McMINNVILLE, Ore. - The Linfield University Wildcats (1-0) will face their first road test of the season on Saturday, visiting Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference's Redlands University Bulldogs (2-0) for a rematch of week 2 of 2019, a 27-19 Redlands victory in California.

The Wildcats are ranked No. 11 in the D3football.com Top-25 poll, moving up one spot following their 56-20 victory over Division II Simon Fraser.

Coming off a 60-10 win against Puget Sound, the Bulldogs received 38 votes in the latest D3football.com poll, the second-most of all unranked teams.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
The Linfield Sports Network will provide live audio coverage of the game, with Joe Stuart and Dave Hansen calling the play-by-play. Redlands will provide a free video livestream of the game. Links to both streams and live stats are listed above.
 
THE REDLANDS OFFENSE
The Bulldogs feature a high-octane but balanced offense that led the SCIAC in scoring in 2019 at 40.5 points per game and averaged 419.6 yards of total offense, second only to eventual SCIAC champion Chapman. Through two games in 2021 Redlands is averaging 496.5 yards and 42 points per game, both second in the SCIAC.

The Bulldog attack is led by graduate-student dual-threat quarterback Nathan Martinez, a First Team All-SCIAC selection in 2019. Martinez finished the 2019 season with 1,777 passing yards, 20 touchdowns and four interceptions while completing 69 percent of his passes. He also rushed for 371 yards and eight touchdowns. Through two games in 2021, Martinez has completed 26 of 35 passes for 417 yards and four touchdowns with two interceptions while rushing 16 times for 76 yards. Redlands had little need for Martinez in its rout of Puget Sound, playing him only in the first half. He finished 9 for 11 on passing attempts with 202 yards and two touchdowns while running the ball just three times for 15 yards.

Redlands' top running back on the young season is senior Kai Thompson. Thompson posted a career day in the Bulldogs' season-opening 24-14 win at George Fox, carrying the ball 26 times for 154 yards and a touchdown. Like Martinez, Thompson got extra rest last Saturday, rushing six times for 30 yards but scoring two touchdowns. On the season, Thompson has 32 carries with an average of 5.8 yards per attempt.

Martinez's lead options at wideout are graduate-student Kai Kang and senior Khory Day, who played the first two seasons of his collegiate career at Linfield. Kang has caught just five passes on the year but has turned them into a team-high 127 receiving yards and a touchdown. Day leads the Bulldogs in receptions with eight, accumulating 64 yards. Freshman Evan Aguon will also figure into the Redlands air attack, having caught six passes for 114 yards and a touchdown.

Redlands features a mix of experience and youth along the offensive line, starting two graduate students, a junior and two freshmen. They are led by junior tackle Cody Paul, a First Team All-SCIAC selection as a sophomore in 2019, and graduate-student center Calhoun Helmberger, who garnered Second Team All-SCIAC honors in 2019.
 
THE LINFIELD OFFENSE
Despite personnel turnover at many of the positions surrounding senior quarterback Wyatt Smith, the Linfield offense clicked immediately in their season-opening win against Simon Fraser.

The Wildcats racked up 465 yards of total offense, 313 through the air and 152 on the ground. Smith connected on 26 of 39 attempts for 307 yards and four touchdowns while spreading the ball around to eight different pass catchers. He was named Northwest Conference Offensive Student-Athlete of the Week for his performance.

Smith's top targets among a young and exciting group of receivers are his younger brother sophomore Colton Smith, the only returning wideout who saw significant playing time in 2019, and freshman slot receiver Joel Valadez, who turned four receptions into 92 yards and two touchdowns in the first game of his career. Sophomore Devon Murray, redshirt-sophomore Isaac Hoidal and junior Spencer Lee are three more receivers Linfield fans should feel excited about, all making significant contributions against Simon Fraser. In that game, Murray and Lee both joined Valadez in scoring their first touchdowns as Wildcats.

The Wildcats' attack out of the backfield features two dynamic running backs in sophomores Connor McNabb and Connor Morton. McNabb, Linfield's No. 2 back in 2019, led the rushing attack against Simon Fraser with nine carries for 77 yards. Morton contributed 44 yards on five carries and scored his first collegiate touchdown. Both showed their abilities as pass catchers as well with McNabb recording four receptions for 32 yards and a touchdown and Morton bringing in four for 30 yards.

The Linfield offensive line, one of Linfield's most experienced position groups this season, joined the skill players in looking impressive in the first game of the season, keeping Smith from being sacked all game and creating holes that led to Linfield's ground attack averaging 5.2 yards per carry against Simon Fraser. The O-line is led by juniors Matt Metcalf at center and Julien Sears at right guard. Metcalf was a First Team All-NWC honoree in 2019 while Sears earned second-team recognition. They are joined by fellow juniors Diego Rodriguez and Taylor Adams at right and left tackle, respectively, and freshman Bailey Lee at left guard.
 
THE REDLANDS DEFENSE
It's not just the Redlands offense that has turned heads over the last few seasons. Allowing the fewest points and yards per game in the SCIAC in 2019, the Redlands defense held their opponents to two scores apiece in the first two games of this season.

The standout along the defensive line for the Bulldogs is graduate-student defensive end Brandon Serrano, a Second Team All-SCIAC selection in 2019. Serrano has recorded nine tackles on the year with one sack and three tackles for loss, good enough for second in the conference. Serrano was top-five in the conference in tackles for loss in 2019.

