Pirates Aim to End Wildcats' Reign

Linfield is 5-2 overall and 4-0 in the NWC while Whitworth is 8-0 overall and 4-0 in the NWC.

File photo courtesy: Linfield College

McMINNVILLE - Linfield and Whitworth meet for the 32nd time on Saturday.

Kick-off at Maxwell Field is set for 1:00 PM.

Tickets:

A limited number of reserved seats remain in the covered grandstand…reserved tickets are $12 and may be purchased in advance at the athletic department offices or by calling (503) 883-2421…general admission (bleacher) seating is available only on the day of the game at the ticket booth, located on Lever Street next to the stadium…adult general admission is $8, seniors (65 and over) and secondary students with school ID are $5, middle school students (6 to 11 years) are $3…students without school ID are $8.

The Records:

Linfield is 5-2 and 4-0 in the NWC standings, and the Wildcats have won five straight games following an 0-2 start…Linfield has won a school-record 27 consecutive conference games dating to the 2001 season…Whitworth is enjoying one of its best seasons on record…the Pirates are 8-0 and 4-0 in the NWC.

Linfield has won 65 of its last 73 contests overall. Whitworth’s last league championship came in 2001 when the Pirates finished in a three-way tie with Linfield and Pacific Lutheran...with a win, Linfield can clinch at least a share of its 33rd NWC championship in program history.

The Streak:

Without fanfare, Linfield clinched its 51st consecutive winning season last week 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 (now 3-5 with two games to play) saw its streak of 29 winning seasons broken last weekend…five other active streaks appear in jeopardy, including Cal Davis (4-4 with three games left, 36 consecutive winning seasons), Florida State (4-4 with four remaining, 29), Eastern Kentucky (3-5 with three to go, 28), Dickinson State (5-4 with one game left, 28), and John Carroll (4-4 with two to play, 19). Whitworth has posted winning campaigns five times since 2000.

The Polls:

Saturday’s game is a matchup of two Top 25 teams…Linfield is ranked No. 15 in the most recent D3football.com poll…Whitworth is ranked No. 10, its highest poll position since joining NCAA Division III.

The Series:

Linfield leads 26-3-2...the Wildcats have won 13 straight contests and 25 of the last 27...Linfield won 61-0 in 1966, the largest margin of victory by either team in the series...greatest Whitworth victory was 41-7 in 1954.…the 48-37 Linfield victory in 2004 was the highest-scoring outcome in the series...first game ended in a 13-13 tie in 1952...last Whitworth win came in 1975 when the Pirates won 21-14.

The Coaches:

First-year Linfield coach Joe Smith (Linfield ‘93) is 5-2...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, leading the Wildcats to the NAIA Division II national championship final…Whitworth coach John Tully (Azusa Pacific '75) is in his 12th season and has a career record of 58-52…Tully formerly was head coach at Eureka College (Ill.) where he posted a 31-22-1 record while leading his team to two NCAA playoffs appearances…he served as an assistant at Southern Oregon and at the University of San Diego as well as several high schools in Oregon and California.

On the Air:

The game will be broadcast live on radio station KLYC 1260 AM with Darrell Aune and Dave Hansen calling the action.

Quoting Coach Joe Smith:

How do you break down the Menlo game? "It was a strange game. The number of turnovers we had certainly has to be addressed. The turnovers really kept it from being a blowout. Our defense had something like seven or eight three-and-outs and our offense had over 400 yards.

It was disappointing the way we protected the football, but turnovers and penalties sometimes come in bunches. I was pleased with the defense and special teams. I don’t know that I’ve seen a more dominating performance by a Linfield defense against the run.

Our guys went and flat out beat them in the trenches. Special teams did a great job against Menlo’s potent return game. I was pleased with our offensive line – they played probably their best game of the year. We had more emphasis on the running game and we made a commitment to go to Drew Ragan (Jr., Bellevue, Wash.) more often. That took a lot of pressure off the quarterback and receivers."

What are Whitworth’s strengths? "Whitworth is a very good team and extremely balanced. They are very good on special teams, defense and offense. It’s going to take a full team effort to beat them. We certainly can’t founder in any phase of the game. Their defense has been getting a tremendous number of interceptions. They are a good tackling team and don’t give up the big play.

Their offense has been playing consistent football and keeping the other team’s offense off the field. Joel Clark runs extremely well and is a very shifty runner. He’s a good passer who can buy himself the extra time he needs to complete a pass. Michael Allan is a great threat downfield and very dangerous."

Menlo Game Notes:

The Wildcats, who won their fifth consecutive game after an 0-2 start, gained 409 total yards and had 11 more first downs than the Oaks but six turnovers kept the game close throughout.

