The Linfield Wildcats are back in McMinnville on Saturday to battle with the Whitworth University Pirates, the only other unbeaten team left in the Northwest Conference.
The contest will mark the first meeting between the Wildcats (3-0, 1-0) and the Pirates (4-0, 1-0) since 2019's overtime thriller in Spokane that ended in a 38-31 Linfield victory. Heading into the weekend, Linfield is ranked No. 7 nationally in both the D3Football.com Top-25 and the AFCA Coach's Poll Top-25. Whitworth is ranked No. 18 in the D3Football.com poll and No. 21 in the AFCA poll.
Saturday's game is Homecoming for the Wildcats. 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 1:00 p.m. with the Farnham Electric Pregame Show.
Joe Stuart and Dave Hansen will provide play-by-play coverage. Links to the game's live stream broadcast and live stats can be found above.
WHITWORTH SO FAR
Whitworth is off to a 4-0 start this season under eighth-year head coach Rod Sandberg, who is 51-14 overall since taking over the program in 2014. Sandberg holds a 1-6 mark against Linfield in his tenure.
The Pirates are coming off a 35-17 win over Lewis and Clark in their NWC opener in Spokane. They surrendered a 14-10 lead to the Pioneers with 11:32 left in the third quarter before outscoring the Pios 25-3 over the remainder of the game.
Whitworth also has wins against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 31-15, Lincoln University, 31-29, and Carnegie Mellon, 13-10.
The Pirates played a four-game schedule in the spring, playing Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran twice apiece and winning all four games. The Pirates went 6-3 overall and 5-2 in Northwest Conference play to finish second behind Linfield in 2019.
LINFIELD SO FAR
The Wildcats have started the season as hot as any team in the country, outscoring their opponents 163-37 through three games and getting off to a 3-0 start for the first time since 2015. They spent last Saturday spoiling Puget Sound's Homecoming, winning 56-7 in front of a large Loggers home crowd. Puget Sound tied it at 7-7 at the 14:09 mark in the second quarter, but Linfield responded by scoring 49 unanswered points, 28 of which came before halftime.
The Wildcats have also won at Redlands, 51-10, and at home against Division II Simon Fraser, 56-20, all combining for Linfield to be ranked seventh in the country in both the D3Football.com Top-25 poll and the AFCA Division III Top-25 poll.
THE PIRATE OFFENSE
Whitworth's starting quarterback is senior Jaedyn Prewitt. On the year, Prewitt has completed 53.3 percent of his passes for 664 yards and four touchdowns with two interceptions while adding one rushing touchdown. Prewitt has started in every game for the Pirates but does seem to have competition for the starting QB job from freshman Caleb Christensen.
Against Lewis & Clark, Prewitt opened the game completing 7 of 10 passes for 70 yards and was sacked three times before being replaced by Christensen at the start of the second quarter. Christensen finished the game with 407 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, completing 28 of 42 pass attempts. The freshman has 507 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions with a 62.71 percent completion rate.
The top wide receiver so far has been senior Ethan Peloquin. Peloquin ranks fifth in the NWC with 21 catches, fourth with 240 receiving yards and tied for second with four touchdowns. Peloquin posted a career-high against Lewis & Clark with nine receptions, turning them into a season-high 88 yards and a touchdown.
Graduate student Jerusalem To'oto'o sits just behind Peloquin in the NWC reception rankings in sixth with 17 catches. His 223 yards are also sixth. He has scored one touchdown this year. To'oto'o registered five catches for 74 yards against the Pioneers. Whitworth's starting receivers are rounded out by sophomore tight end Isaac Fields, who has 12 receptions for 211 yards and a touchdown, and junior slot receiver Matthew Fiesta, who has 12 receptions for 120 yards.
The Pirates' lead man out of the backfield, and for the offense as a whole, is sophomore tailback Solomon Hines. Hines has carried the ball 120 times for 264 yards and a touchdown. His carries, yards and yards per game mark of 66.0 per game all sit at fourth-best in the NWC. His 5.2 yards per attempt are ninth in the conference.
