Linfield football looks to keep rolling Saturday when they make a short trip to visit the George Fox Bruins at Stoffer Family Stadium in Newberg, Ore.
 
Under the guidance of 19^th year head coach Joseph Smith, the Wildcats enter Saturday 4-1 and 2-0 in Northwest Conference play after beating Lewis & Clark 47-14 on Homecoming in McMinnville last week. Linfield is ranked No. 20 in the D3Football.com Top 25 and No. 19 in the most recent AFCA Coaches Poll.
 
The George Fox Bruins will try to stay keep their record above .500 on Saturday, entering the game with a 3-2 record. The Bruins are 1-1 in NWC action this year after a 40-14 blowout win against Puget Sound last week, which followed a 24-22 loss to Lewis & Clark to open conference play, a game in which they nearly came back to win after trailing 24-0 at halftime.
 
George Fox is led by 12^th year head coach Chris Casey, who has run the program since football was relaunched in Newberg in 2012 following a hiatus of the sport of over 50 years.
 
Casey graduated from Linfield in 1982 and played and coached as an assistant under College Football Hall of Famer Ad Rutschman.
 
The Bruins have not beat the Wildcats since George Fox's first season back playing NCAA football in 2014.
 
Saturday's game will kick off at 4:05.
 
TICKETS
Tickets can purchased at the gate on gameday prior to kickoff or online through the George Fox Athletics website.
 
Tickets are 27 dollars for reserved seating, 12 dollars for general admission for adults or 6 dollars for seniors over 65, children aged 10-18 and students with their college ID.
 
Children under 10 can attend for free. Family packages are available at 25 dollars per package, admitting two adults and children.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
The Linfield Sports Network provides live audio-only coverage of all road Linfield football games with Linfield alum Joe Stuart on play-by-play commentary while Linfield Athletics Hall of Fame running back Gary McGarvie adds color and analysis.
 
Saturday's broadcast will begin at 3:30 with the Farnham Electric Pregame Show.
 
Live video and statistics will be provided by the George Fox Athletic department through the Bruin athletics website.
 
THE LINFIELD OFFENSE
After setting a new season high in total offense for a third consecutive game against Lewis & Clark the Wildcats now lead the NWC in offense with 437.0 yards per game and scoring at 43.2 points per game, a top 25 number nationally.
 
Linfield's registered the 21^st best passing offense in Division-III with 292.2 passing yards per game and has excelled in the red zone, converting on 92 percent of trips, 18^th in the country. The 'Cats also average 144.8 rushing yards per game and 4.4 yards per carry.
 
Senior quarterback Blake Eaton is coming off one of the best statistical games of his career against the Pios, completing 85 percent of his passes for 339 yards and two touchdowns.
 
After his accurate performance he once again leads the NWC and is 14^th in the country with a 71 percent completion rate. Eaton averages 220.0 passing yards per game and has thrown for seven touchdowns with just one interception.
 
Luke McNabb continues to rotate in for Eaton, particularly in short-yardage and red-zone situations. McNabb's averaging 69.6 passing and 27.8 rushing yards per game. He's rushed for seven touchdowns, second in the NWC, and has thrown for another five.
 
Senior Aaron Martinez was impactful again against Lewis & Clark in his return to the starting tailback role after missing two games earlier this season. In the last two games he's contributed 162 yards of total offense and two touchdowns.
 
Jackson Pfeifer has picked up the backup work with Martinez back in the lineup – on the season he's averaging over 50 yards of offense a game.
 
After a career day against Lewis & Clark with six catches for 101 yards and two touchdowns, fifth-year senior Jacob Slifka leads the team and is seventh in the NWC in receptions with 22. He's totaled 261 yards with four touchdowns, tied for the team lead and second in the league with fellow fifth-year Connor Wolfe.
 
Wolfe leads the team in receiving yards with 305 on 19 catches, while true senior Maclain Stoneking has 289 yards also on 19 catches. All three starting wide outs are top 10 in the NWC in receiving yards.
 
