Linfield Meets Rival Pacific Lutheran on Saturday

Statistics and records don't matter when Linfield and Pacific Lutheran collide on the football field and this year's meeting pits the Northwest Conference's top passing team against one of the best pass defenses.

Photo courtesy: Linfield College

McMINNVILLE - Linfield and Pacific Lutheran meet for the 60th time on Saturday at Sparks Stadium, Puyallup, Wash. Kick-off is set for 1:30 PM. The game can be heard locally on KLYC 1260 AM.

The Records: Linfield is 3-2 and 2-0 in the Northwest Conference…the Wildcats have won three straight games following an 0-2 start…Linfield has won 25 consecutive conference games…PLU is also 2-4 overall and 2-1 in league play…the Lutes are coming off a 34-10 conference road victory over Menlo…PLU inflicted Linfield’s last conference defeat on Sept. 29th, 2001.

The Streak:

Linfield is seeking its 51st consecutive winning season. The Wildcats need two wins in their remaining four games to extend their own all-divisions national record streak that began in 1956 under former coach Paul Durham.

PLU enjoyed a streak of 36 consecutive winning seasons from 1969 until 2004, other active streaks to watch include Cal Davis (3-3 with five games left, 36 consecutive winning seasons), Florida State (4-2 with seven remaining, 29), Dayton (3-3 with four to play, 29), Eastern Kentucky (2-5 with four to go, 28), Dickinson State (3-3 with three games left, 28), and John Carroll (2-4 with four to play, 19).

The Polls Linfield climbed two spots to No. 16 in the latest D3football.com poll while Pacific Lutheran is unranked.

The Series:

Linfield holds a 30-21-4 edge in the series which dates back to 1933…Linfield has won five of the last six matchups, including the previous four…last season’s 42-13 result was the Wildcats' biggest victory in the series...PLU's largest margin of victory was 45-7 in 1940...six games in the series have been decided by a single point and of those, Linfield has come out on the winning end four times...the two tradition-rich schools combined to win five of the 10 NAIA Division II national championships of the 1980s.

The Coaches:

First-year Linfield coach Joe Smith (Linfield ‘93) is 3-2...Smith served as an assistant coach at Linfield for 13 seasons, including the last six as defensive coordinator…he took over for Jay Locey, who accepted a job as assistant head coach and tight ends coach at Oregon State…Smith was an NAIA All-America defensive back and Linfield’s male athlete of the year in 1992.

He led the Wildcats to the NAIA Division II national championship final…Scott Westering (Pacific Lutheran ’80) is in his third season as head coach after taking over for his father.

Frosty Westering…Scott Westering’s career record stands at 11-13, including 0-2 versus Linfield…the elder Westering was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in August…Scott Westering was a tight end on PLU’s 1980 NAIA Division II championship team and also helped coach the Lutes to NAIA Division II national crowns in 1987 and 1993 and an NCAA Division III title in 1999…he has served as offensive coordinator since 1983

Last Meeting:

Wildcats 42, Lutes 13 (Oct. 1st, 2005 at McMinnville, Ore.): The Lutes had more yards (445 to 425) and time of possession (30:35 to 29:25), but the Wildcats outscored the visitors 28-7 in the second half to a convincing victory...it was Linfield’s fourth win in a row over PLU.

Wildcats quarterback Brett Elliott passed for a season-low 228 yards, he completed 22 of 28 attempts, including eight straight to start the game...Jared Thomas (Sr., Newberg, Ore.), Casey Allen, Mordechai Kotler and Brandon Hazenberg each pulled in five passes and all scored TDs in the game...Hazenberg accounted for 140 all-purpose yards, including a 26 yard interception return...Kotler rushed for 77 yards on 12 carries.

Linfield forced five PLU miscues, including three interceptions...cornerback Josh Armstrong picked off Lutes QB Chris Maine and returned the ball 90 yards for a third-quarter touchdown...linebacker Brandon Olson finished with a game-high 15 tackles (10 solo), he also added a sack and recovered a fumble...monsterback Josh Ort recorded an interception to go along with eight tackles...defensive tackle Michael Greenberg (Sr., Vancouver, Wash.) had seven tackles, including one for a loss...cornerback Chris Boock had seven tackles, deflected a pass, and blocked an extra-point attempt.

Quoting Coach Joe Smith:

What can be taken from the Southern Oregon game? "We’re certainly pleased to have the victory. Any time you can win a close game, it bodes well for the future. Trevor Scharer is getting more and more comfortable. He has a nice pocket presence and is starting to throw the ball to his capability. Each of our three running backs is doing different things well.

The pass protection by the offensive line was the best we have had all season. Jake Lucey and James Holan both played their best games of the season. Our defense had a fantastic first half with four three-and-out series, but we lost our composure in the second half and didn’t make some of the plays we except to make."

What are PLU’s strengths this year? "PLU is a very interesting opponent. Coming from behind in the fourth quarter to beat Puget Sound may have resurrected their season. Winning that game gave them a huge lift. Craig Chiado is a very gifted receiver who reminds us a lot of (former PLU receivers) Gavin Stanley and Kevin Brown.

