Sorry for the lack of anything this week...

Just wanted to give you a quick update. I'm not trying to avoid my usual posts during a game week but like I mentioned before this is hands down the craziest week of my year when it comes to work. Heck, I hardly have time to even post this up. I expect a late night for WC11 at work tonight and that will roll right into tomorrow...which means no game for WC11. First Linfield game I've missed since 2006 Menlo (work related miss again). Anyways, Cats control the run game and take away "Cut and Run" Williams' best WR and slowly pull away for a 17-20 point win.

Go 'Cats!

Video Tuesday...on Wednesday!

Sorry this is late but it's the most hectic time of the year at my real job and as much as I love Linfield football paying the bills is pretty nice. I'll get the trivia clip up tonight (the clip went over real well at the game). I'll also get Saturday's preview out as soon as I have the time. Old WC11 has too many irons in the fire.

Today in Linfield History - 99 yard Int return vs Willamette

Senior Moment - RB Dan Lever

Senior Moment - O-Tackle Jared Hinkle

‘Cats lose…early game hole was too deep to dig out of.

That was zero fun. I knew that Willamette was having a great year but they showed on Saturday that you cannot afford to have gaffs in your game and not expect a good team to take advantage. Saturday the ‘Cats found the hard way as the ‘Cats battled back out of a early game hole to only watch the whole thing blow up in the middle of the 4th quarter as Willamette turned a 3 point lead into a monkey stomp victory of 24 points.

The Good:

-Offensive line: I thought that once again the offensive line did a fine job against a solid defensive front. Franklin had ample time to throw for the great majority of the day and helped Linfield run for over 200 yards and was key in Linfield actually outgaining Willamette on offense on the day.

-Cole Franklin: Cole played all out on Saturday and sacrificed his body time and again in an effort to break plays wide open. He rushed over 100 yards and threw for over 170 yards on the day. A very solid effort. The sophomore went down very late in the game with an ankle tweak but I’m sure he be ready for next Saturday.

-Team Resolve: It would have been very easy to just lay down after that disaster 1st quarter but Linfield rallied and slowly climbed back in the game. It was awesome to see the kids respond and not check out.

The Bad:

-Giving up Big Plays: It was a concern of mine going into the game. You have so many things you have to honor in the fly offense that one simple breakdown that would cost you maybe a 10-15 yard gain vs a standard offense turns into a 50 yard untouched TD run with Willamette. I thought that we might give up a few big plays but it was hard to see Wilamette hit home run after home run.

-QB Pressure: This is more of a compliment to the Willamette offensive line than an indictment of our defensive line (who I think is the best unit in the NWC) but in the 2nd half the Willamette game plan shifted to a passing attack. The pocket held for the 2nd half and that allowed Willamette to move the ball and eventually put the game out of reach.

-Untimely penalties: The ‘Cats only had 5 penalties but they all seemed to give a Willamette drive extra life or stall a ‘Cats drive.

The Ugly:

-Special Teams: As a group it killed us. We gave up 14 points on a blocked punt and a bad snap/mishandled snap. Then we gave up the short porch on short kicks, we gave up WAY too much yardage on kick/punt returns, couldn’t field kickoffs, missed a FG, etc. We all knew Willamette had fine special teams coming in but that was just an ugly performance by special teams that crippled our game plan.

Around the CatdomeO'sphere

Time to get your weekly dose of news around the Northwest Confernece with our link dump.

Everybody Plays vs Lewis & Clark (News-Register)

Linfield’s SID, Kelly Bird, reminisces about Linfield/Willamette past (A Word with Kelly Bird)

Dan Lever has been a Wildcat all his life (Linfield Sports)

It’s the game of the Year (Willamette Collegian)

That hack James Day is taking Willamette (Statesman Journal)

Bearcats stomp the pee out of PLU (Willamette Collegian)

Bearcats *sweep* up the ‘Lutes (Tacoma News-Tribune)

Rats offense clear cuts a path through Loggers (That’s how you do a Logger pun!) (Whitworthian)

Coach Willenbrock saw the Logs demise before playing Whitworth (Tacome New-Tribune)

News Story on Rats stomping Loggers (KXLY.com)

Loggers Kavin Williams says he didn’t “cut and run” after getting hurt last season (Tacoma News-Tribune)

Cool story on support people of UPS and PLU (Tacoma News-Tribuen)

Week 8: NWC Pick 'Em

Wildcat11 is creeping up the ladder step by step and currently sits in the 4th spot this week and only a few points off the lead. The problem is that since we’re in conference play the number of games to pick from are very few (only 4 total games this week). However, there is some divide over the PLU/UPS game and the Bonus Game. We’ll see if I can keep making up ground.

Whitworth over Menlo: The Rats have a long road trip down to Atherton but that shouldn’t get in their way as the Rats will rush their way to victory over the Oaks.

Pacific Lutheran over Puget Sound: This is a toss-up game for me and could go either way. PLU and UPS are both having big struggles this season but I think that PLU does have the better defense and will make enough plays to squeak by their cross town rival.

Bonus Game: Carleton over St. Thomas (MIAC): A battle of the number one team in the MIAC (Carleton) over the number 3 team (St. Thomas) and I’m going to be a front runner and take visiting Carleton. Main reason is that I think that the Tommies are still suffering from the hangover of a hair thin loss to Saint John’s.

