McMINNVILLE, Ore. - The Linfield football team opens Northwest Conference play on the road on Saturday, taking on the University of Puget Sound Loggers in Tacoma.
 
Linfield (2-0) looks to roll a hot start against non-conference opponents into its NWC opener against Puget Sound (0-3). The Wildcats began the season with a pair of impressive wins over Division II Simon Fraser, 56-20, and Redlands, 51-10. The Loggers are coming off a 25-21 loss to Cal Lutheran on Sept. 18 following losses to Redlands and Willamette in non-conference play. Both Linfield and Puget Sound had bye weeks last week along with much of the Northwest Conference.
 
The Wildcats are 52-27 in NWC openers since the league was formed in 1926. In road conference openers, Linfield is 30-17. The Wildcats' 2019 conference opener against Pacific in Forest Grove ended in a 52-14 Linfield victory.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
The Linfield Sports Network will provide live audio coverage of the game with Joe Stuart and Dave Hansen calling the play-by-play. Puget Sound will provide a free video live stream of the game. Links to both streams and live stats are listed above.
 
THE LOGGER OFFENSE
Puget Sound is currently in the middle of the pack in yards per game at 372.3, ranking fourth in the NWC. The Loggers' 22 points per game rank sixth. The Loggers are second in the league in total plays at 221 with 122 rushing attempts and 99 passing attempts.
 
On the ground, the Loggers have posted 436 yards, 145.3 per game and 3.5 per attempt with six touchdowns. Through the air, they've totaled 681 yards on a 50.5 completion rate for 227 yards per game and 6.9 per attempt with three touchdowns and five interceptions. Despite losing their last game to Cal Lutheran, 25-21, the Loggers outgained the Kingsmen 400 yards to 229 with 251 passing yards and 149 rushing yards.
 
The Puget Sound offense is led by fifth-year senior quarterback Murdock Rutledge, now a four-year starter and an All-NWC honorable mention in 2019. Rutledge has accumulated 650 yards in 2021 on 45 of 90 passing attempts with three touchdowns, four interceptions and an efficiency rating of 112.8. He also has 40 yards and one touchdown on 22 rushing attempts. Rutledge passed for 251 yards on 19 of 31 attempts for one touchdown and one interception against Cal Lutheran. The last time he played Linfield was in a near-upset of the Wildcats, a 47-41 Linfield win in Tacoma on Nov. 3, 2018. It was a breakout performance for Rutledge as he racked up 396 passing yards on 25 of 53 attempts with four touchdowns while also rushing 17 times for 63 yards and two touchdowns. The Linfield defense in that game got to Rutledge despite the big numbers, sacking the then-sophomore five times and recording three interceptions. He missed 2019's meeting between the Wildcats and Loggers due to injury.
 
The Puget Sound rushing attack has almost completely consisted of junior running back Silas Washington. Washington has rushed 80 times for 357 yards and five touchdowns and caught seven passes for 141 yards. No other Puget Sound running back has carried the ball more than six times. Washington is coming off a 37-carry, 114-yard performance with a touchdown and three receptions for 44 yards against Cal Lutheran. Washington broke out in the season-opening loss to Willamette, rushing 25 times for 180 yards and three touchdowns and catching one pass for 55 yards.
 
Puget Sound's top receiving threat is one of the premiere pass-catchers in the NWC, two-time D3football.com All-American and First-Team All-NWC selection AJ Johnson. Through the first two games of the year, the fifth-year senior had a quiet start to the season by his standards but went off for 158 receiving yards and a touchdown on 11 receptions against Cal Lutheran. On the season, Johnson has recorded 230 yards and two touchdowns on 17 catches. He is joined at wideout by freshman Christian Niemala, sophomore Izaiah Jerenz and senior Matt Marengo. Jerenz has posted 57 yards and a touchdown on seven catches. Nieamala has 74 yards on six catches while Marengo has 76 yards on three catches.
 
THE WILDCAT OFFENSE
Linfield's offense already looks in midseason form through just two games, totaling 963 yards and scoring 14 touchdowns while scoring on a perfect 10 of 10 trips to the red zone. The 'Cats have totaled 645 yards and seven touchdowns through the air on 79 attempts with a 70.9 passing percentage. The rushing attack has racked up 318 yards on 68 attempts for an average of 4.7 yards per carry with six touchdowns.
 
Senior quarterback Wyatt Smith has begun the year on a tear, completing 71.62 percent of his passes on his way to 627 yards and seven touchdowns with one interception. The reigning NWC Offensive Player of the Year's 313.5 passing yards per game lead the conference on the young year. Smith has spread the ball around the entire field with eight different receivers catching at least four passes and none more than eight.
 
