SPOKANE, Wash. – Linfield scored 34 unanswered points to erase an early 7-0 deficit on the way to a 34-7 Northwest Conference championship-clinching victory over previously unbeaten Whitworth in front of a packed house Saturday at the Whitworth Pine Bowl.
Linfield (9-1, 7-0 NWC) captured the program's 45th league championship, knocking off the Pirates (9-1, 6-1 NWC) on their home field.
Linfield and Whitworth now await Sunday's 2 p.m. PDT announcement on NCAA.com revealing the full 40-team playoff field. With the victory, the Wildcats assured themselves of receiving the NWC's automatic berth into the NCAA Division III playoffs. With just one loss on the season, the Pirates stand an excellent chance of landing one of eight at-large berths.
Linfield quarterback
Blake Eaton rushed for two touchdowns and passed for 229 yards another score to lead the Wildcats offensively.
Connor Wolfe pulled in 10 passes for 94 yards and a score.
Aaron Martinez rushed for a game-high 65 yards on 10 carries.
Wildcats linebacker Blake Holani put the game out of reach early in the fourth quarter, returning a Ryan Blair pass 62 yards to the end zone and giving the visitors in front 31-7.
Blake Rybar contributed eight tackles, and
Chance Sparks and Jett Seale were each credited with six stops.
Whitworth scored its only points on the game's opening drive, moving 64 yards in seven plays and capping the march with a 2-yard pass-and-catch from Ryan Blair to Evan Liggett.
Using an 11-play drive, Linfield evened the score at 7-7 five minutes later.
Blake Eaton weaved his way through defenders to score on a 15-yard run.
Gavin Dalziel's 22-yard field goal in the opening minute of the second quarter gave the Wildcats their first lead of the contest.
The Wildcats stretched their lead to nine points in the final minute of the first half when McNabb passed six yards to
Connor Wolfe. The extra point failed, keeping the score 16-7.
Linfield doubled Whitworth's yardage total in the first half, 197-98.
Eaton rushed six yards to the end zone with just over four minutes left in the third quarter, pushing the Linfield advantage to 23-7.
Luis Salgado, Whitworth's leading rusher, was held to 48 yards on 11 carries. Blair finished with 180 yards passing, completing 24 of 34 attempts.
The Wildcats piled up 364 yards compared to the Pirates' 221, including a 129-43 edge on the ground.
Linfield claimed an NCAA playoff berth for the third time in the last four seasons. The only blemish in that span came last season when the Pirates stunned the Wildcats in McMinnville in the regular-season finale. Linfield earned the program's 18th NCAA playoff appearance and 33rd overall postseason invitation.
