Linfield University Athletics

McMINNVILLE, Ore. – No. 8 Linfield's 33-game Northwest Conference football win streak came to an end Saturday as Whitworth took a 28-24 win in the Pacific Office Automation Hall of Fame Game at Maxwell Field.
 
With the win, Whitworth (9-0 overall, 7-0 NWC) claimed the Northwest Conference championship, as well as the automatic berth to the NCAA Division III playoffs. Pairings are expected to be announced Sunday at 2 p.m. PST on NCAA.com. The result also ended a string of three straight conference titles for Linfield (8-1, 6-1 NWC).
 
The Pirates rallied from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit, getting the winning score on a 5-yard pass from Austin Ewing to Evan Liggett with 29 seconds to play. That capped a 75-yard, 14-play drive that began with just under five minutes on the clock and included a fourth-and-4 conversion from the Whitworth 41-yard line with just over two minutes to play.
 
Whitworth had pulled within one score at 24-21 on a seven-yard run by Solo Hines with 9:58 left, capping an 87-yard, 13-play drive. Linfield responded with a drive from its own 25 to the Whitworth 20 but Gavin Dalziel's 42-yard field goal try missed just right, setting the stage for Whitworth's score.
 
That was one of a number of long drives on which the Wildcats came up empty. Linfield finished with a 465-368 advantage in total offense, including a 111-30 edge in rushing.
 
Linfield freshman Luke McNabb, starting at quarterback in place of injured Blake Eaton for the second straight week, completed 28 of 41 passes for 354 yards and three touchdowns while being intercepted once. He also had 41 yards rushing on 12 carries. His brother, senior running back Connor McNabb, had 57 yards rushing on 12 carries and caught six passes for 79 yards and a touchdown.
 
For Whitworth, Ewing was 37-for-52 passing for 338 yards and two touchdowns but was picked off three times by the Wildcats. Dikkon Kuk had 12 catches for 154 yards and a touchdown.
 
Linfield started fast, scoring on its first two possessions to go up 14-0. On the game's opening possession, the Wildcats went 75 yards in seven plays, the touchdown coming on a 24-yard pass from Luke McNabb to Colton Smith. Whitworth came back with a drive of its own but Justin Pfau intercepted Ewing in the end zone.
 
Linfield then went 80 yards in six plays, Connor McNabb hauling in a 32-yard pass from his younger brother for the touchdown and a 14-0 lead with 8:14 left in the opening quarter.
 
Whitworth came back with a big play, Kuk completing a 60-yard scoring pass from Ewing when a Linfield defender gambled on an interception and came up empty. The Pirates tied the game 14-14 on a nine-yard run by Ewing with 1:13 left in the first half.
 
Linfield bounced back to take the lead 17-14 before halftime, moving to the Whitworth 23 to set up Dalziel's 40-yard field goal as time expired. Read Full Article