The second weekend in October features the third series of Northwest Conference matchups. Seventh-ranked Linfield makes the 35-mile drive to Portland to square up against the Lewis & Clark Pioneers at Griswold Stadium Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m.
 
Fresh from back-to-back NWC victories over Whitworth and Willamete, the Wildcats have shown so far they are not looking further than the week at hand. After opening with two wins in their first three games of 2017, the Pioneers dropped their second NWC decision, a 35-13 setback at Puget Sound.
 
THE DETAILS
NO. 7 LINFIELD WILDCATS (3-1, 2-0 NWC) at LEWIS & CLARK (2-2, 1-1 NWC)
Kevin Nelson and Dave Hansen provide play-by-play coverage of Linfield football on TruTalk 800 AM KPDQ. Pregame coverage with John Lee starts at 12:30 with and local station KSLC 90.3 FM McMinnville joining the network at 12:45. Lewis & Clark will provide video coverage of the event.

IMPORTANT TRAFFIC ADVISORY
The Oregon Department of Transportation is repairing bridge joints on the SW Terwilliger Boulevard overpass over Interstate 5 and Barbur Boulevard. Work will take place from 8:30 p.m. on Friday, October 13 until 5 a.m. Monday, October 16. The overpass will be closed to vehicles while repairs take place.  Traffic in both directions will need to use an alternate route. The closure affects all people using the bridge including those walking and biking Friday night. The best alternative route to connect to Terwilliger coming from McMinnville is via Boones Ferry Road or Oregon 43 in Lake Oswego to Taylors Ferry Road.



YOUNG GUNS AND LOTS OF RUNS
 
PIONEERS
New to the program, freshman quarterback Sawyer May has accounted for for 722 passing yards, completing 66 of 127 attempts (52 percent) with six touchdowns to just two interceptions. The first-year man from Arroyo Grande, California, looks to spread the ball around the field early and avoid an aggressive group of Linfield linebackers. May has an ability to run the ball, gaining for 34 yards and a touchdown thus far. But he has struggled with ball security, fumbling three times already.
 
Using two featured running backs, the Pios have both experience and youth in the backfield. Senior running back Eric Hawkins has rushed for 177 yards on 44 carries, averaging more than four yards a carry. Freshman Michael Abraham has carried the ball 45 times for 135 yards and has two touchdowns on the year.
 
Don't be surprised to see Cory Hinks log some carries out of the backfield. Hinks has rushed for 115 yards on 13 carries and averages 8.8 yards per carry, he has also scored a touchdown.
 
Lewis & Clark showcases four receivers with 10 or more catches this season, namely Heisman Hosoda, Dejour Williams, Gage Bumgardner and Dallas Garreaud. Hosoda leads all L&C receivers with 18 catches for 295 yards (third-most in the NWC) and three touchdowns. The sophomore has already solidified his role as May's favorite target. Williams and Bumgardner have combined for 22 catches and more than 200 receiving yards with two touchdowns.
 
With the 'Cats occasionally struggling to cover tight ends in recent weeks, Garreaud could prove to be the Pios' secret weapon. The junior pass-catching tight end has accounted for 10 receptions, 102 yards and one TD.
 
WILDCATS
Led by a powerful running game, Linfield looks to build on its 55-point outburst last week at Willamette.  
 
A turnover-free game by quarterback Troy Fowler and the offense helped the Wildcats consistently drive the ball down the field. Solidifying himself as the No. 1 quarterback, Fowler now has 640 passing yards and six TDs against just three interceptions. He is completing 60 of his passes. "Troy played outstanding, he's getting better and better and more comfortable," said Wildcats coach Joseph Smith. Expect to see shifty QB Aiden Wilder inside the 10-yard line orchestrating the Wildcat formation. The 'Cats have had decent success combining trickery with straight-ahead running near the goal line.
 
Exploding for the sixth-most rushing yards in Linfield single game history against Willamette, Chidubem Nnoli has solidified himself as the Wildcats' starting running back. Now with 407 yards on 49 carries and four touchdowns, he leads the NWC in rushing at 101.8 yards per game.
 
Freshman tailback Dawson Ruhl should receive opportunities off the bench as he has in the first four weeks. Ruhl, the son of former Lewis & Clark great Dan Ruhl, carried the ball 24 times for 136 yards but is still looking for his first touchdown as a Wildcat. Maybe this is the week Ruhl finds the end zone. With 13 catches through four games, Ruhl has proved to be a dependable pass receiver for the 'Cats.
 
With injuries potentially sidelining some regulars on the offensive line, veterans Dakota Smith and Will Heck will play even greater roles in the trenches this week.
 
With his team-best fifth touchdown catch of the season last week, J.D. Lasswell continues to impress. The junior receiver has 10 catches for 305 yards and is averaging 30.50 yards per catch (second-highest in NCAA Division III). Along side Lasswell are receivers Tyler Torgerson, Keegan Weiss and Cody Oden. Torgerson is coming off one of his best performances that included his first collegiate touchdown.
 
HIGH-SCORING…DEFENSE?
 
PIONEERS
Surrendering more than 400 yards per game, the Pioneers rank near the bottom of several national statistical categories. Lewis & Clark has allowed teams to score 30.5 points per game (seventh in NWC) while giving up nearly 170 yards per game on the ground. Facing a team that rushed the ball for 331 yards a week ago, Saturday could be a tough day for the Lewis & Clark defense.
 
