The Northwest Conference football season will reach its ultimate point in dramatic fashion for a second year in a row as the Linfield Wildcats head to Spokane, Wash. to battle the Whitworth Pirates for the Northwest Conference Championship.
 
Kickoff is scheduled for 12:00 at Puryear Field at the Pine Bowl.
 
Both teams are 6-0 in conference play and are tied for first in the league standings, the conference's champion receiving an automatic bid to the NCAA Division-III Football Championship tournament.
 
Saturday's game is believed to be just the second time in NWC history that two unbeaten teams have met in the final game of the season – 2023's contest marking the first such occurrence. Whitworth took that meeting 28-24 on a last-minute comeback in McMinnville.
 
Under 19^th-year head coach Joseph Smith, the Wildcats are looking to return the favor on the Pirates' home field. With an 8-1 overall record, Linfield is ranked No. 17 in the D3Football.com Top 25 and No. 14 in the AFCA Coaches Poll. Riding a seven-game win streak, the Wildcats are ranked 25^th nationally by the NCAA Power Index.
 
10^th-year Whitworth head coach Rod Sandberg is looking to lead the Pirates to back-to-back NWC titles for the first time since 2006-07 and the program's fifth overall league championship. The Pirates are 9-0 overall, ranked No. 16 in the D3Football.com Top 25 and No. 10 in the AFCA Coaches Poll. They are ranked ninth in the D-III Power Index.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
The Linfield Sports Network provides live-streaming audio coverage for every Linfield football road game, available through the Linfield Athletics website. This week's broadcast will begin at 11:30 with the Farnham Electric Pregame Show, leading up to the 12:00 kickoff.
 
Linfield alum Joe Stuart provides play-by-play commentary while former All-American running back Gary McGarvie adds color commentary and analysis.
 
Whitworth will also provide live video coverage and live statistics through the Whitworth Athletics website.
 
TICKETS
Tickets for Saturday's game are available through the Whitworth Athletics website or at the Pine Bowl gate beginning 90 minutes before kickoff. Whitworth Athletics ticket sales are cashless and cash change will not be provided.
 
All tickets are general admission and are priced at $12 for adults and discounted $6 for seniors and students with identification. Children under the age of five may attend for free.
 
THE LINFIELD OFFENSE
The Wildcats continue to boast the best scoring offense in the NWC and the 10^th-best in D-III at 47.9 points per game and are second in the conference and 25^th nationally in total offense with 454.1 yards per game.
 
Linfield averages 286.8 passing yards a game and 167.3 rushing. But the Wildcats' most impressive stat may be their nation-leading 95.7 percent conversion rate in the red zone, coming away with points on 44 of 46 trips this season, scoring a touchdown on 36 of those successful attempts.
 
The offense is led by quarterback duo Blake Eaton and Luke McNabb. Eaton averages 218.3 passing yards per game on a 67.1 percent completion rate with 16 touchdowns and four interceptions.
 
McNabb is Linfield's leading rusher with 40.89 yards per game and 12 touchdowns, second in the NWC. He's also contributing 62.56 passing yards per game with eight touchdowns and no interceptions.
 
McNabb is coming off one of his best games of the season against PLU, throwing for 101 yards and a touchdown while running for 73 yards and two scores. He was named NWC Football Offensive Student-Athlete of the Week for his efforts.
 
A bevy of qualified running backs and wide receivers give Linfield's dual signal-callers plenty of options of where to move the football.
 
Four different receivers have recorded at least 29 receptions. Jacob Slifka leads the group in catches with 32 while Caleb Woodcock and Connor Wolfe are first and second on the team in yards with 489 and 446, respectively, and are tied for the team lead with six touchdowns apiece.
 
Tight end Will French has added four touchdowns, as had Slifka.
 
A deep backfield stable complements McNabb in the run game, led Aaron Martinez and Jackson Pfiefer. Pfiefer's totaled 286 yards and a touchdown this year in addition to 28 catches for 298 yards and a touchdown as a receiver, while Martinez has rushed for 217 yards and four touchdowns with 92 yards in the pass game.
 