THE GEORGE FOX OFFENSE
The Bruins sit below the league average on offense, averaging just 26.4 points and 349.8 yards per game, sixth in the NWC in both categories.
 
George Fox has found some success with the run, having scored 12 touchdowns on the ground while averaging 139.8 rushing yards per game, but has struggled to move the ball through the air with just 210.0 passing yards per game and a 57.2 percent team completion rate.
 
The Bruins are led on offense by fifth-year senior quarterback DeMontre Thomas II, in his second year as the starter. The dual-threat signal caller is third in the NWC at 227.3 passing yards per game and has thrown five touchdowns with four interceptions. He's also factored into the Bruin run game with 110 rushing yards and three touchdowns this season.
 
Tailback Taylor Saben, a second team all-NWC selection as a sophomore, is the focal point of the George Fox offense with 131.8 yards of total offense per game, good enough for second in the conference. He's scored five touchdowns as a rusher.
 
William Moffitt also contributes significantly to the run game with 40.2 rushing yards per game and four touchdowns scored.
 
Fifth-year Elias Polanski leads the Bruins' wide receivers on the year with 17 catches for 252 yards and a touchdown.
 
Fellow fifth-year River Osen has 12 catches for 185 yards out of the slot while sophomore Chavis Lee is the only other George Fox reciever with over 100 receiving yards this season. He averages a team-best 20.83 yards per catch, the top mark in the NWC.
 
Fifth-year tight end Cobey Aldrich is the only Bruin with multiple touchdowns in the pass game, pulling in two scores this season.
 
THE LINFIELD DEFENSE
The 'Cats continue to set the standard defensively in the NWC, leading the league and sitting 10^th nationally in scoring and total defense, allowing just 9.8 points and 214.4 yards per game.
 
Linfield's particularly been strong defending the pass with just 119.8 yards allowed per game, seventh in the country, 21 sacks, third in the country and nine interceptions, 11^th in D-III. The Wildcats also only allow conversions on 22.7 percent of third downs, fourth nationally, and have only allowed opponents into the red zone just six times in five games.
 
Fifth-year senior linebacker Blake Rybar leads the defense and is fourth in the league with 36 tackles, including 5.0 for loss and 1.5 sacks. Blaze Holani has impressed as well as a starting linebacker, sitting second on the team with 23 tackles and 4.5 for loss after a team-leading seven tackle performance against Lewis & Clark. Holani's also tied for the team lead with two interceptions.
 
Fifth-year monster back Colby Kalaukoa leads the secondary with 19 tackles and has added an interception and a breakup. Fifth-year safety Jett Searle's added 13 tackles and two breakups, while senior Chance Sparks has two breakups to go with two picks at cornerback. Kenyon Johnson pulled down his first interception of the season at the other starting cornerback spot last Saturday.
 
Seven different Wildcats have reeled in Linfield's nine interceptions.
 
Along the line of scrimmage fifth-year defensive end Caleb Sell continues to lead the NWC and sits top five nationally with 7.5 sacks. His 9.5 tackles for loss are second in the league and 20^th nationally.
 
Fellow fifth-year Alex Frazier-Dow follows closely behind at defensive tackle with eight tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks, both top five in the NWC. He's also added two quarterback hurries and a forced fumble.
 
Fifth-year tackle Nick Severson and true senior defensive end Connor Stevens complete the starting defensive line. Stevens has 4.5 tackles for loss and three sacks while Severson's contributed three tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.
 
THE GEORGE FOX DEFENSE
The Bruins have historically hung their hat on defense in their decade under Chris Casey, and this season proves no different.
 
George Fox has kept opponents limited, sitting second in the NWC in total defense with 258.8 yards allowed per game and third in scoring defense, allowing just 16.4 points per game.
 
The Bruins are strong against the run with just 78.8 rushing yards allowed per game and 2.7 allowed per attempt. Teams have also only averaged 180.0 passing yards against them.
 
