NEWBERG, Ore. – Quarterback
Blake Eaton passed for 183 yards and two touchdowns and fifth-ranked Linfield held off an inspired effort by George Fox on the way to a 37-10 Northwest Conference victory Saturday afternoon at Stoffer Family Stadium.
The Wildcats (7-0, 5-0 NWC) moved one step closer to clinching a third straight NWC crown. With two games remaining on the schedule, Linfield can assure itself of an NCAA Division III playoff berth with a win over either Willamette on Nov. 5 or Lewis & Clark on Nov. 12.
George Fox saw its record slide to 6-2 overall and 3-2 in NWC play.
Eaton completed 24 of 34 passes without an interception. Eight of his passes went into the hands of
Devon Murray, who finished with a team-high 79 receiving yards.
Joel Valadez pulled in six passes for 48 yards and one touchdown.
George Fox scored first when Ethan Hoffman booted a 41-yard field goal with 3:34 left in the first quarter. Linfield answered with a field goal of its own to tie the game at 3, this one coming from 28 yards out by
Gavin Dalziel.
Two Linfield touchdowns in the span of three minutes in the second quarter put the Wildcats in control.
Tyler Larson dove over from the 1-yard line to cap a 10-play drive at the 8:59 mark before
Connor McNabb pounded across a 3-yard scoring run with 6:05 left before intermission. The Bruins closed the gap after Haiden Schaan passed nine yards to Chad Bletko for a score. The extra point by Hoffman made the score 17-10 in favor of the Wildcats.
Dalziel added a 38-yard field goal on the final play of the opening half, pushing the visitors back in front 20-10.
Linfield's defense tightened in the second half, holding George Fox without a point the rest of the way.
Dalziel padded Linfield's lead with 10:09 left in the third quarter when he drilled his third field goal of the afternoon, a 43-yarder. Early in the fourth, McNabb effectively sealed the outcome with an 11-yard scoring run, finishing off a 10-play, 65-yard march at the 13:07 mark. Valadez added some insurance points with 4:22 left to play, pulling in a 14-yard score from Eaton.
Linfield outgained George Fox 332-235. The Wildcats did not allow a single turnover while forcing the Bruins to cough up two interceptions and one fumble. Linfield's defense held George Fox to just nine yards rushing in the game, producing three sacks and limiting George Fox to just 2 of 12 third-down conversions.
Wildcats linebacker
Blake Rybar led the way defensively, recording six tackles, including a sack and two other tackles for loss.
Chance Sparks and
Blaze Holani each added five tackles.
Jett Searle and
Colby Kalaukoa took turns intercepting Schaan in the second half. Kalaukoa was also credited with a fumble recovery.
McNabb ran the ball 17 times for a game-high 60 yards while
Connor Morton added 39 yards on 11 carries.
Maclain Stoneking contributed 101 all-purpose yards on punt and kickoff returns.
Schaan finished with 226 yards passing to lead the Bruins offensively, completing 15 of 32 throws. Leon Johnson III had six grabs for 130 yards but was held out of the end zone.
NEXT
Linfield returns to Maxwell Field on Saturday to face the Willamette Bearcats in the annual Pacific Office Automation Hall of Fame Game. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
