The Linfield football team will play in front of its home crowd for the second straight week, hosting Pacific on Saturday.
 
The game will mark the first meeting between Linfield and Pacific since the Wildcats' 52-14 rout of the Boxers on Oct. 5, 2019, in Forest Grove. The Wildcats enter the week ranked No. 7 in the latest D3football.com Top 25 and No. 6 in the latest American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) poll.
 
This weekend marks Linfield University's Fall Family Weekend. A full schedule of the weekend's festivities can be found at the link above.
 
The game kicks off at 1:30 p.m. at Maxwell Field. Live coverage begins on the Linfield Sports Network at 1 p.m. with the Farnham Electric Pregame Show. Play-by-play coverage and live statistics will be provided. Live coverage links can be found above.
 
LINFIELD SO FAR
Linfield is the only Northwest Conference team with an undefeated record at 4-0 under 14^th-year head coach Joseph Smith. The Wildcats sit in a three-way tie with Pacific and George Fox atop the NWC standings with a 2-0 conference record. The 'Cats are fresh off a 42-7 win over then-No. 18 Whitworth on Homecoming. The 'Cats also have wins over Division II Simon Fraser (56-20), Redlands (51-10) and Puget Sound (56-7).
 
PACIFIC SO FAR
Pacific is off to a 3-1 start to the season under first-year head coach Ian Falconer. The Boxers are tied for first place with a 2-0 Northwest Conference mark. The Boxers are riding a three-game winning streak, most recently beating Puget Sound, 69-6, at home last week. The streak also includes a 38-35 win at Pomona-Pitzer and a 49-19 win at Willamette.
 
THE WILDCAT OFFENSE
The Wildcats lead the Northwest Conference with 51.3 points and 504 yards of total offense per game. The offense is averaging 162.8 rushing yards and 341.3 passing yards per game. The 'Cats have 10 rushing touchdowns and 17 passing touchdowns on the season, finding the end zone on 16 of 21 red zone opportunities.
 
Senior Wyatt Smith continues to remind everyone why he is the top quarterback in the NWC. Smith has completed 101 of 142 passes for 1,271 yards and 16 touchdowns, averaging 317.8 passing yards per game. Smith has also run the ball nine times for 76 yards and three touchdowns.
 
The top running back for the Wildcats is sophomore Connor McNabb. McNabb ranks eighth in the NWC with 65.5 rushing yards per game to go with a pair of touchdowns. Fellow sophomore Connor Morton has three rushing touchdowns on the year, averaging 4.4 yards per carry.
 
Smith has an army of pass catchers at his disposal, led by sophomore receiver Joel Valadez, who ranks fifth in the NWC with 64.8 receiving yards per game to go with a team-leading four touchdown catches. Junior receiver Colton Smith and sophomore receiver Devon Murray have also been reliable targets with three touchdowns apiece. Murray is averaging 59.5 yards per game. Tight ends Sam Paris, a senior, and Franco Keplinger, a sophomore, both have one touchdown catch.
 
All good offenses start in the trenches, and Linfield has one of the best offensive lines in Division III. The starting O-line is made up of junior center Matt Metcalf, junior right tackle Diego Rodriguez, junior right guard Julien Sears, junior left tackle Taylor Adams and freshman left guard Bailey Lee. The Wildcats' O-line has yet to allow a sack in 2021.
 
THE BOXER OFFENSE
The Boxers are averaging 44.8 points and 406.3 yards of total offense per game. Their points per game rank second in the Northwest Conference to Linfield. The Boxers have 11 passing touchdowns and 10 rushing touchdowns on the season and have scored touchdowns on 15 of 20 trips to the red zone.
 
The offense is led by senior quarterback Kenyon Harris, who already has a pair of NWC Offensive Student-Athlete of the Week awards under his belt in 2021. Harris has completed 81 of 107 passes for a 75.7 completion percentage. He has thrown for 938 yards and 11 touchdowns to go with a rushing touchdown.
 
Senior running back Joshua Harris has carried backfield, leading the Northwest Conference with 115 yards per game to go with five rushing touchdowns. Freshman Lucas Voss is averaging 8.4 yards per carry on 10 attempts and has two touchdowns.
 
