LINFIELD WILDCATS (3-2, 2-1 NWC) AT GEORGE FOX BRUINS (3-3, 1-2 NWC)
Saturday, 1:30 p.m.
Stoffer Family Stadium, Newberg, Ore.
 
Riding back-to-back wins in Northwest Conference play, the Linfield Wildcats team look to make it three in a row on Saturday when they head north on Highway 99W to take in the George Fox Bruins at Stoffer Family Stadium in Newberg, Ore. Kickoff is 1:30 p.m. A defensive battle is expected in the battle of Yamhill County.
 
THE DETAILS
Kevin Nelson and Dave Hansen provide live audio 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.
 
BRUINS OFFENSE
With a .500 record this season, the Bruins' struggles are due in part to offensive inconsistency. George Fox is ranked fifth among NWC teams in total yards per game (333.2). The Bruins are coming off of a 28-6 win over Willamette but scored just 14 points against Whitworth and were held to 13 points in a loss to Pacific.
 
The George Fox offense features two quarterbacks. Jack Taylor is listed as the starter with Jaden Sheffey as his backup. Taylor has 475 yards through the air on 39 of 70 passing with two touchdowns and one interception. He had an efficient day against Whitworth, completing 13 of 17 throws for 174 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Sheffey, a freshman from Woodinville, Wash., has 375 yards on 21 of 36 passing with two touchdowns to no interceptions. The dual-threat QB has four rushing TDs on 53 carries with 332 yards on the ground, fourth-most in the NWC. His 6.3 yards per carry ranks third in the conference.
 
George Fox is expected to utilize multiple running backs on Saturday. Headlining the No. 1 rushing offense in the conference is starting tailback is senior Wesley Riddle. After rushing for back-to-back 400-yard seasons, the Oregon State transfer is poised for another solid season. His five rushing touchdowns are a career-best to go along with 4.6 yards per carry. After Riddle comes junior Anthony Garcia. The 5-foot-7, 175-pound back is coming off of his best game as a Bruin in which he ran 17 times for 81 yards and a score. A threat to catch the ball in the flat, the third-year back has 10 catches for 80 yards. Look for senior Damian Cook to get some touches out of the backfield as well.
 
Though the GFU passing game ranks next-to-last in the conference through six games, the Bruin receivers average the most yards per pass attempts (7.3) in the NWC with 13 yards per completion as well. Seniors Kenny May and James Nguyen lead the club with a combined 543 yards on 34 catches and five touchdowns.
 
George Fox has a sizeable front line. The Bruins weigh an average of 282 pounds, including a pair of 300-pounders, right guard Brett Schuler and right tackle Stephan Noonan. GFU averages 166 yards rushing per game, four yards per carry and 14 rushing touchdowns, all ranking among the top two in the NWC this season.
 
WILDCATS OFFENSE
Notching back-to-back games of more than 40 points has generated a sign relief for the Wildcat offense that hadn't scored more than 13 prior to playing Willamette. Confident and winning with a powerful rushing attack, the 'Cats use play action to balance their offense, which ranks third in NWC total offense.
 
Smith has been consistent in 2018 with more than 245 yards passing in all but one game. His 1,198 yards are fourth-most in the NWC. He threw for 250 yards and two TDs against Lewis & Clark last weekend in McMinnville.
 
Chidubem Nnoli, the NWC's second-leading rusher, is coming off his best game of the season. Nnoli rushed 13 times for 129 yards and two touchdowns against the Pioneers. He will be counted on for a big game against the Bruins as he was in 2017. A season ago, Nnoli ran 27 times for 120 yards, dominating in stormy conditions. Artie Johnson comprises the other half of Linfield's two-headed monster in the backfield. Johnson is seventh among conference rushers in yards per game and is fresh off a 72-yard effort last week.
 
Without a consistent go-to-target, Smith has spread the ball to 12 different receivers through five games. Keegan Weiss leads the team with 27 catches for 297 yards and a touchdown. His explosiveness in the return game enabled him to score the first Linfield kick return touchdown since 2006. Weiss is paired with first-team all-conference receiver J.D. Lasswell, who has a team-leading three touchdowns. Max Novak, Khory Day and Aiden Wilder also are fixtures in the passing game.
 
The Wildcat offensive line has made great strides since a tough afternoon at Whitworth three weeks ago. The 'Cats are hopeful of Aaron Kokubun's healthy return at guard and will try to build on the 540 rushing yards produced over the last two games.
 
BRUINS DEFENSE
George Fox counters a lack of offensive firepower with the NWC's second-ranked defense. Allowing 269 total yards, including just 90 rushing yards per game, the Bruins have forced a conference-best 17 turnovers (12 interceptions, five fumble recoveries). George Fox ranks 21st nationally in total defense and 35th in scoring defense, allowing 15.3 points per contest.
 
Of the three starting linemen, it's difficult to pinpoint a premier player. The Bruins lost star defensive end Caleb Dalzell on Sept. 8 against Howard Payne and the 2017 All-American has missed the last four games. Roman Kleiber, Riley Lusk and Aiden Rourke make up the the defensive line. George Fox has 17 sacks this season.
 
The leading tackler on the Bruins roster is second team all-conference linebacker Daniel Campos. The transfer from Mount Union has 49 tackles (27 solo, 22 assists) with one sack, a forced fumble, an interception and five pass breakups. The do-it-all backer is paired with Austin Shadbolt and David Ledesma. Reigning NWC Co-Defensive Player of the Year Charles Riga is not listed on the George Fox two-deep roster. The Bruins' 2017 All-American suffered a career-ending injury three weeks ago.
 
