What We Learned About Linfield in Week 13...

Linfield's Defense is Elite:  Going into Saturday's game, North Central (IL) had the most balanced offense the Wildcats had seen all season, and nobody could have seen the nuclear performance of the Wildcat defense coming.  Sure, they gave up 416 yards and running back Nick Kukuc ran wild, but the Wildcats forced seven turnovers, had a defensive touchdown, and held the Cardinals to a season-low point total.  Except for the Mary-Hardin Baylor game in the 2009 playoffs, never before has such a dominant defensive effort been seen by Linfield in the playoffs.

The Up-tempo attack works against elite defenses:  For the first 13 minutes of the game, Linfield's offense totaled 19 yards and seemingly couldn't get out of their own red zone.  Late in the first quarter, the 'Cat Attack found their rhythm through the air, and by the end of the game, the 'Cats racked up 331 yards of offense against the toughest defense they'd seen all season.  Mickey Inns had yet another wonderful game, going 24-39 for 305 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions as a result.  

Linfield looks like a legit contender:  Last season, Linfield was up 27-7 at halftime against Wesley, seemingly a legit national title contender before Wesley went on their legendary 42-0 run to open the second half and bring Linfield's season to a screeching halt.  After dominating North Central (IL), a team that had made mince meat of #8 Cal Lutheran the previous week, the Wildcat's number-three national ranking has been seemingly validated, reaching the round of 8 for the first time since 2009, when their season ended one game shy of the national championship game.        

'Cats Dump Cards' 30-14...

          It was a familiar barrier: the second round of the NCAA playoffs.  The past two Linfield teams couldn't make it past the second round, whether it be against Wesley or St. Thomas.  Would history repeat itself?

                

          On Saturday, The Wildcats overcame recent history in impressive fashion, using a bone-crushing defensive performance and timely offense to propel themselves into the round of eight for the first time since 2009.

                

          “Anytime you are able to generate the amount of turnovers we did, and then score seven points, it’s a heck of a defensive game,” Linfield coach Joseph Smith said.  “I felt like our guys played with great energy, as usual, and really were fast to the football.  I liked how they tackled for the most part, and considering that we were facing a good offense, I thought we played well.”

                

          The third-ranked Linfield Wildcats defeated the #14 North Central (IL) 30-14 on a beautiful October afternoon at Maxwell Field.  The win improved Linfield to 11-0 on the season, while the loss left the Cardinals with a 9-3 record for 2012. 

                

          The Wildcat offense had trouble getting out of the shadow of their end zone in the first quarter, but was able to get their up-tempo attack going in the second and third quarters; the ‘Cat Attack racked up 331 yards of offense on the day, which included 305 yards through the air.   Mickey Inns had a stellar afternoon against the toughest defense Linfield had faced all season, going 24-39 for 305 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.  Lucas Jepson led all Receivers with 132 yards and a touchdown on eight receptions.  Charlie Poppen added 83 yards and one touchdown on four receptions.  Deidre Weirsma added 49 yards on six receptions.

                

          “Early on, we got the ball at the four, or something of that nature; I hate that,” Smith said.   “No coach likes getting the ball backed up in that black zone.  We just wanted to move the ball and punt, and not give them the ball in scoring position.  I was actually pleased with our first possession.  It took us a while to get things dialed in, and the lack of a running game hurt us again early as we kind of figured out what they were doing and made adjustments.  Very proud of how Mickey played; he played a very good football game, and I thought our receivers played well.  I thought we pass-protected well enough against an outstanding defensive front.”    

                

          North Central (IL)’s offense, arguably the most balanced offense the Wildcats have faced all season, was held down in a way never seen in 2012.  The Cardinals racked up 416 yards of offense, about their season average, but turned the ball over a season-high seven times and was held to a season-low 14 points.  Nick Kukuc ran the ball 25 times for 192 yards and two touchdowns, while leading the team with 51 yards on two receptions.  Spencer Stanek went 19-39 for 235 yards with no touchdowns and five interceptions.

                

          “Early on in the season, we were up against the best teams that we've faced, and our defense was not up to par,” Smith said in regards to the 12 forced turnovers by Linfield’s defense in the playoffs.  “As we got up to par, the offenses got worse, and things changed.  Later in the season, teams were scared to hold on to the ball, so you saw a lot of safe play-calling because they didn't want to face that pass rush.  As we get further on, teams don’t know you as well, and so things change in the playoffs.”           

