Senior Day 2024 will bring an upper echelon Northwest Conference clash to Memorial Stadium at 1:05 PM Saturday as the Linfield Wildcats host the Pacific Lutheran Lutes.
 
Both teams will look to keep NWC championship goals alive as Linfield enters the weekend 7-1 and 5-0 in conference play, tied for first in the league with Whitworth, and Pacific Lutheran will try to keep adding to their 6-2, 4-1 season that has them in third place with two games left in the season.
 
Under 19^th-year head coach Joseph Smith, Linfield is riding a six-game win streak and is ranked No. 18 in the D3Football.com Top 25 and No. 15 in the AFCA Coaches Poll. The Wildcats are the sixth-ranked team by NCAA Power Index in Division III's Region VI.
 
Experiencing their best season so far under seventh year head coach Brant McAdams, the Lutes have won their last four games and are in the hunt for Pacific Lutheran's best season since 2014 when they went 7-2 overall and finished third in the NWC with a 5-2 record.
 
With it being the final regular season home game of the season, the Wildcats will hold a brief pregame ceremony to honor their over 35 seniors that expect to graduate in winter 2024 or spring 2025.
 
TICKETS
Single game tickets are available online or can be purchased at the Memorial Stadium box office on game day beginning two hours before kickoff.
 
Tickets for covered, reserved seating in the grandstand are $25 apiece while general admission tickets are $15 with discounts available for seniors, students and children. Linfield students with their university ID and children under the age of six can attend for free.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
The Linfield Sports Network provides live streaming video coverage for every Linfield home game. Play-by-play commentary is provided by alum Joe Stuart while former Linfield All-American Gary McGarvie provides color-commentary and analysis.
 
The Linfield Athletic Department will also provide live statistics. Both video and statistics can be found through the Linfield Athletics website.
 
THE LINFIELD OFFENSE
The Wildcats boast impressive numbers on both sides of the ball and continue to see their offensive statistics increase weekly with at least 45 points scored in each game during their six-game win streak and 68 points in at least three of those wins.
 
On the year Linfield now sits seventh in D-III in scoring offense with 49.1 points per game and 21^st in total offense with 463.9 yards per game. The 'Cats have had near-perfect execution in the red zone, coming away with points 39 times in 41 trips, a rate of 95.1 percent that is good enough for second in the country.
 
A bevy of fifth year and true seniors will lead the way on offense for their final regular season home game at Memorial Stadium, led by quarterback Blake Eaton.
 
Eaton enters Senior Day as Linfield's all-time career leader in completion percentage at 69.2 percent, is tied for fifth all-time in passing touchdowns and is top 10 in completions, attempts and yards.
 
So far through his final season he's passed for 1,793 yards with 14 touchdowns and three interceptions. In each of the last two games he's thrown for multiple touchdowns and ran for one more.
 
Luke McNabb continues to factor into the offense mostly as a runner, with three rushing scores in the last two games, but also threw for his seventh passing touchdown of the season at Pacific. His 10 rushing touchdowns are fifth among D-III quarterbacks this season.
 
Aaron Martinez continues to start in a deep running back stable. On the season he's totaled 279 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns. Jackson Pfeifer also totaled 546 yards out of the backfield after breaking the century mark at Pacific with 59 rushing yards on six attempts in addition to a 49-yard receiving touchdown.
 
In the receiving game four fifth-year seniors have all contributed in major ways this year. But on the season Caleb Woodcock now leads the group with 438 yards and six touchdowns after three consecutive games with at least 50 yards and a touchdown.
 
Slot receiver Connor Wolfe trails Woodcock with 398 yards and five touchdowns while Jacob Slifka's totaled 363 yards with four touchdowns on a team-high 31 receptions. Maclain Stoneking's added 334 yards and a touchdown. Senior tight end Will French caught his third touchdown of the season last week to kick off the scoring at Pacific.
 
Up front, senior offensive linemen Bailey Lee, Ethan Hoppe, Lane Baker and Alex Hankins will take Maxwell Field for the final time in the regular season.
 
THE PACIFIC LUTHERAN OFFENSE
The Lutes have been solid on offense but sit in the middle of the pack in the NWC statistically with 29.4 points of scoring offense per game, fifth in the conference, and 374.1 yards of total offense, sixth in the league.
 
Pacific Lutheran is third in the conference in rushing at 161.6 yards per game and seventh in passing with just 212.5 yards per game – the result of an offense led by run-focused senior quarterback Darius Chaffin, who's 363 rushing yards are second on the team and seventh in the NWC.
 
An all-league honorable mention last year, he's scored five rushing touchdowns this season while also throwing for 1,562 yards on a 65.5 percent completion rate with 14 touchdowns and four interceptions.
 
The Lute rushing attack also sees key contributions from running back Jacob Schuh, who leads the team and is fourth in the league with 469 rushing yards and has added 116 yards as a receiver. Schuh has scored five total touchdowns.
 
Thor Stepina, a second team all-conference selection last season as a freshman, is the go-to man in the PLU passing offense, leading the team with 39 catches and sitting top-five in the NWC with 572 yards and seven touchdowns.
 
Two 2023 all-conference selection lead the offensive line between senior left guard Nico Skinner and junior right guard Griffin Montana.
 
THE LINFIELD DEFENSE
Linfield continues to sit among the nation's elite defensively, currently ranked 14^th in the country in both. The 'Cats also are 10^th in sacks, 15^th in third-down defense, twelfth in red-zone defense, and after six takeaways at Pacific, seventh in turnovers gained with 22.
 
Like the offense, the bulk of key contributors have been seniors, highlighted by linebacker Blake Rybar. The two-time All-American is likely headed for national honors with a team-leading 58 tackles and eight tackles for loss.
 
