Homecoming, "Streak Week," and a cross-county rivalry… The unbeaten Linfield Wildcats are preparing for what's sure to be an exciting weekend at Maxwell Field when the George Fox Bruins make the short trip to McMinnville for Linfield's fifth game of the season.
 
TICKETS
Tickets may be purchased in advance online by 3:00 on Friday or at the gate on game day starting two hours before kickoff.
 
Reserved, covered grandstand tickets are $25 apiece, while general admission tickets are $15 for adults, and $5 for seniors 65 and over, children between ages 6-13, and non-Linfield students with their IDs. Children under six and Linfield students with their university ID may attend for free.
 
COVERAGE
Saturday's game will be streamed as usual on the Linfield Sports Network, in addition to being broadcast on KRCW-32 in the Portland, Vancouver and Salem areas. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:30 PM.
 
Linfield alum Joe Stuart calls the play-by-play in his third year in the booth covering Wildcat football, while Linfield Athletics hall of famer and former All-American running back Gary McGarvie adds color-commentary and analysis.
 
Linfield football games can also be heard over KLYC 1260 AM in the McMinnville area.
 
HOMECOMING
This week's game will serve as 2023's Homecoming game, as alumni from far and wide are invited to return to campus to enjoy the game, reconnect with the Linfield community and enjoy a host of activities and events put on by the Linfield Alumni Engagement office, including several class reunions.
 
A full schedule of the weekend's events can be found on the university website.
 
THE SEASON SO FAR
Four games in the Wildcats find themselves ranked ninth in the D3Football.com Top-25 and fifth in the AFCA Coaches Poll after rolling through the first two weeks of Northwest Conference action under 18^th year head coach Joseph Smith.
 
The Wildcats are coming off of a 57-15 win at Lewis & Clark (2-3, 1-1) for their 45^th consecutive win over the Pios. With a 4-0 overall record and 2-0 in the league, Linfield is tied with Whitworth (4-0, 2-0) for first place in the NWC.
 
With a win, Linfield would improve to 5-0 on the season, clinching the program 67^th consecutive winning season, the longest such streak for any program at any level of college football. The Wildcats have not seen a season below .500 since 1955.
 
George Fox has struggled through five games this season, posting a 1-4 record, and going 0-2 to open conference under 10^th year head coach Chris Casey. Casey, a 1982 Linfield graduate, played and coached under legendary head coach Ad Rutschman until 1994.
 
Their 1-4 start is the Bruins worst to begin a season since 2014, the first year the football was re-installed in Newberg after 46 years. George Fox has lost three straight games, all on the final possession of the contest, including last week 29-27 on a game-winning field goal at Puget Sound (2-2, 1-1) and in their conference opener against Lewis & Clark, falling 37-31 in double overtime.
 
THE LINFIELD OFFENSE
The Wildcats have been able to get nearly anything they've wanted on offense in their first two games of NWC play, setting season-highs across the board in back-to-back games.
 
Against Lewis & Clark the Wildcats rolled up 611 yards of total offenses, the fourteenth-most in a single game in program history. The 'Cats passed for 359 yards and ran for 232 more. Linfield has posted 1,127 yards of offense against conference opponents, more than any team in the league through two games.
 
On the season Linfield is averaging 456.0 yards of total offense and 43.0 points of scoring offense under fifth-year offensive coordinator Brett Elliott. The 'Cats lead the NWC in both categories and their points per game number sits 17^th in Division-III. Their 192.5 yards rushing per game also leads the league while 263.5 yards of passing offense sit fourth.
 
Junior quarterback Blake Eaton, an all-region selection in 2022, posted a season-high 298 passing yards and 27 completions on 38 attempts against Lewis & Clark with two touchdowns while adding 16 yards and another touchdown on the ground.
 
On the season Eaton is averaging 220.5 yards passing per game, second in the conference, while leading the league with 9 touchdowns and a 69.7 percent completion rate.
 
Eaton has also run for three touchdowns, tied for the second most in the NWC and the team lead with tailbacks Connor McNabb and Aaron Martinez.
 
McNabb, a fifth-year senior with already two first team all-league selections to his name, leads the NWC with 385 rushing yards this season, averaging 96.3 per game and 6.9 per carry, second in the league only to his younger brother Luke, the Wildcats' backup quarterback.
 
He could potentially move into the top-10 in rushing in Linfield football history this Saturday. His 1,922 yards sit 14^th, just 71 behind Joey Rector for 10^th all time.
 
Martinez, a true senior, has rushed for 114 yards, averaging 4.6 yards per carry. He's also added six catches 65 yards and an additional touchdown in the passing game.
 
Fellow senior Tyler Larson will likely also earn totes against the Bruins. Larson's ran for 111 yards, averaging 6.2 yards per rush. As a unit the 'Cats average 5.5 yards per attempt, 19^th in D-III.
 
Linfield's top receivers are fifth-year senior Colton Smith and grad. senior Devon Murray, both multi-time all-league honorees.
 
Smith leads the team and is sixth in the NWC with 23 receptions on the year for 205 yards and one touchdown.
 