The most productive of Linfield's pass-catchers has been the impressive freshman Joel Valadez, who has turned eight catches into 210 yards and four touchdowns, posting 114 yards and two touchdowns on four catches against Redlands. Sophomore Devon Murray and redshirt freshman Isaac Hoidal have been Smith's other top two targets. Murray has caught eight passes for 115 yards and a touchdown in each game while Hoidal has reeled in six passes for 70 yards. Other Wildcat wideouts to watch are graduate student Payton Person, junior Spencer Lee, sophomore Colton Smith and freshman Chance Sparks. Tight ends Franco Keplinger, a sophomore, and Sam Paris, a senior, will also figure into the Linfield air attack.
 
The Linfield running back pairing of Connor McNabb and Connor Morton has looked just as dangerous as the pass game this season. McNabb has rushed 25 times for 123 yards and has recorded eight receptions for 46 yards and a touchdown. Morton has posted 92 yards on just 14 attempts with three touchdowns while also recording six catches for 47 yards. McNabb and Morton will be backed up by third-string freshman Tyler Larson who, on 10 carries, has registered 59 yards. The Linfield rushing attack has averaged 159 yards per game.
 
The Linfield offensive line has looked formidable through two games, playing a key role in the 'Cats' offensive success. It is formed by juniors Matt Metcalf at center, Julien Sears at right guard, Taylor Adams at left tackle and Diego Rodriguez at right tackle with freshman Bailey Lee at left guard. The Linfield O-line has yet to allow a single sack on the season and opponents have only recorded five tackles for loss. After the win against Redlands, the Wildcat O-line was named to the D3football.com Team of the Week.
 
THE LOGGER DEFENSE
The Puget Sound defense has been porous to start the season, allowing 382.3 yards per game and surrendering 16 touchdowns. The Loggers have recorded three interceptions and three sacks. Their 43.7 points allowed per game is most in the NWC.
 
The Loggers play in a "3-5" defense, playing three defensive linemen with five linebackers, two cornerbacks and one safety. It's a young group with six underclassmen starting on that side of the ball. They are led by sophomore linebackers Max Arneklev and Jackson Skaff. Arneklev leads the team with 18 tackles, 14 solo and two for loss, while Skaff has recorded 11 tackles, 10 solo and one for loss. Both have one pass breakup on the year. They will be joined in Puget Sound's starting linebacker group by fellow sophomores Kaden Nelson and Isaiah Williams and junior Blake Cole.
 
The Logger starting defensive line is made up of senior Ezekiel Sayavong and junior Quinn Williamson at the defensive end positions with sophomore Tauhi Tupola at tackle. Tupola leads the unit with nine tackles, 1.5 for loss, one sack and one quarterback hurry. Sayavong has contributed six tackles and two tackles for loss, both sacks, and one quarterback hurry. Williamson has four tackles, one for loss.
 
Senior safety Alex Meadowcroft leads the Puget Sound secondary, recording seven tackles, six solo, two pass breakups and a fumble recovery. He is flanked by junior Trevino Lewis and freshman Zerek Waters at the cornerback positions. Waters has four tackles, one pass breakup and two of Puget Sound's three interceptions in his debut season. Lewis has seven tackles, all solo, with an interception.

THE WILDCAT DEFENSE
As electric as the Linfield offense has been, its defensive counterpart has been as good, if not better. Allowing just 242 yards and 15 points per game, the Wildcat defense has allowed opposing offenses to cross the goal line just four times in two games. The 'Cats are allowing just 34.5 rushing yards per game and 207.5 passing yards per game.
 
The impressive play has started up front with a dominant defensive line led by senior defensive end Travis Swanson. Swanson has been unstoppable so far this year, racking up 12 tackles, eight for loss for 29 yards, and 2.5 sacks for 13 yards. His three-TFL performance against Simon Fraser led to him being named to D3football.com's Team of the Week. Swanson is joined on the starting defensive line by juniors Grayson Cosier and Chase Lydig at the tackle positions and Vinny Niosi at the opposite end. As a unit, the Linfield defense has recorded 23 tackles for loss for 88 yards and eight sacks for 45 yards, much of that stemming from the defensive line.
 
The Linfield linebacker corps boasts as much depth as any position group for the Wildcats, easily going six to eight players deep. The starters, senior Cedric Agcoili-Ostrom and sophomore Zack Kanahele-Mone, have been supported by the likes of seniors Kamaehu Beltrame-Aila and Justin Lyons, juniors Brock Klosterman and Brian Pullman, and freshmen Blake Rybar and Owen Hand. Agcoili-Ostrom leads the group with seven tackles with one for loss. Klosterman follows behind him with five tackles, all solo, and one sack.
 
