Northwest Conference action begins this weekend for the Linfield Wildcats, hosting the Puget Sound Loggers (0-2).

The Wildcats, reigning champions of the NWC, bring confidence into league play after starting the season 2-0 against formidable opponents. Ranked No. 5 in the NFCA Coach's Poll and No. 7 in the D3Football.com Top 25, they look to continue their impressive start to the season on Saturday.

TICKETS
Both reserved grandstand seating and general admission tickets can be purchased in advance online or at the Maxwell Field ticket booth on gameday starting two hours before kickoff.

All reserved grandstand seating tickets are $25, while general admission tickets are $15 for adults with discounts available for seniors, youth, and students. Children six and under as well Linfield students with their university IDs can enjoy Linfield football games free of admission.

LIVE COVERAGE
Live video and play-by-play coverage will be provided online on the Linfield Sports Network as well as on KRCW-32, Portland's CW, available to Portland, Vancouver and Salem-area Wildcat fans.

Both online livestream and television coverage will be available for Linfield home games all season long.

Linfield alum Joe Stuart brings fans the play-by-play while former Wildcat All-American Gary McGarvie provides color commentary and analysis on both streaming and television.

Coverage starts 30 minutes before kickoff on the LSN with the "Farnham Electric Pregame Show."

NON-CONFERENCE PLAY
Linfield's two wins have come against two reigning conference champions for 17^th-year head coach Joseph Smith and the Wildcats.

They opened the season with a 41-34 win against Huntingdon College (3-1, 1-0) of the USA South Conference in Montgomery, Ala., on Sept. 3 before shutting down the Redlands Bulldogs (0-4, 0-1) of the Southern California Interollegiate Conference, 21-3, in McMinnville on Sept. 17.

After going 1-9 (1-6) in 2021, the Loggers haven't gotten off to a much better start this year, sitting at 0-2 under 13^th year head man Jeff Thomas.

They opened the season with a 41-15 loss to Lewis and Clark (2-0) in a non-conference Northwest Scholars Series matchup before losing a tight 35-27 battle with California Lutheran (2-2) on Sept. 17.

THE LINFIELD OFFENSE
The Wildcats have showed dynamic ability on the offensive side of the ball, racking up impressive statistics in both the pass and run attacks under co-offensive coordinators Brett Elliott and Aaron Boehme.

Currently averaging 409.0 yards of total offense and 31 points per game, they've totaled 311 yards on the ground and 570 through the air in two games.

 The rushing game shined in the win over Redlands, with Linfield gaining 165 yards on 50 attempts, the most by the Wildcats in a single game since Oct. 21, 2017 against George Fox.

Senior tailback Connor McNabb led the rushing attack with 77 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries in his first game of the year after missing the Huntingdon matchup with an injury. Fellow senior Connor Morton rushed 15 times for 51 yards while adding three catches for 28 yards out of the backfield.

Morton also contributed two kick returns for 37 yards. His 48.5 rushing yards per game are currently seventh in the NWC.

The two seniors are joined in the backfield by sophomore quarterback Blake Eaton, who has looked as dynamic as the offense itself through his first two career starts.

Eaton is coming off an efficient start against a tough Redlands defense, completing 21 of 27 passes for 230 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He also ran 10 times for a gain of 29 yards.

The Central Point, Ore. product has provided all of Linfield's 570 passing yards this season, completing 65.22 percent of his passes and throwing for six touchdowns, tied for third in the NWC. His 285.0 passing yards per game sit second in the league.

In addition to his strong passing performance, he's gained 55 yards on the ground with two rushing touchdowns. His two scores lead the team and are seventh in the conference.

The young quarterback doesn't just have the benefit of talented running backs to work with, but also arguably the three best wide receivers in the NWC.

It was senior Devon Murray leading the way for the receiving corps against Redlands, catching seven passes for 54 yards and two touchdowns.

Fellow senior reciever Colton Smith had three catches for 64 yards, including the biggest play of the day on a 45-yard reception from Eaton. Junior Joel Valadez was limited, catching just one pass for 18 yards. It was just the third time in Valadez's career that he's been held to one catch or less.

On the year, Murray leads the trio with 14 catches for 177 yards and three touchdowns, tied for second in the conference. His 7.0 catches and 88.5 yards per game are second and third in the league, while Smith's 25.3 yards per catch lead the team and are fourth in the conference.

Complementing the wideouts are Linfield's tight ends, junior Franco Keplinger and senior Isaac Hoidal. Keplinger has been crucial to blocking schemes while Hoidal looked excellent as a pass-catcher in the home opener, bring in a career-high five receptions for 53 yards.

An experienced line anchors the Linfield offense at the line of scrimmage. Led by All-American right guard Julien Sears, it features four fifth-year seniors with every player along the line receiving all-region or all-conference honors through their careers.

