NCAA Division III National Champions
From a program with an undeniably rich history, the Linfield football squad with the ultimate bragging rights of the NCAA era remains the Wildcats’ 2004 national championship team.
Led by national coach of the year Jay Locey and All-America quarterback Brett Elliott, the Wildcats captured a fourth consecutive Northwest Conference title. Linfield’s perfect 13-0 record and Stagg Bowl Championship was sealed with a fourth-down sack in the final minute of a 28-21 victory over the University of Mary-Hardin Baylor.
Expectations were certainly high entering the 2004 season. Eighteen starters returned from a team that went 11-1 the previous season and reached the NCAA quarterfinals. But 2004 welcomed a Division I transfer quarterback to its ranks and unveiled a million-dollar competition venue.
Linfield lived up to that optimistic forecast early, opening the year with a 58-17 thrashing of Division II neighbor Western Oregon in the Wildcats’ first game at newly renovated Maxwell Field. Hitting the road for an early test against a nationally ranked opponent, the ‘Cats rallied from a 10-point, fourth-quarter deficit to defeat host Wisconsin-Stevens Point by a double-digit margin.
Mixed among five Northwest Conference wins – claimed by an average of nearly four touchdowns per game – were landslide victories over NAIA powerhouse Southern Oregon and NCAA DIII independent Menlo College. Linfield nailed down its fifth consecutive NWC crown with a 34-21 defeat of Willamette. Defensively, the Wildcats limited the Bearcats to a season-low 174 yards rushing and thrice denied them scoring opportunities inside the 20-yard line.
Seventeen Wildcats, plus the head coach, received all-Northwest Conference recognition. Those included Elliott, the NWC Offensive Player of the Year, multi-skilled Brandon Hazenberg, who picked up all-star honors as receiver, defensive back and return specialist, and Locey, who garnered his fourth consecutive NWC Coach of the Year award.
With an unblemished conference record, Linfield qualified for its fourth NCAA postseason appearance in five years, earning a first-round bye as the top seed from the West Region.
Enjoying home-field advantage for the second round and quarterfinals, the Wildcats eliminated Wisconsin-La Crosse and Occidental by 30 points each to advance to the NCAA semifinals for the first time in program history. During those first two contests, O.J. Gulley set Linfield and NCAA Division III playoff records with a 100-yard interception return, Elliott passed for a school-record seven touchdowns and Casey Allen broke the program’s single-season record for catches and receiving yards.
It was the defense’s turn to shine in the semifinal round. The Wildcats limited East Coast powerhouse Rowan to a measly 148 yards through three quarters of action on the way to a 52-0 shutout, the team’s first of the year. The defensive unit got in on the scoring as well; linebacker Brandon Olson’s interception return put Linfield on top 21-0 in the second quarter.
Reaching the program’s seventh overall national championship game – and first of the NCAA era – meant a cross-country trip for the Wildcats to Salem, Virginia, for a matchup against Mary Hardin-Baylor. The teams kept pace through the opening half of the Stagg Bowl until Elliott’s one-yard touchdown run with 27 seconds left gave the ‘Cats a 21-13 edge heading into the locker room.
Tied at 21 as the clock ticked under six minutes to play, rover Zach Fleming forced a fumble on a punt attempt, setting up the Wildcats for the game-winning touchdown from the UMHB 10-yard line. Riley Jenkins, who was named the game’s most outstanding player, scored on the play as part of an 81-yard, 18-carry performance.
In addition to Fleming’s clutch play, key defensive contributions came from safety Eric Hillison (10 solo stops) and Kelley Bertrand and Brandon Tom. The two defensive ends sacked the quarterback on a fourth-and-four play at the UMHB 19-yard line with 33 seconds remaining, ending a potential game-tying or game-winning drive by the Cru.
At year’s end, Elliott and Allen were accorded first team All-America honors, while receiver George Carter picked up third team accolades. Hazenberg was recognized as a first team punt returner. Locey was honored as the American Football Coaches Association Coach of the Year.
In winning the program’s first national championship in 18 years, the Wildcats led the nation in total passing yards and scoring average and set 23 single-season records, most of which stand today.
