TACOMA, Wash. –
Blake Eaton passed for five touchdowns in a little more than two quarters,
Blake Rybar piled up a game-high nine tackles, and ninth-ranked Linfield handed Puget Sound a 55-6 drubbing on a cool, cloudy Saturday at Baker Stadium.
The Wildcats (6-0, 4-0 NWC) built a 28-point lead at halftime, then kept the pressure on the Loggers throughout the second half, outscoring the hosts 27-0.
The victory marked Linfield's 30th straight win in Northwest Conference play and 33rd consecutive triumph over the Loggers. Puget Sound (2-4, 1-3 NWC) dropped its second straight contest, losing last week by a 42-point margin to Whitworth in Spokane.
Eaton completed 16 of 23 passes to finish with 196 yards. He did suffer his first interception of the season late in the second quarter. Mason Brubaker's interception with 23 seconds left in the half snapped a string of 174 attempts without a miscue.
Devon Murray caught two passes for touchdowns from Eaton, ending the day with 100 receiving yards. Eleven Wildcats caught passes in the game, with
Colton Smith hauling in four receptions and
Connor McNabb,
Maclain Stoneking and
Franco Keplinger adding two each.
Tyler Larson and
Jackson Pfeifer each rushed for touchdowns.
Backup quarterback
Luke McNabb came on in relief of Eaton, completing 4 of 6 passes, including a fourth-quarter TD strike to
Caleb Woodcock.
Linebackers
Blake Rybar (nine tackles) and
Blaze Holani (7 tackles) led the way for Linfield defensively. Rybar,
Caleb Sell and
Grady Kentch all recorded quarterback sacks in the game.
UPS quarterback Mason Binning, who entered the game as the NWC's leader in passing yardage, finished with 159 yards through the air. He completed 24 of 42 throws but was intercepted twice and sacked four times by the Wildcats defense, which limited the Loggers to 261 total yards.
AHEAD
Linfield returns to Maxwell Field to host the Pacific Boxers in a Family Weekend home game next Saturday starting at 1 p.m.