Game 6: Cats vs Bearcats

This is it. The Northwest Conference game of the year and if you couldn’t tell I’m pretty darn excited. Before the beginning of the year most Linfield fans expected for the ‘Cats to be right in the middle of playing for the NWC championship but Willamette has been a big surprise this season. The Bearcats lost some outstanding linebackers, a two time all-american offensive lineman, and both their kicking specialists. I thought Willamette would be solid because they were returning some talent but I had no idea they would being coming into the ‘Catdome on the roll they’ve been on this season. Even with some injuries the Bearcats have been cruising right along with contributions from all phases of their team.

It should be a special atmosphere and I think it will be an instant classic of a ball game. Tradition rivals, playoff implications, conference championship implications, bragging rights, etc. are all on the line. Is it Saturday yet?

Know Your Foe (Ripped 90% from Wikipedia)

Bearcat. A common question you hear when Willamette comes up is “What the hell is a Bearcat?”. Well, it’s not the tool in the photo on the right with the crappy tattoo. But I do have your answer.

Bearcats are actually a “Binturong”. It’s neither a bear nor a cat but is a four legged fuzzy creature that lives in the forest canopy of rainforests throughout Asia. They have a tail but it’s fully prehensile, which means they use it like a fifth hand. They’re not really big and are the size of a small dog. Their ears are small and round and have beady eyes with coarse and thick black fur.

Bearcats are nocturnal and sleep on branches. It likes to eat fruit but will chow on small animals like a bird or rats (you hear that Whitworth…rats.). They also have a sent or musk that is compared to that of warm popcorn and cornbread (I always wonder why I smelled warm popcorn when watching a game at Willamette)

Willamette University was established in 1842 and they love to brag that they are the “First” university in the west. Well congratulations on that and here’s your cookie for being first.

WU has about 2,500 students if you combine their grad students and undergrads. They have a Law school which is well respected but I have a general distain for most things Willamette. That probably stems from the near multiple fights/word exchanges I’ve had with some moronic Bearcat students. I’ll save my favorite story for another day.

On Willamette’s Wikipedia page in the athletic section they talk about the Bearcats best football team being the 1997 group but that gets trumped by touting Liz as the first female to kick in a college game. So, once again the greatest team Willamette every put on the field gets overshadowed by Hawkins stunt. Happens every time they talk about the 1997 team. Don’t believe me? Even when that team gets a big article in WU’s athletic magazine they still play 2nd fiddle to Liz....way to go Hawkins.

Wildcat11’s key to Victory.

-Bottle up the Fly Sweep/Bottle up Mervin Woo. The #1 key in slowing down the Fly offense is putting the clamps on the sweep. The whole offense is based around the sweep and if you can’t contain it then everything else they run off the sweep (ISO Blast, traps, play action pass) will slice you up. The most important player on that Willamette team is the “sweeper” and that’s Mervin Woo. Woo is not only the Bearcats best weapon running the ball he’s also Willamette’s best receiver too. If Linfield’s defense can put Woo in check then the ‘Cats will make life much more difficult for the Bearcat offense.

-Limit Willamette’s big play strikes. Defending the Fly offense is assignment football and it only takes one breakdown to give up the big play to Willamette. This season alone, Willamette has scored 6 touchdowns of 40 yards or more and 2 more touchdowns from 30 yards out. Linfield has to be able to limit the big plays on defense in order to keep the point total low. Last year’s loss to Willamette can be chalked up to a few items but giving up a few big plays was a huge factor. Make them earn it with sustained drives.

-Win on Special Team. Willamette has always done a nice job on special teams and this year is no exception. This week the special teams battle is huge and Linfield has to win this phase in the game. We cannot afford a blocked punt/kick and we have to do a great job in the return game. This is the type of game where a play in special teams could make or break a team.

-Counter the Bearcats 2nd half adjustments. In two of Willamette’s toughest games (Whitworth and SOU) the Bearcats started out somewhat slow but picked up steam as the game went along and really showed they are a fine 2nd half team. In fact, the Bearcats have outscored their opponents 175-52 in the 2nd half of games this season and have been particularly strong in the 3rd quarter holding a major 76-16 scoring edge. While the ‘Cats haven’t exactly been a point scoring machine our offense has been efficient in the 2nd half of games while the defense has only given up a total of 29 points the entire season in the 2nd stanza.

-Convert in the Red Zone. Willamette is a bend but don’t break style of team so I feel confident that Linfield will be able to move the ball in between the 20’s but it’ll will get down to who is going to win the battle in the red zone. The Bearcats have shown the ability to stiffen up and turn away teams from touchdowns so Linfield’s ability to execute opportunities into touchdowns will be huge.

-Turnover battle. The Bearcats are a +10 in the turnover department this season and that is a huge key in why they’re currently 7-0. They’ve been able to hang onto the ball for the most part and been able to take the ball away on a regular basis. Linfield’s defense has been creating more turnovers this season but we’ve still been giving away the ball too much. It goes without typing…whoever wins the turnover game will have a huge advantage.