Murray's 19 catches are also top-10 in the league, as are his 209 receiving yards. His five receiving touchdowns are tied for third in the NWC.
 
10 different Wildcats recorded at least one catch against the Pioneers, with all pass-catchers being led by grad. student tight end Isaac Hoidal, who posted a career day with a touchdown and a career-high 90 yards on five catches.
 
Hoidal and fellow grad. senior tight end Franco Keplinger have both factored into the gameplan as receivers and blockers.
 
Senior Jacob Slifka also had a career day in Portland, bringing in four catches for 74 yards. His 18.0 yards per catch are fourth in the NWC.
 
THE GEORGE FOX OFFENSE
The Bruin offense is sixth in the NWC in scoring offense and fifth in total offense through five games, averaging 16.4 points and 335.8 yards per game.
 
The George Fox attack is under the direction of eighth-year offensive coordinator Ken Ingram, a 1988 Linfield graduate. Ingram is one of five assistants under Casey with ties to Linfield as a player or coach.
 
With an unclear situation at quarterback, the Bruins have been forced to rely on the run, averaging 125.0 rushing yards per game and just 210.8 passing yards per game.
 
DeMontre Thomas II and Max Richey both saw the field at quarterback against Puget Sound, with Richey throwing for 62 yards and a touchdown and Thomas II totaling 80 yards and a score. The two have split time for four of the five games this season and look to do so for a fifth time against Linfield — the George Fox depth chart does not list a clear starter for the game.

Starter Taylor Saben and backup Logan Candanoza will both get carries against the Wildcats; against UPS, the Bruins turned to a heavy run game, with each player scoring one touchdown on the ground and Saben scoring on a 52-yard screen pass. William Moffit, who led the team with 83 yards rushing, will also see time.

At receiver, Dillan Dobbins, Elias Polanski, and River Osen will command the way for the Bruins, with Logan Klopfenstein splitting time with Osen. Though the Bruins completed just four passes in the previous weekend, Dobbins hauled in a 62-yard touchdown on the first play of the game. At the line, Fox will start the same five lineman that they have employed all season, including All-NWC players Zach Luworo, Daniel Jeffries and Kyle Osowski.
 
THE LINFIELD DEFENSE
The Wildcat defense has proved as formidable as ever in 2023 under 17^th year defensive coordinator Jackson Vaughan.
 
Linfield leads the NWC and sits top-25 nationally in both scoring and total defense, giving up just 13.3 points and 238.5 yards per game. Only 12 teams in Division-III have given up fewer touchdowns this season.
 
Last week the 'Cats stymied a high-flying Pioneer offense that was averaging nearly 400 yards of offense and leading the NWC in passing going into the game, holding Lewis & Clark to just 226 total yards and 141 passing.
 
A mix of both veterans and younger players stepping into larger roles has fueled the Linfield defense in each position group.
 
Up front, senior tackle Alex Frazier-Dow has posted 14 tackles and leads the team with five tackles for loss, fifth in the NWC. Sophomore defensive end Grady Kentch is tied for third on the team with 15 tackles and second with three tackles for loss and leads the team with five quarterback hurries.
 
Kentch tied for the team-lead in the tackles at Lewis & Clark with a career high six, including a six.
 
Seniors Caleb Sell and two-time all-league selection Nick Severson round out the starting front four, with Sell posting three tackles for loss with a team-leading 2.5 sacks, fifth in the league, as well as four hurries off the edge, while Severson's recorded 11 tackles in the middle of the d-line.
 
At linebacker, All-American and reigning NWC Defensive Player of the Year Blake Rybar leads the team with 20 tackles and 11 solo. Three have been tackles for loss, and he's added three hurries, two pass breakups and an interception. He picked up his first sack of the season last week in Portland.
 
Rybar's joined at linebacker by fellow senior Caiden Biege-Wetherbee, with sophomore Blaze Holani rotating in.
 
Biege-Wetherbee's tallied 12 tackles with a tackle for loss and an interception, while Holani is second on the team in tackles with 17 after recording six at Lewis & Clark. Holani's added 2.5 tackles for loss, a sack and four hurries.
 
Sophomore Johnny Miller continues a strong first season as the starter at rover. His five tackles against the Pios bring his season total to 14, including a sack to go with one interception. He's backed up by senior Cutter Hillock, who's recorded 11 tackles and one breakup.
 
A huge key to Linfield's success on defense has been the cornerback play, led by junior Chance Sparks and grad. senior Justin Pfau. Sparks has nine tackles while Pfau's added seven, both tallying two pass breakups this year.
 
Senior Evan Fisette, sophomore Kenyon Johnson and grad. senior Des Phillips all have been effective at corner as well this season.
 
Fifth-year senior Ben Baxter and junior Colby Kalaukoa anchor the back end of Linfield's defense at the safety and monster positions, with senior Jett Searle filtering in as well.
Searle leads the trio off the bench in tackles with 15. Kalaukoa's recorded 13 with two pass breakups while Baxter's posted 10 with one for loss as well as an interception.
 
