Linfield Football Program at Turning Point

You can hear the game in the Salem-area on KLYC 1260 AM.

Photo: Linfield Athletics

McMINNVILLE - Linfield and Lewis & Clark meet for the 71st time on Saturday. The Wildcats are trying to rebound from last Saturday’s 17-13 loss against Whitworth. Kickoff is set for 1:00 PM.

The Records:

Linfield is 5-3 and 4-1 in the NWC…the Wildcats saw their conference record 27-game league winning streak come to an end last week at the hands of Whitworth…Lewis & Clark is winless in eight games this season and has lost 17 straight contests dating to the fourth game of 2004.

The Streak:

Without fanfare, Linfield clinched its 51st consecutive winning season two weeks ago with a win over Menlo…Linfield's last losing season was in 1955… the Wildcats' streak of winning seasons spans six decades and the terms of 11 U.S. presidents…maintaining a streak of winning seasons is anything but easy as this season’s results would seem to indicate…Dayton (29 winning seaons) and John Carroll (19 winning seasons) both saw their consecutive winning season streaks broken this year…three other active streaks are in jeopardy, including Cal Davis (4-4 with two games left, 36 consecutive winning seasons), Florida State (5-4 with three remaining, 29), Eastern Kentucky (4-5 with two to go, 28).

The Polls:

Linfield is ranked No. 24 in the most recent D3football.com poll.…Lewis & Clark is unranked.

The Series:

Linfield leads 52-17-1...the Wildcats have won the last 28 games...Linfield's widest margin of victory was 65-10 in 1999 and 62-7 last season...Pioneers' biggest win was a 44-0 shutout in 1950...Lewis & Clark's last win over Linfield came in 1973 by a 7-4 margin...the series dates back to 1901 when Linfield was known as McMinnville College and Lewis & Clark was called Albany College.

Last Meeting - Wildcats 62, Pioneers 7 (Nov. 6th, 2004) at McMinnville, Ore.:

Brett Elliott threw five touchdown passes - three to Brad McKechnie and two to Casey Allen - as the unbeaten Wildcats opened up a 27-0 first-quarter lead and led 41-0 at intermission…Linfield scored on its first six possessions, beginning with a 4-yard run by Thomas Ford with less than three minutes gone…Allen scored from three and 39 yards out, and McKechnie added TD catches from 15, 40 and 19 yards out…McKechnie finished with five catches for 95 yards while Allen had three receptions for 72 yards…Elliott, playing only the first half, passed for 221 yards, completing 12 of 16 attempts…with his five TD tosses, Elliott set the Linfield single-season touchdowns record, surpassing the record of 36 set by All-American Tyler Matthews in 2004….the Wildcats outgained the Pioneers 458-183, including a 162-50 advantage on the ground…Lewis & Clark quarterbacks were a combined 8 of 23 for 133 yards…linebacker Ryan Caffall, making his first career start, recorded eight tackles, including two solo stops and one tackle for loss…kicker Garrett Wales became the Wildcats' all-time leading scorer, booting seven extra points…Lewis & Clark's only points came in the third quarter when Robert Pugmire connected with Brandon Zerr-Smith for an 82-yard touchdown reception…that made the score 41-7, but the Linfield reserves outscored the Pioneers 21-0 the rest of the way.

QUOTING COACH JOE SMITH:

What are your thoughts on the Whitworth game?

“I was very pleased with how our guys prepared and preformed. We dominated on both sides of the ball, but unfortunately, we turned the ball over too many times and that was the game. Turnovers are a tricky thing. Sometimes, they can be contagious. If you give too much attention to limiting turnovers, it can turn out to be a negative thing. If you don’t give enough attention to them, that can be a negative thing, too. A number of our fumbles were related to technique and we’ll continue to address them. And though you never like to have interceptions, sometimes the reasons for them are not always obvious. Given the weather, our offense did very well. It was a horrendous day to be a finesse offense. Our defense played a very good game and guys excecuted well. Special teams did a great job. Stan Fisher punted very well in difficult conditions and Scott Birkhofer continues to kick very well.”