Predictions

Linfield by a late 7 points. I suspect there are going to be times where each team is going to have the momentum and this game could really come down to the last few possessions. I like the fact we’re at the ‘Catdome and our players have already been in some tight ball games where different players have made the plays to propel Linfield to victory. On the other hand, Willamette has experienced the same thing this season where it’s been a collective effort and not just one or two players that dominate a game.

In the end I believe that Linfield’s defensive front seven is going to get the job done late in the game and provide the Wildcat offense enough time to put the dagger in during the ladder stage of the game. Go ‘Cats!

Game 6: Linfield vs Willamette via Google Maps

CLICK HERE TO VIEW LARGE MAP

Catdomealumni.com has what you need if you are making your way to the 'Catdome or if you're stuck at home for the NWC game of the year. With the help of Google Maps we have the links you need to catch either radio broadcast, the 'Cats video stream, game previews, and location of the top flight Linfield tailgating location.

All you have to do is click on the Wildcat icon "6" on the above map to bring up the info bubble for the Willamette game or you can click on the link below the the mini-map to to a larger version. See you on Saturday and let's beat stinkin' Willamette!

'Cats win...blaze trail through Lewis and Clark

Linfield did what they needed to do on Saturday and that was dismantle Lewis & Clark. It was great that so many ‘Cats were able to get out on the field and flex their muscle to the Linfield crowd up on the hill. Again, L&C has a loooong way to go to become a true competitive program in the NWC once again but they can be if they get the support. Anyways…I have other things on my mind so let’s make this short and sweet.

The Good:

-Scott Birkhofer. Two booming 50+ yard field goals and again breaking his own record with a 56-yard shot in the 3rd quarter. I was directly below the goal post shooting the action (damn back judge stepped in my frame when the ball was snapped) and that kick could have easily have cleared from 60+. Scott’s range at times seems limitless.

-Lots of ‘Cats getting action. Tight games are so much fun but at the same time it’s also rewarding to see so many of the guys getting their chance to shine on the field. There are so many guys that work VERY hard but that doesn’t always translate to heavy playing time so there is some great joy in seeing so many ‘Cats getting to crack pads. Good job boys.

The Bad:

-Giving up a Touchdown. Yeah, call me a jerk but truthfully I was a little ticked we gave up a running touchdown up the middle in the 4th quarter. I wanted the shutout and, yes, I’m greedy when it comes to defense.

-Losing my 2004 Hooded Sweatshirt. At halftime it was warming up so I took off my sweatshirt and left it in the locker room. Of course, I forgot it after the game and have no idea if it’s long gone or not. That was a great sweatshirt so excuse me if I morn my trusty friend a little.

The Ugly:

Nothing this week. Nothing you can really whine about in a 55-7 win. L&C uniforms at least look much better than some of the nastiness they’ve rolled out in the past. I’ve already stated how much I hate the surface at L&C but Griswold Stadium is one of the best backdrops for football in the NW. It’s just too bad the product is so poor.

Bonus Thought: Just want to give a shout out to the first two seasons of the Showtime series “Dexter”. Mrs. 11 and I blasted through season 1 & 2 on DVD the past two weekends and that is a fantastic series. Granted, the main charter is a vigilante serial killer but the writing is great and the storylines are tight. It’s NOT a PG series but if you plan just holding up inside for a weekend I’d highly recommend picking up Dexter on DVD.

Around the CatdomeO'sphere

Sorry we're running late today but it's been a busy day. Gotta pay the bills. Here's our weekly link dump of news around the NWC. Some good reading this week. Check out the story on Reggie Ford (must read) and there are some other good articles around.

Linfield’s Reggie Ford is build damn tough (McMinnville News-Register)

‘Cats send Rats to Davey Jones' Locker (McMinnville News-Register)

Bearcats Smash Hapless Pios (Willamette Collegian)

Gusties sprinkles salt on PLU’s Homecoming game (PLU's The Mast)

PLU’s defensive coordinator blames offense for loss (not really, but kind of) (Tacoma News-Tribune)

Rats admit they couldn’t run the ball (The Whitworthian)

Loggers can’t cut down Oaks (Tacoma News-Tribune)

BONUS LINK:

Whitman really did have a football team...no I’m serious (Walla-Walla Union Bulletin)

Week 7: NWC Pick 'Em

An Annual tradition for members of the D3boards.com is the conference “Pick ‘Em” contest. Here is a link to the NWC Pick ‘Em board, however, you must be a registered member in order to see or post on these boards. It only takes a minute to register and doesn’t cost a dime. NWC Pick ‘Em

Wildcat11 is still holding down the 5th spot in the NWC pick ‘em contest and is still only 3 points off the lead. Most of the picking contestants are in agreement with the NWC game but are divided with the Bonus Pick and it could shake up the standings a little. Here are WC11’s lock-down picks

Whitworth over UPS. If the Loggers were going to make any sort of splash in the NWC this year they HAD to beat Menlo last week and it didn’t happen. Now they get to travel across Washington in another long road trip and go to 0-2 in conference play.

Willamette over PLU. The Lutes defense has been pretty solid this season but they have really been void of any offense. Willamette doesn’t get tripped up looking past the ‘Lutes and will come to the ‘Catdome with a glossy 7-0 record.