THE GEORGE FOX DEFENSE
The Bruins have been solid on defense this season, but middle-of-the-pack statistically compared to the rest of the NWC. George Fox sits fourth in scoring defense with 21.6 points per game given up and fifth in total defense with 390.8 yards per game allowed under defensive coordinator John Bates, in his ninth season with the Bruins.
 
George Fox has struggled against the pass, giving up 279.6 passing yards per game, seventh in the conference.
 
Even so, the Bruins have been able to apply pressure to opposing quarterbacks and force mistakes, tied for second in the league in sacks with 13 and interceptions with six.
 
But cornerback Zak Holsey will officially miss the Bruins' game against Linfield — the standout sophomore suffered a leg injury against Lewis & Clark. In his place, freshman Austin Harrison will get his second career start for a slightly battered Bruin secondary. Regular starters in Holsey and fifth-year senior Matthew Phillips are out, with Harrison and junior Hunter Williams to fill in.

Jacob Erickson, who was named NWC Freshman of the Year in 2022, has been the standout for the Bruin defense thus far. The sophomore is currently eighth in the nation with 6.5 sacks in five games, most in the conference by two full sacks. Erickson will be joined by fellow All-NWC linebackers senior Kobe Andrews, and juniors Noah Tack and Nash Wylie.
 
Six of the top 10 tacklers in the conference play for the Bruin defense, including Wiley, Tack, Andrews as well as junior defensive backs Austin Canchola at corner and Kiegan Schaan and Nolan Martin at safety.
 
LINFIELD SPECIAL TEAMS
Junior kicker Gavin Dalziel has gone 2-4 on field goal attempts this season, with makes from 43 and 51 yards, and 19 for 23 on point after touchdown attempts. He is coming off his second NWC Special Teams Student Athlete of the Week award of this season.
 
Senior Thomas Tabor has punted 16 times this season and sits 12^th in D-III with 41.4 yards per punt. He's cleared 50 yards four times this season and has pinned eight punts inside the 20-yard line.
 
Linfield is averaging 11.33 yards per punt return and 20.8 yards per kickoff return. A combination of Paul Thie, Colby Kalaukoa, and 2022 all-region returner Maclain Stoneking have handled returns for Linfield this season.
 
GEORGE FOX SPECIAL TEAMS
Ben Rembisz enters his second weekend as the starting kicker for the Bruins following a 3-4 performance on extra points against Puget Sound. For the season, Rembisz is 1-2 on field goals with his lone make from 23 yards out. Punter Mikey Goforth has forced the most fair catches in the conference with six, and showed his skill with a perfect punt downed at the two against Puget Sound.
 
THE STREAK
With one more win in 2023, Linfield would extend the longest string of winning seasons in college football history at any level; The Streak began in 1956 and reached 66 consecutive seasons in 2022 … The Wildcats extended The Streak last year by beating Pacific 42-21 in the fifth game of the season … During the streak, Linfield is 550-120-10 for a winning percentage of .813. Linfield's record at home during the streak is 292-43-4 (.867), and at Maxwell Field it is 289-43-4 (.866) … Linfield's Northwest Conference record during the streak is 274-33-5 (.886). In all league games, it is 326-45-5 (.874), which includes games from 1985-1995 when the NWC schools were part of the Columbia Football Association …
 
HOMECOMING
In Homecoming games, Linfield has an all-time record of 70-20-3. Homecoming began at Linfield in 1922, the first season football returned to the school after a 16-year absence; it became an annual event in 1927 – including a 1928 "Reunion" game in Portland … after beating Redlands 21-3 in 2022, the Wildcats' most recent football season, Linfield has won 25 straight Homecoming games, the longest skein of Homecoming wins in school history. The last defeat was a 20-13 loss to Eastern Oregon in 1996 … This is the first time Linfield has played George Fox in the Wildcats' Homecoming game …
 
THE SERIES
Linfield's series vs. George Fox dates back to the first game of Linfield's football history, played in Newberg on October 31, 1896, with George Fox winning 54-0. Linfield was then known as McMinnville College and George Fox as Pacific College ... Linfield leads the all-time series 15-4; the Wildcats are 9-3 against the Bruins in McMinnville and 6-1 in Newberg … Linfield has won the last 15 games in the series, including 2022's 37-10 win in Newberg … the last game in McMinnville was in 2021, a 38-7 Linfield victory … George Fox's last win in the series was in 1898, a 6-0 victory in McMinnville; the Bruins' last win in Newberg was in 1896 by a 54-0 score in that first-ever Linfield game … the series resumed on a yearly basis in 2014; prior to that, the teams hadn't met since 1942, a 50-0 Linfield win in Newberg; before that game, the last meeting had been in 1926, a 52-0 Linfield win in McMinnville … Linfield's widest margin of victory was 59-0 in 2014 in McMinnville, while George Fox's widest margin was 56-0 in a second meeting in 1896, in McMinnville. Linfield's widest margin in Newberg was 50-0 in 1942, while George Fox's widest margin in Newberg was that 54-0 win in the first meeting of 1896 … of the 19 previous meetings, only 7 games have seen both teams score. Linfield has posted 8 shutouts and George Fox 4 …