Their coaching staff does a very good job of tailoring their offense to their personnel. With as good of receivers as they have, they like to get the ball in the open field. Brett Gordon is a good all-around quarterback. Their defense is playing better and better.

Traditionally, PLU is a slow-starting team that builds itself week to week. They like to pressure the quarterback, run multiple stunts and try to force the offense to make mistakes."

Southern Oregon Game Notes:

The Wildcats came out throwing against the Raiders, rolling up a season-high 551 total yards. Linfield quarterback Trevor Scharer (Jr., Salem, Ore.) passed for a career-best 443 yards and five touchdowns, becoming only the fifth Wildcat to surpass 400 yards passing.

The others include Brett Elliott, Tyler Matthews, Curt Musser and Danny Langsdorf. Scharer, in only his third start, completed 33 of 47 passes without an interception, throwing TDs to five different receivers.

Ten Wildcats caught passes in the game, led by Tyson Banker (Jr., Hermiston) and Tyler Kaluza (Jr., Issaquah, Wash.) who both pulled in six passes. Jared Thomas (Sr., Newberg), Josh Vierra (Jr., Kahaluu, Hawaii) and Travis Masters (Soph., Elk Grove, Calif.) all had four receptions. The offensive line provide good protection, not yielding a single sack.

The Wildcats also didn’t give up a single turnover to the Raiders. On defense, monsterback Brian Mehl (Jr., Eugene) recorded 10 tackles, including six unassisted and a sack.

Rover Andrew Bean (Sr., Newcastle, Wash.) also was credited with 10 tackles, and monsterback Keone Tawata (Jr., Honolulu, Hawaii) added eight stops. Linebackers Ryan Caffall (Sr., Newberg) and Phil Rombach (Sr., Portland), as well as tackle Michael Greenberg (Sr., Vancouver, Wash.), had five tackles for the Wildcats, who held the Raiders to 85 yards rushing and 342 total yards. End Scott Olsen (Jr., St. Helens) corralled his first career interception and finished with three total tackles.

Linebacker Cam Rogers (Sr., Tacoma, Wash.) and end Taylor Summer also picked up sacks in the game. Punter Stan Fisher (Jr., Kailua, Hawaii) averaged 43 yards on four attempts, including on punt that was downed at the SOU 1 and led directly to a Wildcats’ safety.

Kicker Scott Birkhofer (Soph., Boring) was 5 of 5 on extra points, extending his string of perfect PATs to 12. Including successful PATs by Clint Languemi (Sr., Elk Grove, Calif.) and Colin Runkle (Jr., Portland), the Wildcats are 19 of 19 this season. Linfield beat the Raiders for the fifth straight time

PLU Game Notes:

The Lutes look to break a four-game series losing streak against the Wildcats when Linfield visits Sparks Stadium for the 60th meeting in the series. After going winless in the conference in 2005, PLU now has back-to-back NWC wins over Puget Sound and Menlo.

PLU spotted Menlo a 10-0 lead but the Lutes put the pedal to the metal after that, rolling up 34 unanswered points to notch the impressive win. PLU finished with 364 yards of offense and 34 points, surpassing their season average of 21.5 points a game.

First-year quarterback Brett Gordon (6-3, 205, Jr., Yakima, Wash.) completed 16 of 23 passes for 236 yards with two touchdowns with one interception. Craig Chiado (6-1, 185, Jr., Albuquerque, N.M.) was a threat with eight catches for 132 yards and Chase Reed (5-11, 185, Jr., Orting, Wash.) complemented the passing game with five catches for 79 yards. Chiado leads the Lutes in every major receiving category, totaling 46 catches, 677 yards, and five touchdowns.

Craig Stahl (5-10, 205, Sr., Port Townsend, Wash.) led the PLU rushing attack with 68 yards on eight carries. Stahl is second on the team in rushing with 30 carries for 132 yards and two touchdowns.

Receiver Chase Reed has been called upon to play halfback this season and leads the team in rushing with 62 carries for 235 yards. Against the Wildcats, Anthony Canger (5-9, 200, Jr., Post Falls, Idaho) is likely to start at halfback, with Reed moving back to his natural reciever position.

PLU's defensive front came to life when it lit up the Menlo line for six quarterback sacks, limiting the Oaks to 17 net rushing yards and 124 total yards. Defensive end Andrew Eisentrout (6-4, 230, Jr., Olympia, Wash) and junior safety Jeff Ebel (6-0, 185, Jr., Loveland, Colo.) caused the most havoc for the Menlo offense.

Eisentrout had 4 1/2 tackles for loss including 2 1/2 quarterback sacks, ending the game with six total tackles. He has 23 tackles on the season and 7 1/2 sacks. Ebel helped out with two quarterback sacks among his six tackles. He is fourth on the team in tackles with 22. Defensive back Brent Frank (6-2, 185, Sr., Leavenworth, Wash.) added another six tackles and two interceptions to help keep the Oaks in check.

Frank now has four picks on the season to lead his team. Doug Rickabaugh (6-0, 190, So., Graham, Wash.) averaged 38.8 yards on five punts, helping keep the Lutes' defense in good field position. Kicker Pat Burke (6-0, 180, Fr., Spokane, Wash.) has converted his only field goal attempt this season and is 12-16 on PATs.

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