One of the most highly anticipated Northwest Conference matchups year in and year out over the last decade, the Linfield Wildcats clash with the Whitworth Pirates at the Pine Bowl in Spokane, Wash. this weekend.

With both teams starting off the NWC schedule 1-0 and Whitworth looking to make a name for themselves against a top-10 opponent, it's sure to be an action-paced Saturday in the Inland Northwest.

Kickoff is scheduled for 1:05 PDT.
 
TICKETS
Digital tickets are required for entrance to the Whitworth Pine Bowl for all fans.  Tickets can be purchased in advance online on the Whitworth website or in the Hometown Ticketing app.

Tickets are $12 for adults and $6 for senior adults, non-Whitworth students and children.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
The Linfield Sports Network will provide live audio coverage for Saturday's game, as they will for all Linfield football road games all season long. Play-by-play announcer Joe Stuart is joined by Gary McGarvie on color commentary and analysis.

Fans can also watch live at WhitworthPirates.com/watch or on local television station SWX for Spokane-area Wildcat fans.
 
THE SEASON SO FAR
The Wildcats came into the season with high expectations under seventeenth-year head coach Joseph Smith, and so far have met them. Ranked No. 5 in the AFCA Coach's Poll and No. 7 in the D3Football.com Top-25, Linfield has put together a trio of impressive wins.

They began the season playing two 2021 conference champions, beating Huntingdon College 41-34 in Alabama before shutting down University of Redlands 21-3 on homecoming in McMinnville.

Linfield opened NWC action last week with a 72-2 beatdown of Puget Sound at home, and now look to improve to 2-0 against conference opponents.

Whitworth opened the 2022 schedule with a tough matchup, visiting now No. 18 Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh where they fell 35-17.

Since then, the Pirates have rallied under eighth-year head coach Rod Sandberg, beating NAIA opponent Eastern Oregon 33-7 before edging out Claremont Mudd-Scripps 12-7, both wins in Spokane.

They opened conference action with a rout of their own, dismantling Lewis and Clark 66-28 in Portland.

After Saturday, only one of the two squads will remain unbeaten in the NWC.
 
THE LINFIELD OFFENSE
After scoring seven touchdowns in their rout of Puget Sound, the Linfield offense looks dangerous already for co-offensive coordinators Brett Elliott and Aaron Boehme.

The Wildcats lead the NWC in both scoring offense at 44.7 points per game and total offense at 429.7 yards per game, while also sitting 17^th in Division-III in scoring.

A balanced attack that has totaled 115 rushing attempts and 102 pass attempts through three games, it is quarterbacked by sophomore Blake Eaton.

Against Puget Sound, Eaton completed 16 of his 30 pass attempts for 287 yards and three touchdowns.

Through his now three career starts this season he's totaled 857 yards and nine touchdowns while completing 61.6 percent of his passes and throwing three interceptions. He's also added two touchdowns on the ground as well.

Eaton's 287.5 passing yards per game and nine touchdowns both sit second in the NWC.

Senior Connor McNabb joins Eaton in the backfield as Linfield's starting tailback. After missing the first game of the season McNabb has totaled 133 yards on 34 attempts with two touchdowns. His 66.5 rushing yards per game are fourth in the NWC.

With McNabb's usual running mate, Connor Morton, sidelined with injury, senior Bishop Mitchell will mix in to spell McNabb. Juniors Aaron Martinez, Tyler Larson and Tyler Good all featured as backups against Puget Sound as well.

A talented trio lines up at the wide receiver positions for Linfield, with seniors Colton Smith and Devon Murray and junior Joel Valadez.

Valadez led the way for the group against the Loggers, totaling 116 yards and a touchdown on four catches, highlighted by a 61-yard touchdown score early in the second half.

Valadez has now recorded 241 yards, leading the Wildcats, and two touchdowns on 12 catches this season. His 80.3 receiving yards per game are third in the NWC.

Murray posted an efficient day against Puget Sound, catching just two passes for 13 yards, but reeled in both in the end zone. His five touchdowns lead Linfield and are second in the conference.

Smith also posted just two catches last weekend, but also with great efficiency, totaled 69 yards. His 64-yard catch from Eaton in the second quarter is Linfield's longest play from scrimmage this season.

