With a 68^th consecutive winning season secured, Linfield football is ready for the stretch run of the regular season beginning this Saturday with a visit to the Pacific Boxers at Hanson Stadium in Forest Grove, Ore.
 
Under the guidance of 19^th year head coach Joseph Smith, the Wildcats are winners of five straight games heading into this weekend's matchup, sitting at 6-1 and 4-0 in the Northwest Conference, tied with Whitworth for first in the league.
 
Coming off another dominant victory in a 62-13 win against Puget Sound, Linfield is ranked No. 18 in the D3Football.com Top 25 and No. 15 in the AFCA Coaches Poll. The 'Cats are ranked seventh in Region VI in the season's first regional rankings, released by the NCAA earlier this week. The rankings are determined by the NCAA Power Index formula.
 
Pacific enters the weekend 3-4 and 1-3 in the NWC under fourth year head coach Ian Falconer. The Boxers may be a better team than their record implies and will likely come into Saturday's game hungry, having started the season 3-1 before losing their last three games, all by 16 points or less, including last week's 39-32 loss to Whitworth.
 
TICKETS
Tickets can be purchased online through the Pacific Athletics website or at the Hanson Stadium gate on gameday.
 
Reserved grandstand seats are $20 while general admission tickets are $15 for adults and discounted at $8 for children, seniors and military veterans.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
The Linfield Sports Network provides live streaming audio coverage of every Linfield football road game. Joe Stuart is in his fourth season as the Wildcats' lead play-by-play announcer while former All-American running back Gary McGarvie contributes color-commentary and analysis.
 
Pacific will provide live video coverage streamed through the Pacific Athletics website. The broacats will also be carried live on television on Portland's The CW 2.
 
THE LINFIELD OFFENSE
The Wildcats continue to increase their offensive numbers through conference play after setting season-highs in total and rushing offense against Puget Sound.
 
Linfield sits 15^th in the country in scoring offense at 46.4 points per game and 21^st in total offense with 467.9 yards per game. The Wildcats boast the 13^th best passing offense in the country at 297.4 yards per game and are third in the NWC in rushing at 170.4 yards per game.
 
The 'Cats also continue to excel in the red zone, coming away with points on 94.4 percent of trips, putting them as the third best red zone offense in the country.
 
Linfield's dual-quarterback system looked as strong against Puget Sound as it has at any point this season with fifth-year senior Blake Eaton responsible for four touchdowns while junior Luke McNabb rushed for two more while averaging 14.0 yards per carry.
 
On the year Eaton's thrown for 1,611 yards with 11 touchdowns and two interceptions while completing 68.1 percent of his passes. McNabb now sits as Linfield's leading rusher this season with 265 yards and nine touchdowns, a top 20 number nationally, while throwing for six more.
 
A veteran group of receivers continues to produce across the board, with fifth-year senior Connor Wolfe leading the way at 371 receiving yards and five touchdowns out of the slot.
 
Fellow fifth-year Jacob Slifka as well as true seniors Maclain Stoneking and Caleb Woodcock have all totaled over 300 yards as well, with Slifka and Woodcock hauling in four touchdowns apiece.
 
Linfield has also established depth at tailback. Graduate senior Aaron Martinez has scored a touchdown in every game since returning from injury on October 5 while Jackson Pfiefer leads all Linfield running backs with 438 all-purpose yards. Jesse Sandretzky and freshmen Carson Mullins and Matthew Spurbeck have been effective options out of the backfield as well.
 
THE PACIFIC OFFENSE
The Boxers have put together the third best total (429.0 yards per game) and scoring (35.9 points per game) offense in the NWC so far thanks to strong play in the rushing attack, leading the league with 198.0 rushing yards per game.
 
Much of the credit goes to junior running back, D-III's leading rusher at 163.3 yards per game. Bantolina is also third in the nation in rushing touchdowns with 13 and ninth in yards per attempt at 7.57.
 
The 2023 NWC rushing champion and first team all-league selection has only been held under 100 rushing yards once this season and has cracked 200 yards twice. Bantolina also serves as Pacific's lead kick returner, averaging 22.7 yards per return
 
Senior quarterback Braeden Titus is averaging 230.7 passing yards per game in his first season as Pacific's full-time starter. He's completed 60.2 percent of his passes with 10 touchdowns and four interceptions.
 
Titus is coming off one of his better games of the season against Whitworth, completing over 71 percent of his passes for 261 yards and three touchdowns and an interception against the Pirates.
 
His top option in the pass game has been junior receiver Josiah Chaffin, who has brought in 40 catches for 704 yards, third in the NWC. His seven receiving touchdowns are tied for second while his 17.6 yards per catch are also second in the league.
 
Riley Camarillo also factors into the pass game with 307 receiving yards and the other three of Titus's 10 touchdowns this season.
 
THE LINFIELD DEFENSE
Linfield's dominance on defense has shown no signs of slowing with Wildcats sitting ninth in D-III in scoring defense at just 9.9 points per game and 13^th in total defense at 219.3 yards per game.
 
They sit top-20 nationally in a bevy of statistical categories, including third-down defense, red zone defense, fewest first downs allowed, passing defense, sacks, tackles for loss, interceptions and defensive touchdowns.
 
