for the Northwest Conference in week 4.  I hope you enjoy everything!

Link to Linfield-Cal Lutheran Analysis:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T90k3SzkNSI

Link to boxscore:  http://www.linfield.edu/sports/stats/fb/clu0915.htm  

Link to Linfield Football Press Conference:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XV1EGy15-O8&feature=youtu.be

Link to NWC Week 4 Predictions:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Webr04RYbD8  

What We Learned About Linfield: Week 2...

Linfield's offense is scary:  All the week 1 mistakes that haunted Linfield the week before were in display again last Saturday in the form of two missed field goals and two turnovers.  Despite this, the "Cat Attack put up 49 points and 563 yards of offense against Hardin-Simmons; how many teams do we know around the country who can put up numbers like that on an off-day?  The list is small, and the Linfield offense is on that list.

Passing game returns:  Much like 2011, Mickey Inns came back from an iffy opener to post impressive numbers in week 2.  After going 10-25 for 172 yards and two touchdowns against Menlo in the opener, Inns put on a n incredible display against Hardin-Simmons, going 26-41 for 309 yards, four touchdowns and one interception.  On the season, Inns has completed 54.5 percent of his passes for 481 yards with six touchdowns and only one interception.

Wildcat defense has chinks in the armor:  After a magnificent showing against Menlo, Linfield's defense showed some kinks in the armor against an offense that featured a strong running back and an explosive passing attack.  Of course, two late touchdown drives in garbage time padded the stats for Hardin-Simmons after the game was already over.  The Wildcat defense continued to make plays though, forcing three turnovers, blocking a field goal, and recording four tackles for loss.  Next weekend's match-up against Cal Lutheran will go a long way in showing how good Linfield's defense will be this season.

Linfield Blows Away Cowboys 49-35...

Unfortunately, I'm too busy this week with Job training to make my normal game articles and game previews.      Instead, I'll just give a link to my post-game analysis video, which does a fairly good job of summing up the game anyways.  Be sure to be tuned in later this week to see my preview video of Linfield's upcoming game against Hardin-Simmons.

Link to Linfield-Hardin-Simmons Analysis:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ian7-BaBEN0

Linfield vs Hardin-Simmons Preview...

Due to many changes in my personal life in the past week, I did not have the time to put together a preview article for the game.  Instead, I created a preview video.  What makes this video different from past preview videos is the inclusion of quotes by Linfield Head Coach Joseph Smith at Linfield's press conference on Tuesday.  With that, I bid you happy viewing!

Link to Preview Video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vpohvziay7I 

What We Learned About Linfield: Week 1

Linfield's defense didn't miss a beat:  After losing their entire secondary to graduation, a lot of people thought that Linfield's defense would not be as good as they had been the last three seasons, despite the fact that they returned their entire front seven.  After holding Menlo to nine points, 265 yards, forcing four turnovers, and scoring nine points themselves, Linfield's defense proved that they'll be taking no steps back in 2012.

Josh Hill is the X-factor of this offense:  In last season's win over Menlo, Linfield was held to 44 yards rushing, and Josh Hill was held to 39 yards on 13 carries.  On Saturday, Linfield ran for 170 yards, and Josh Hill ran for 113 yards on 18 carries.  Linfield is now 6-0 all-time when Josh Hill cracks 100 yards rushing.  Seems pretty safe to say that when Josh Hill has a big day, Linfield is nearly unbeatable.

The Wildcats have a lot of mistakes to clean up:  As big as Linfield's 30-9 win seemed, there were a lot of mistakes that Linfield can clean up that would make them even more dominant.  The Wildcats were penalized 10 times for 98 yards, including two roughing the punter calls; Linfield missed a 41-yard field goal attempt, and botched the snap on another.  Mickey Inns and the 'Cat attack had a tough time completing passes as Inns went 10-25 for 172 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.  All of this goes to show that when Linfield gets some kinks ironed out, they will be one of the scariest teams in the nation once again.

'Cats Slash Oaks 30-9...

                Despite the addition of the patented Fly Offense in the offseason and the advantage of having played a game beforehand, the Menlo Oaks could do no better against Linfield than in the previous season, thanks to a dominant defensive effort paired with timely offense by the Wildcats.

                The fifth-ranked Linfield Wildcats defeated the Menlo Oaks 30-9 at Maxwell Field on a sunny September afternoon in their 2012 season opener.  The win gives the Wildcats a 1-0 record on the season, while the loss dropped the Oaks to 1-1 on the season.

