LEWIS & CLARK (2-2, NWC 1-1) AT LINFIELD (2-2, NWC 1-1)
Saturday, 1:30 p.m.
Maxwell Field, McMinnville, Ore.
 
After a dominant 59-0 Homecoming victory over Willamette, the 24th-ranked Linfield Wildcats return to Maxwell Field to face the Lewis & Clark Pioneers in the third game of the Northwest Conference schedule. Unbeaten at home, the Wildcats look to achieve consecutive wins for the first time this season. Kickoff is 1:30 p.m.
 
THE DETAILS
Kevin Nelson and Dave Hansen provide live videocast play-by-play coverage of Linfield football on the Linfield Sports Network. Coverage begins at 1 p.m. with the Farnham Electric Pregame Show, featuring Joe Stuart and Jon Lee. A live audio feed is also available through the LSN portal.
 
PIONEERS OFFENSE
Since ending the 2017 season on a six-game losing streak, the Pioneers are off to an encouraging 2-2 start. More competitive than in previous seasons under former Linfield coach Jay Locey, the Pioneers built a 20-point lead on Puget Sound last week to before falling 34-22. Averaging 397.0 yard per game, third-most in the Northwest Conference, the Lewis & Clark offense is the strength of the Orange and Black.
 
Leading the Pioneers this fall is quarterback Caden Voges. The junior from Sacramento leads the NWC with 266 passing yards per game through four contests. A backup to Sawyer May in 2017, Voges appeared in four games last season. The third-year pivot is completing 64 percent of his passes for 1,064 yards. He has thrown eight touchdown passes but also owns a conference-high nine interceptions. Last week, Voges threw five interceptions to the Logger defense. He'll have another tough assignment when he faces a Wildcat defense that has picked off seven passes already this fall.  
 
Running backs Michael Abraham and Cory Hincks share the backfield. Abraham, a sophomore, is averaging 92.5 yards per game and 6.2 yards per carry to go with six touchdowns. The NWC's leading rusher holds an 11-yard lead over Linfield's Chidubem Nnoli, who is averging 81.3 yards rushing per game. Abraham is no typical back. His 6-foot-3, 230-pound frame makes him a unique runner between the tackles. A product of Portland's Central Catholic High School, Abraham was an NWC honorable mention pick as a freshman a season ago. Last week against Puget Sound, he was limited to 25 yards on nine carries.
 
Perhaps the brightest spot in the Pioneers offense is wide receiver Heisman Hosoda. The junior was honorable mention all-conference last season and is coming off of a 17-catch performance versus the Loggers. Named NWC Offensive Student-Athlete of the Week, Hosoda broke the Lewis & Clark school-record for the most catches in a single game. He's tied with senior Dejour Williams for the team lead in catches with 27 and leads the team with 295 receiving yards. Senior tight end Dallas Garreaud leads all Pios with four touchdown grabs.
 
The Pioneers offensive line has allowed 10 sacks, including five to the Loggers. Lewis & Clark netted just 32 yards on the ground (1.4 yards per carry) on 23 rushing attempts last weekend. The senior-laden right side of the line features Davis Blackmon (RT) and Maka Ah Loo (RG).
 
WILDCATS OFFENSE
Some speculated the Wildcats would find their groove offensively against Willamette. They were right. Having not scored more than 14 points in a game entering last Saturday, the 'Cats erupted with 59 points and did not punt the ball once against the Bearcats. With 530 yards of total offense Linfield established a run game and will do its best to replicate its 7.6-yard per play average again this week.   
 
Quarterback Wyatt Smith could be poised for a big day against the Pioneer defense. Puget Sound threw for 279 yards and 13 first downs via the pass. Through four games, Smith has completed 80 of 138 passes for 948 yards with five touchdowns and five interceptions. Look for a confident Smith to spread the ball to different receivers and build upon a week in which he completed 68 percent of his passes against a defense that is allowing nearly 300 passing yards a game.
 
The Wildcat run game was as dominant as ever against the Bearcats. For the first time since Nov. 2, 2013, the Wildcats had two players run for 100 or more yards in a single game (Artie Johnson 119, Nnoli 118). Johnson showed he can be the second-option back Linfield needs to relieve Nnoli after averaging 10.8 yards per carry against the Bearcats. A serious injury to third-down back Dawson Ruhl has sidelined him for the rest of 2018, a big loss for the offense. Veteran Tala Teaupa fills the third running back roster spot. Linfield will likely continue to pound the ball between the tackles against a Lewis & Clark defense that allows more than 100 yards on the ground per game.
 
Linfield's receivers had a quiet day with just 13 catches on Saturday, due largely to a 31-point halftime lead. J.D. Lasswell leads the club with two touchdowns while Keegan Weiss is ninth in the conference with 21 receptions. Linfield hopes to get receiver Tyler Torgerson back in the lineup after missing last week with injury.
 
The offensive line allowed one sack and gained 337 yards on the ground. It served as a confidence boost for what has been a surprisingly slow start for this group in 2018. The Wildcat hope the trend continues as they move through the remainder of conference play.
 
PIONEERS DEFENSE
Sporting a base 4-3 defense, the Pioneers have allowed the most yards per game (392.0) of any NWC club through four games. Giving up an average of 288 yards passing, Lewis & Clark has forced 10 turnovers.
 