                

          After playing through a scoreless first quarter where Linfield couldn't get out of their own red zone, Linfield got things going in the second quarter.  Inns capped a nine play, 80-yard touchdown drive by tossing a 17-yard touchdown pass to Poppen with 14:22 to go in the second quarter to make it 7-0.  On the Titan’s next possession, Dominique Forrest intercepted a Stanek pass, returning it 76 yards for a touchdown to make it 14-0 with 10:48 to go in the quarter.  After the Titans fumbled the ball away on their ensuing possession, Josh Kay tacked on a 44-yard field goal to make it 17-0 Linfield with 6:42 to go in the quarter.

                

          After Brandon Funk intercepted another Stanek pass, Inns connected with Jepson on a 64-yard bomb down the sidelines, making it 24-0 with 8:18 to go in the third quarter.  After Michael Link picked off yet another Stanek pass, Chad Coburn capped an eight play, 53-yard touchdown drive with a 4-yard run, making it 30-0 following a blocked extra point by Josh Kay.  Kukuc scored on a 32-yard touchdown run with 2:32 to go in the third quarter to make it 30-7.

                

          “I think every wants to try to convert anytime they’re put into scoring position,” Smith said.  “I think we have done a nice job of making use of momentum change, and converting in those situations is something we had to do.”      

                

          In the fourth quarter, Kukuc added a 15-yard touchdown run to make it 30-14 with 14:54 to go in the quarter.  Linfield’s defense picked off Stanek on the Cardinal’s final two possessions to snuff out the comeback attempt.

          Linfield’s next game is at home against the fifth-ranked UW-Oshkosh Titans in the third round of the NCAA playoffs at Maxwell Field.  The Titans are the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champions, snapping UW-Whitewater’s three year national championship streak as well as their conference championship streak. 

               
          North Central (IL) finished the season with a 9-3 record, and were the co-champions of the College 

Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin.



Link to Boxscore:  http://www.linfield.edu/sports/stats/fb/ncc1124.htm

Link to Instant Analysis:   http://wildcatspread40.blogspot.com/2012/11/linfield-vs-north-central-il-instant.html  

Linfield vs North Central (IL): Instant Analysis...

In the second round of the NCAA playoffs, Third-ranked Linfield took advantage of seven turnovers to beat #14 North Central (IL) 30-14 on a cool afternoon at Maxwell Field.  While Linfield’s defense stole the show on Saturday, the Linfield offense quietly asserted themselves in the second and third quarters against one of the best defenses in the nation.  The win improved Linfield to 11-0 on the season, and the loss dropped North Central (IL) to 9-3 on the season.

On to my awards…

It was over when:  Following the Cardinal’s fourth turnover of the game, Mickey Inns scrambled away from the pass rush and connected with Lucas Jepson for a 64 yard touchdown pass down the sidelines to make the score 24-0 with 8:18 to go in the third quarter.  After that play, North Central (IL)’s chances of winning were gone.

Gameball goes to:  Mickey Inns.  Against one of the best defenses in the nation, Inns went 24-39 for 305 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.  In a game where Linfield had absolutely nowhere to go in the running game, the Wildcats were forced to throw to respond through the air, and Inns was up for the challenge.

Stat of the game:  Seven turnovers.  Coming into the game with arguably the most balanced offense in the nation, the Cardinals turned the ball over seven times against the Wildcat defense.  While running back Nick Kukuc had 25 carries for 192 yards and two touchdowns, all-conference quarterback Spencer Stanek went 19-39 for 235 yards with no touchdowns and five interceptions.  Even though they had what Linfield coach Joseph Smith called the best offense Linfield has faced all season, the Cardinals couldn’t afford to have that many turnovers against the Wildcats, and they paid the price.    

Unsung hero:  Lucas Jepson.  After being their top threat in 2011, Lucas Jepson found himself relegated to the third option on the offense for most of 2012.  On Saturday, Jepson came up huge, catching eight passes for 132 yards and one touchdown.      

What it means:  For Linfield, the win allows them to play one more game than in 2011, and puts them in the round of 8, which is elite company.  After watching the way the Cardinals blew away #8 Cal Lutheran last week, it was more than impressive to watch Linfield take them down in such dominant fashion.  For North Central (IL), the loss was a complete letdown in wake of their dominant showing in the first round, but they had a special season nonetheless.