In the secondary, senior safety Austin Taylor leads the unit with 41 tackles. Sophomore safety Trevor Theissen had a strong first half of the season with 39 tackles. Freshman Lucas Schwin and junior Caleb Harrel are the cornerbacks with Rudy Hughes listed at the other safety. The Bruins allow 178 passing yards per game, ranking second behind Linfield in conference statistics.
 
WILDCATS DEFENSE
With two shutouts, and allowing only one team to score more than 20 points this season, the Wildcat defense is among the top units in the country through five games. Linfield allows 262 yards per game, which ranks first in the NWC and 20th nationally. The 'Cats give up 13.2 points per game to rank 21st among Division III teams. Bearing down in the red zone, Linfield has allowed just one score on four opponents' trips inside the 20-yard-line for a .250 red zone defense percentage (second nationally to SUNY-Brockport). Teams have struggled to gain first downs against the stingy Wildcat defense which ranks eighth nationally for fewest first downs allowed.
 
There may not be a better defensive line in the NWC than Linfield's front four. Havili Eteaki is coming off of a 2.5-sack performance against Willamette. Eteaki ill lines up with breakout star Travis Swanson, who has 20 tackles, seven for loss and 2.5 sacks. Sam Gomez's impressive return to the club continues. Through five games Gomez has 15 tackles, 1.5 sacks and has been a plug for the 'Cats defensive line. Chris Stinchcomb, Tony Kraus and Sam Fults all factor into the Wildcats front as well.
 
Second on the team with 26 tackles, Patrick Piptone leads a group of young linebackers who continue to get better as the season progresses. Pipitone is tied for the team lead in tackles for loss with 3.5. Brian Pullman's solid-start to his rookie season looks to continue. He has 17 tackles and 2.5 sacks.
 
The spark plug of the Wildcat defense is Duke Mackle. With a team-high 39 tackles (7.8 per game) Mackle remains tied for the conference lead with three interceptions. Sophomore monsterback Tyler Bergeron nabbed an interception for the third game in a row. Linfield's primary three cornerbacks are Anthony Guttadauro, Marquis Perrilliat and Chris Adamo.
 
Linfield special teams look to make an impact on Saturday's game. Last season, kicker Willy Warne went 4-for-4 on field goals in stormy conditions, helping Linfield scratch out a 12-6 win. Warne hopes to continue his hot-streak and return to his 2017 form. Named D3football.com Kicker of the Week, Warne connected on a 54-yard field goal last weekend. Punter Colton Ramos is now Division III the leader in yards per punt. His 46.3 yards per punt would stand as the highest in program history if he's able to maintain that average throughout the season.
 
OVERALL
With two teams that like to run the ball facing a pair of defenses that are known to contain the ground game, a defensive slugfest is expected this weekend in Newberg. While defense holds the upper hand, Linfield owns the slight advantage over George Fox. With the Bruins' top defenders, Dalzell and Riga, sidelined by injury, it's forced younger players to fill the sizeable void. The Whitworth Pirates piled up 38 points on the GFU defense two weeks ago in Newberg. With the offense clicking as of late, Linfield's confidence could roll into Stoffer Family Stadium for another productive day. Taking advantage of opportunities in the red zone could prove to be the difference in this one. Linfield is 14 of 19 inside the 20-yard-line (129^th NCAA) and George Fox has scored on 13 of 20 (181^st NCAA) trips.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Linfield's series vs. George Fox dates back to the first game of Linfield's football history, played in Newberg on October 31, 1896, with George Fox winning 54-0. Linfield was then known as McMinnville College and George Fox as Pacific College ... Linfield leads the all-time series 11-4 … the Wildcats are 7-3 against the Bruins in McMinnville and 4-1 in Newberg … Linfield has won the last 10 games in the series, including last season's 12-6 win in McMinnville. That was the 600th win in Linfield football history and also secured the Wildcats' 62nd consecutive winning season … the series resumed on a yearly basis in 2014; prior to that, the teams hadn't met since 1942, a 50-0 Linfield win in Newberg; before that game, the last meeting had been in 1926, a 52-0 Linfield win in McMinnville … Linfield's widest margin of victory was 59-0 in 2014 in McMinnville, while George Fox's widest margin was 56-0 in a second meeting in 1896, in McMinnville. Linfield's widest margin in Newberg was 50-0 in 1942, while George Fox's widest margin in Newberg was that 54-0 win in the first meeting of 1896 … of the 15 previous meetings, only four games have seen both teams score. Linfield has posted seven shutouts, including the last four meetings prior to 2016, and George Fox 4. Before the 2016 game, Linfield's 50-14 win, the last time both teams scored had been in 1924, a 25-6 Linfield win in McMinnville.
 
THE STREAK
Linfield is closing in on its 63rd consecutive winning season … the Wildcats' current streak of 62 straight seasons, which began in 1956, is the longest in the history of college football at any level … With a record of 3-2, Linfield must win two of its remaining four games to extend The Streak to 63 seasons … During The Streak, Linfield is 503-116-10 for a winning percentage of .808. Linfield's record at home during The Streak is 274-42-4 (.863), and at Maxwell Field it is 271-42-4 (.861).
 
BY THE NUMBERS
2018 is Linfield's 104th season of football, dating back to 1896. The Wildcats' all-time record is 607-267-28 (.688) … Linfield's all-time home record is 340-91-16 (.779), including a Maxwell Field record of 320-79-11 (.794).
 
Linfield has made 29 national playoff appearances, including the past nine seasons in the NCAA Division III playoffs … Linfield has won four 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 97-15 overall (.866), 80-6 (.930) in the regular season, 55-3 (.948) at home and 59-2 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 … Smith has an overall record of 115-24 (.827), which is the highest winning percentage of any head coach in Wildcat football history … Smith's record includes marks of  98-15 (.867) in the regular season, 74-6 (.925) in Northwest Conference games, 17-9 (.654) in the postseason and 65-7 (.903) at home.