Southern Oregon, Linfield Pre-Game Notes

The Wildcats (2-2 overall, 2-0 NWC) have won two straight games since beginning the 2006 campaign with back-to-back losses.

Running back Jon Montalvo Photo: Linfiled College

McMINNVILLE - The Game: Linfield and Southern Oregon meet for the 43rd time on Saturday. Linfield is a member of the Northwest Conference and affiliated with NCAA Division III. Southern Oregon is an NAIA independent.

Last season, Linfield was 10-1 and reached the quarterfinals of the Division III playoffs. The Wildcats have won or shared the last six NWC championships. SOU struggled to a 1-9 record with its lone victory coming against Baker (Kan.).

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

Southern Oregon saw its own streak of five consecutive winning seasons halted in 2004…UC-Davis (2-3 with six games to play) boasts 36 consecutive winning seasons and is No. 2 on the active consecutive winning seasons list…other active streaks to keep an eye on include Florida State (3-2 with seven games left, 29 consecutive winning seasons), Dayton (3-2 with five to play, 29), Eastern Kentucky (2-4 with five games remaining, 28), Dickinson State (2-3 with four games left, 28), and John Carroll (1-4 with five to play, 19).

The Polls: Linfield is ranked No. 18 in the most recent D3football.com poll…Southern Oregon is unranked.

The Series: Linfield leads 33-9...the Wildcats have won four straight meetings and 21 of the previous 27 contests...first game was in 1934 when Linfield topped SOU 14-7...Wildcats' biggest win was 43-6 in 1951...largest SOU margin of victory was 39-6 in 1947…the 2002 game reached double overtime before Linfield prevailed 42-35...the two teams combined to score a school-record 97 points in the 1994 game that Linfield won 55-42.

The Coaches: First-year coach Linfield Joe Smith (Linfield ‘93) is 2-2...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…first-year Southern Oregon coach Steve Helminiak (Loras ’91), now with a career record of 2-4, became the Raiders’ 14th head coach in January, replacing interim coach Shae McClure.

Helminiak was offensive coordinator and offensive line coach for the past two seasons at Rockford (Ill.) College and previously spent 11 years on the coaching staff at Loras, including three seasons as offensive coordinator (1998-2000) and seven as offensive line coach (1991-97).

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.

Last Meeting: Wildcats 49, Raiders 14 (October 15th, 2005 at Ashland): The Wildcats handed the Raiders their most lopsided home-field loss since 1993...the victory was especially sweet, as players, alumni and fans celebrated program’s 50th consecutive winning season...quarterback Brett Elliott completed 24 of 37 passes for 283 yards and four touchdowns.

Casey Allen caught four passes, two of which went for touchdowns...Brandon Hazenberg and Brad McKechnie each had five receptions...Mordechai Kotler rushed 14 times for 60 yards and one TD, and also caught four passes for 68 yards receiving...Clint Languemi (Sr., Elk Grove, Calif.) averaged 42.6 yards per punt...the Wildcats rolled up 399 yards, controlling the ball for 33 of the game’s 60 minutes.

Linfield held SOU to 298 yards, including only 51 rushing yards…safety Brian Mehl (Jr., Eugene) registered nine tackles, and also intercepted his first career pass...monsterback Josh Ort added six tackles...linebacker Phil Rombach (Sr., Portland) recovered a fumble and returned an interception 25 yards for a TD...Tyler Kaluza (Jr., Issaquah, Wash.) blocked an SOU punt and Kevin Foreman strolled 20 yards for a touchdown...backup linebacker Joe Mannix recovered a fumble on a muffed punt.

Quoting Coach Joe Smith:

How did Linfield perform in the Puget Sound game? “We felt like the second half was really the true indication of the way the whole game should have been. The last two weeks, we’ve come out and played very good football in the second half.

Our entire team is still not playing to the level that we are capable of. We need to continue to improve. I don’t think anyone is completely happy with the way we’re playing. The offensive line did a nice job and our pass protection was better.

Trevor Scharer had a good game but not a great game. He has shown a great deal of potential but we just need him to be a bit more consistent. I was pleased with the way our team responded in the second half. We played a very poor first half defensively, but in the second half, our defensive line completely dominated the line of scrimmage.”

What can you expect from Southern Oregon? “Southern Oregon is a very talented team. They haven’t necessarily shown that talent based on their record to this point. Offensively, they are very similar to Southern teams from previous years and their scheme is much more conventional than the ones we’ve had to play the last two weeks. Scoring 57 points (against Azusa Pacific) was an amazing explosion. Their win was a great team effort.