Link to boxscore:  http://www.d3football.com/seasons/2012/boxscores/20121124_sj4g.xml      

Linfield vs North Central (IL) Preview...

          It’s all come down to this:  a home game in the second round of the NCAA playoffs.  Last season, Linfield went to Delaware and lost to Wesley 49-34 in the second round of the playoffs.  This season, Linfield looks to validate their number-three ranking in the polls and make their push for a national championship.

        

          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

Linfield vs PLU: Instant Analysis...

Playing on a rainy, cloudy afternoon at Maxwell Field, #3 Linfield survived a colossal battle with #20 Pacific Lutheran, winning 27-24 to advance to the second round of the NCAA playoffs.  While Linfield's offense had their worst day of the season, the Linfield defense turned in a masterful performance.  The win pushed Linfield to 10-0 on the season, while the loss gave PLU a final record of 7-3.

Now to the awards...

It was over when:  Dalton Richey threw way behind Kyle Warner on fourth down with 29 seconds to go, which allowed Linfield to end the game with a knee.  

Gameball goes to:  Linfield's entire defense.  Although they gave up 17 points and 248 yards of offense in the second half to the Lutes, the Wildcat defense forced five turnovers for the game, had the only touchdown of the second half off an interception return, and made the crucial fourth down stop with 29 seconds to go.  With Linfield's offense having their worst day of the season, the defense won the day.        

Stat of the game:  5 turnovers forced by the Linfield defense.  After forcing only 17 turnovers in the regular season, Linfield's defense returned to their old play-making ways from the past three seasons, recovering three fumbles and forcing two interceptions by Dalton Richey.

Unsung hero:  Chad Coburn.  The freshman cornerback was used in a wishbone-esque formation in short yardage situations, and responded with carries for 13 yards and two touchdowns.  

What it means:  The win pushed Linfield to 10-0, and gives them a second-round matchup with #14 North Central (Ill), who just beat #8 Cal Lutheran 41-21 on the road.  For Pacific Lutheran, they finish the season with a 7-3 record, and they really became a good team in 2012.  They lived up to the pre-season hype by finishing second in the NWC, and despite having two losses (Albeit against two top-ten teams), Pacific Lutheran was rewarded with a playoff appearance.  Pacific Lutheran fans can be proud of the season that the Lutes had.  



Link to postgame analysis:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBgCDFBs31E&feature=youtu.be

What We Learned About Linfield In The Regular Season...

Linfield’s offense was better than ever:  This blogger had his suspicions after the Hardin-Simmons game, and by the end of the season, my suspicions were proven correct:  This is the best Linfield offense that I've ever seen in the four years that I've been following Linfield football.  Averaging 44.8 points and 485.8 yards of offense per game in 2012, the ‘Cat Attack blew opposing defenses away with tempo, pace, and a prolific passing attack; the Wildcats were effective at breaking people down by the third quarter, especially in the last five games of the season; watching the ‘Cat Attack race up to the line of scrimmage, snapping off play after play, felt like watching the Oregon Ducks, except for not as fast. 

Linfield’s defense took no steps back:  In the preseason, some people thought that Linfield’s defense would take a serious step back in 2012 because of the graduation of their entire secondary, seemingly disregarding the fact that Linfield returned their entire lethal front seven.  The Wildcat defense proved them all wrong by turning in another fantastic season.  Although they only forced 17 turnovers in nine games, the Wildcat defense gave up 16.2 points and 270.8 yards of offense per game for the season, both of which are better than last season’s Wildcat defense.

Linfield is still the King of the NWC:  In 2012, the Northwest conference was tougher than it’s been in a long time; Pacific Lutheran went 7-2, Willamette went 8-2, and even middle-of-the-pack Whitworth went 7-3.  The games between the 2-6 teams of the conference were highly competitive, but nobody outside of Pacific Lutheran could even come close to Linfield; Linfield dominated the northwest conference even more than they did last season, when the conference wasn't as tough.  With 10 returning starters on defense and the return of the entire offensive line and running back core on offense, Linfield has a strong chance of winning a fifth straight conference championship next season.     

Apologies...

Because there just wasn't enough time in the week due to work, I wasn't able to put together my normal preview for the Linfield-Pacific game.  However, next week, I should be back on track just in time for the NCAA playoffs.  Hope you all enjoy the game on Saturday!