                The Linfield offense was hit-and-miss most of the day, managing to put together a couple scoring drives in the second quarter before the offense lost all momentum in the second half.  On the day, the “Cat attack gained 359 yards of offense and 20 first downs.  One positive aspect of the offense was their rushing total of 170 yards on the day after being held to 44 yards on the ground last season against the Oaks; Josh Hill led the way with 113 yards on 18 carries.

                “I would say that we had a better plan than last year,” Linfield coach Joseph Smith said, “we looked at that pretty closely, we did some technical things a little bit different.  Coach Hire did a great job of adjusting our schemes a little bit more to their specific defense.”   

Mickey Inns had an off-day passing, going 10-25 for 172 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.  Deidre Weirsma led the Wildcats with 49 yards and a touchdown on four receptions.  Lucas Jepson added 51 yards and a touchdown on two receptions.

“I think it’s a myriad of factors,” Smith said, “one being the timing factor, one being some technical things with how much air you wanna put under the ball, which increases the margin of error, and the other is that the plays themselves are low-percentage plays.”

The Menlo offense, despite a complete schematic overhaul from last season with the induction of the Fly offense, still could not crack the nut that is the Linfield defense.  Held to 265 yards on the day, the Oaks turned the ball over four times, including three lost fumbles, one of which was returned 87 yards by Linfield defensive end Matthew MaClanathan for a touchdown, and a safety.  Quarterback Matt Pelasasa went 9-15 for 118 yards with one interception while rushing the ball 27 times for 51 yards and one touchdown.  Wide receiver Michael Alexander led the Oaks with five receptions for 76 yards, and Running back Joey Evans added 51 yards rushing on 12 carries.

“At one point, the defense was winning 9-3; I told coach Vaughn that he gave up the win there,” Smith said with a chuckle, “That ‘s just an unbelievable performance to hold a team to very few points and then to score a little bit yourself; you’re gonna win every time.  I was real pleased with our defense; they had a dominating effort.”

The game started off very slowly for both teams.  While Linfield missed a 41-yard field goal attempt and botched another field goal attempt, Menlo kept fumbling the ball right back to the Wildcats, who finally capitalized when Inns hit Weirsma with a 14-yard touchdown pass to make it 7-0 Linfield with 10:49 to go in the second quarter.  After forcing a three and out on Menlo’s next possession, Linfield put together a six play, 82 yard drive culminated by Inns’ 40-yard touchdown strike to Jepson to make it 14-0 Linfield with 6:03 to go in the second quarter.  A 13 play, 65 yard drive by Menlo ended with a 31-yard field goal, making it 14-3 Linfield with 0:37 left in the second quarter.

The second half saw a lot of action from the Wildcat defense.  After Linfield’s first drive of the half ended with a punt, a 51-yard punt by Linfield put Menlo at their own five yard line.  Two plays later, right after a Menlo timeout, Pelasasa recovered a fumble in the endzone, the safety making it 16-3 Linfield with 12:22 to go in the third quarter.  After a Menlo interception set the ball up at the Menlo 17-yard line, Josh Hill threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Mickey Inns on a halfback toss to make the score 23-3 Linfield with 4:27 to go in the third quarter. 

In the fourth quarter, Menlo had a first-and-goal in the Linfield four yard line.  Two negative plays later, MaClanathan scooped up a fumble and returned it 79 yards for a touchdown to make it 30-3 with 12:46 to go in the game.  A four-yard touchdown run by Pelasasa made it 30-9 with 7:13 to play.

“He had a nice convey of blockers that went down there with them, and Tyler Robitaille was talking to him the whole time, kind of telling him when there was nobody or “another guy back here,” or “we got him,” kinda got air traffic control down the runway so to speak,” Smith said.         

Linfield’s next game is against Hardin-Simmons, who is coming off a 58-34 loss to Willamette University where they gave up 727 yards of total offense to the Bearcats.  Linfield last played Hardin-Simmons in 2009, when they opened up the season with a 37-22 victory over the Cowboys, who were ranked fourth in the nation at the time.

Menlo’s next game is against Pomona Pitzer, who is coming off the 0-9 campaign in 2011, on September 8.

Link to Postgame Analysis:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOcZyS457Gc

Link to Game Boxscore:  http://www.linfield.edu/sports/stats/fb/men0901.htm