Bonus Game: Occidental over Chapman. This is a huge game for Chapman in terms of a Pool B playoff bid (Chapman is an independent). They have to beat Occidental in order to really be a contender for one of those playoff slots. Oxy is in control of the SCIAC but this game is big in terms of having a claim towards a potential home playoff game. I got burned picking against Oxy last week but won’t this time as the Tigers will get past the Panthers.

Game 5: Cats vs Pio via Google Maps

CLICK HERE TO VIEW LARGE MAP

All season long Catdomealumni.com is trying to help you find your way to the game just a bit easier, and with the help of Google Maps we'll not point you in the wrong direction on your way to Palatine Hill. Or if you can't make it to the game we have your radio links and some other tid bits of info on Lewis & Clark.

All you have to do is click on the Wildcat icon the above map to bring up the info bubble or you can click on the link below the the mini-map to to a larger version. See you on Saturday!

Game 5: 'Cats vs Pios

The Wildcats have the pleasure of visiting one of my favorite settings for football in the Pacific Northwest, Palatine Hill. Don’t get it twisted the playing surface at L&C is an exploding knee waiting to happen but the backdrop for football is excellent. Unfortunately that backdrop is the only excellence you can find surrounding Lewis & Clark football. We all know the back story at this point about how the Pioneers almost killed the program after 2005 and are on a slow climb in the rebuilding process. There are signs of improvement in the fact the College has added more fulltime staff and the program has brought in some decent young talent. However, the Pios are not nearly ready for primetime yet. This is a layup for the ‘Cats this week so let’s get into my gimmick.

Know Your Foe (90% from Wikipedia)

OK so we all know the College was named after Meriwether Lewis and William Clark who led the famous expedition to the Pacific Coast and back. So I may send some L&C fan boys into a fit with my down and dirty but here is the jist of it: after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, President Jefferson wanted to get a leg up on those French rascals who were planning on sending parties out west to get a better landscape of the territory. So President Jefferson tapped Lewis to lead the expedition, and in turn, Lewis selected Clark to be his partner. (I guess that’s why Lewis gets top billing).

So the party of 33 people departed Pittsburgh on Aug 31, 1803 and started to head west. Along the way the Party got into all sorts of hi-jinks and shenanigans, met a local named Sacagawea, had a trusty dog named Seaman, and finally in the fall of 1805 the party reached the Pacific Northwest, held up for the winter and started making the journey back east in March of 1806. (Of course I’m leaving out volumes and volumes of details and accurate statements)

Lewis and Clark College was founded as the Albany Collegiate Institute in 1867 in the town of Albany, 65 miles south of Portland by Willamette Valley Presbyterian pioneers, and relocated to Portland in 1938.

In 1942 the College trustees acquired the Lloyd Frank (of the historic Portland department store Meier & Frank) “Fir Acres” estate in Southwest Portland, and adopted the name Lewis & Clark College as a “symbol of the pioneering spirit that had made and maintained the College.”

Former College President Michael Mooney resigned in 2003 after reports surfaced in the media of a $10.5 million loss from an investment made outside full knowledge of the board of trustees.

Some of L&C’s more notable alumni include Actress Markie Post, Percy Kelly (Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court), Myah Moore (Miss Oregon 2003), and Monica Lewinsky (I had a really bad joke that I decided not to write down)

Wildcat11’s Keys To Victory:

-Starters execute early and get off the field early. The ‘Cats have had four hotly contested games to start the season so I would love to see our starters get an early lead by the half so we can get deep in our roster during the 2nd half so the young kids get a chance to compete.

-Do the fundamentals right. Have the ‘Cats keep working on the fundamentals that will carry us the rest of the season.

-Have Fun. It should be a nice day on the Hill and the ‘Cats should have plenty of fans there to root on their ‘Cats. Go out there and have a ball.

Overall

‘Cats by a triple monkey stomp. If you don’t know what a Monkey Stomp is, the term is well known in the d3boards.com community as a victory of 21 points or more. You do the math to figure out what a triple stomp is. Let’s get up to the Hill, roll this team, stay injury free, have fun, and get ready for the NWC Game Of The Year. Go ‘Cats!

Tuesday Video!

It's Video Tuesday where the ADvantage posts up some of the scoreboard spots that ran during the previous Linfield home game. Below are the spots from the Whitworth Game. Enjoy!


Linfield Trivia - Career Sack Record


Today in History - Game Rushing Record


Gabe Haberly - Cornerback


Gus Morrison - Linebacker


Nick Hill - Defensive Back

Cats Win!!! Keel Haul Rats season.

It was a picture perfect October Saturday at the always perfect Catdome and the ‘Cats corrected a wrong from the past two seasons. It wasn’t easy as the Rats hung tough all game long and Linfield again gift wrapped some nasty looking turnovers but in the end our boys overcame an almost tragic 1st half and found a way to win and set up a GIANT showdown in two weeks vs Willamette. Let go to the hooks!

The Good

-Mental toughness. This group of ‘Cats have not had an easy one yet but once again the ‘Cats faced down the adversity and overcame. The team could have been down for giving up so much that first half with the turnovers but the ‘Cats adjusted, cleaned up that aspect of the game, and when out and got the job done in the 2nd half. Excellent

-Offensive Improvement. I’m sure the offense would have liked to do some things better but the bottom line is when the ‘Cats needed the score or the first down to clinch the game, the ‘Cats offense had the answers. I do think the passing game will continue to improve but I loved what I saw in terms of running the ball.