It's an experienced group in the middle of the Redlands defense, featuring graduate student Jacob Harrold and seniors Ryan Place, Michael MacDonald and Joe Bennett at linebacker. Bennett returns after a Second Team All-SCIAC nod in 2019

The biggest strengths for Redlands defensively may lie within their secondary. Safeties Jace Tessaro, a senior, and Scott Tinsley, a junior, have paced the team in tackles, with 16 for Tessaro and 13 for Tinsley. Both have also recorded at least one tackle for loss and one pass breakup apiece. Senior cornerback Brandon Heinel is another dangerous defensive back for the Bulldogs, having a breakout performance against Puget Sound with six tackles and three pass breakups. Heinel was third on the team in pass breakups with five in 2019.
 
THE LINFIELD DEFENSE
The Wildcat defense will look to continue its dominant play from its first showing against Simon Fraser, particularly along the defensive line.

A dangerous group, headlined by junior defensive tackle and D3football.com Preseason All-American Chase Lydig and 2019 First Team All-NWC selection Travis Swanson, the Linfield D-line held their opponent to minus-11 yards rushing on 20 attempts. The Wildcat defense recorded three sacks and 10 tackles for loss for 44 TFL yards. Swanson contributed three TFL on his own while two came from junior defensive tackle Grayson Cosier. Swanson was named to the D3football.com Team of the Week following the win.

The Linfield linebacker corps will likely show off its depth once again against Redlands. Against Simon Fraser, the Wildcats saw contributions from seniors Cedric Agcoili-Ostrom and Kamaehu Beltrame-Aila, juniors Brian Pullman and Brock Klosterman and freshman Blake Rybar. Rybar led the Linfield linebackers with five tackles. In 2019's meeting between Linfield and Redlands, Pullman led all defensive players with 11 tackles.

The Linfield secondary is just as, if not more than, dangerous as its Southern California counterpart. The back of the Wildcat defense is led by 2019 First Team All-NWC selections in seniors Tyler Sitton at cornerback and Tyler Bergeron at safety. Bergeron is another Preseason All-American for the Wildcats. The Wildcats also got plenty of help from their supporting cast against Simon Fraser with senior corner Jon Sedy returning the first interception of his career 32 yards for a touchdown just moments into the second half. Sedy also contributed a pass breakup. Sophomore monsterback Ben Baxter will be a key player to watch against Redlands and going forward. Baxter recorded six tackles in his first-career start, sharing the team lead with Bergeron. Bergeron was named NWC Defensive Student-Athlete of the Week for his effort.
 
EXPERIENCED SPECIALISTS
The leaders of the Linfield special teams already looked in midseason form against Simon Fraser. Senior kicker Andy Starkel nailed all six of his point after attempts, hit both field goal attempts, from 38 and 34 yards, and averaged 61.4 yards per kickoff. Starkel's consistency led to him being named NWC Special Teams Student-Athlete of the Week. Senior punter Colton Ramos punted five times for 161 yards, an average of 32.2 yards per punt. Ramos, serving as the Linfield holder, also scored a two-point conversion on a heads-up play following a bad snap.
 
THE SERIES
Saturday will mark the 10^th time Linfield and Redlands have faced off and the fifth meeting in Redlands. Redlands' 27-19 victory in the 2019 contest between the two teams was the Bulldogs' first-ever win over the Wildcats. Linfield last beat Redlands on Sept. 15, 2018, a 13-0 final in McMinnville.
 
HEAD COACH JOE SMITH
The Wildcats are led by head coach Joseph Smith, who is in his 16^th year running the program. He holds an overall record of 127-26 and a conference mark of 104-14. He has led the 'Cats to nine conference titles and nine NCAA Division III playoff appearances. Smith's overall winning percentage of .830 sits atop the Linfield all-time list, and his 127 wins is second among Linfield head coaches, trailing Ad Rutschman's 182 wins over 24 seasons. The 'Cats have won 10 of the last 11 conference titles. Smith earned his 10th NWC Coach of the Year award in 2019. He holds the most Coach of the Year awards in the NWC since the award started in 1996.
 
FORMER WILDCAT RUNNING THE SHOW IN REDLANDS
With the retirement of longtime Redlands head coach Mike Maynard last spring, former Linfield running back Jim Good was elevated to interim head coach of the Bulldogs. Good played under head coaches Ad Rutschman and Ed Langsdorf from 1990-93. Over the course of his collegiate career, he rushed for 1,563 yards and 10 touchdowns while catching 19 passes for 263 yards and four touchdowns. He was a member of the 1992 team that reached the NAIA Division II national championship game. Good had been the associate head coach under Maynard since 2012, also serving as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. He is still maintaining those duties while filling the role of interim head coach.
 
FEED THE STREAK
Entering 2021, Linfield is riding a string of 64 consecutive winning seasons. The streak, which started in 1956, is the longest in the history of college football at any level. During that span, the 'Cats are 515-118-10 for an .809 winning percentage. The 'Cats are 280-42-4 at home during the streak.
 
TICKET AND SPECTATOR INFO
Tickets for general admission to the game are $10 for adults, $5 for senior citizens and non-Redlands students and free for children under 12. Tickets can be purchased at the gate starting one hour before kickoff.
Spectators who have not received the COVID-19 vaccine will be required to wear face coverings at all times. The full Redlands fan and spectator policy can be found above.