GEORGE FOX AT LINFIELD
Saturday, 1 p.m.
Maxwell Field, McMinnville, Ore.
Pacific Office Automation Hall of Fame Game
 
The battle for Yamhill County sees the George Fox Bruins coming to McMinnville to challenge nationally ranked Linfield in the annual Pacific Office Automation Hall of Fame Game. George Fox (5-4, 4-2 NWC) enters riding a three-game winning streak and sits in a four-way deadlock for second place in the NWC standings. Linfield (7-1, 6-0 NWC) is ranked 17th by the American Football Coaches Association and is No. 19 in the most recent D3football.com poll. The Wildcats own a six-game win streak.
 
GEORGE FOX OFFENSE
Sophomore Jaden Sheffey leads the run-heavy Bruins offense that has drawn up nearly 200 more running plays than passing this season. Sheffey has thrown for 14 touchdowns and nearly 1,500 yards, but is also a dangerous ball carrier. His 112 rushing attempts and six rushing scores rank fourth in the Northwest Conference.
 
George Fox is expected to feature a three-tailback rotation for Saturday's contest, led by sophomore Ethan Kassebaum. The native of Oregon City has rushed for 336 yards and four scores. Senior Wesley Riddell received the second-most carries in last week's blowout victory over Lewis & Clark. Anthony Garcia is listed as the starter in the backfield but fumbles have been a concern, as the senior left the ball on the ground three times, turning it over twice. Garcia is arguably the most dangerous return man in the NWC. Handling both kickoffs and punts, Garcia is the only player NWC player with a kickoff return touchdown and he leads the conference in punt return yardage and touchdowns with two.
 
Although the Bruins throw the ball fewer times than any team in the NWC, George Fox uses a trio of receivers on passing situations. Freshman Leon Johnson III averages about 2.5 catches per game but has reeled in six touchdowns, ranking him among the top-10 receivers in the league. Senior Kenny May leads the team in receiving yards and McMinnville native Justin Trimble II has four receiving touchdowns in 2019.
 
George Fox features a veteran offensive line with two seniors in Ruben Tapia-Hurtado and Kawika Cameron. Kalen Akiu and Brett Schuler are both juniors, with starting center Aaron Valenzuela the lone underclassman starting along the offensive line. Tight end Chad Bletko has only caught two passes, making him primarily an extra blocker up front.
 
At 28.6 points per game, the Bruins rank fifth in the NWC in scoring. They have had trouble accumulating yards throughout 2019, ranking in the bottom half in total offense and total yards per game. But in two November games, the GFU offense has come alive, scoring just over 51 points per game in blowout wins against Lewis & Clark and Willamette.
 
LINFIELD OFFENSE
Last weekend's conference title-clinching win over Whitworth was everything the matchup was touted to be and then some, in large part due to some exciting stretches of offensive football. Wyatt Smith continued his run of 300+ yard passing performances, raising his total to six straight. Smith threw for a season-high 421 yards and his five touchdown passes pushed his total to 11 in the month of November and 37 for the season, third-most in NCAA Division III.
 
Tailback Artie Johnson played his best game of the season in the win. Johnson carried the ball 22 times, falling just short of the century mark with 97 yards. As a pass-catcher, he racked up 11 catches for 56 yards and two touchdowns. The junior from Hoquiam, Washington, has scored six touchdowns in his last three games and has at least 30 receiving yards in his previous two contests. With the versatility he is displaying, Johnson is proving to be a challenge for opposing defenses down the stretch.
 
There were many eye-opening performances by Linfield's receivers in the Whitworth game. The headlines may go to Keegan Weiss for recording his conference leading 12th touchdown of the season but tight end Jacob Calo and wideout Colton Smith came through with some incredibly clutch catches in the fourth quarter and overtime that stand out in particular.
 
With Whitworth up seven points in the fourth, and a questionable intentional grounding penalty going against Wyatt Smith, Linfield was tasked with a third-and-8 play from its own 34. Smith threw a 46-yard completion to Calo to move deep into Pirate territory. A Whitworth penalty moved Linfield up to the 10-yard line and on the next play, Johnson reached the end zone to tie the game. After another 7-yard catch by Calo to put Linfield at the Pirates' 4, Colton Smith scored the game-winning touchdown.
 
With Tyler Torgerson unavailable due to injury, all of the Wildcat receivers stepped up. Keaton Wood had eight more grabs for 86 yards to finish out the group. Calo ended with 102 yards, Weiss with 97 and Smith with 75 yards and two scores.
 
Zach Jacobs returned to the Linfield offensive line and rotated between guard and center. The availability of tackle Taylor Adams remains uncertain for Saturday's game so expect some more juggling along the offensive line with freshman Diego Rodriguez plugged in as a possible replacement. Jacobs may also be asked to play some snaps at tackle, a position he spent some time playing at Tigard High School. Though the offensive line yielded four sacks last week, the unit was particularly strong in the second half with the game on the line.
 
GEORGE FOX DEFENSE
Saturday's Hall of Fame game could develop into a real defensive battle. The only defense to allow fewer points per game than George Fox is Linfield's, with the Bruins allowing just shy of 18 points per game. They also surrender the second-fewest yards per game and have the second-most defensive touchdowns.
 
