Saturday's Northwest Conference matchup in Salem features two teams moving in different directions. The No. 7 Linfield Wildcats travel south to McCulloch Stadium to face the Willamette Bearcats at 1 p.m.
 
Coming off of a convincing 38-9 win over No. 14 Whitworth, Linfield has set its sights on a struggling Willamette squad. The Bearcats are fresh off a 24-21 loss at Lewis & Clark, the program's first defeat at the hands of the Pioneers in 17 seasons.
 
THE DETAILS
 
NO. 7 LINFIELD WILDCATS (2-1, 1-0 NWC) vs. WILLAMETTE BEARCATS (0-3, 0-1 NWC)
Kevin Nelson and Dave Hansen provide live play-by-play radio coverage of Linfield football. Listen on TruTalk 800 KPDQ-AM with the pregame with John Lee starting at 12:30 p.m. Campus station KSLC 90.3 FM will also carry the game live in the McMinnville area. Willamette will provide live video coverage of the event.
 
SCRAMBLING OFFENSE
 
BEARCATS
Led by young sophomore quarterback Mathew Castaneda, Willamette has struggled to win the turnover battle in 2017. Through three games, Castaneda has surrendered three interceptions and lost two fumbles. While he holds the NWC's third-highest passing average at 222 yards per game, turnovers at inopportune times have haunted the rising second-year player. A threat with his legs, Castaneda leads the team with 181 rushing yards on 29 carries and two rushing touchdowns. The dual-threat quarterback is the player to watch in the Bearcats offense.
 
So far this season, Castaneda has thrown an average of 42 passes per game, completing 61 percent.
 
Featuring two-back sets most of the time, the Bearcats feature senior Joey Thurman and junior Matt Stone in a near 50/50 role. Thurman has 162 yards rushing on 31 carries while Stone is just shy of 100 yards for the season with two touchdowns on 21 carries.
 
An experienced receiving corps headlined by five seniors is as deep as any in the NWC. Alex Israel, Jordan Fickas, Kevin Martz and Jeremiah James all have accounted for more than 120 yards receiving and each has more than 10 catches. Look for Castaneda to vary his targets as he has not yet set on a preferred receiver.
 
WILDCATS
The Linfield offense is starting to make a name for itself after making great strides against the Pirates. Consistent quarterback play, a powerful rushing attack and speedy receivers were all prominent during last week's win.
 
Coming off his best game as the starting quarterback, Wildcats junior Troy Fowler appears to be the man for the job through three games. In a win against Whitworth, Fowler was 8 of 17 passing for 201 yards and two touchdowns. His lone interception came on a pass into double coverage. Aiden Wilder was featured in the 'Wildcat' offensive package, but also led a drive that sped down the field early in the first half. Look for both quarterbacks to see time in the shotgun on Saturday.
 
Stealing the show at tailback has been the Southern Oregon transfer Chidubem Nnoli. Burning the Pirates for 137 yards on 18 carries, Nnoli showed off his burst and power with runs between the tackles all afternoon. The 'Cats also deployed Michael Fuller and Dawson Ruhl equally en route to 179 rushing yards against Whitworth.
 
Linfield has wanted to run the ball consistently this season and it has finally found its workhorse in Nnoli to go along with quality carries from Fuller, Ruhl and Blake Burnett.
 
With just 10 completions in last week's game, Wildcat receivers haven't seen much attention in the offense but have shined when called upon. J.D. Lasswell was named NWC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance last week that included three catches for 122 yards and two touchdowns. The junior wideout now has four TDs on just six catches for 213 yards. Tyler Torgerson and Cody Oden were both targeted on third-down conversions and delivered with noticeably good footwork along the sideline and on deep routes.
 
NO FLY-ZONE
 
BEARCATS
Willamette's defense has struggled to say the least, allowing a conference-high 32.3 points per game and more than 400 yards of offense. Teams have scored a combined 97 points against a WU defense that allowed the Pioneers to post 24 points in Portland. Forcing just five turnovers and producing six sacks, Willamette is still trying to gain traction defensively.
 
