After escaping with a 31-28 win at Saint John's (Minn.) in the second round of the NCAA Division III playoffs, the Linfield football team heads to Belton, Texas, to take on Mary Hardin-Baylor in the quarterfinals.
 
Kickoff is set for noon (CST) on Saturday at Crusader Stadium. Linfield (11-0, 7-0 NWC) is ranked No. 7 in the latest D3football.com Top 25 and No. 6 in the latest American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) poll. Mary Hardin-Baylor (12-0, 9-0 ASC) is ranked No. 2 in both national rankings.
 
TICKETS
Tickets for the game are available to the general public at Mary Hardin-Baylor's online ticket portal. Presale tickets are $10 for reserved and $8 for general admission. Ticket windows on gameday will open at 10 a.m., two hours prior to kickoff. Gameday prices are $12 for reserved and $10 for general admission. A link to the UMHB ticket portal can be found above.
 
COVERAGE
Mary Hardin-Baylor will provide a live video broadcast as well as audio coverage and live stats. Linfield will provide a live audio broadcast on the Linfield Sports Network with commentary from Joe Stuart and Dave Hansen. The LSN's coverage begins at 11:30 a.m. (Central) with the Farnham Electric Pregame Show. Coverage links are available above.
 
HOW THEY GOT HERE
The Wildcats claimed sole possession of the Northwest Conference football championship for the 35^th time in program history. They have also shared the title on eight occasions. The 'Cats completed a perfect 9-0 regular season, including a 7-0 record in NWC play. Linfield dominated the All-NWC Team with a school-record 22 players earning recognition, including 14 on the first team. Head coach Joseph Smith was named the NWC Coach of the Year for the 11^th time.
 
The 'Cats pounced on Redlands in the first round with a 44-10 win at Maxwell Field. They then march to Collegeville and took down No. 5 Saint John's 31-28 at Clemens Stadium. Wyatt Smith completed 28 of 40 passes for 273 yards and three touchdowns against the Johnnies. Connor Morton rushed for 73 yards and a touchdown while also catching eight passes for 64 yards. Joel Valadez caught 13 passes for 102 yards and a pair of touchdowns while Devon Murray also had a touchdown reception.
 
The highly-ranked Crusaders are hosting their third straight playoff game. The Cru slipped past Trinity (Texas) 13-3 in the first round and then completed a 42-7 rout of Birmingham-Southern in the second round. Ryan Redding completed 14 of 23 passes for 251 yards and three touchdowns against Birmingham-Southern. Two of those touchdown passes were to K.J. Miller. Kenneth Cormier led the running game with 65 yards and a pair of rushing touchdowns.
 
THE WILDCAT OFFENSE
The Wildcats have the fourth-best scoring offense in Division III, putting up 50 points per game. They also rank 12^th in the nation with 486.7 yards of total offense per game.
 
Senior quarterback Wyatt Smith was named the Northwest Conference Offensive Player of the Year for the second time in 2021. A semifinalist for the Gagliardi Trophy, Smith has completed 69.8 percent of his passes for 3,316 yards and 40 touchdowns while also rushing for six touchdowns. His 40 touchdown passes are tied for fourth in the nation while his passing yards rank seventh.
 
Junior running backs Connor McNabb and Connor Morton have rotated well in the backfield. McNabb leads the 'Cats with 657 rushing yards on 119 carries with nine touchdowns, averaging 59.73 yards per game. He also has three touchdown catches. Morton has rushed for 565 yards and six touchdowns to go with two touchdown receptions.
 
A three-headed monster at wide receiver is expected to shine again against the Cru. The NWC Freshman of the Year, Joel Valadez leads the team with 716 receiving yards on 46 catches. Valadez and junior Devon Murray are tied for the team lead with 11 touchdown catches. Murray is averaging 59.6 receiving yards per game. Fellow junior Colton Smith is right behind with 10 touchdown catches and 601 receiving yards, averaging 60.1 yards per game. All three were named First Team All-NWC selections.
 
The offensive line saw four players land on the All-NWC Team. Senior center Matt Metcalf and senior guard Julien Sears were named to the first team while senior tackle Taylor Adams and sophomore guard Bailey Lee earned second-team honors. The O-line has allowed 12 sacks in 11 games.
 
THE CRUSADER OFFENSE
The Crusaders have rotated two quarterbacks this season. Senior Kyle King has completed 100 passes for 1,592 yards and 24 touchdowns while fellow senior Ryan Redding has thrown for 974 yards and nine touchdowns. Redding leads the team with a 62.4 completion percentage and has also rushed for five touchdowns. King has been a force on his feet, rushing for 34.56 yards per game and 11 touchdowns.
 
The primary running threat for the Cru is junior running back Aphonso Thomas. Thomas has rushed for 924 yards and 12 touchdowns on 156 carries. He is averaging 84 rushing yards per game. Sophomore Kenneth Cormier, Jr., has been a strong No. 2, averaging 63.17 yards per game and scoring seven touchdowns.
 
The leading receivers for the Cru are seniors Brandon Jordan and K.J. Miller. Jordan leads the team with 671 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns, averaging 20.33 yards per catch. Miller leads the team with 66.60 yards per game to go with nine touchdown receptions.
 