-Team Defense. After giving up a Tug on the first drive the ‘Cats defense settled and really did a great job versus the Rats and Adam Anderson (who is a heck of a player). Whitworth did punch in a short porch drive but really the ‘Cats defense closed the door on the run game and especially when it mattered most…the 4th quarter.

-Line play. Both sides of the ‘Cats line have been getting it done all year long and Saturday was no exception. While they may not get the glory like the skill guys the upfront players on both lines are bring home the proverbial bacon for the ‘Cats.

The Bad

Turnovers: Four 1st half turnovers. Man that was just bad. It wasn’t like the Rats were ripping the ball out of the running backs hands or making incredible ball hawking plays but they were more self inflicted wounds. Bobbled snap, dropped ball out the backfield, a VERY questionable fumble on a punt return (bad call but we shouldn’t allow it to come to that), and a pick that I’ll give the Rats credit for (good break on the ball and not great placement on the pass). Willamette has lived on the misfortune of others this year so we have to clean up these types of flubs.

Special Teams: Special teams for me on Saturday were a mixed bag. Of course Scott Birkhofer nailed a game winner and the punt team did a great job in coverage and protection, but I just didn’t think as a whole, special team, played their best game. We had a turnover on a punt return, gave up a TD on a broken field goal attempt, I thought our kickoff return blocking was below avg, and we gave up too good of field position in kickoff coverage. I think our Special teams have been solid all year but I didn’t think Saturday was our best effort.

The Ugly

The All-Purple Uniforms. I know, I know…call me a hater but I do hate the all purples. I’ll admit it I’ve never been a fan since the team first broke them out in 2005 versus Puget Sound. There are some guys on the team that the whole purple gimmick looks good but for a number of guys (especially the big fellas) we’re creeping up on Grimace territory and that’s not a good thing. Thankfully, the all purple look is just once a year because I may have to pour acid in my eyes if Linfield adopted this look on a weekly basis. While I’m at it, I might as well rank Linfield’s four uniform combos in this order:

1. Traditional Home Uniform (Purple Top/White Pants): classic Linfield look and a clean traditional college uniform. Great looking uniform.

2. Road Whites (White Tops/White Pants): Have always liked the look with the white helmets, jersey, and pants while on the road.

3. Road White/Purple (White Tops/Purple Pants): I believe this look is for any away game played on grass since the purple pants are easier to get clean and grass stains out of than the white pants. The look is ok but not in the same ball park as the first two

4. Home All Purples. Already said my peace and I feel much better now.

Good job Rook....

Freshman Taylor Skore made a big splash in Saturday's win over Whitworth with a huge 82 yard interception for return touchdown. So how does one get greeted back to the sideline after such an electric play? Here you go....

Around the CatdomeO'sphere

It's Friday so you know it's time to catch you up with news around the NWC in our weekly link dump.

The 'Cats Joe Seifert is 100% Linfield Wildcat (Linfield Sports)

‘Cats boot the Oaks back to Cali (McMinnville News-Register)

Linfield's Jackson Vaughan is a coaching wizard. (Tacoma News Tribune)

‘Lutes dispose of Lewis and Clark (Tacoma News Tribune)

Rats drop first NWC game in a while to stinkin’ Willamette (The Whitwortian)

Willamette’s “Fariytale” (more like an Acid Trip) season continues with win at Whitworth (Willamette Collegian)

Short news report of Whitworth’s loss where reporter cannot pronounce “Willamette” (KXLY.com)

Scott Birkhofer is NWC special teams player of the week for 54-Yard boomer (Linfield Sports)

Gustavus heads to the great Pacific NW but will wind up in the not so great Puyallup to play PLU (Gustavus Athletics)

Week 6: NWC Pick 'Em

An Annual tradition for members of the D3boards.com is the conference “Pick ‘Em” contest. Here is a link to the NWC Pick ‘Em board, however, you must be a registered member in order to see or post on these boards. It only takes a minute to register and doesn’t cost a dime. NWC Pick ‘Em

So old Wildcat11 moved up two spots to number 6 (out of 17) in the NWC pick ‘em contest but only 3 points off the lead so I’m within strking distance at the halfway mark of the season. So here are WC11’s picks of the week *cue the music*:

Menlo over Puget Sound: I’m not totally basing this pick off of last week’s Linfield/Menlo game but for the fact the Menlo is at home and gave the Loggers a facial last year down at Menlo. Due to scheduling UPS is making the back-to-back trips to Atherton and that gives favor to the Oaks. It’s going to be a close one.

Willamette over L&C: The Bearcats keep the wagon wheel and the only drama is if the Pios will be able to score any points.

Gustavus over PLU. The MIAC team is visiting PLU for the very first time and I’m taking the visitor. PLU will get better as the year continues but they are going through “youth” pains this season and that will show in their record.

Bonus Pick: Redlands over Oxy. This is the Game of the Year in the SCIAC and should determine who will win the SCIAC championship and have the inside track to an auto bid. Even with Redland’s explosive QB, Dan Selway, out with a foot injury I’ll take the Dawgs defense and run game over Oxy.

