Linfield Weekly Football Digest

Linfield at Hardin-Simmons, Shelton Stadium, Abilene, Texas, 6:00 PM (CDT)

Will htey do it again? Salem-News.com

McMINNVILLE - Linfield vs Hardin-Simmons Fast Facts:

The Game Linfield and Hardin-Simmons meet for the first time on Saturday...both schools are affiliated with NCAA Division III...Linfield is a member of the Northwest Conference…Hardin-Simmons is a member of the American Southwest Conference… last season, Linfield was 10-1 and reached the quarterfinals of the Division III playoffs…the Wildcats captured their sixth straight NWC championship…HSU was 8-2, finished in a second-place tie in the ASC.

The Records: Linfield is 0-1 after falling 28-14 at home to NCAA Division II Western Oregon…Linfield has won 10 straight road games, including the playoffs, and 21 straight away from home in the regular season…Hardin-Simmons is 1-0 following a decisive 49-17 home victory over Wisconsin-Stevens Point on Sept. 2nd…the Cowboys were 4-2 at home in 2005.

The Streak: Linfield is seeking its 51st consecutive winning season this fall…the Wildcats need five wins to extend their own all-divisions national record…the streak began in 1956 under former coach Paul Durham…Hardin-Simmons ranks 18th on the list of active consecutive winning season streaks with 14 straight winning campaigns dating to 1992.

The Polls: Linfield is ranked No. 11 in the most recent D3football.com poll, falling four spots from last week …HSU climbed three spots to No. 7.

The Series First meeting.

The Coaches First-year Linfield coach Joe Smith (Linfield ‘93) will be coaching his second game...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 1992-93, leading the Wildcats to the NAIA Division II national championship final…Cowboys coach Jimmie Keeling (Howard Payne ’59) is in his 17th season and carries a career record of 136-39 into Saturday’s game…his teams have won 10 ASC titles, played in 18 playoff games, and he has been named conference coach of the year six times…Keeling ranks 10th among active Division III coaches in career winning percentage and is 20th in career wins.

Quoting Coach Joe Smith

What went wrong in the Western Oregon game? “Western Oregon was able to run the ball and pressure the quarterback, two things we said going into the game we needed not to happen. Combine that with very sloppy play on our part and very good execution on their part. Early in the year, so much of the passing game is all about timing. Our timing is going to get better and we will improve as the season goes along. We were facing one of the most talented defenses we’ll see this season and played the game with no starting experience at our skill positions. The mistakes we had on defense – such as substitution penalties – were unpardonable. Those things just can’t happen. Now, we know what we need to go to get better. As poorly as we played, our guys responded and fought back when they got behind. Our guys settled down and played much better in the second half.”

How does Hardin-Simmons look on film? “They run a 4-3 defense that has a very fast secondary and a very good front. They are very talented on defense and have a high skill level. They are going to be every bit as tough as the team we just faced. Offensively, they probably have more team speed than Western Oregon and have multiple playmakers at receiver. Quinton Jones is a very good running back and looks to be quite powerful. The coaching staff is very experienced and sound. They are going to be able to make good adjustments and I expect them to have a formidable scheme. The keys for us are going to be stopping the run first and containing their big plays. Now that we have a game under our belt, our players and coaches are going to feel a lot more comfortable and know what to expect.”

Western Oregon Game Notes

The Wildcats suffered their first loss in a season-opening game in 12 seasons, falling by two touchdowns to the Division II Wolves in new coach Joe Smith’s debut. Western held the Wildcats to 238 total yards and one offensive touchdown, 104 of those coming in the first half. Quarterback Tim Benzel (Sr., Vancouver, Wash.), making his first career start, faced heavy pressure from the Wolves all evening. The senior completed 13 of 30 pass attempts for 173 yards but he was sacked six times. Benzel’s touchdown toss to Tyler Kaluza (Jr., Issaquah, Wash.) with 10:40 left in the fourth quarter extended to 48 the number of games in which the Wildcats have thrown at least one touchdown pass. Kaluza was held to two catches for 14 yards. Receiver Josh Vierra (Jr., Kahaluu, Hawaii) and running back Pete Cruickshank (Jr., Cashmere, Wash.) each led the ‘Cats with three receptions. The longest pass play of the day went to reserve running back Drew Ragan (Jr., Bellevue, Wash.), who took a pass and weaved his way for 40 yards. Ragan also rushed for 37 yards on six carries. Cruickshank totaled 35 yards on 11 carries as the Wildcats gained just 53 yards on the ground. Punter Stan Fisher (Jr., Kailua, Hawaii), making his first start, averaged 35.9 yards on eight attempts. Defensively, the Wildcats were led by monsterback Keone Tawata (Jr., Honolulu, Hawaii), who forced a fumble and made a game-high 10 tackles. Linebackers Phil Zahn (Jr., Newberg, Ore.) and Ryan Caffall (Sr., Newberg, Ore.) each made made nine stops. Tackle Mike Ketler (Sr., Salem, Ore.) recovered a fumble and added a 13-yard sack. The loss to the Wolves ended Linfield’s 41-game regular-winning streak as well as the ‘Cats’ modest three game series win streak. Counting last season’s loss to Wisconsin-Whitewater in the Division III quarterfinals, the Wildcats lost back-to-back contests for the first time since 2001HARDIN-SIMMONS GAME NOTES

The seventh-ranked Cowboys moved in front of the No. 11 Wildcats in the latest D3football.com poll and appear to be favorites heading into Saturday’s matchup of Top 25 teams in Abilene, Texas. Hardin-Simmons dismantled a capable Wisconsin-Stevens Point squad 49-17 in the season-opener two weeks ago. Quarterback Jordan Neal (5-10, 195, Sr., Abilene, Texas), touted as an All-America candidate, returned to the lineup for the first time since early in the 2005 season. Neal completed 19 of 27 attempts for 291 yards and four touchdowns, all to different receivers. Mychal Carrillo (5-8, 188, Jr., Sweetwater, Texas) caught nine passes for 80 yards and one score and Will Galusha (5-8, 175, Sr., Abilene, Texas) had five receptions for 131 yards and one TD. The HSU running game looks to be in midseason form already as running back Quinton Jones (5-6, 200, Jr., Greenville, Texas) gained 104 yards and scored two TDs against the Pointers. Cornerback Ke-Ke Sims (5-8, 170, Sr., Sulphur Springs, Texas) led a Cowboys defensive unit that held UWSP to 300 yards. Sims totaled nine tackles, safety James Revada (5-10, 178, Sr., DeSoto, Texas) had eight, and linebacker David Pensyl (5-10, 210, Sr., Throckmorton, Texas) was credited with seven stops. Defensive end Reggie Robinson (6-1, 220, Jr., Fort Worth, Texas), a 2004 All-American, had two sacks for 21 yards in losses. Kicker Scott Bryant (5-8, 165, Sr., Tuttle, Okla.) went 6 for 6 on extra points against UWSP.

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