SALEM, Ore. – No. 7 Linfield clinched at least a share of the Northwest Conference football championship Saturday, beating Willamette 77-7 at McCulloch Stadium. The Wildcats scored touchdowns on all eight of their first-half possessions en route to securing their 31^st national playoff berth.
 
Linfield (8-0 overall, 6-0 NWC) spent the opening half turning short fields into quick scores. Of the Wildcats' eight drives, five started in Willamette (1-8, 0-6) territory and five took less than one minute.
 
Playing only the first half, Linfield quarterback Wyatt Smith passed for 310 yards and seven touchdowns, completing 20 of 24 throws. His seven touchdowns tied for second-most in a game ever for the Wildcats. Smith threw for eight in a game previously.
 
Colton Smith had 124 receiving yards and three touchdowns on eight catches for the Wildcats, while Joel Valadez had 114 yards and three scores on seven grabs. Connor Morton rushed for 102 yards and a touchdown on four carries for Linfield, which finished with 625 yards of total offense, the seventh-highest single-game mark in school history
 
By the finish, the Wildcats had used four quarterbacks, 10 ball carriers and there were 11 receivers with catches.
 
Defensively for Linfield, rover Caiden Beige-Wetherbee had six tackles and broke up a pass and monster Ben Baxter had five tackles and a quarterback hurry. Defensive tackle Alex Frazier had pair of sacks for the Wildcats, who finished with 27 players with at least one tackle.
 
For Willamette, quarterback Dante Chaney passed for 87 yards and a touchdown on a 14-for-37 day. Justin Genovia had five catches for 39 yards and Joseph Castillo rushed for 56 yards on 13 carries for the Bearcats, who finished with 196 yards total offense.
 
Despite kicking off to open the game, Linfield led 21-0 just over six minutes into the contest.
 
After forcing a three-and-out, the Wildcats scored on their first play from scrimmage, Wyatt Smith hitting brother Colton deep over the middle for 49 yards to make it 7-0.
 
Linfield's next possession started on the Willamette 40-yard line and it took five plays to cover that distance, Wyatt Smith sneaking a throw past a Bearcat defensive back to Valadez for 20 yards and a 14-0 lead.
 
The Wildcats' third possession began at the Bearcat 46; this time it took two plays to reach the end zone: Smith's 17-yard pass to Valadez and then running back Connor McNabb grabbing a shovel pass and taking it up the middle then breaking to his right and it was 21-0 with 8:58 left in the opening quarter.
 
Willamette responded with a 75-yard, 14-play drive that ate up 6:28, aided by facemask and roughing-the-passer penalties against Linfield. Chaney scrambled to convert a fourth-and-1 midway through the drive, then threaded a 14-yard throw to Noah Niblett to cut the gap to 21-7 with 2:30 left in the first period.
 
The rest of the half was all Linfield. The Wildcats managed another touchdown before the end of the quarter, going 62 yards in six plays and scoring on another Smith-to-Smith pass, this one a five-yarder on the final play of the period to make it 28-7.
 
Linfield's next drive took three plays to go 36 yards after Maclain Stoneking's 20-yard punt return. It was Smith-to-Valadez over the middle for 10 yards and a 35-7 lead.
 
The Wildcats' longest play of the day accounted for the next score, Morton taking a quick-hitter over the left side and outrunning the Bearcats for a 70-yard touchdown. The three-play, 80-yard drive made it 42-7.
 
Stoneking's 34-yard punt return then set the Wildcats up at the Willamette 33 and Linfield scored in two plays, the touchdown coming on Smith's 33-yard pass to Valadez for a 49-7 advantage.
 
Willamette came back with another drive to reach the Linfield 30 but Chaney's fourth-and-2 pass for Niblett was knocked down by Cutter Hillock to end the threat.
 
Linfield finished its first-half scoring binge with a 70-yard, eight-play drive. It was Smith-to-Smith one final time for the touchdown, a three-yard strike over the middle to put the halftime margin at 56-7.
 
Backup quarterback Dawson Lieurance guided Linfield to its only third-quarter score, a 90-yard, nine-play drive that concluded with a 39-yard pass to Chance Sparks for a 63-7 lead.
 
Michael Schutz got his turn at quarterback later in the period and took the Wildcats 43 yards in seven plays, Zach Russell going the final yard up the middle to make it 70-7.
 
Willamette threatened again in the fourth quarter, reaching the Linfield 9 but backup quarterback Aidan Kuykendall's pass was intercepted at the goal line by Evan Fisette, who returned it 65 yards to the Bearcat 35.
 
It took the Wildcats five plays to punch in the final touchdown, Jared DeVine carrying the final 14 yards and putting the final score at 77-7.
 
AHEAD
Linfield wraps up the regular season Saturday when the 'Cats host the Lewis & Clark Pioneers on Senior Day. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. … with a win over the Pioneers, the Wildcats would wrap up sole possession of the conference title for the 35^th time in school history; they have shared the title in eight previous seasons … Saturday was the 93^rd meeting between Linfield and Willamette; the Wildcats now hold a 54-36-3 lead, but the Bearcats maintain a 25-25-1 edge in games played in Salem … the 77 points tied for the fifth-most in a game in Linfield history and the 70-point margin was the seventh-largest ever for the Wildcats.