THE WILDCAT DEFENSE
The Wildcats have been nothing short of elite in 2021, allowing 210.5 yards and 13 points per game. They rank second in Division III with 44 sacks and fifth with 95 tackles for loss. The 'Cats are also second with a 20.2 percent third down defense and fourth in rushing defense at 47.5 yards allowed per game.
 
The defense is led by senior defensive end Travis Swanson, the NWC Defensive Player of the Year. Swanson is tied for the team lead with 47 tackles, 28 solo. He has one interception and ranks tied for 14^th in the nation with 11 sacks while also ranking 12^th with 19.5 tackles for loss. On the opposite side of the line is senior Vinny Niosi. Niosi has 30 tackles on the season with 7.5 tackles for loss and five sacks. He also has five pass breakups and two forced fumbles.
 
In between Swanson and Niosi up front are senior tackle Chase Lydig and sophomore tackle Nick Severson. Lydig has 20 tackles, 7.5 for loss, to go with four sacks. Severson has 24 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks in his first season with the program. Senior Grayson Cosier will also figure into the rotation.
 
The Linfield linebacker corps is overflowing with talent. Sophomore rover Caiden Biege-Wetherbee leads the pack with 39 tackles, 21 solo, with five tackles for loss, six pass breakups and a interception. Sophomore Blake Rybar is tied with Biege-Wetherbee with 39 tackles to go with 7.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. Senior Cedric Agcoili-Ostrom has 22 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and two sacks while Brock Klosterman has emerged with 30 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and a sack.
 
Just like the Linfield receivers, the Wildcats' defensive backs have been outstanding in 2021. Senior safety Tyler Bergeron has 44 tackles, 2.5 for loss, with a pair of interceptions. He led the team with 10 tackles against Saint John's last week. Junior monsterback Ben Baxter is tied for the team lead with Swanson with 47 tackles to go with three interceptions while senior cornerback Tyler Sitton has 38 tackles and two interceptions of his own.
 
THE CRUSADER DEFENSE
If you like Texas football then you're going to be entertained by the UMHB defense. The Crusaders lead Division III with 114 tackles for loss and 9.5 TFL per game. They also rank second in red zone defense at 44.4 percent and scoring defense at 7.92 points allowed per game. The Cru is fifth in the nation in total defense, ranking just above the 'Cats with 210.4 yards allowed per game.
 
Senior defensive back Jefferson Fritz does it all for the Cru. Standing alongside Smith as a semifinalist for the Gagliardi Trophy, Fritz is also the primary punter and one of the team's top punt returners. Fritz is third on the team with 51 tackles to go with an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. He averages 41.27 yards per punt and has pinned the ball inside the 20-yard line 18 times. He has also punted for 50-plus yards on five occasions. As a returner, Fritz has one touchdown and averages 14.71 yards per return.
 
Senior linebacker Jacob Mueller leads the Cru defense with 79 tackles, 48 solo. He has registered 15 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. Fellow senior linebacker Akeem Jackson has also racked up the numbers with 60 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and an interception.
 
Up front, the Cru is led by senior defensive end E'Monte Smith and senior tackle Pete Smith, both of whom have 35 tackles entering Saturday's meeting. E'Monte has 15 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, seven quarterback hurries and a forced fumble. Pete has 10 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and six QB hurries.
 
THE SERIES
Despite the UMHB football program only beginning in 1998, the 'Cats and the Cru have met for several memorable matchups in both regular season play and the postseason. The series stands at 4-4 all-time, but the 'Cats are 4-2 in the postseason.
 
The first meeting between the two was in the 2004 Division III National Championship game in Salem, Va., a game that saw Linfield claim its first and only national championship since joining the NCAA, winning 28-21. Linfield won the next three meetings, all in the playoffs. The win streak was capped by a 38-35 win in the 2015 quarterfinals, sealed by a 32-yard field goal by Michael Metter as time expired at Linfield's Maxwell Field.
 
The Cru has taken four straight meetings since as the two teams faced each other once in the regular season and once in the playoffs in both 2016 and 2017. The Cru took the most recent meeting, 24-0, in the second round of the 2017 playoffs in Belton, Texas. It was one of just two occurrences where the 'Cats have been shut out in a game in the 21^st century.
 
LINFIELD PLAYOFF HISTORY
Linfield earned the Northwest Conference's automatic berth in the NCAA Division III playoffs. It's the program's 31^st national postseason appearance, which includes a school-record string of nine straight from 2009-17. The Wildcats have earned 11 trips to the playoffs in the last 12 seasons. The 'Cats have an all-time playoff record of 44-26 (.629), including a 28-14 record in the Division III playoffs.
 
Joseph Smith owns an impressive 19-10 playoff record. Linfield owns four national championships, three in the NAIA. Linfield won the Division III title in 2004 with a 4-0 postseason run capped by a 28-21 victory over Mary Hardin-Baylor.
 
Linfield's first national playoff appearance was in the NAIA bracket in 1961. In national playoff games, Linfield's home record is 36-7, including a 33-7 mark at Maxwell Field. The 'Cats are 6-16 on the road in national playoff games and 2-3 at neutral sites. In national quarterfinal games, Linfield has an all-time record of 9-8, which includes a 4-5 mark in NCAA competition and a 5-3 record in NAIA games. In second-round NCAA Division III games, Linfield has an all-time record of 10-5. Linfield is 22-9 all-time in first-round playoff games, including a 19-3 record at home.