Hines has also caught 12 passes for 211 yards and a touchdown. A large chunk of those yards came in the third quarter against Lewis & Clark on an 88-yard touchdown catch, the longest play from scrimmage for any NWC player this season. Hines finished the day with 220 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns on just 13 carries and four catches. Hines is backed up by sophomore Isaiah Jones, who has rushed the ball 30 times for 70 yards and a touchdown, and freshman Luke Roberts, who has 12 carries for 49 yards. Nine of Roberts' 12 attempts came against the Pioneers.
THE WILDCAT OFFENSE
Linfield is averaging 53.3 points per game through three games, ranking third in all of Division III and leading the Northwest Conference. The 'Cats' 502.7 yards of total offense per game leads the NWC by a margin of nearly 100 yards.
The 'Cats' 349.3 air yards per game are first in the league and their 153.3 rushing yards per game are third. They average 6.9 yards per play, also first in the NWC. Their 13 passing touchdowns and eight rushing touchdowns both lead the league. One of their most impressive offensive statistics this year has been converting 27 of 40 attempts on third down, a 67.5 percent mark that leads the nation.
The Wildcats' high-flying offense is led by senior quarterback
Wyatt Smith, who added to his impressive start to the season against Puget Sound by completing 24 of 33 passes for 336 yards and five touchdowns while adding six yards and a touchdown on the ground. Smith has registered 963 yards and 12 touchdowns on a 72 percent completion rate while throwing just one interception. His completion percentage is good enough for seventh-best in the country. His 321.0 passing yards per game leads the NWC and is No. 11 in the country.
Smith's leading wide receiver target against Puget Sound was his younger brother
Colton Smith. The 2019 NWC Freshman of the Year had gotten off to a slow start this fall due to a nagging injury, but broke out against the Loggers for five catches for 68 yards and two touchdowns, including a 49-yard bomb on the 'Cats' third play of the game.
The younger Smith is joined by a plethora of talented options at wide receiver. Linfield's leading wideout in receptions is sophomore
Devon Murray, who has hauled in 10 passes for 143 yards and three touchdowns. Despite catching just one pass for 21 yards against Puget Sound, sophomore slot receiver
Joel Valadez still leads the 'Cats in receiving yards at 231 and touchdowns at four on nine catches. Valadez's 25.7 yards per catch leads the NWC and is eighth in Division III. His four touchdowns and 77.0 receiving yards per game are both second in the conference while his 231 receiving yards are fifth.
Other pass-catchers who will likely mix into the Linfield air attack are redshirt freshman
Isaac Hoidal, freshman
Chance Sparks, graduate student
Payton Person and tight ends
Franco Keplinger, a sophomore, and
Sam Paris, a senior. Sparks and Keplinger both caught their first touchdowns of the season against Puget Sound.
The Wildcats' dynamic running back duo of
Connor McNabb and
Connor Morton will also likely factor as much into the passing game as they will the ground game. McNabb actually leads all Wildcats in receptions with 12, which he has turned into 124 yards and a touchdown in addition to his 176 yards and a touchdown on 32 rushing attempts. Morton has carried the ball 19 times for 97 yards and three touchdowns while catching 10 passes for 93 yards. McNabb led the Wildcats in scrimmage yards against Puget Sound, rushing seven times for 53 yards and a touchdown and catching four passes for 78 yards for 131 yards of total offense.
The credit for the Wildcats' excellence on offense is as much due to their offensive line as it is to their skill position players. The starting O-line is made up of juniors
Matt Metcalf at center,
Diego Rodriguez at right tackle,
Julien Sears at right guard,
Taylor Adams at left tackle and freshman
Bailey Lee at left guard. The unit has yet to allow a sack on the season.
THE PIRATE DEFENSE
Despite giving up 373.3 yards of total offense per game so far this season, fourth in the NWC, the Pirates have limited their opponents to just 17.3 points per game, second in the league only to the Wildcats.