All-American fifth-year linebacker looks to be headed for national honors again this season. He leads the team and is top-five in the NWC with 49 tackles, adding seven tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.
 
The 'Cats have been dominant up front, led by fifth-year defensive end Caleb Sell and fifth-year tackle Alex Frazier-Dow. Sell leads the NWC and is top-10 nationally with 8.5 sacks, while sitting third in the league with 11 tackles for loss. Frazier-Dow trails closely behind with 5.5 sacks, third in the conference, and nine tackles for loss, sixth in the NWC.
 
On the back end senior cornerback Chance Sparks continues to excel, leading the team and the NWC with nine passes defended. He's recorded four interceptions, tied for the league lead, and sits eighth in the NWC with five pass breakups.
 
Fifth-year monster back Colby Kalaukoa has kept things secure in the secondary as well, sitting third on the team with 28 tackles. He's recorded one interception on the year.
 
THE PACIFIC DEFENSE
Defensively the Boxers have struggled this season, allowing 34.1 points and 460.1 yards per game, second to last in the NWC only to Puget Sound. Pacific gives up 196.4 rushing yards per game and 263.7 through the air.
 
Pacific's struggles have kept the secondary busy – safeties Anthony Lopez and Zion Booker have been two of the Boxers leaders on defense, Lopez leading the team with 44 tackles while adding two interceptions and five pass breakups while Booker's pulled away three picks with six breakups.
 
Booker's added 34 tackles and his nine passes defended are tied with Chance Sparks for the NWC lead.
 
Lopez and Booker are joined by 2023 all-NWC selection Jesse Stroede at cornerback. Stroede returned to the field against Whitworth for his first game played since Pacific's NWC opener against Puget Sound on October 5.
 
In the middle of the defense junior Rylan Ma'ae has totaled 37 tackles with a team-best 7.5 for loss and a sack. He's also added three pass breakups.
 
Also at linebacker Avin Tanioka's added 32 tackles with two tackles for loss and a sack while Nehemiah Faleulu recorded 30 takedowns with 5.5 tackles for loss and a team-leading five sacks. He's also contributed four quarterback hurries and has forced and recovered two fumbles.
 
Up front, defensive tackle Keala Octavia-Callejo leads the starting defensive line with 18 tackles, two for loss. Freshman defensive end T'nias Tavele has 4.5 tackles for loss and a team high 9 quarterback hurries.
 
THE SERIES
The series between Linfield and Pacific dates to 1897, with Linfield holding a 51-24-4 advantage. The Wildcats have won the last 15 games in the series, including a 42-27 win in McMinnville in 2023; the last meeting in Forest Grove was the Wildcats' 42-21 win in 2022 … The Boxers' last victory was in 1988, by a score of 38-24 in Forest Grove …  The first meeting between the schools was November 13, 1897, with then-McMinnville College taking a 12-4 win in Forest Grove. Pacific then went 19-3-3 in the series through the 1950 season. After the teams traded wins through the 1950s, Linfield has won 41 of the last 43 games dating back to 1960 … The teams did not play between 1990 and 2010 as Pacific dropped football after the 1991 season. Even with that gap, the series with Pacific is Linfield's third-most played with 79 games prior to 2024, trailing Willamette (96 games through 2024) and Lewis & Clark (89 games through 2024) … One of the stranger scores in Linfield's football history came against Pacific, with the Wildcats winning 2-0 in 1984 in McMinnville … Linfield has a 26-9-4 record in games played in McMinnville and a 25-15 edge in games played in Forest Grove … Pacific's last win in McMinnville came in 1954 by a 20-0 score … Linfield's widest margin of victory was 67 points in 2015 in McMinnville, a 77-10 win; the Wildcats' widest margin in Forest Grove was 46 points, 46-0 in 1961. Pacific's widest margin of victory was 39 points, 39-0 in 1903 in Forest Grove. The Boxers' widest margin in McMinnville was 32 points, 32-0 in 1952 …
 
THE STREAK
By beating Puget Sound 62-13 in the seventh game of the 2024 season, Linfield guaranteed it would extend the longest streak of winning seasons in college football history at any level; The Streak now sits at 68 seasons, having begun in 1956 … during The Streak, Linfield is 560-122-10 for a winning percentage of .816. Linfield's record at home during The Streak is 298-44-4 (.867), and at Maxwell Field it is 295-44-4 (.866) … Linfield's Northwest Conference record during The Streak is 282-34-5 (.886). In all league games during The Streak, it is 336-46-5 (.875), 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 654-273-28 (.699) … Linfield's all-time home record is 364-93-16 (.786), including a Maxwell Field record of 344-81-11 (.802) … Linfield's all-time NWC record is 318-112-11 (.734) in 83 seasons dating back to the conference's initial formation in 1926. In all league games, it is 371-124-11 (.744), 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 144-21 (.873) overall, 124-9 (.932) in the regular season, 79-5 (.940) at home and 93-3 (.969) 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 …
 
HEAD COACH JOSEPH SMITH
Joseph Smith is in his 18th season as Linfield's head coach; he has an overall record of 158-30 (.840), which is the highest winning percentage of any head coach in Wildcat football history … Smith's record includes marks of 130-18 (.878) in the regular season, 107-7 (.939) in Northwest Conference games, 88-9 (.907) 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 …