On the year Smith has posted 211 yards and two touchdowns on just eight receptions. His 26.4 receiving yards per game lead the NWC.

Tight ends Isaac Hoidal, a senior, and Franco Keplinger, a junior, round out Linfield's pass catchers. On the season Hoidal's totaled nine catches for 87 yards and a touchdown while Keplinger's added two catches for 26 yards.

A fifth-year senior laden offensive line anchors the Wildcat offense. Led by All-American right guard Julien Sears and All-Region center Matt Metcalf, the group also includes Taylor Adams at right tackle, Tyler Critser at left tackle and sophomore Bailey Lee at left guard.

The group allowed just one sack against Puget Sound, and helped Connor McNabb average over five yards per carry in the game.
 
THE WHITWORTH OFFENSE
The Pirates have ebbed and flowed on offense this year, averaging 32.0 points per game, fourth in the NWC, but 423.0 yards of total offense, second in the conference. But they're coming off a breakthrough game against Lewis and Clark, in which they won 66-28 in Portland to open NWC play.

Although the offense was initially quarterbacked by senior Jaedyn Prewitt, the Pirates made the change to junior Western Oregon transfer Ryan Blair following their loss to Carnegie Mellon.

Blair has excelled at the position, leading Whitworth to becoming the number six passing offense in Division-III, with the team averaging 351.8 passing yards per game through four contests.

Blair has so far totaled 980 yards with seven touchdowns and three interceptions while completing an impressive 77.4 percent of his passes, tops in the NWC and second among all qualified passers in Division-III.

He had a breakout game in the rout of Lewis and Clark, completing 29 of 34 passes for 407 yards and four touchdowns.

Blair's top option in the passing game this year has been junior slot receiver Riley Morrison. A transfer from Division-II Simon Fraser, Morrison was an all-league selection in 2021, and has continued his production at Whitworth with 24 catches (second in the NWC), 176 yards and a touchdown.

Morrsion is joined by plenty of depth in the receiving corps, including junior Evan Liggett, who leads the Pirates with 226 yards and three touchdowns on 18 catches, senior Jet Uechi, who broke out against Lewis and Clark for 104 yards and two touchdowns, and junior Dillon Kuk, who's posted 196 yards and a touchdown on 13 catches.

Joining the receivers as a threat is junior tight end Isaac Fields, who has turned 13 catches this season into 133 yards.

Junior tailback Isiaiah Jones leads a Whitworth run game that has been limited this season, averaging just 72.3 yards per game on the ground and 2.3 yards per attempt.

Jones has totaled 107 yards on 30 attempts so far this year, averaging 3.6 yards per carry. Sophomore Solomon Hines is second on the team in rushing, with 19 attempts for 89 yards and a touchdown. Fullbacks Luke Roberts and Logan Kitselman each have two touchdowns apiece.
 
THE LINFIELD DEFENSE
The Wildcats have looked dominant on defense their last two games, allowing just a combined five points from their opponents under defensive coordinator Jackson Vaughan.

On the season they are the number one scoring and total defense in the NWC at 13.0 points and 228.3 yard allowed per game.

They've dominated the line of scrimmage, totaling 15 sacks and 27 tackles for loss to lead the nation in sacks per game (5.0) and sit 14th in tackles for loss per game (9.0).

They've also excelled at limiting their opponents' opportunities, allowing opponents to convert on just 20.8 percent of third downs (seventh in the nation) while allowing just 34 total first downs, the second fewest in Division-III.

It all starts up front for the Wildcats with one of the top defensive lines in D-III, led by senior All-American defensive end Travis Swanson. Swanson's 15 tackles are tied for second on the team, and he leads the NWC in tackles for loss with 8.5 and sacks with 5.5. He sits third in the country in both categories on a per game basis.

Swanson's joined at defensive end by senior Vinny Niosi, who has recorded nine tackles with three tackles for loss, all sacks, second on the team behind Swanson. He has also forced a fumble.

The defensive tackles are senior Chase Lydig and sophomore Nick Severson. Lydig's posted nine tackles with 1.5 sacks while Severson's recorded six tackles, 2.0 for loss.

Juniors Blake Rybar and Logan Carr are the starting linebackers for the Wildcats. Rybar leads the team with 24 tackles on the season, tenth in the NWC. He's added 5.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, a quarterback hurry, and a forced fumble.