The Pios are a young defense with just four senior starters. Remington Campbell has a team-best 22 tackles to go along with one sack, a fumble recovery and an interception. He's expected to have a busy day defending the middle of the field Saturday.
 
Other players to watch for the Pioneers defense include juniors Pete Lahti, Andrew Werst, James Tostaado and Makana LaBoy, all of whom have more than 15 tackles on the year.
 
WILDCATS
Holding Willamette to 14 points, the Linfield defense showed why it is considered one of the top units in the nation. Two careless plays a weekend ago against Willamette proved to be costly as one produced a score and the other set up a second touchdown. Take away the two miscommunication hiccups and Linfield's defense turned in another stellar day.
 
One week after being named the NWC's Defensive Student-Athlete of the Week and to D3football.com's Defensive Team of the Week, Linfield's Jason Farlow did it again. With a team-high 13 tackles and a 35-yard interception return for a touchdown, Farlow dominated the game in just over two quarters of action. Farlow's average of 10 tackles per game ranks third in the NWC. His pick-six was the third defensive touchdown scored by the Wildcats in four games.
 
Through the first two weeks of the conference calendar, the Linfield defense is allowing an average of 10.5 points. Perhaps the more impressive statistic is that the longest run produced by the Bearcats was just 12 yards and Linfield allowed just 83 yards on the ground last week. The defensive front of Asa Schwartz, Jake Handran, Zach Grate, Marcus McGovern and Havili Eteaki have been stellar to begin the conference season.
 
While the defensive backs weren't tested often by the Bearcats, the coverage was solid. Cory Stowell, Andew Schweiterman and Anthony Guttadaro were superlative, allowing fewer than 170 yards through the air.
 
An experienced defense meeting a rookie quarterback is not the ideal situation for the Lewis & Clark offense. To keep the game within reach, the Pios must do their best to stay on target and protect the first-year passer.
 
OVERALL
Similar to last week, Saturday's Linfield-Lewis & Clark game could be decided before halftime. While Lewis & Clark is making great strides in 2017, Linfield's overall depth and talent differential should carry the day. The Wildcats have not lost to the Pioneers in 39 years and is look to make it 40 wins in a row Saturday. L&C has playmakers to call upon, but have not faced a defense as talented and disciplined as Linfield's yet this season.
 
Lewis & Clark draw strike first blood if the Pios take care of the football on their opening drive. But look for Linfield to take this game a run with it at Griswold Stadium. Linfield expects to build on its offensive success in recent weeks and continue to force turnovers on defense.

THE SERIES
The series between Linfield and Lewis & Clark dates back to 1901, with Linfield now holding a 62-19-1 advantage after last season's 59-7 win in McMinnville. The Wildcats have won the last 39 games in the series, a skein that began in 1974. Lewis & Clark's last win in the series was in 1973 by a 7-4 score in Portland. L&C's longest win streak in the series was four games from 1948-51, and their longest unbeaten streak in the series was five games from 1947-51 … Linfield's widest margin of victory in the series was 77 points, an 84-7 win in 2013 in McMinnville that was the highest score ever recorded by the 'Cats; Linfield's 73-0 win in 2015 was the widest margin ever for the Wildcats in Portland. Of Linfield's 10 widest margins of victory ever, four have come against Lewis & Clark. Lewis & Clark's widest margin of victory was 44 points, a 44-0 win in 1956 in McMinnville; the Pioneers' widest margin of victory in Portland was 40 points, a 47-7 win in 1955 … Linfield is 35-6 against Lewis & Clark in games played in McMinnville; in Portland, Linfield is 24-8-1, and prior to the opening of Griswold Stadium, sites for those games included Vaughn Street Ballpark, Jefferson High and Multnomah Stadium (now Providence Park). The Wildcats were 3-5 in games played in Albany when Lewis & Clark was still Albany College … the 1927 game was part of a one-of-a-kind event in Linfield football history: a doubleheader. The Wildcats beat the Oregon City Independents in a morning game in McMinnville, then hopped the train to Albany and lost 13-6 to Albany College in an afternoon game.

STREAK WATCH
In 2017, Linfield is trying for its 62nd consecutive winning season; the Wildcats' streak, which began in 1956, is the longest in the history of college football at any level. During the streak, Linfield is 494-113-10 for a winning percentage of .809 … Linfield's record at home during the streak is 268-42-4 (.860), and at Maxwell Field it is 265-42-4 (.859) …
 
BY THE NUMBERS
2017 is Linfield's 103rd season of football, dating back to 1896. The Wildcats' all-time record is 598-264-28 (.688) and Linfield's all-time home record is 334-91-16 (.776), including a Maxwell Field record of 314-79-11 (.791) … Linfield has won four national championships (1982, 1984, 1986, 2004), finished runner-up three times (1961, 1965, 1992) and won 40 Northwest Conference titles (32 outright).

SINCE 2009
Since the start of the 2009 season, Linfield is 88-12 overall (.880), 72-4 (.947) in the regular season and 49-3 (.942) at home … the Wildcats have won 8 straight Northwest Conference championships in that time (7 outright) and are 52-1 in NWC games (.981).

COACH JOSEPH SMITH
Joseph Smith is in his 12th season as Linfield's head coach; he has an overall record of 106-21 (.835), which is the highest winning percentage of any head coach in Wildcat football history … Smith's record includes marks of 90-13 (.874) in the regular season, 67-5 (.931) in Northwest Conference games, 16-8 (.667) in the postseason and 59-7 (.894) at home.