The Linfield secondary is led by two of the top defensive backs in the conference in safety Tyler Bergeron and cornerback Tyler Sitton. The defensive backs are rounded out by senior Jon Sedy at the opposite corner and sophomores Ben Baxter at monsterback and Justin Pfau at rover. Baxter is second on the team behind Swanson with 10 tackles, five solo, to go along with one pass breakup. Bergeron has nine tackles, 1.5 for loss. Sitton has five tackles, four solo, while Sedy has contributed four tackles while recording Linfield's lone interception on the year, a pick-six against Simon Fraser.
 
THE LOGGER SPECIALISTS
The Puget Sound kicking duties have been split between sophomore Jonah Mendelsohn and freshman Jordi de la Torre. Mendelsohn is 5 for 5 on PAT attempts while de la Torre is 1 for 1 on both PATs and field goals. Both have kicked off multiple times this season. Mendelsohn has shared punting duties with senior Alex Everret.
 
THE WILDCAT SPECIALISTS
Graduate kicker Andy Starkel has looked in midseason form, going 12 for 13 on PAT attempts and 3 for 3 on field goal attempts while averaging 61.3 yards on 18 kickoffs. Senior punter Colton Ramos has maintained his established standard of excellence as well, punting six times for 185 yards for an average of 30.83 yards. He has induced three fair catches and has dropped two punts inside the 20.
 
Starkel and Ramos are joined in the specialist room by senior long snapper Zack Jenkins. Connor Morton leads the Wildcats in kick returns, returning two kicks for 57 yards. Maclain Stoneking and Paul Thie have each returned one kick. Thie has handled punt returns for the Wildcats and has returned eight for 42 yards, his longest return being 24 yards.
 
THE SERIES
Linfield's series with Puget Sound dates back to 1924 when Puget Sound took a 55-6 win in Tacoma. Linfield leads the all-time series at 33-12-1 and has won the last 30 meetings, including 77-22 in McMinnville in 2019. The most recent game in Tacoma was Linfield's 47-41 win in 2018. Puget Sound's last win was in 1987 by a 21-20 score in McMinnville.
 
Linfield and Puget Sound did not play between 1947 and 1983. Before that break, Linfield was just 1-11-1 in the series. Since the break ended, Linfield is 32-1 against Puget Sound.
 
From 2013-2015, Linfield scored at least 70 points in each game of the series, winning 79-3 in McMinnville in 2013, 73-10 in Tacoma in 2014 and 72-3 in McMinnville in 2015. Those are the fourth-, sixth- and eighth-highest scoring games in Linfield history and the third-, ninth- and sixth-largest margins of victory in Linfield history. Linfield's 77 points in 2019 tied for the fifth-highest scoring game ever for the Wildcats; the 99 combined points in that game was the third-highest total ever in a Linfield game.
 
THE STREAK
In 2019, its most recent season of football, Linfield 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 517-118-10 for a winning percentage of .809. Linfield's record at home during the streak is 281-42-4 (.865), and at Maxwell Field it is 278-42-4 (.864). Linfield's Northwest Conference record during the streak is 259-33-5 (.880).
 
COACH JOSEPH SMITH
Joseph Smith is in his 14th season as Linfield's head coach. He has an overall record of 129-26 (.832), which is the highest winning percentage of any head coach in Wildcat football history. Smith's record includes marks of 112-16 (.875) in the regular season, 84-6 (.933) in Northwest Conference games, 17-10 (.630) in the postseason and 72-7 (.911) at home.
 
TICKET INFORMATION AND PUGET SOUND SPECTATOR POLICY
Tickets to Saturday's game can be purchased with credit cards in advance at the main Puget Sound athletic office located in the Athletics & Aquatics Center during normal business hours, or at the ticket booth the day of competition.
 
For events that offer food and beverage sales, Puget Sound is only accepting electronic transactions. Spectators are permitted to bring in food and non-alcoholic beverage items. Please dispose all trash and recyclables in appropriate receptacles.

The State of Washington requires individuals to properly wear face masks for all outdoor gatherings of 500 or more (regardless of vaccination status). All spectators attending Puget Sound football games for the 2021 season are expected to comply with the mandate.
 
Spectators should not attend an event if they have tested positive or exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms or have been in close contact with anyone testing positive within the previous 14 days, or for those who are unvaccinated are symptomatic per CDC guidelines. Those traveling to the area are expected to follow CDC recommendations and other state guidelines.
 
All seating is general admission unless otherwise indicated. There are no requirements to physically distance from others. All unvaccinated individuals are encouraged to maintain physical distancing for further protection.
 
Spectators are not permitted to gather inside the venue following the conclusion of the event. Spectators must leave the premises and arrange for alternate locations to meet up with student-athletes or coaches.