LEWIS & CLARK AT LINFIELD
Saturday, 1:30 p.m.
Maxwell Field, McMinnville, Ore.
 
Riding a four-game winning streak, the Linfield Wildcats return home to face the Lewis & Clark Pioneers during Fall Family Weekend. Linfield is ranked 19th in the American Football Coaches Association Top 25 poll and No. 24 by D3football.com.

LIVE COVERAGE
Graeme Fineman and Dave Hansen are set to provide play-by-play video coverage of Linfield football on the Linfield Sports Network. Exclusive coverage begins 30 minutes prior to kickoff for the Farnham Electric Pregame Show. The links to the broadcast, plus live statistics, are listed above.
 
LEWIS & CLARK OFFENSE
The Pioneers come into McMinnville fresh off a win over rival Willamette, putting up 49 points in the victory. The Pios have a new offensive coordinator this season as former Clackamas High School head coach Joe Bushman assumes the reigns of an up-and-coming offense. Lewis & Clark has several key returning pieces from last season's team that surpassed expectations. The projected starting lineup on offense includes seven seniors and four juniors.
 
Michael Abraham is the lead tailback and a player to keep an eye on. A first team all-conference honoree a season ago, Abraham is currently the third-leading rusher in the Northwest Conference and has the second-most rushing touchdowns with eight. The junior scored two touchdowns and totaled 91 yards rushing in the Wagon Wheel rivalry game against Willamette.
 
Veteran quarterback Caden Voges leads the fourth-most productive passing attack in the NWC. The Pios average just over 277 yards per game through the air with Voges throwning for 15 touchdowns.
 
Voges has some outstanding receivers to throw to. Aidan Verba-Hamilton is enjoying a great season at the wide receiver position. The conference leader in receiving yards per game at just under 100 per game should garner plenty of attention from the Linfield defense. The San Francisco, California, native doesn't need many catches to rack up big numbers. Verba-Hamilton averages four catches per game yet leads the conference in average yards per catch, so he should always be considered a dangerous deep threat. Seniors Kevin Johnson and Dallas Garreaud have combined for five touchdowns in 2019.
 
The Pios also have the oldest offensive line combination in the conference. Three seniors and two juniors compose this group. However, the line has surrendered just under four sacks per game. Voges is not known for his running ability, so the offensive line must have a strong game to provide their quarterback time to throw and create holes to run through for Abraham.
 
LINFIELD OFFENSE
A quick look at the box score shows the offense of the Wildcats came down to earth a bit in the 42-10 victory over Pacific Lutheran. There are still plenty of positives to take away from the result. Linfield saw a bit more resistance than in recent weeks, allowing the team to get some more competitive reps. The offense has been more balanced than earlier in the conference schedule.
 
Clearly, PLU wanted to force Linfield to run the ball after the otherworldly start for the passing offense. Artie Johnson had a great game, finishing with just over 80 yards out of the backfield and two touchdowns. The junior had a 28-yard run and averaged just over six yards per tote.
 
Linfield started the same offensive line in back-to-back weeks for the first time since the opening two weeks of the season. This young group is continuing to grow up quickly and put together another strong game. Linfield did not allow a sack and there were some gaping holes for the Wildcat tailbacks to run through. During Linfield's current four-game win streak, the line has allowed just over one sack per game. Even more exciting, all five starters made it through the game before being replaced by reserves in the fourth quarter. Those backups then proceeded to also hold PLU without a sack.
 
Wyatt Smith put together another strong performance in the victory at Puyallup. Smith completed just over 70 percent of his passes to go along with 311 yards and three scores, all culminating in a fifth offensive student athlete of the week award. Keaton Wood hauled in two touchdowns and Tyler Torgerson was the recipient of the third in his hometown of Puyallup. Keegan Weiss and Colton Smith accumulated 96 yards and 67 yards, respectively.
 
Although the final line for the junior wasn't as flashy as the previous weeks, Wyatt Smith has thrown for more than 300 yards in four straight games.  During this impressive run, Smith has tossed 21 touchdowns, an nearly unimaginable total.
 
LEWIS & CLARK DEFENSE
The L&C defense has had difficulty holding opposing teams out of the end zone. In two games in September, Lewis & Clark allowed about 30 points per game, ranking it among the top half of the conference. However, October has not been kind to the Pioneers. In four conference games, they are giving up an average of 43 points per game, placing them just under 40 points per game allowed on the season to rank seventh. In games that Lewis & Clark has lost, that number only increases to 48 points.
 
After missing the season-opener against Pomona-Pitzer, senior defensive back Tawayne Malone is the leading tackler for the Pios. Malone leads an experienced defense that has the ability to improve with the calendar flipping to November. Junior Makana LaBoy and sophomore Anakin Mares both have double-digit pass breakups with 11 and 10, respectively. Junior Roger Hernandez rounds out the secondary, tied for first on the team in interceptions.
 
Junior defensive end Cameron Chang has played in just about 3½ games yet is ranked fourth in sacks in the conference. Sophomore Alex Hensley is one of two underclassmen who start for the Pios, ranking among the top five in tackles for loss.
 