They have some great playmakers on offense. Gabe Hatchett is as good a receiver as we’ll see this season and Tim Greenidge is also very good. Their freshman quarterback, Casey Mitchell, is a good runner who creates well on the run. He’s quick and elusive. I expect their defense to be very solid and physical up front. Linfield and Southern Oregon have played some great games the last several years, especially in 2002 and 2003.”

Puget Sound Game Notes:

Special teams provided the spark Linfield needed to stave off an inspired Loggers team that outgained the Wildcats by more than 100 yards during the first half. Though Linfield never trailed, UPS moved the ball effectively through the first two quarters.

Clinging to a 7-3 lead early in the second quarter, Wildcats running back Drew Ragan (Jr., Bellevue, Wash.) scooped up a short kickoff and bolted 78 yards for a touchdown. The Loggers narrowed the margin to 14-10 two minutes later, but Travis Masters (Soph., Elk Grove, Calif.) raced 97 yards with the ensuing kickoff, his second such scoring dash this season. In all, the Wildcats totaled 228 kickoff return yards, including 150 by Masters, to establish a new single-game team record.

Linfield held a 21-17 advantage at the intermission, then outscored the hosts 21-0 in the second half to win going away. Quarterback Trevor Scharer (Jr., Salem, Ore.) was smooth in his second start, throwing for 270 yards and three touchdowns, including two to Josh Vierra (Jr., Kahaluu, Hawaii).

Tyler Kaluza (Jr., Issaquah, Wash.) had five receptions, including a 15-yard touchdown, and finished with 117 receiving yards. Running back Jon Montalvo (Soph., Maple Valley, Wash.), replacing Pete Cruickshank (Jr., Cashmere, Wash.) in the starting lineup, rushed for 67 yards on 14 carries.

The Linfield running game averaged a season-best 4.6 yards per carry, totaling 111 yards. Scharer rushed for 27 net yards, including a 37-yard improvisation that stands as the longest run from scrimmage this season. Defensively, monsterback Brian Mehl (Jr., Eugene, Ore.) helped hold UPS to 17 points, recording 10 tackles, including seven unassisted.

Cornerback Andrew Woods (Jr., Portland, Ore.) and linebacker Phil Rombach (Sr., Portland, Ore.) each added five tackles. Andrew Bean (Sr., Newcastle, Wash.), Nik Soo (Sr., Kamuela, Hawaii) and Mike Ketler (Sr., Salem, Ore.) each collected quarterback sacks. The Wildcats won their 25th straight Northwest Conference game, a string that stretches across parts of six seasons.

Southern Oregon Game Notes:

The Raiders come to the ‘Catdome looking for their first back-to-back victories since 2003. The game will be a battle of first-year coaches, matching the Raiders’ Steve Helminiak and the Wildcats’ Joe Smith. The Wildcats can expect to be tested in all facets of the game. Based on the results of last week’s impressive 57-7 win over Azusa Pacific, it appears the SOU aerial attack has caught fire under rookie quarterback Casey Mitchell (6-0, 190, Fr., Baker City).

Mitchell threw for four scores against APU - the first touchdown passes of his college career. He connected with four different receivers for scores, including a 75-yard strike to game-breaker Gabe Hatchett (6-2, 208, Sr., Minden, Nev.), Mitchell finished 12 for 23 passing for 216 yards. Hatchett caught five passes for 113 yards and two TDs, one coming from reserve quarterback Jason Labon (6-4, 225, Jr., Milwaukie, Ore.).

The SOU running game was also in high gear as three Raiders gained over 40 yards, including a 107-yard effort by Shane Vanzant (5-11, 210, Jr., Carson City, Nev.). Patrick Preyer (5-8, 205, So., Sacramento, Calif.) added 48 yards on 17 carries. Southern Oregon’s offense accumulated 475 total yards, scoring the most points in a single game so far this season.

The Raiders defense has played hard all season, and last week was no exception.

Southern Oregon held Azusa Pacific to a 155 total yards and forced six turnovers, including interceptions by Austin Stack (6-0, 245, Jr., Redding, Calif), Jared Elarmo (6-2,205, Jr., Rocklin, Calif), and Brandon Beatty (6-2, 200, Jr., Irrigon, Ore.). Linebacker Josh Lopez (6-0, 215, Sr., Clovis, Calif.) leads the defense with 32 tackles.

End Anthony Scolamieri (6-1, 248, So., San Marcos, Calif.) is the top defensive lineman, totaling 20 tackles, including two quarterback sacks. Punter Steve Palmer (5-10, 175, So., Eugene, Ore.) averages 38.2 yards per attempt. Palmer also handles the kicking duties where he has hit 2 of 6 field goal attempts and 8 of 10 extra point attempts.

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