What’s your outlook on Lewis & Clark?

“We’re approaching this game like every other game and we expect our guys to practice and perform well. Their quarterback, A.J. Brown, does some nice things for them. They are well coached and move the ball well. They played a very good game against Menlo.”

WHITWORTH GAME NOTES:

In one of the more disappointing outcomes in Linfield history, the Wildcats outplayed the visiting Pirates in nearly every statistical category and lost. Seven costly turnovers, including five fumbles, spelled defeat. The loss snapped Linfield’s 27-game Northwest Conference winning streak and put the Pirates in sole possession of first place in the league standings. Linfield outgained Whitworth 329-85, holding all-star quarterback Joel Clark to 2 for 10 passing and nine yards rushing. Clark came into the game leading the NWC in total offense, but the Wildcat defense kept him contained for most of the day. After falling behind 10-0 in the first quarter, Linfield rallied to tie the game at intermission on a 44-yard field goal by Scott Birkhofer (Soph., Boring, Ore.) and an 8-yard run by Pete Cruickshank (Jr., Cashmere, Wash.). The Pirates managed just 11 yards of offense in the first half, but three first-half fumbles by the ‘Cats, including one that went for a touchdown, kept the game close. Defensive end Taylor Summers (Soph., Sammamish, Wash.) totaled nine tackles, including two sacks, and recovered a Clark fumble. Monsterback Keone Tawata (Jr., Honolulu, Hawaii) and linebacker Phil Rombach (Sr., Portland, Ore.) added seven tackles apiece. Linebackers Cam Rogers (Sr., Tacoma, Wash.) and Alex Tkachuk (Fr., Beaverton, Ore.) were credited with sacks in the game, which was played in a driving wind and rain. Offensively, Wildcats quarterback Trevor Scharer (Jr., Salem, Ore.) completed 18 of 31 attempts, but two second-half interceptions killed promising Linfield drives. Josh Vierra (Jr., Kahaluu, Hawaii) was Scharer’s go-to receiver, catching seven passes for 102 yards. But a fourth-down pass to Vierra with 1:22 left in the game was batted down in the end zone, snuffing the Wildcats long winning streak and perhaps their chances at at fourth straight NCAA Division III playoff appearance.

LEWIS & CLARK GAME NOTES:

It’s been an uphill climb for the Pioneers, who have made the commitment to continue developing their football program after an abbreviated season in 2005. Lewis & Clark began the season with 43 players and are again thin on the offensive and defensive lines. L&C has been outscored a combined 416-96 this fall including 140-17 in back-to-back weekends against Whitworth and Puget Sound. The Pioneers favor moving the ball through the air, where quarterback A.J. Brown (6-3, 235, So., Vancouver, Wash.) is averaging 181.8 yards a game passing. He has nine touchdown passes to his credit, but opponents have applied heavy pass rush, resulting in an NWC-high 19 interceptions. Flanker Brandon Zerr-Smith (6-1, 185, Sr., Carson, Wash.) has 59 receptions for 477 yards and one touchdown. Receiver Mike Wennerlind (6-1, 175, Jr., Troutdale, Ore.) has 20 catches for 302 yards and five TDs. Ryan Osbourne (5-6, 195, Sr., Winston, Ore.) is the Pioneers’ leading rusher, averaging 37.1 yards per game. Though they have only one interception, the Pioneers rank third in the NWC in pass defense (207.2) but are last in rushing defense (254.6). Leading tacklers include linebacker Kevin Takeno (5-10, 205, So., Midvale, Utah) and safety Josh Schoonover (5-11, 190, Sr., Glendora, Calif.). Punter Andrew Foote (5-11, 180, Fr., Denver, Colo.) averages 33.6 yards per attempt and rotates with Jared Berglund (5-10, 185, Fr., Gresham, Ore.), who averages 34.1 yards. Foote handles the kickoffs, PATs and field goals, where his longest conversion is from 44 yards.