Safety Nolan Martin leads the Bruins from the secondary with 40 tackles, second in the NWC. The junior's added a forced fumble and a recovery.

He's joined at safety by fifth-year Keigan Schaan, a first team all-league selection in 2023. Schaan's contributed 22 tackles and is second on the team with four tackles for loss, and has added two pass breakups.
 
Ty Borde completes a trio of starting safeties and has added 23 tackles while leading the team and the NWC with six pass breakups.
 
The starting secondary is completed by cornerbacks Zak Hosely and Austin Harrison. The duo each have one of George Fox's two interceptions this season.
 
The Bruins start an experienced trio of linebackers in addition to their three safeties. Fifth-year Noah Tack has totaled 34 tackles and leads the team with six tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks, top 10 in the conference in both categories.
 
2023 first team all-conference selection Nash Wylie, another fifth-year, also has 34 tackles this year with 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks, while true senior Dustin Kunze has added 25 tackles.
 
Up front the Bruins have been led by defensive end Kuyper Assink with four tackles for loss and two sacks. Fifth-year Blake Mazurowski has added three tackles for loss.
 
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 16-4; the Wildcats are 10-3 against the Bruins in McMinnville and 6-1 in Newberg … Linfield has won the last 16 games in the series, including 2023's 41-13 win in McMinnville … the last game in Newberg was in 2022, a 37-10 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 20 previous meetings, only 8 games have seen both teams score. Linfield has posted 8 shutouts and George Fox 4 …
 
HEAD COACH JOSEPH SMITH
Joseph Smith is in his 18th season as Linfield's head coach; he has an overall record of 156-30 (.839), which is the highest winning percentage of any head coach in Wildcat football history … Smith's record includes marks of 128-18 (.877) in the regular season, 105-7 (.938) in Northwest Conference games, 87-9 (.906) at home and 20-12 (.625) in the postseason … During Smith's tenure, Linfield has won 12 NWC titles; 11 of those have been outright, most recently in 2022 … During Smith's tenure, Linfield has put together 7 unbeaten regular seasons …
 
THE STREAK
By beating George Fox 41-13 in McMinnville in the fifth game of the 2023 season, Linfield extended the longest string of winning seasons in college football history at any level to 67; The Streak began in 1956 … during The Streak, Linfield is 558-122-10 for a winning percentage of .816. Linfield's record at home during The Streak is 297-44-4 (.867), and at Maxwell Field it is 294-44-4 (.865) … Linfield's Northwest Conference record during The Streak is 280-34-5 (.886). In all league games during The Streak, it is 334-46-5 (.874), which includes games from 1985-1995 when the NWC schools were part of the Columbia Football Association …
 
ALL-TIME
2024 is Linfield's 109th season of football, dating back to 1896. The Wildcats' all-time record is 652-273-28 (.699) … Linfield's all-time home record is 363-93-16 (.786), including a Maxwell Field record of 343-81-11 (.801) … Linfield's all-time NWC record is 316-112-11 (.732) in 83 seasons dating back to the conference's initial formation in 1926. In all league games, it is 369-124-11 (.743), which includes games from 1985-1995 when the NWC schools were part of the Columbia Football Association … Linfield has had unbeaten, untied regular seasons 22 times; the most recent was a 9-0 record in 2022 and the first was a 1-0 record in 1900 …
 
SINCE 2009
Since the start of the 2009 season, Linfield is 142-21 (.871) overall, 122-9 (.931) in the regular season, 78-5 (.940) at home and 92-3 (.968) in NWC games … In that time, Linfield has won 12 NWC titles; 11 of those have been outright titles, most recently in 2022 … During that span, Linfield is 20-12 (.625) in the postseason … Since 2009, Linfield has recorded 7 unbeaten regular seasons … In its last 100 regular season games dating back to the 2011 season, the Wildcats are 92-8 …