Teams have found success running the ball against Whitworth with opponents averaging 162.5 rushing yards per game. The Pirates have kept their opponents' scoring totals low by allowing conversions on just 26.7 percent of chances on third down, fifth-best in the country, and allowing touchdowns on just five of 11 trips to the red zone.
The strength of the Whitworth defense lies in their secondary, where the Pirate defensive backs have racked up 11 interceptions, tied for second in the country and leading the NWC, and have broken up 21 passes. The Whitworth secondary is led by senior cornerback Bryce Hornbeck and junior free safety Jacob Hogger, who have three interceptions apiece, tied for first in the conference. Hornbeck's six pass breakups lead the conference as well.
Junior outside linebacker Patrick Serrano will be another Pirate to watch, leading the NWC with 27 tackles, 19 solo. He is third in the league in pass breakups with four and has added an interception as well. Junior inside linebacker Derrick Platt also has had a productive season for the Pirates, racking up 25 tackles, fifth in the NWC, 11 of which have been solo. He leads the team in tackles for loss with four for 19 yards and has two sacks for 13 yards. Junior Jaylen Gonzales joins Platt and Serrano at linebacker and has 22 tackles, 11 solo and 1.5 for loss.
The defensive front for Whitworth is highlighted by senior nose tackle RudyJay Keopuhiwa, who leads the team in sacks with 2.5, tied for third in the conference. His 3.5 tackles for loss for 10 yards are second on the team and seventh in the conference. Keopuhiwa is joined on the defensive line by junior defensive end Mason Bertelli, who has two tackles for loss for 14 yards, 1.5 sacks and an interception, as well as senior defensive tackle Dylan Peterson and junior defensive end Brayden Miller.
THE WILDCAT DEFENSE
Linfield's defense has been as dominant as the offense, if not more. The defense leads the Northwest Conference in scoring defense at 12.3 points per game allowed and total defense at 219 yards allowed. The Wildcats' total offense allowed per game is 12
th in the country and their points allowed per game is 20
th.
The Wildcats have been the stingiest team in the country when it comes to defending on third down, allowing opponents to convert just 15.2 percent of third down opportunities. Linfield also has one of the best pass rush defenses in the country, leading the nation in tackles for loss per game at 10.67 and tied for eighth in sacks per game at 3.67. The Wildcats have recorded 32 tackles for loss as a team for 128 yards and 11 sacks for 64 yards.
The imposing front of the defense is led by senior defensive end
Travis Swanson, off to one of the best starts for any player in Division III. Swanson has recorded 14 tackles this year, second on the team, with 10 being for loss for 39 yards. He also has 3.5 sacks for 20 yards. His 10 total tackles for loss are tied for fifth in the country while his 3.3 tackles for loss per game lead the country.
Swanson is joined on the defensive line by junior defensive end
Vinny Niosi, who has 10 tackles, 2.5 for loss, and junior defensive tackles
Chase Lydig and
Grayson Cosier in the middle. Lydig has seven tackles, 2.5 for loss and a sack, while Cosier has four tackles, 2.5 for loss and a sack. Senior
Josh Hanigan and freshmen
Alex Frazier and
Nick Severson will also be heavily used members of Linfield's front-four.
It's been a rotation of several talented linebackers for the Wildcats this season. Senior
Cedric Agcoili-Ostrom and freshman
Zack Kanahele-Mone have been the starters, but they have been rotated with freshmen
Blake Rybar and
Owen Hand, seniors
Kamaehu Beltrame-Aila and
Brock Klosterman, and junior
Brian Pullman. Agcoili-Ostrom leads the position group in tackles with seven, one for loss with one quarterback hurry. Rybar also has seven tackles, all solo, with 1.5 for loss and 1.5 sacks.
The secondary has been a mix of talent, both new and experienced. Sophomore
Ben Baxter leads the Wildcats in tackles with 16, 11 solo, playing out of the monsterback position. Baxter also has a pass breakup. Senior cornerback
Tyler Sitton is third on the team in tackles with 12 and leads the team with two pass breakups. Sitton had a season-high seven tackles against Puget Sound, leading the team.