Running back Drew Ragan (Jr., Bellevue, Wash.), making only his second start in the backfield, rushed for a career-best 138 yards on 24 carries. He also scored a touchdown on a 2-yard plunge in the third quarter that turned the tide in the Wildcats’ favor. Wildcats quarterback Trevor Scharer (Jr., Salem, Ore.) threw for 281 yards and two touchdowns but he was intercepted three times, including twice in the red zone.

Travis Masters (Soph., Elk Grove, Calif.) caught five passes for 50 yards and Tyson Banker (Jr., Hermiston, Ore.) had five receptions for 40 yards with one touchdown. Josh Vierra (Jr., Kahaluu, Hawaii) caught four balls for 72 yards and Tyler Kaluza (Jr., Issaquah, Wash.) had three catches for 101 yards, including a 59-yard catch-and-run that gave Linfield a 7-0 lead in the second quarter.

The Linfield defense held Menlo in check for much of the game, holding the Oaks to 251 total yards and marked the first time in the series that the Wildcats have held Menlo without a touchdown. Rover Andrew Bean (Sr., Newcastle, Wash.) chalked up a game-high 10 tackles, including two for loss, and tackle Michael Greenberg (Sr., Vancouver, Wash.) had seven tackles. Linebacker Phil Rombach (Sr., Portland, Ore.) and monsterback Keone Tawata (Jr., Honolulu, Hawaii) also contributed seven tackles for the ‘Cats, who intercepted Menlo quarterback Adam Hazel twice and sacked him three times.

Linebacker Cam Rogers (Sr., Tacoma, Wash.) intercepted Hazel at the goal line on Menlo’s first drive of the third quarter and cornerback Bubba Lemon (Fr., Tualatin, Ore.) added his second interception of the season in the first quarter.

Picking up sacks in the game were end Taylor Summers (Soph., Sammamish, Wash.), cornerback Rodd Booth (Jr., Clackamas, Ore.) and tackle Mike Ketler (Sr., Salem, Ore.). Punter Stan Fisher (Jr., Kailua, Hawaii) averaged 40 yards on four attempts. The victory extended the Wildcats’ all-divisions record of consecutive winning seasons to 51.

Whitworth Game Notes:

The 10th-ranked Pirates improved to 8-0 overall and 4-0 in the NWC heading into a much-anticipated battle with perennial champion Linfield with conference championship riding on the outcome. It is only the fifth time in 100 years of Whitworth football that the team has won eight games in a season. The game pits the NWC’s top offense (Linfield, 409.7 yards per game) against the leading defense (Whitworth, 239.9).

Last week against Willamette, Whitworth held the Bearcats to 189 total yards and two touchdowns. The defensive front seven recorded a season-high six sacks in the game. Linebacker Casey Clifton (6-0, 233, Jr., Spokane, Wash.) had a team-high 12 tackles and leads the Pirates with 61 tackles and three and a half sacks.

Defensive end Justin Rundle (6-6, 252, Jr., Spokane, Wash.) added three tackles, including two sacks, to keep steady pressure on the Willamette offensive line. Defensive back Jay Tully (6-3, 210, Jr., Spokane, Wash.), son of head coach John Tully, helped out with five tackles, two of which went for loss. This season, Jay Tully is tied for second on the team with 40 tackles and has five interceptions, sharing the team lead with All-America cornerback Ryan Marshall (5-11, 200, Jr., Salem, Ore.).

Jay Tully's role on the team has expanded to the offensive side of the ball as a receiver. Tully caught two passes for 25 yards and a touchdown and ranks third on the team with 15 catches for 191 yards and two TDs. All-America tight end Michael Allan (6-7, 264, Sr., Bellevue, Wash.) leads the team with 38 catches for 686 yards and seven touchdowns. Against the Bearcats, he used his NFL-sized body and speed to pull down five receptions for 124 yards and two scores.

Wideout Steve Silva (6-1, 187, Jr., Goleta, Calif.) complemented Allan with four catches for 51 yards and is second on the team in receiving with 40 catches for 562 yards and two TDs. Joel Clark (6-1, 195, Sr., Spokane, Wash.), returning first team all-NWC quarterback, has been a consistent dual threat all season. Clark has completed 62 percent of his passes for 1,721 yards, 13 touchdowns and six interceptions.

He also leads the team in rushing with 476 yards with four touchdowns. Kyle Havercroft (5-7, 190, Jr., Rathdrum, Idaho) is second on the team in rushing with 327 yards on 88 carries and five touchdowns. Cam Collings, a returning all-conference kicker and punter, provides much-needed experience on special teams.

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