McMINNVILLE, Ore. – It didn't take long for the Linfield football team to shake off the rust.
Despite not having played since their triple-overtime loss to Chapman in the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs on Nov. 23, 2019, the Wildcats completed a 56-20 rout of Division II Simon Fraser on Saturday at Maxwell Field.
Senior kicker
Andy Starkel put the first points on the board with a 38-yard field goal with 7:48 left in the first quarter. Sophomore running back
Connor Morton scored Linfield's first touchdown of 2021 with a 21-yard run at the 5:17 mark to give the 'Cats an early 10-0 lead.
The 'Cats kept rolling in the second quarter. Senior quarterback
Wyatt Smith connected with sophomore running back
Connor McNabb for a nine-yard touchdown with just under 14 minutes left. A successful two-point conversion run by freshman
Jayden Wilson made it 18-0.
Smith struck again at the 5:24 mark, completing a 31-yard pass to sophomore wide receiver
Devon Murray to extend the Linfield lead to 25 points.
Simon Fraser got on the board just before the end of the first half as quarterback Justin Seiber completed a one-yard pass to wide receiver Caelin Johnson for a touchdown with just 16 seconds left on the clock.
History was made by Simon Fraser, despite the loss.
Kicker Kristie Elliott entered the game for SFU in the second quarter, making her the first Canadian woman to play in an American college football game. Elliott kicked a successful extra point following Seiber's touchdown pass to Johnson, making her the first Canadian female to score a point in a collegiate football game.
The 'Cats just kept settling in as the game progressed.
Simon Fraser received the second-half kickoff, but Linfield senior cornerback
Jon Sedy picked Seiber off on the second play of the drive and returned it for a 32-yard touchdown just 49 seconds into the half.
A 42-yard touchdown pass from Smith to freshman wide receiver
Joel Valadez, a 34-yard field goal by Starkel, a 10-yard touchdown pass from Smith to Valadez and a 15-yard rushing touchdown by junior wide receiver
Spencer Lee tacked on another 24 points for the 'Cats going into the fourth quarter.
The Seiber-Johnson connection was the highlight of SFU's game. Seiber found Johnson for two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter, the first for 63 yards and the second for 11.
Smith was 26-of-39 passing for 307 yards and four touchdowns. Valadez was the Wildcats' leading receiver with 96 yards on four receptions while McNabb was the leading rusher with 73 yards on nine carries.
The 'Cats were just as dominant on the defensive side of the ball.
Sophomore
Ben Baxter and senior safety
Tyler Bergeron led the 'Cats with six tackles apiece while senior defensive end
Travis Swanson and junior defensive tackle
Grayson Cosier each had a pair of solo tackles for loss. Cosier also had a sack in the game.
The 36-point victory was the 11
th time that Linfield beat Simon Fraser, a member of Division II's Great Northwest Athletic Conference and Canada's only NCAA team.
NEXT
Linfield moves to 1-0 on the season and will hit the road next week to play at Redlands on Saturday, Sept. 18. Conference play begins on Oct. 2 as the 'Cats play at Puget Sound.