Joining Sears on the right side is Taylor Adams at tackle, while Matt Metcalf holds down the center position.

The starting left tackle is Tyler Critser while the left guard spot is filled by junior Bailey Lee.
 
THE PUGET SOUND OFFENSE
The Loggers have struggled to move the ball through their first two games, averaging 21.0 points per game, eighth in the NWC, and 285.0 yards of total offense, last in the league.

Their attack begins on the ground with 2021 league rushing champion and Second Team All-NWC selection, fifth-year senior Silas Washington.

Two games into 2022, Washington looks poised once again to claim the rushing title. He leads the league in attempts with 55, total yards with 250, touchdowns with five and yards per game at 125.0. He's also caught four passes for 35 yards.

In the Loggers' 35-27 loss to Cal Lutheran, Washington accumulated 142 yards and three touchdowns on 32 attempts and caught three passes for 20 yards. Last year against Linfield, Washington was held to 28 total yards on 17 touches.

Puget Sound's attack is quarterbacked by sophomore Mason Binning, in his first year as the starter. So far Binning has thrown the ball less times than any NWC starting QB this season, just 48 times.

He's connected on 60.4 percent of his attempts for a total of 301 yards, one touchdown and one interception, and has been sacked six times. He's run the ball 13 times for a gain of 23 yards.

Against Cal Lu, Binning completed 19 of 31 passes for 177 yards, one touchdown and one interception while rushing eight times for a total of two yards.

The Loggers play with four starting receivers, and all four have seen targets from Binning in both games.

Junior Izaiah Jerenz leads the receivers with nine catches for 111 yards and a touchdown. He's followed by freshman Joe Gallagher, who has seven catches for 73 yards. He led Puget Sound in receiving last game, catching six passes for 60 yards.

Senior Trevino Lewis has added five catches four 40 yards while senior Jack Bonicatto rounds out the starters with four catches for 29 yards.

The offensive line features three juniors and two sophomores. The left tackle is junior Caleb Puapuaga, joined at left guard by junior Sean Miller. The center is sophomore Jackson Dennis, with junior George Fournier starting at right guard and sophomore Caleb Sauao-Toa at right tackle.
 
THE LINFIELD DEFENSE
The Wildcat defense dominated against Redlands, allowing an early field goal but blanking the Bulldogs the rest of the way. Linfield allowed just 84 yards of total offense, four first downs and two trips to the red zone, and held Redlands to 0-for-10 on third and fourth down conversion attempts.

On the year the Linfield defense is averaging just 18.5 points allowed and 276.5 yards per game under defensive coordinator Jackson Vaughan and pass defense coordinator Phil Rombach. They've also racked up 17.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks through two games.

The key to Linfield's defense remains the pass rush and defensive line, featuring All-American senior defensive end Travis Swanson. Swanson is joined at the tackles by sophomore Nick Severson and senior Chase Lydig while senior Vinny Niosi holds down the opposite defensive end position.

Swanson leads the group with 10 tackles, 6.5 for loss and 3.5 sacks. Both numbers leads the Northwest Conference, and his 3.2 tackles for loss are tied for first in Division-III while his 1.75 sacks per game sit fourth.

Niosi's recorded seven tackles this season, five of them solo. He recorded his first tackle for loss and sack on season against Redlands, forcing a fumble on the same play.

Severson's also contributed seven tackles, with two for loss. Lydig rounds out the group with three tackles and half of a sack.

The Wildcats starting linebackers have been a massive piece of the defense so far, with juniors Blake Rybar and Logan Carr finishing first and second in tackles in both games.

Rybar leads the team with 18 tackles this season (fourth in the NWC), 13 of them solo. He's also recorded 4.5 tackles for loss (third in the NWC) with a sack and a forced fumble.

His 10 tackles, 3.5 for loss and a sack against Redlands were good enough to earn Rybar his second NWC Defensive Student Athlete of the Week award of his career.

Carr followed against Redlands with five tackles, three solo and a massive sack in the third quarter of Bulldogs QB Myles Herrera. The've been spelled by senior Chris Collins and sophomore Zack Kanahele-Mone through the first two games of the year.

They're joined at the rover position by junior First Team All-NWC selection Caiden Biege-Wetherbee. His nine tackles so far are fourth on the team, four of them solo. He's also defended one pass.

In the secondary, First Team All-NWC monster Ben Baxter has started out the season with two interceptions in as many games. Junior safety Cutter Hillock has recorded seven tackles, three solo and one pass breakup.

They're flanked at the corner positions by junior Evan Fisette and senior Gilbert Pizarro. Junior Des Phillips and sophomores Chance Sparks and Colby Kalukoa all figure to mix into the defensive back rotation as well.
 