Johnny Miller has moved into second on the team in tackles seeing ample time of the bench at rover and as Linfield's nickel cornerback. His season total sits at 34 with five for loss and two pass breakups. Miller is likely get a start at linebacker this week with Blaze Holani likely to miss this week's game due to injury.
 
Caiden Biege-Wetherbee continues to start at rover, where he has 29 tackles and pulled away his first interception of the season last week.
 
In the secondary shutdown cornerback Chance Sparks has brought in five interceptions and has broken up four more passes. Entering Senior Day he is tied for the program's career record with three interceptions returned for touchdowns.
 
Colby Kalaukoa secures the back end of the defense at monster back, where he's recorded 31 tackles and had his second pick of the season against the Boxers. Cutter Hillock will likely get the start at safety on Senior Day with Jett Searle likely to miss this week's game due to injury. Hillock had an interception as well at Pacific, his first of the season.
 
The defensive line continues to wreck oppositions and create havoc, with Linfield sitting top 10 in the nation in both sacks and tackles for loss. All seniors, Alex Frazier-Dow, Caleb Sell, Nick Severson and Connor Stevens have combined 32.5 tackles for loss and 21.5 sacks, led by Sell's 11 tackles for loss and eight sacks.
 
THE PACIFIC LUTHERAN DEFENSE
The Lutes' defense has been the key to their success this season, currently top three in the NWC in both scoring defense at 17.8 points per game and total defense at 288.9 yards per game.
 
They boast the seventh best rushing defense in D-III, allowing just 50.8 yards per game via the run, with just 1.72 allowed per attempt. Pacific Lutheran has one of the few defenses nationally that has been able to get behind the chains at a similar rate as Linfield, sitting fifth in the country with 71 tackles for loss and twelfth in sacks with 28.
 
The unit is headlined by senior all-region defensive end Nico Golla, who leads the NWC and is top-20 nationally with 14 tackles for loss. His 5.5 sacks and six quarterback hurries both lead the team.
 
In the middle of the defense senior linebacker Kalen Davis-White leads the team with 58 tackles. The two-time first team all-NWC honoree has added 8.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble this season.
 
Experience and talent lead the Lute secondary with a pair of senior all-NWC selections at cornerback with Colby Rhinelander and Kellen Meade, while senior safety Sam Morasch leads the team with five interceptions as well as tying Golla's six pass breakups, totaling him at a league-best 11 passes defended.
 
Rhinelander's totaled six breakups as well with 22 tackles and an interception, while Meade's added four pass breakups with 26 tackles.
 
THE LINFIELD SPECIALISTS
Linfield will honor four of their specialists on Senior Day, including fifth-years long snapper Chas Michalczik and punter Thomas Tabor, and true seniors return-man Maclain Stoneking and kicker Gavin Dalziel. The latter three will all have their names inscribed in the Linfield record books.
 
Tabor's career mark of 42.9 yards per punt is the all-time career mark at Linfield, while his 3,258 total yards entering Saturday are 10^th all-time.
 
Dalziel's 241 points scored are third all time for any player at Linfield, while his 29 made field goals are fourth all-time and his 70.3 percent career field goal rate is second. His 154 made point after touchdown attempts are also second in program history.
 
With an electrifying performance last week, Maclain Stoneking became Linfield's all-time leader in punt return yards with his career total at 828 and tied the career punt return touchdown record with four. His 13.2 yards per punt return are third in program history.
 
THE PACIFIC LUTHERAN SPECIALISTS
Senior Cole Sargent handles field goals, kickoffs and PATs for the Lutes. He's gone 7 for 8 on field goal attempts but has gone just 24 for 30 on PAT attempts.
 
Andrew Comito averages 33.0 yards per punt for the Lutes, while Connor Meade averages 8.3 yards per punt return and 29.86 yards per kickoff return, which would lead the NWC but does not qualify with just seven returns attempted.
 
THE SERIES
Linfield leads its all-time series with Pacific Lutheran 49-21-4 and has won the last 23 meetings (21 regular season, 2 playoff), including 2023's 42-19 win in Puyallup; the last meeting in McMinnville was Linfield's 45-0 win in 2022 … The first meeting was in 1933, when Linfield won 19-7 at PLU ... PLU's last victory was in 2001, by a 31-20 score at PLU … Linfield is 27-8-1 in McMinnville and 22-13-3 at PLU's various home fields … 7 of the meetings have been in the NCAA or NAIA national playoffs, with Linfield holding a 4-3 edge … from 1974-1980, 5 of the 7 regular-season games were decided by 1 point … Linfield's widest margin of victory has been 45 points, occurring 3 times: 45-0 in 2022 in McMinnville, 52-7 in 2021 at PLU and 45-0 in 2008 at PLU; PLU's widest margin of victory was 39 points, 45-6 in 1940 in McMinnville; PLU's widest margin at home was 24 points, 44-20 in 1987 … there have been 2 overtime games in the series; the first was in 1986, Linfield's 27-21 win at PLU in the NAIA Division II quarterfinals, and the second was in 2017, the Wildcats' 16-10 victory at PLU …
 
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 551-122-10 for a winning percentage of .814. 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 286-33-5 (.890). In all league games during The Streak, it is 337-45-5 (.877), 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 655-273-28 (.700) … 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 321-112-11 (.735) in 83 seasons dating back to the conference's initial formation in 1926. In all league games, it is 372-124-11 (.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 145-21 (.873) overall, 125-9 (.933) in the regular season, 79-5 (.940) at home and 95-3 (.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 163-30 (.845), which is the highest winning percentage of any head coach in Wildcat football history … Smith's record includes marks of 143-18 (.888) in the regular season, 109-7 (.940) in Northwest Conference games, 89-9 (.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 …