Senior
Tyler Bergeron has recorded 10 tackles so far this season in his move from monster to safety, 1.5 being for loss. At the opposite corner from Sitton is senior
Jon Sedy, who has five tackles, one pass breakup and the Wildcats' only interception on the season. Rover duties have been handled by sophomore
Justin Pfau and freshman
Caiden Biege-Wetherbee. Biege-Wetherbee had three tackles and a pass breakup against Puget Sound.
THE SERIES
Linfield has an all-time record of 38-6-2 against Whitworth in a series dating back to 1952. In the most recent meeting in 2019, Linfield won 38-31 in overtime in Spokane, the only overtime game between the Wildcats and Pirates. Whitworth's last win was a 19-14 meeting in Spokane in 2018. Prior to that, Linfield had won the previous 11 meetings. The first meeting was a 13-13 tie in McMinnville on October 4, 1952. Whitworth's last win in McMinnville was in 2006 by a 17-13 score. Linfield has a 20-1-2 record against Whitworth in McMinnville and an 18-5 record against the Pirates in Spokane. Linfield's widest margin of victory was 61-0 in 1966 in McMinnville. The Wildcats' widest margin in Spokane was 35 points, 49-14 in 1982. Whitworth's widest margin was 34 points, 41-7 in 1954 in Spokane. The Pirates' widest margin in McMinnville was four points, 17-13 in 2006. One of the games in the series was in the postseason with Linfield winning 48-10 in McMinnville in the first round of the 2015 NCAA Division III Playoffs.
COACH JOSEPH SMITH
Joseph Smith is in his 14th season as Linfield's head coach. He has an overall record of 130-26 (.833), which is the highest winning percentage of any head coach in Wildcat football history. Smith's record includes marks of 113-16 (.876) in the regular season, 85-6 (.934) in Northwest Conference games, 17-10 (.630) in the postseason and 72-7 (.911) at home.
QB RECORDS
Quarterback
Wyatt Smith became Linfield's all-time career leader in pass completions against Puget Sound on his second completion of the game, a 49-yard touchdown pass to his younger brother Colton. Smith broke the record held by Sam Riddle at 593 completions. Smith has completed 616 passes in his Linfield career on 923 attempts for a 66.7 percent completion percentage, which ranks second all-time only to current co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Brett Ellliot.
Smith is chasing Elliot in several all-time passing categories this season. Smith's 7,883 career passing yards is third all-time behind Elliot at 8,614 and Riddle at 8,582. Smith needs 732 more passing yards to become the all-time leader. Smith's 80 career passing touchdowns also sit behind only Elliot at 110 and Riddle at 97. Smith needs 31 more passing touchdowns this season to become Linfield's all-time leader.
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 518-118-10 for a winning percentage of .810. 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 260-33-5 (.881).
NWC CHAMPIONSHIPS
Linfield returned to the top of the Northwest Conference standings in 2019, the most recent season of NWC football. Prior to finishing second in 2018, the Wildcats had won or shared the NWC title in nine straight seasons. That is the longest such streak in NWC football history. Linfield has won 42 NWC championships, including 34 outright.
HISTORICAL NUMBERS
2021 is Linfield's 106th season of football, dating back to 1896. The Wildcats' all-time record is 622-269-28 (.692). Linfield's all-time home record is 347-91-16 (.782), including a Maxwell Field record of 327-79-11 (.797). Linfield's all-time NWC record is 295-111-11 (.721) in 79 seasons dating back to the conference's initial formation in 1926.
Since the start of the 2009 season, Linfield is 112-17 overall (.868), 95-7 (.931) in the regular season, 62-3 (.954) at home and 71-2 in NWC games (.973). During that span, Linfield is 17-10 (.630) in the postseason.
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. Participants, including players, coaches, support staff and media on the sidelines, must wear masks throughout the duration of all athletic events, both indoor and outdoor, and during pregame and postgame activities.