The top target for Harris is junior wide receiver Kyle Kern. Kern has reeled in six touchdowns and is averaging 74.8 receiving yards per game, both of which lead the NWC. Senior Ty Hargis ranks sixth in the NWC with 58 yards per game and has two touchdown catches while sophomore Isaiah Pitre also has a pair of touchdowns.
 
THE WILDCAT DEFENSE
While Linfield has racked up the numbers on the offensive side of the ball, the Wildcats' defense has been just as impressive to start the season. The Wildcats have limited opposing offenses to 11 points, 34 rushing yards and 191.8 passing yards per game. They lead the Northwest Conference with 14 sacks and have allowed just 10 of 60 third-down conversions.
 
The defense is led by senior defensive end Travis Swanson. Swanson is second on the team with 19 tackles, 10 solo, and has 12 tackles for loss for 50 yards, including a conference-leading five sacks for 31 yards. Swanson is joined up front by junior defensive end Vinny Niosi and junior defensive tackles Chase Lydig and Grayson Cosier. Lydig has 10 tackles with 4.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. Cosier has 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack while Niosi has 10 tackles and three pass breakups.
 
The 'Cats could throw any combination of linebackers on the field and still get solid results. Senior Cedric Agcoili-Ostrom and freshman Zack Kanahele-Mone have been primary starters but have been rotated with seniors Kamaehu Beltrame-Aila and Brock Klosterman, junior Brian Pullman and freshmen Blake Rybar and Owen Hand. Agcoili leads the group with 11 tackles while Rybar has nine.
 
The secondary is led by senior safety Tyler Bergeron, the reigning NWC Defensive Student-Athlete of the Week. Bergeron has 18 tackles, 12 solo, with an interception against Whitworth on Homecoming. Freshman monsterback Ben Baxter leads the 'Cats with 21 tackles, 13 solo, to go with three pass breakups. Seniors Tyler Sitton and Jon Sedy make up the starting cornerbacks. Sitton has 15 tackles while Sedy has seven tackles, all solo, with an interception.
 
THE BOXER DEFENSE
Pacific is third in the Northwest Conference with 23.8 points allowed per game and second with eight interceptions and 13 sacks. The Boxers have allowed 14 touchdowns to go with 312.5 yards of total offense per game.
 
The secondary has been a strong suit for the Boxer defense. Junior safety Chase Hofmann leads the team with 28 tackles, 22 solo. Sophomore cornerback Koa Atkinson-Sioloa has 13 tackles on the year with two interceptions while freshman safety Jesse Stroede has 13 tackles, two interceptions and four pass breakups.
 
Up front, sophomore defensive lineman Noah Steverson has 12 tackles, five solo, with five tackles for loss for 45 yards and four sacks for 29 yards. Steverson also has a forced fumble. Fellow sophomore defensive lineman Carter Atkins has four tackles on the season, all solo, with three tackles for loss and two sacks.
 
Senior Michael Timmerman leads the linebacker corps with 17 tackles to go with a fumble recovery, 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack. Fellow senior Gage Quinabo-Reis has nine tackles to go with 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack while junior Deshayne Stevens also has nine tackles.
 
THE SERIES
Linfield and Pacific have met 75 times with the Wildcats leading the series with a 48-23-4 record. The 'Cats are 45-19-4 against the Boxers in conference play and 24-8-4 at home. The 'Cats have won the last 12 meetings, including the 52-14 victory on the Boxers' home turf in 2019.
 
THE STREAK
In 2019, the most recent season of football, Linfield clinched its 64^th consecutive winning season. The Wildcats have a chance to make it 65 against the Boxers on Saturday. The streak, which began in 1956, is the longest in the history of college football at any level.
 
SPECTATOR POLICY AND COVID-19 PROTOCOLS
All individuals (age 12 and over) entering any athletics venue must provide proof of vaccination along with photo identification. Since all Linfield faculty, staff and students have completed this task in order to be on campus this fall, the Linfield individual must simply show their current Linfield ID. Masks must be worn by all spectators at all times.