THE PUGET SOUND DEFENSE
The Logger defense has struggled through the first two games, sitting last in the NWC in scoring defense with 38.0 points allowed and total defense with 445.0 yards allowed per game.

Against Cal Lutheran, Puget Sound gave up 474 yards of total offense, 254 through the air and 220 on the ground.

The defense is led by senior defensive end Ezekiel Sayavong, an Honorable Mention All-NWC selection in 2021. This season Sayavong has totaled 12 tackles, seven solo, and his two sacks are tied for the team lead.

Sayavong's joined on the d-line by fellow senior Quinn Williamson at defensive tackle and sophomore Tauhi Tupola at the opposite defensive end.

Tupola's recorded 10 tackles with one sack while Williamson has been held to four tackles and half a tackle for loss.

The Loggers run a five-linebacker defense. Junior Max Arneklev leads the group with 12 tackles this year, tied with Sayavong for second on the team. Seven have been solo with two for loss and one sack, and he's also added a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

Joining Arneklev on the inside are junior Kevin Somel and freshman Aaron Jimenez. They've both recorded seven tackles, and Jimenez also has a forced fumble and a recovery.

The outside linebackers are senior Lucas Varela and junior Chris Sheckles. Varela's recorded 10 tackles, a pass breakup and a forced fumble while Sheckles has added seven tackles, two for loss and a pass breakup of his own.

Three defensive backs sit in the secondary for the Loggers, led by sophomore Amarian Culepepper at safety, flanked by senior Alex Meadowcroft and sophomore Jayson Barber at the cornerback positions.

Culepepper leads the Loggers in tackles on the year with 14, nine of them solo. He's also recorded half a tackle for loss and one pass breakup.

Barber has recorded eight tackles and a pass breakup on the year, while Meadowcroft has six, a breakup and a fumble recovery.
 
THE SERIES
The Wildcats and the Loggers have met 47 times dating back to 1927, with Linfield leading the all-time series 34-12 with one tie.

Most recently, the two teams played in the NWC opener in 2021 as well, but in Tacoma. The Wildcats won handily 56-7.

Puget Sound won 12 of the first 16 meetings but Linfield has not lost to the Loggers since 1987. Linfield and Puget Sound did not play between 1947 and 1983. Before that break, Linfield was just 1-11-1 in the series; since the break ended, Linfield is 32-1 vs. UPS

In McMinnville, Linfield is 16-5 in the series.

The matchup has been known for high-flying offensive performances by the 'Cats in the last decade. From 2013-2015, Linfield scored at least 70 points in each game of the series, winning 79-3 in McMinnville in 2013, 73-10 in Tacoma in 2014 and 72-3 in McMinnville in 2015.

Those are the fourth-, tied for ninth-, and 11th-highest scoring games in Linfield history and the fourth-, tied for 11th-, and eighth-largest margins of victory in Linfield history. Linfield's 77 points in 2019 tied for the fifth-highest scoring game ever for the Wildcats; the 99 combined points in that game was the third-highest total ever in a Linfield game.
 
HEAD COACH JOSEPH SMITH
Joseph Smith is in his 17th season as Linfield's head coach; he has an overall record of 140-27 (.838), which is the highest winning percentage of any head coach in Wildcat football history … Smith's record includes marks of 110-16 (.883) in the regular season, 91-6 (.938) in Northwest Conference games, 78-7 (.918) at home and 19-11 (.633) in the postseason … in Smith's time as head coach, Linfield has won 11 NWC titles, 10 of those outright … during Smith's tenure, Linfield has put together 6 unbeaten regular seasons. He is unbeaten against Puget Sound in his career.
 
CONFERENCE OPENERS
This is Linfield's 2022 Northwest Conference opener; since the conference formed in 1926, the Wildcats are 53-27 in NWC openers … Linfield is on a two-game winning streak in NWC openers, having beaten Puget Sound 56-7 in McMinnville in 2021; the Wildcats' most recent loss in a conference opener was in 2018, falling at Whitworth 19-14 … in NWC openers at home, Linfield is 22-10; in NWC openers on the road, the Wildcats are 31-17 … Linfield's largest margin of victory in an NWC opener is 73 points, 73-0 at Lewis & Clark in 2015; the Wildcats' largest margin of defeat in an NWC opener is 71 points, 71-0 at Whitman in 1929.
 
CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Linfield earned the 2021 Northwest Conference championship, the Wildcats' second straight NWC title and its 11th in the last 12 years. Linfield won or shared the NWC title 9 straight seasons from 2009-17; that's the longest such streak in NWC football history … Linfield has now won 37 NWC championships, including 30 outright … Linfield also won 6 division titles, including 5 outright, while the NWC schools were folded into the Columbia Football Association from 1985-1995.