Alumni vs JV game this SUNDAY!

The 5th meeting of the Linfield Alumni team vs the Junior Varsity will take place this Sunday (Oct. 12th) at the 'Catdome at noon. Wildcat11 has retired from the alumni game and former Linfield great and current Linfield assistant coach, Brandon Hazenberg, has taken up the reigns as organizer of the alumni team.

Coach Hazenberg has assembled a pretty stacked roster for the young 'Cats to face off against but the young bucks have some pretty good talent so it should be a fun one. Coach Hazenberg tried to contact as many alumni players as possible but if you were missed and want to play on Sunday just drop me an email and I'll get you in contact with Coach Haze.

Here is the current alumni team roster as of today:

Quarterback - Brett Elliott

Running Back - Morti Kotler, Drew Ragan

WR- Casey Allen, Brad McKechnie, Brandon Hazenberg, George Carter, Ty Kaluza, Josh Vierra, Tyson Banker, Josh Armstrong, Kyle Waner

OL - James Holan, John Kemper, Andy O'Neal, Dwight Donaldson, Jeff York, Danny Klieber

Tight End - Ben Blosser

Defensive Line - Mike Ketler, Nick Soo, Robert "Ace" Acevedo, Ricky Gaspar

LB's - Brandon Olsen, Ryan Caffal, Cam Rogers, Phil Rombach, Harrison Berstch

Rover - Zach Flemming, Andrew Bean

Safety - Brian Mehl, Jacob Schultz, Neil Fendall

Monster - Ray Lions, Keone Tawata, Ty Smith

Corner - Andrew Woods, Phil Marr, Chris Boock, Rod Booth, Thomas Ford

Catdomealumni.com T-Shirts ON SALE THIS SATURDAY!

****ALERT****

The remaining Catdomealumni.com T-Shirts will be on sale this Saturday out in the Tailgate location.

WE ARE OUT OF XXL and XL sizes.

We have about 12 Large shirts, 8 Med., and 4 Smalls left. So far we've raised $300 for the Helmets for Hunger Program and if we can sell off the remaining shirts we can donate a total of $550 to the Seniors. So if you wear or know folks who wear these smaller sizes please stop by the Catdomealumni.com T-Shirt table in the Tailgate area (Keck Parking lot) and see "Gig Harbor Cat".

Let's get these remaining shirts sold!

-WC11

Game 4: Cats vs Rats via Google Maps

CLICK HERE FOR LARGER MAP

The ADvantage has what you need for your game day travel or if you're at home we have the links for you to catch all the action.

Catdomealumni.com has crafted a 2008 game schedule using the power of Google Maps. All you need to do is click on the Wildcat Logo number "4" at midfield and a pop up window will appear that will direct you to all of our cool links. If you don't want to work with that small window just click on the link below the map to go to the large Linfield Schedule map.

The Links that are included are:
-Map Location of the Linfield Tailgate area (for those new to Linfield football)
-Game Previews from Linfield and Whitworth
-Links to Video and Audio Broadcasts
-Information on Whitworth
-Ect.

Game 4 preview: Cats vs Rats

It’s homecoming week but this isn’t your stereotypical homecoming game when the home team gets some sappy program to come in and get pounded. No, this weekend is easily the NWC game of the week and has NWC title and playoff implications as the Whitworth Pirates (or Rats) come to the ‘Catdome to face off with our ‘Cats. There are plenty of story lines to make this match up a riveting contest. Will Linfield’s offense be healthy and can they produce? Will Whitworth be able to snuff the ‘Cats for the 3rd straight time? Can the ‘Cats put the rest the ghosts (turnovers) of the previous two losses and eliminate the Rats for the NWC title race? Either way it promises to be a whale of a game.

Know your Foe (mostly ripped from Wikipedia)

Rats – For years the Whitworth Pirates have been known around by the Linfield players as just the “Rats”. I have no idea when it started but it’s a nickname that has stuck to Whitworth and since I already did a segement on “Raiders/Pirates” let’s stick to the rodents.

The best know Rats are the Black Rat and the Brown Rat. The group is generally known as the Old World rats or true rats, and originated in Asia. This makes sense to me since Whitworth’s primary school color is black so there’s an easy bridge to cross.

Did you know that Ancient Romans did not generally differentiate between rats and mice, instead referring to the former as Mus Maximus (big mouse) and the latter as Mus Minimus (little mouse). That is kind of like Whitworth’s running back battery. Adam Anderson is a bigger bruiser (Mus Maximus) while littler Nelson Milton (Mus Minimus) is the change of pace back for the Rats.

In Indian tradition rats are recognized as the vehicle of Lord Ganesh and a rat's statue is always found in a temple of Ganesh. In the northwestern Indian city of Deshnoke, the rats at the Karni Mata Temple are held to be destined for reincarnation as Sadhus (Hindu holy men). The attending priests feed milk and grain to the rats, of which the pilgrims also partake. Eating food that has been touched by rats is considered a blessing from god. However, a Rat defender touching a Linfield quarterback should never be considered a blessing at all.

