It was a back-and-forth battle between Linfield and Huntingdon in the Wildcats' 2022 season opener in Montgomery, Alabama. The 'Cats held on for a 41-34 win over the Hawks, and much of the success on defense was credited to Travis Swanson.
 
The reigning Northwest Conference Defensive Player of the Year and D3football.com Second Team Preseason All-American earned the first NWC Football Defensive Student-Athlete of the Week award on Tuesday after a stellar performance in the trenches.
 
The 'Cats settled in down the stretch, allowing just seven second-half points and shutting out the Hawks in the fourth quarter. The senior defensive end finished the game with five tackles, 4.5 of which were for loss for a combined 24 yards. He had two sacks on the evening.
 
With Swanson helping to pressure the Huntingdon offense, the Hawks went 5 for 17 on third down while being unsuccessful on all three fourth-down attempts.
 
NEXT
The 'Cats (1-0) will enjoy a bye week before hosting Redlands on Homecoming on Saturday, September 17, at Maxwell Field.