THE WHITWORTH OFFENSE
The Pirates have been one of the better offensive teams in D-III this year and have been the model of consistency throughout the season, scoring at least 30 points in every game this year and surpassing 350 yards of offense in eight of their nine contests.
 
In each of their last five games they've surpassed 450 yards and now average 465.4 yards of total offense per game, best in the NWC and 19^th in D-III. Whitworth is second in the conference to Linfield in scoring offense with 38.7 points per game.
 
The Pirates have the 15^th best passing offense in the country, led by senior Ryan Blair's 282.3 passing yards per game, 11^th in D-III. Blair is also eighth in the country with 32 passing touchdowns, a Whitworth single-season record, and has completed 68 percent of his passes.
 
His top target all season has been wide receiver Evan Liggett. One of the best pass-catchers in D-III this season, Liggett is second in the NWC in receptions with 56 and yards with 1,078. His 17 touchdowns lead the league, are a program record and are second in the country. He also sits top-10 nationally in receiving yards per game.
 
Tailback Luis Salgado has been just as impressive running the football, sitting second in the NWC and eighth in the country with 1,150 rushing yards. His nine touchdowns are third in the league while his 7.3 yards per attempt is eighth nationally.
 
Some of his production is buoyed by a historic 365-yard performance October 26 against Pacific, setting an NWC single-game record and at the time the best rushing performance by any D-III player this season.
 
Running back Nathan Owens and receivers Caelin Johnson and Cameron Sheley will also expect to be key options in the Whitworth offense this weekend.
 
THE LINFIELD DEFENSE
After another dominant performance last week at PLU, leading the league and sitting 14^th in scoring defense with 11.2 points allowed per game and 17^th in total defense with 239.7 yards allowed per game.
 
Like their offensive counterparts, the 'Cats on the defensive side of the ball have been the standard setter nationally in the red zone, allowing points on a D-III leading 46.2 percent of opponent trips inside the 20-yard line.
 
Incredibly, opponents have only made it to the red zone 13 times this season, and all six successful trips have been on passing touchdowns. Linfield has not allowed a red zone rushing touchdown since last year's season-finale with Whitworth.
 
The Wildcats have feasted on turnovers this season, tied for the D-III lead with 19 interceptions and second with 26 turnovers forced. They're also seventh in tackles for loss, eighth in sacks, have allowed the 11^th-fewest first down, and have the 11^th-best third down and rushing defenses in the country, allowing conversions on 26.5 percent of third downs and just 63.2 rushing yards per game.
 
Two-time All-American linebacker Blake Rybar leads the team with 62 tackles, with nine for loss including 2.5 sacks. He's joined at linebacker by Blazer Holani, who has 33 tackles with 7.5 for loss and two interceptions.
 
At rover Caiden Biege-Wetherbee and Johnny Miller have both been effective. Miller earned his first start of the seas at linebacker last week in place of an injured Holani and made the most of the opportunity, leading the team with eight tackles, four tackles for loss a sack and an interception.
 
One of the best teams in the country at getting behind the chains, Linfield is led in tackles for loss and sacks by defensive end Caleb Sell, who's recorded 12 backfield takedowns and 9.5 sacks. Defensive tackle Alex Frazier-Dow follows closely behind with 11.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks and has forced two fumbles.
 
In the secondary cornerback Chance Sparks is top 10 in the country with five interceptions and is second in the NWC with 10 passes defended thanks to an additional five pass breakups. Fellow corner Kenyon Johnson pulled away his second interception of the year against Pacific Lutheran.
 
Monster back Colby Kalaukoa is third on the teams with 42 tackles and has added two picks and two breakups, while safety Jett Searle has added 21 tackles, an interception and two breakups.
 
THE WHITWORTH DEFENSE
Whitworth has managed to keep opponent scoring at a minimum, allowing just 15.8 points per game, second in the NWC to Linfield, but has been susceptible to allowing yardage, sitting fourth in the league in total defense with 356.1 yards allowed per game. The Pirates are allowing just 229.3 passing yards per game but 126.8 via the rush.
 