The Bearcats' leading tacklers are all linebackers. Alec Stevenson, Jackson Lewis and Tommy MacDevitt headline the team with a combined 67 tackles. Stevenson leads the team with 26 tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss.
 
Willamette's youthful defense has just three seniors in the starting lineup: Ikaika Hall, Mikael Ruffin and Benjamin Jahn.
 
If the Bearcats don't force the Wildcats into long passing situations, it could be a weary day for the inexperienced defense.
 
WILDCATS
The Linfield defense silenced Whitworth's NWC-leading offense, holding the Pirates without a touchdown and just nine points. The popular belief was the Linfield defense would carry the team as the offense developed through the first half of the season, but such a stellar performance against a quality offensive unit came unexpectedly.
 
Leading the charge from his linebacker position was Jason Farlow. Farlow was named to the D3football.com Team of the Week and was also honored as the NWC Defensive Player of the Week. He totaled 13 tackles, including two for loss, and delivered a jarring pass breakup. Farlow has 27 tackles through three games, an average of nine stops per game.
 
Known as the "No Fly-Zone" around the NWC, the Linfield secondary hushed any doubters with its suffocating coverage against the Pirates. Duke Mackle led the day off with a 56-yard interception return for a touchdown. Defensive backs Cory Stowell, Anthony Guttadauro, Andrew Schweiterman and Marquis Perrilliat all accounted for pass breakups. Perrilliat came away with his second career interception late in the game.
 
The defensive front dominated again, swarming the Pirates in the backfield all afternoon. Zach Grate, Jake Handran, Asa Schwartz and Havili Eteaki wreaked havoc and look to expand on their early season success in both pass rush situations and against the run.
 
OVERALL
Willamette is struggling out of the gates but could score a major upset with a win at home Saturday. The Wildcats should not sleep lightly on the Bearcats knowing that Willamette swiped a game from Linfield three seasons ago. While Saturday's contest has all the makings of a NWC blowout, Willamette has playmakers who have shown an ability to move the ball down the field while scoring 25.3 points per game.
 
With every NWC game serving as equal importance in the hunt for the championship, it's important Linfield assert itself early in the game and not get caught looking past Willamette.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
The series between Linfield and Willamette dates to 1902, when the schools played to a 6-6 tie in McMinnville. Linfield leads the all-time series 50-36-3 and in 2016 won 40-0 in Salem … Willamette's last win was 31-28 in 2014 in McMinnville. Linfield had won the five previous encounters from 2009-2013 and has won 13 of the last 16 dating back to the 2000 season … The Wildcats own a 28-11-1 advantage in games played in McMinnville while Willamette has a 22-25-1 edge in games played in Salem … Linfield's longest winning streak in the series was 14 games from 1969-1982. Willamette's longest winning streak in the series was 17 games from 1927-1948 … Linfield's widest margin of victory was 55 points, a 55-0 win in 1984 in McMinnville. Willamette's widest margin of victory was 48 points, a 48-0 win in Salem in 1948. Linfield's widest margin in Salem was 42 points, 49-7 in 2015 and 63-21 in 2005; Willamette's widest margin in McMinnville was 43 points, 43-0 in 1941.
 
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 493-113-10 for a winning percentage of .808 … Linfield's record at home during the streak is 268-42-4 (.860), and at Maxwell Field it is 265-42-4 (.859).
 
MORE NUMBERS
2017 is Linfield's 103rd season of football, dating back to 1896. The Wildcats' all-time record is 597-264-28 (.687) 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 87-12 overall (.879), 71-4 (.947) in the regular season and 49-3 (.942) at home … the Wildcats have won eight straight Northwest Conference championships in that time (seven outright) and are 51-1 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 105-21 (.833), which is the highest winning percentage of any head coach in Wildcat football history … Smith's record includes marks of 89-13 (.873) in the regular season, 66-5 (.930) in Northwest Conference games, 16-8 (.667) in the postseason and 59-7 (.894) at home.