Whitworth was founded in 1883 in Sumner, Washington by George Whitworth as the Sumner Academy, it became Whitworth College in 1890. In 1899, Whitworth moved from Sumner to Tacoma, and in 1914, it moved from Tacoma to Spokane.

Whitworth's board of trustees voted to change the institution's official name to Whitworth University effective July 1, 2007[1].

Some of the Rats notable alumni include current Oregon State head coach and former Wildcat defensive coordinator Mike Riley, Ross H. Anderson who is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Peter Hunner internationally acclaimed artist and glassblower , and Tully’s kid.

Wildcat11’s keys to Victory

-Scoring points. Lighting up the scoreboard hasn’t really be the ‘Cats forte up to this point of the season but we will need to finds ways to put the ball in the end zone on Saturday. The offensive line has played very well so far this season but the injury bug in the offensive skill positions has hurt the continuity this season. It’s been frustrating because it looks like the offense is “this close” to doing some really good things but the ‘Cats really need to finish drives and not put it all on the defense and special teams.

-Turnovers. This has been the biggest reason why Whitworth has overcome Linfield the past two seasons. The Rats have scored defensive touchdowns the past two games and that has been the difference. Whitworth’s style is to take chances and hawk after the ball so the ‘Cats must win this battle and put a high priority on ball security.

-Limit Adam Anderson. The Rats are a run first and run second team and they don’t hide the fact the will put the ball in Adam Anderson’s hands via the run, pass, punt return, kickoff return game. He’s their do-everything offensive players and the ‘Cats HAVE to win the battle upfront and in special teams in order to minimize Anderson’s impact in the ball game.

-Win in special teams. With this the type of game that I could see developing special teams could wind up having an incredible impact in this contest. The ‘Cats need to win on Special teams in the form of catching the ball (kickoffs/punts), great coverage on kickoffs and punts, and making sure we don’t give up any tips or blocks.

-Being emotionally ready. This current ‘Cats team has shown they has resolve with the near comeback win at HSU, the defensive slugfest vs SOU, and the grinding win last week. However, this game will peal back another layer and show if this team is ready for primetime. I’m not worried about the ‘Cats being flat on Saturday but I do worry about being too jacked up. The players just need to be prepared and focused on their job and not let a rush of emotions at the start of the game flatten out as the contest wears on. If the ‘Cats just take it one snap at a time we’ll be fine.

Prediction

-‘Cats by 7. I don’t see Whitoworth’s Coach Tully going away from the formula that has worked the past two seasons. He’s going to try to play the field position game, keep it somewhat conservative on offense, and try to force the ‘Cats offense into the big mistakes that the Rats can capitalize on. Even with Cole Franklin most likely being unavailable this weekend I do like the physical nature of the ‘Cats vs this Whitworth team. Our offensive line should be able to move bodies and Linfield will be able to run the ball and that will be the big difference this year versus the past two.

This will be the type of game that could come down to a handful of plays but I feel its Linfield’s game to win if they can execute the coaching staff’s game plan.

Video Tuesday!!!!

After each home game this year the ADvanatge will post up some of the video board elements that ran during the previous home game. Below is a Linfield Trivia Segment (what year was Memorial Stadium built), This Week In Linfield History, and three Senior Moments.

Linfield Trivia - What year was Memorial Stadium Built?


This Week In Linfield History


Joe Seifert - Defensive Tackle


Brent Desmond - Offensive Tackle


Tyler McCann - Safety

'Cats win...Defense delivers the salt!

Great Photo By: Brad Thompson, Ruined with Lame Graphics by WC11

A win is a win and I’ll take a win anytime over a loss. Hey, I’ll admit from an offensive perspective it wasn’t pretty but the Wildcat defense was breathtaking in the ‘Cats 9-0 shutout of the visiting Menlo Oaks. For the second week in a row the Wildcat defenders flexed their muscle in being the more physical and faster group in stuffing the Oaks to only 185 yards of total offense (40 net yards rushing).

The Good

-Linfield’s Salty Defense. 6 sacks, forced fumbles, deflected passes, tackles for losses, interceptions…the mean machine was running on full cylinders as Linfield had standout contributions by multiple players but it was a true group effort by the Wildcat Defense. Five All-Rights. (Special props to Taylor Summers for 4 sacks and abusing returning 1st team ALL-NWC tackle, Victor Brankovich).

-Offensive Line. The big fellas did a great job up front in giving another young QB plenty of time in the pocket and help the ‘Cats gain over 180 yards on the ground against a defense then knew the ‘Cats had to run the ball all game long. Good job big boys.

-Young Bucks. I love the senior leadership on this year’s team and the talent and play of the junior class of current Wildcats but I do want to point out the young bucks on the Wildcat roster that are making an immediate impact on this year’s team. Frosh Drew Fisher stated at safety on Saturday and led the team with 10 tackles (1.5 for loss), had a pass break up, and delivered a bone jarring hit, Freshman defensive end Sparky Gonzalez chipped in with two sacks and a forced fumble and is a only going to get better, Kole Krieger is getting snaps at defensive back in Linfield’s dime/nickel packages, then you have other frosh who are getting on the field in Buddy Saxon, Ash Gibson, Taylor Skore, Aaron Williams, Jake Bruno, Kalae Parish, etc. I could also list the dozen or so sophomores who are currently starting or getting heavy reps. It’s a fun thing to watch the older players in the program mesh and help direct the young ‘Cats as the season goes on.