The Pio defensive front is headlined by Ramonne Canale, who has three sacks and four tackles for loss. He is joined by Cameron Chang and Andrew Werst at defensive end with David Ceja at the other defensive tackle position.
 
Leading the team in tackles is linebacker Pete Lahti. The talented senior has 24 tackles with half a sack and 2.5 tackles for loss with two interceptions and three pass breakups. The other Lewis & Clark linebackers are James Tostado and Melvin Ho'omanawanui.
 
Lewis & Clark features a young secondary. Freshman Anakin Mares starts at cornerback and is paired with sophomore Roger Hernandez. The safeties are Makana LaBoy and Randy Manewa. LaBoy leads the group with 18 tackles while Mares has 16 takedowns.
 
WILDCATS DEFENSE
In two games at Maxwell Field, the Wildcats have outscored opponents 72-0. The 'Cats are clicking at home and are fresh off of allowing just 136 yards of total offense to Willamette. Linfield is the only team in the NWC to allow opponents fewer than 250 yards per game (245.0).
 
Leading the defensive front with 2.5 sacks is end Travis Swanson. He's added seven tackles for loss and has a fumble recovery. Senior Chris Stinchcomb, Sam Fults and Haveli Eteaki should all factor into pressuring Lewis & Clark's offense. Sam Gomez, making an impressive return to the program, continues to be one of the best stories of the season for Linfield.
 
Linebacker Patrick Piptone saw limited playing time in last week's rout, making three tackles. The senior has 24 tackles, 3.5 for loss and an interception. He's paired with Brian Pullman, Kamaehu Beltrame-Aila and Taulelei Toledo.
 
Leading the Wildcat defense is Duke Mackle, who has a team-high 32 tackles (8 per game) and remains tied for the conference lead with three interceptions. Sophomore monsterback Tyler Bergeron recorded an interception for the second consecutive game, returning the second pass of the game for a 40-yard touchdown against Willamette. His presence over the middle will be felt against the quick passing game of Lewis & Clark. Anthony Guttadauro had a solid day against the Bearcats. The senior cornerback had four tackles, forced a fumble and broke up two passes. Marquis Perrilliat and Chris Adamo make up the rest of the Linfield defensive backs.
 
Despite not attempting a punt against Willamette, Colton Ramos climbed the national rankings and this week is leading punter in Division III football. The sophomore averages 45.8 yards per punt with a long effort of 60 yards. Five of his 15 punts have been downed inside the opponents' 20-yard line.
 
OVERALL
Aiming for back-to-back wins for the first time this season, the Wildcats are feeling confident after the 59-point dismantling of Willamette. With the NWC's top-ranked defense and an offense that's looking more like it's older self, Linfield could recreate last Saturday's outcome again this weekend. Lewis & Clark has moved the ball well against teams but turnovers continue to poison drives and the Pios' defense has failed to hold any team to fewer than 21 points. Anticipate a high-scoring affair at the Catdome.
 
SERIES HISTORY
The series between Linfield and Lewis & Clark dates back to 1901, with Linfield now holding a 63-19-1 advantage after last season's 49-14 win in Portland. The Wildcats have won the last 40 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 4 games from 1948-51, and their longest unbeaten streak in the series was 5 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 25-8-1, and prior to the opening of L&C's 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.
 
THE STREAK
The Wildcats need three wins in their remaining five games in order to secure the program's 63rd consecutive winning season. The Wildcats have a current streak of 62 straight seasons, which began in 1956, is the longest in the history of college football at any level … During The Streak, Linfield is 501-116-10 for a winning percentage of .807. Linfield's record at home during The Streak is 272-42-4 (.862), and at Maxwell Field it is 269-42-4 (.860).
 
BY THE NUMBERS
2018 is Linfield's 104th season of football, dating back to 1896. The Wildcats' all-time record is 606-267-28 (.688) … Linfield's all-time home record is 339-91-16 (.778), including a Maxwell Field record of 318-79-11 (.793).
 
Linfield has made 29 national playoff appearances, including the past 9 seasons in the NCAA Division III playoffs … Linfield has won 4 national championships: 1982, 1984, 1986 (all NAIA Division II) and 2004 (NCAA Division III). The Wildcats have played in 3 more national championship games: 1961, 1965 (both NAIA) and 1992 (NAIA Division II) … Linfield has an all-time national playoff record of 42-25 (.627).
 
Linfield won sole possession of the 2017 Northwest Conference championship, making it nine straight seasons in which the Wildcats at least tied for the title. The Wildcats' current streak is the longest such streak in NWC history … Through 2017, Linfield has won 41 NWC championships, including 33 outright.
 
MORE NUMBERS
Since the start of the 2009 season, Linfield is 96-15 overall (.865), 79-6 (.929) in the regular season, 54-3 (.947) at home and 58-2 in NWC games (.967) … During that span, Linfield is 17-9 (.654) in the postseason.
 
COACH JOSEPH SMITH
Joseph Smith is in his 13th season as Linfield's head coach; he has an overall record of 114-24 (.826), which is the highest winning percentage of any head coach in Wildcat football history … Smith's record includes marks of  97-15 (.866) in the regular season, 73-6 (.924) in Northwest Conference games, 17-9 (.654) in the postseason and 64-7 (.901) at home.