McMINNVILLE, Ore. – Linfield won a share of its sixth straight Northwest Conference football championship Saturday afternoon, beating Pacific 59-0 at Maxwell Field. The Wildcats and Boxers share the championship, but Linfield advances to next week's first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs by virtue of Saturday's victory in the head-to-head meeting.
The game capped two weeks of anticipation, as it had been likely since then that the winner of the regular-season finale between the 'Cats (8-1 overall, 6-1 NWC) and Boxers (6-3, 6-1) would take the postseason bid. The matchup before a capacity crowd of 3,192 on a clear, cold day turned out to be no contest as Linfield rolled to a 21-0 first-quarter lead and cruised from there.
Linfield running back Spencer Payne rushed for 114 yards and a touchdown and quarterback Sam Riddle sliced the Pacific defense for 99 yards and two touhchdowns. Riddle passed for another 85 yards and a score as the Wildcats outgained the Boxers 401-144 and took advantage of four Pacific turnovers.
Linfield awaits Sunday's 3 p.m. PDT announcement from the NCAA on the arrangement of the full 32-team playoff field.
Pacific could be named to the playoff field, but its season likely ended with Saturday's loss. The Boxers, in just their fifth year of football following a 19-year hiatus, captured a share of their first league crown in 62 years by opening its NWC season with six straight wins.
Three Linfield touchdowns sandwiched around just one Pacific offensive play during the game's first 12 minutes were the difference. The Wildcats scored three times in just under two minutes of clock time to lead 21-0.
Linfield broke the ice with just over five minutes left in the first quarter as Riddle weaved into the end zone from the 2; the extra point by Michael Metter gave the hosts an early 7-0 lead. An error on the ensuing kickoff led directly to seven more points. Bronson Barretto bobbled the kickoff and Asa Schwartz recovered at the Pacific 13-yard line. Three plays later, Riddle swept around right end for a 5-yard score to make it 14-0.
This time, Pacific fielded the kickoff but turned the ball over on its first play from scrimmage. Quarterback Warner Shaw hit halfback Kamana Pimental with a short pass but Eli Biondine forced the ball from him and Mikey Arkans recovered the fumble at the Linfield 23.
Payne converted the miscue into more points. On third-and-one from the Boxer 14, Payne broke free for a 14-yard run and the Wildcats pushed their lead to 21-0 with 3:19 left in the opening quarter.
Linfield's defense limited Pacific to 73 yards total offense in the first three quarters, and the Boxers didn't reach the 100-yard mark until less than 4:00 remained in the game.
After its 21-point opening burst, Linfield tacked on Metter's 43-yard field goal early in the second quarter for a 24-0 lead. The Boxers then got their best look of the game.
Pacific put together a 13-play drive that consumed nearly seven minutes and reached the Linfield 30 with about 4:30 to go in the half; if the Boxers managed a touchdown, they'd also be getting the ball to start the third quarter and could make it a two-score game. But on fourth-and-one from the 30, Shaw's pass under pressure flew out of bounds.
Linfield then all but put the game away in the final seconds of the half. The 'Cats took the ball at their own 34 with 2:23 remaining and capped a four-play drive a 20-yard scoring pass from Riddle to Evan Peterson for a 31-0 halftime lead.
Linfield added two touchdowns in both the third and fourth quarters.
In the third quarter, Jordan Giza took direct snaps and scored on runs of four and two yards. In the final stanza, quarterback Matt Yarbrough had a nine-yard touchdown run and Andy Nelson added a one-yard juant.
'CAT SCRATCH: The shutout was Linfield's second of the season, joining a 59-0 home win over George Fox. It was the fourth time the Wildcats had held an opponent to seven or fewer points … the victory gave Linfield a share of its 38th Northwest Conference or Mt. Hood Conference championship and its 12th in the past 15 years … Linfield had already secured its 59th straight winning season, the most ever in college football at any level … with the win, the Wildcats ran their record at home in the month of November to 29-3 dating the start of the NCAA era in 1998. . . Linfield's sixth straight NWC crown matched its longest run of league championships set by Jay Locey's clubs of 2000-2005. . . 22 senior football players were recognized prior to kickoff as part of the annual Senior Day festivities. . . the graduating class of 2015 has won 40 of 44 games thus far in its Linfield career.
Linfield silences Pacfic 59-0
/seasons/2014/boxscores/20141115_ikua.xml
2014
Pacific
0
Linfield
59
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pacific (6-3) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| No. 10 Linfield (8-1) | 21 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 59 |
Nov 15, 2014