Linebacker Daniel Campos leads all the NWC defenders in tackles as the only player in the conference with more than 100 tackles. The next highest Alec Stevenson of Willamette with 80. He is joined by Austin Shadbolt and David Ledesma to round out the senior linebacking corp.
 
Linfield's offensive line will have its hands full with defensive lineman Caleb Dalzell. The senior, a Newberg native, has 10½ tackles for loss this season and four sacks, both top-10 marks in the conference. Skylar Rayburn is an exciting freshman for the Bruins with 3½ sacks.
 
The Bruins like to play with five defensive backs in their starting lineup and have tons of talent among the group. Caleb Harrel, Brandon Piete and Justin Montijo pace the team with three interceptions apiece. Abe Smith is in the top 10 in pass breakups with eight. The Bruins are younger on the back end with three members of their secondary being sophomores to go along with the senior Harrel and junior Smith.
 
LINFIELD DEFENSE
Although the final score line may not reflect it, the defense was the real MVP of Saturday's conference championship win. Whitworth had several opportunities to take the lead back in the fourth quarter but drives were repeatedly halted and the Pirates were forced to punt. After the Wildcats tied the game at 31 with nine minutes left, the Pirates had three drives to try and win the game. They never advanced past the Linfield 47-yard line. In overtime, Linfield allowed only five yards.
 
After giving up 21 points in the first half, 14 of those on trick plays, Linfield allowed 10 points the rest of the way. Tyler Bergeron recorded an interception and had five tackles. Keyell Davis again led the team in tackles with nine and was involved in a tackle for loss.
 
Chris Adamo led the team in tackles for loss with two and had a pass breakup. Ray Thomas was close behind with 1½ TFLs, though his streak of consecutive games with a sack was snapped at four. Travis Swanson, Chase Lydig and Brian Pullman all added a tackle for loss. Dusten Ramsayer-Burdett continued to punish opposing receivers with seven tackles. Tyler Sitton was credited with six stops.
 
Linebacker is an area to watch for the Wildcats this week. Brian Pullman returned to action after missing the Lewis & Clark game but Brock Klosterman was held out of the Whitworth win due to injury. Tyler Good stepped into the starting lineup and made six tackles. Kemaehu Beltrame-Aila was forced to leave the game due to injury. After an interception in the victory against Lewis & Clark, Treve Earhart made two stops against Whitworth. The depth of the Wildcat 'backers will be tested against the Bruins.
 
OVERALL
In a battle of cross-county rivals, anything can happen. Linfield is happy to have already clinched the NWC title but there remains plenty to play for this weekend. Playoff seeding and bragging rights are on the line in what should be an exciting matchup. Numerous alumni are expected to be in attendance to honor the newest members of the Linfield Athletics Hall of Fame, adding to what should be a solid crowd for the final regular-season game of the year and what could be potentially the last home game of the season.
 
THE SERIES
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 12-4; the Wildcats are 7-3 against the Bruins in McMinnville and 5-1 in Newberg … Linfield has won the last 11 games in the series, including last season's 14-0 win in Newberg. The last game in McMinnville was in 2017, a 12-6 Linfield victory 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 16 previous meetings, only four games have seen both teams score. Linfield has posted eight shutouts and George Fox four.
 
THE STREAK
In 2019, Linfield has clinched its 64th 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 514-117-10 for a winning percentage of .810. Linfield's record at home during the streak is 279-42-4 (.865), and at Maxwell Field it is 276-42-4 (.863).
 
NO LOSE NOVEMBER
In the NCAA era (since 1998), Linfield sports a 35-3 home-field record in the month of November. Linfield has not lost at home in November since 2014, its only home-field defeat in November over the past 11 seasons.
 
ALL-TIME NUMBERS
2019 is Linfield's 105th season of football, dating back to 1896. The Wildcats' all-time record is 618-268-28 (.691) … Linfield's all-time home record is 345-91-16 (.764), including a Maxwell Field record of 325-79-11 (.796).
 
PLAYOFF FODDER
Having clinched the Northwest Conference championship, Linfield is assured of a berth in the NCAA Division III playoffs. It will be the Wildcats' 30th trip to the national playoffs. Linfield returns to the postseason after a school-record string of nine straight appearances in the NCAA Division III playoffs from 2009-2017 … 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).
 
Linfield returned to the top of the NWC standings in the 2019 season. Prior to finishing second in 2018, the Wildcats had won or shared the NWC title nine straight seasons. That is the longest such streak in NWC football history … Linfield has won 42 NWC championships, including 34 outright.
 
Since the start of the 2009 season, Linfield is 108-16 overall (.871), 91-7 (.929) in the regular season, 60-3 (.952) at home and 69-2 in NWC games (.972) … 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 126-25 (.834), which is the highest winning percentage of any head coach in Wildcat football history … Smith's record includes marks of 109-16 (.872) in the regular season, 83-6 (.933) in Northwest Conference games, 17-9 (.654) in the postseason and 70-7 (.909) at home.