Takeaways have helped Whitworth keep the scoring down, with 22 turnovers sitting 11^th nationally. 12 have been off interceptions with 10 fumbles recovered.
 
Linebacker Zach Brooks leads the team and the NWC with 99 tackles on the year, 10^th in the country. Brooks has also added two sacks, an interception and a forced fumble. Fellow linebacker Micajah Weisner is second on the team with 54 tackles with 3.5 for loss.
 
Up front, defensive end JT Munoz leads the team and is sixth in the league with 9.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. Defensive end Dylan Owen has five sacks and tackle Ephraim Watkins has added 3.5
 
In the second level, strong safety Jacob Brandvolf leads the defensive bacs with 45 tackles while adding five pass breakups. Free safety Daniel McKeirnan leads the team with three interceptions and has added four pass breakups.
 
At cornerback, starters Joshua Lawson and Omari Williams lead the team with seven breakups apiece and have combined for three interceptions.
 
THE LINFIELD SPECIALISTS
Kicker Gavin Dalziel has put together an impressive senior season, sitting second in the league in scoring, and leading the league and sitting top 10 nationally with 11 made field goals. His 73 percent field goal rate leads the league, and he has made 52 of 53 point after touchdown attempts.
 
Thomas Tabor leads the league and is fourth in the nation in punting with 43.3 yards per punt. Maclain Stoneking averages 22.33 yards per kickoff return and 14.76 yards per punt return, the 12^th best mark in D-III.
 
 
THE WHITWORTH SPECIALISTS
Whitworth kicker Iden Bone has made 10 field goals on 17 attempts. His season long make is from 44 yards on September 14 against Eastern Oregon, since then he has not made a kick longer than 29 yards.
 
Matthew Herzog handles punting duties, averaging 38.46 yards per punt. Cameron Sheley is averaging 20.5 yards per punt return and 21.0 yards per kick return.
 
THE SERIES
Linfield has an all-time record against Whitworth of 40-7-2 in a series dating back to 1952. Whitworth won the last meeting, 28-24 in 2023 in McMinnville; that game is believed to be the first time in Northwest Conference history that two unbeaten teams concluded the regular season playing each other … the most recent meeting in Spokane was Linfield's 35-17 victory in 2022 … Linfield has won 14 of the last 16 meetings … the first meeting was a 13-13 tie in McMinnville on October 4, 1952 … Linfield has a 20-2-2 record against Whitworth in McMinnville and a 19-5 record against the Pirates in Spokane … Linfield's widest margin was 61-0 in 1966 in McMinnville; the Wildcats' widest margin in Spokane was 35 points, 49-14 in 1982. Whitworth's widest margin was 34 points, 41-7 in 1954 in Spokane; both the Pirates' wins in McMinnville have been by 4 points, 17-13 in 2006 and 28-24 in 2023 … one of the games in the series was in the postseason: in 2015 Linfield won 48-10 in McMinnville in the NCAA Division III playoffs first round.
 
ALL-TIME
2024 is Linfield's 109th season of football, dating back to 1896. The Wildcats' all-time record is 656-273-28 (.700) … Linfield's all-time home record is 365-93-16 (.787), including a Maxwell Field record of 345-81-11 (.802) … Linfield's all-time NWC record is 322-112-11 (.736) in 83 seasons dating back to the conference's initial formation in 1926. In all league games, it is 373-124-11 (.745), 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 146-21 (.874) overall, 126-9 (.933) in the regular season, 80-5 (.941) at home and 96-3 (.970) 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 19th year as Linfield's head coach; he has an overall record of 163-30 (.845), which is the highest winning percentage of any head coach in Wildcat football history … Smith's record includes marks of 144-18 (.889) in the regular season, 110-7 (.940) in Northwest Conference games, 90-9 (.909) 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 seven unbeaten regular seasons.