NEWBERG, Ore. – Linfield quarterback
Luke McNabb rushed for a career-high 120 yards, and threw for 169 yards and three scores, rallying the Wildcats to a come-from-behind 35-17 victory over Yamhill County rival George Fox in the Northwest Conference opener for both teams Saturday at Stoffer Family Stadium.
Linfield (2-1, 1-0 NWC) trailed winless George Fox 14-0 in the first quarter before tying the game with two unanswered touchdowns in the second period.
The Wildcats outscored the Bruins 21-3 in the second half, sending the announced Homecoming crowd of 2,502 home unhappy.
After pinning Linfield on its own 3-yard line with the opening kickoff, the Wildcats could not advance further than their own 16 on the game's opening drive. Cade Johanssen's punt was blocked and recovered by William Moffit in the end zone. Linfield was forced to punt again after going three-and-out on its next possession, again giving George Fox decent field position early in the contest.
Riding the early momentum, GFU quarterback JJ Leman connected with Taylor Saben, who raced 53 yards for a touchdown at the 7:14 mark of the opening quarter. The extra point by Ben Rembisz made the score 14-0 in favor of the hosts.
The Wildcats seemed to begin to steady themselves in the second quarter, though the Bruins denied them a perfect scoring opportunity midway through the period, halting the 'Cats on four straight plays from inside the GFU 2-yard line.
Eventually, Linfield penetrated the George Fox defense. McNabb passed 14 yards to
Dane Meddaugh with 4:59 left before intermission, drawing the 'Cats to within seven points following
Gavin Dalziel's extra point. The Wildcats forced the Bruins to go three-and-out on their next series, and a short punt gave the 'Cats the ball at the Bruins' 37. Three plays later, McNabb spotted
Caleb Woodcock at the 6-yard line and the lanky Linfield senior stretched out to reach the goal line. Initially, Woodcock was ruled short of a touchdown, but a video review determined that he had crossed the line for the game-tying score.
Despite the rocky start, Linfield held a 186-115 edge in total yards through the opening half thanks to 116 yards passing and another 51 rushing by McNabb.
Linfield took command in the third quarter, scoring on its opening drive as McNabb and Woodcock combined for a 1-yard TD pass play to a nine-play, 63-yard march. Dalziel's extra point gave Linfield a 21-14 lead. Linfield held holding George Fox to just 46 yards in the period.
Tyler Borde's interception and 38-yard return of a McNabb pass spotted the ball at the Linfield 32, but the Wildcats defense held on three straight plays, forcing Rembisz to try a field goal on the opening play of the fourth quarter. His 40-yard attempt was good, cutting Linfield's advantage to 21-17.
Minutes later, a Linfield special teams unit came through with a back-breaking response.
Reid Gray took the ensuing kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown, putting the Wildcats back in front by double digits. Gray, who finished with 135 all-purpose yards, recorded the eighth-longest kick return in program history, equaling a mark set by graduated All-American Gary McGarvie in 1992.
Matthew Spurbeck added an insurance touchdown with 3:11 left, plowing over from two yards out.
McNabb completed 17 of 32 passes for 169 yards but he was intercepted twice and sacked five times. Even with the five sacks resulting in 39 yards in losses, he still managed to finish with a career-best 120 yards rushing.
Leman passed for 209 yards and one score. He was limited to 18 completions on 45 attempts and finished with one net yard rushing on 11 carries.
Linfield outgained George Fox 339-235, including a 170-23 disparity on the ground.
The Wildcats controlled the time of possession, 35:00 to 25:00. They converted 7 of 16 third-down plays and were 4 of 7 on red-zone opportunities.
With the loss, the program's seventh straight defeat stretching back to last season, George Fox fell to 0-4 and 0-1 in conference play.
AHEAD
Linfield returns to Maxwell Field next Saturday where they'll host Pacific on Homecoming weekend. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m.