Lewis & Clark does a good job of providing pressure on opposing quarterbacks with 17 sacks this season. This is even more crucial going up against Linfield and its passing offense, which ranks second nationally in efficency. The Pios should try to implement a similar game plan to that of the Lutes, providing plenty of coverage and baiting Linfield to try and run the football.
 
LINFIELD DEFENSE
The Wildcats secondary was the focal point of last week's road win. Dusten Ramseyer-Burdett kicked off the scoring with a 96-yard interception return for a touchdown. Chris Adamo had an interception as well as Tyler Bergeron, Linfield's second-leading tackler in the game. Tyler Sitton recorded two pass breakups, and after six games, no other NWC player has more deflections than the McMinnville native. It is often forgotten that the 'Cats are replacing 75 percent of the secondary from last season, but with the way this group is playing, it's hard to believe they haven't started together for longer.
 
Chase Lydig continues to put together strong games. Although he only had three tackles, all of them were for loss, including two for sacks. Fellow defensive tackle Brady Wessel was credited with four tackles. Ray Thomas kept his streak going for consecutive games with a sack, adding one for a six-yard loss. Tony Krauss added in half sack to go along with his four tackles.
 
Keyell Davis was the leading tackler again for Linfield, recording 12 stops, including one for loss. Brock Klosterman and Kemaehu Beltrame-Aila combined for 11 tackles, while Brian Pullman and Tyler Good added three each.
 
The Wildcats continue to improve upon their already conference-leading numbers. Teams have scored fewer than 15 points per game against Linfield and, counting only conference games, that number drops to 11.5 per game. Linfield is the only team to allow less than 100 points in the Northwest Conference. They are ranked 12th in the nation in scoring defense, allowing only 87 points this year.
 
Saturday's matchup with Lewis & Clark should be the toughest inter-conference matchup that the Linfield defense has seen to date. The Pios are fourth in the conference in scoring, trailing Pacific, whose offense has grown immensely since the Wildcats traveled to Forest Grove.
 
OVERALL
The Pioneers are on the rise in the Northwest Conference. L&C sits at 3-3 overall and 2-2 in conference play, tied for fourth in the standings. Linfield has taken advantage of its matchups to open up the conference schedule and stands at a pristine 4-0, 5-1 overall. The Wildcats continue to improve week in and week out, so a matchup with the Pioneers provides an opportunity to get better against a solid group. Fans and outsiders alike have their eyes on next week's trip to Spokane for a date with Whitworth, but the 'Cats can expect a strong challenge from the Pios which should make for an exciting contest on Fall Family Weekend in McMinnville.
 
THE SERIES
The series between Linfield and Lewis & Clark dates back to 1901, with Linfield now holding a 64-19-1 advantage after 2018's 43-26 win in McMinnville. This is the 85th game in the Wildcats' second-most played series; the only team Linfield has played more is Willamette (92 meetings through 2019 in a series dating back to 1902) … The Wildcats have won the last 41 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 is 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 36-6 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
In 2019, Linfield has clinched its 64th consecutive winning seasons; the Wildcats' streak, which began in 1956, is the longest in the history of college football at any level … During the streak, Linfield is 512-117-10 for a winning percentage of .809. Linfield's record at home during the streak is 278-42-4 (.864), and at Maxwell Field it is 275-42-4 (.863).
 
ALL-TIME NUMBERS
2019 is Linfield's 105th season of football, dating back to 1896. The Wildcats' all-time record is 616-268-28 (.691) … Linfield's all-time home record is 344-91-16 (.780), including a Maxwell Field record of 324-79-11 (.796).
 
IN THE PLAYOFFS
Linfield has made 29 national playoff appearances; a school-record string of nine straight in the NCAA Division III playoffs from 2009-2017 was snapped last year … Linfield has won four national championships: 1982, 1984, 1986 (all NAIA Division II) and 2004 (NCAA Division III). The Wildcats have played in three 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).
 
NORTHWEST CONFERENCE HISTORY
Linfield is seeking a return to the top of the Northwest Conference standings in the 2019 season. Prior to finishing second in 2018, the Wildcats had won or shared the NWC title nine straight seasons. That was the longest such streak in NWC football history … Linfield has won 41 NWC championships, including 33 outright.
 
MORE NUMBERS
Since the start of the 2009 season, Linfield is 106-16 overall (.869), 89-7 (.927) in the regular season, 59-3 (.952) at home and 67-2 in NWC games (.971) … During that span, Linfield is 17-9 (.654) in the postseason.
 
COACH JOSEPH SMITH
Joseph Smith is in his 14th season as Linfield's head coach; he has an overall record of 124-25 (.832), which is the highest winning percentage of any head coach in Wildcat football history … Smith is second on Linfield's all-time coaching wins list, trailing only his college coach, Ad Rutschman, who won 183 games in 24 seasons. Smith's record includes marks of 107-16 (.870) in the regular season, 81-6 (.931) in Northwest Conference games, 17-9 (.654) in the postseason and 69-7 (.908) at home.