Carr's 15 tackles are tied with Swanson for second on the squad, with 2.0 tackles for loss, a sack and a forced fumble.

Junior Caiden Biege-Wetherbee starts at the rover position for the Wildcats. Biege-Wetherbee led the day for Linfield against Puget Sound, racking up six tackles, five solo, and recovering a fumble. On the year he's also posted 15 tackles and has recorded one pass breakup.

The secondary is filled out with senior Ben Baxter at monster, sophomore Colby Kalukoa at safety and junior Evan Fisetter and sophomore Chance Sparks at the corner positions.

Kalukoa had one of the best days of his young career against the Loggers, recording four tackles, a pass breakup and his first career interception, returning it 56 yards to the Puget Sound one-yard line.

Cutter Hillock, Jett Searle, Des Phillips and Gilbert Pizzaro will all likely mix into the defensive back rotation as well.
 
THE WHITWORTH DEFENSE
The Pirates have fielded a solid defensive unit throughout their first four games. They currently are third in scoring defense at 19.3 points per game allowed and 284.0 yards per game allowed.

They've played particularly well against the pass, allowing just 168.8 yards through the air per game, best in the conference, with opponents completing just 54.3 percent of their passes.

As with any great pass defense, Whitworth is led by an experienced group in the secondary featuring four seniors.

Cornerback Colten Chelin leads the backfield with 17 tackles, 16 solo, as well as a team-high four pass breakups, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. He's joined at corner by Tiliti Adams, with four tackles and two pass breakups this season.

The Whitworth strong safety, BJ Mullin has recorded 14 tackles on the season, including a tackle for loss. He's joined at strong safety by Jacob Hogger, who has 13 tackles and a pass breakup.

The Pirates three starting linebackers have been their three leading tacklers through three games. Senior Dylan Ventress leads the team and is second in the NWC with 33 tackles. Almost all have been in the middle of the defense; he has recorded just a half a tackle for loss.

Fellow senior linebackers Patrick Serrano and Derrick Platt follow closely behind with 26 and 24 tackles, respectively.

Serrano has also added 3.5 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, a pass breakup and the team's lone interception this season. Platt has been a menace behind the sticks, with 3.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, two forced fumbles and a safety.

A four-man front for the Pirates is led by junior defensive end Dylan Owen, who has recorded 14 tackles. He leads the team in tackles for loss with four, sacks with 3.5, quarterback hurries with three and fumble recoveries with two.

He's joined on the d-line by senior Mason Bertelli at the opposite end with junior Justin Gies at defensive tackle, and sophomore Alex Smith at nose tackle.
 
 LINFIELD SPECIAL TEAMS
The Wildcats had one of their best days in program history on special teams against Puget Sound, highlighted by junior Maclain Stoneking returning six punts for 179 yards and two touchdowns, both program records. Junior Paul Thie added two punt returns for 73 yards and a touchdown.

A team of specialists will handle kicking duties for Linfield, with sophomore Gavin Dalziel handling placekicking opportunites (one-for-two on field goal attempts this season, 17 for 19 on point after touchdown attempts), freshman Nolan Ahmann on kickoffs and freshman Cade Johannsen on punts.

The long snapper is sophomore Chase Michalczik.
 
WHITWORTH SPECIAL TEAMS
Pirates placekicker Alvaro Campos-Ontiveros leads the NWC in field goals. this year, connecting on all five attempts. He's also been perfect on 15 PAT attempts.

Campos-Ontiveros will also handle punting duties for Whitworth, while senior Nat RaPue handles kickoffs.

Senior Matthew Fiesta operates as the lead return man, so far averaging 4.00 yards per punt return and 19.38 yards per kick return.
 
THE SERIES
Linfield leads the all-time series against Whitworth 39-6-2. The two teams first met in 1952, a 13-13 tie. Whitworth went on to win the next two matchups in '53 and '54, but Linfield has won all but three contests since.

Linfield's last loss to Whitworth came in 2018, 19-14 in the NWC opener in Spokane, snapping an 11-year winning streak in the series for the Wildcats.

But Linfield responded in 2019 by winning an overtime thriller, again in Spokane, 38-31.

In 2021, Linfield handled Whitworth 42-7 in McMinnville.