-Scott Birkhofer. New school record for a 54-yard field goal. Knowing Scott, he’s probably ticked he missed one (bad snap) but we won the game and his leg was a big part of the reason why. Not to mention Birkhofer lowering the boom on kickoff team.

The Bad

-Points scored. The offense, I’m sure isn’t happy with only putting up 9 points on the day. With all the missed opportunities I’m sure they felt they left MANY points on the field . However, I’m not going to rag on the play of sophomore quarterback Cole Bixenman. He did get picked twice but they were both deep balls in the Oaks territory and he didn’t do anything to put the ‘Cats in danger to lose the game. It seems the staff asked him to manage the game and that’s what he did. However, if Bixenman is going to be our guy next weekend he knows that he’s going to have to be more efficient in order for Linfield to overcome Whitworth.

The Ugly

-Injury to Ian Estrada. Again, I don’t know if it’s just a ding or if it’s more serious but my heart broke when starting defensive end, Ian Estrada when down in the 2nd quarter. It wasn’t a matter of feeling terrible of losing an excellent player but more for the fact that Ian is just a GREAT young man. He’s all heart and well respected by his teammates and coaching staff. Players getting hurt are a part of football but it’s never fun or easy to see. I do hope it’s just a minor injury and that he’ll be back soon.

Week 5: Around the CatdomeO'sphere

Welcome back to the ADvantage's "Around the CatdomeO'sphere" where we catch you up to news around the Northwest Conference. Link Dump!

Linfield expected to win (The News-Register)

‘Cats outlast Raiders (I’m out of Raider puns) (Statesman Journal)

Nick Hill has found a home at Linfield (Linfield Sports)

Poets have no ink vs Oaks (Redwood City Daily News)

Loggers get absolutely hammered by UWW and then probably had to get hammered to forget about just how bad they were hammered (Tacoma News-Tribune)

Rats save season (so far) as they snuff Chapman (The Whitworthian)

Bearcats tan and hide Leopards (Inland Valley Daily Bulletin)

The Whitworthian uses Brandon Martin’s home town in lame pun (The Whitwortian)

Bearcats stomp crappy LaVerne before showdown with Whitworth (Willamette Collegian)

*ALERT* Catdomealumni.com T-Shirts WILL NOT be on sale tomorrow

Catdomealumni.com T-Shirts will not be on sale tomorrow at the 'Catdome. (so sad). There is good news/bad news with this whole shirt project so let me break it down.

-Sorry big fellas we clean out of XL and XXL shirts.
-The only remaining sizes left are Small, Med., and Large.
-All the expenses for the shirts have been paid so every shirts that gets sold now is for the Helmets for Hunger program.

We'll be back for Whitworth so if you fall in the S-Large range or if you know someone who is please come by during homecoming and pick up a shirt. I'd like to get to at least $300-$400 range for the Helmets for Hunger program and we have a little work to make that happen.

Go 'Cats!

Week 5: NWC Pick 'Em

An Annual tradition for members of the D3boards.com is the conference “Pick ‘Em” contest. Here is a link to the NWC Pick ‘Em board, however, you must be a registered member in order to see or post on these boards. It only takes a minute to register and doesn’t cost a dime. NWC Pick ‘Em

We’re in week 5 and I’m dropping faster that the Dow Jones. I’m currently sitting 8 out of 17 and I’ve been getting killed by the Bonus Games. It’s brutal that someone who likes to fancy themselves as knowing a lot about the conference is getting hammered in the pick ‘em contest. Yikes. Oh Well…here are this weeks picks:

Willamette over Whitworth. Easily the NWC game of the week. These two went into an overtime game last season down in Salem with the Rats squeezing out the win but things have changed so far in 2008. So far the Whitworth defense has been getting shredded and the Rats have had to put the full offensive load on running back Adam Anderson. Willamette on the other hand is playing very well this year and has started the season 4-0. This team has been getting contributions in all three phases of the game and I think they’re going to squarely beat Whitworth up in Spokane this weekend.

Pacific Lutheran Over Lewis & Clark. This is an easy pick. The Lutes get to travel to beautiful Palatine Hill to play on the “Old Style” ACL killing turf of the Pios. Thankfully the turf will be wet due to rain so the chances of that garbage surface shredding Lute knees decrease by a large margin.

UPS over the Bye Week. After getting pounded into a fine dust the Loggers are still on an IV of Wild Turkey and deserve a weekend rest.

Bonus Game of The week: St. Thomas beats Gustavus Adolphus (MIAC). So far I’ve picked ever single bonus game wrong and it’s killed me in the standings. In order to get off the goose egg I’m going to incorporate the “Constanza” theory: Whatever is my first instinct just go with the opposite. My first instinct is Gustavus so that means I’m going to pick St. Thomas.

Game 3: Linfield vs Menlo Via Google Maps

Click Here To Go To Large Map

The ADvantage has what you need for your game day travel or if you're at home we have the links for you to catch all the action.

Catdomealumni.com has crafted a 2008 game schedule using the power of Google Maps. All you need to do is click on the Wildcat Logo number "3" at midfield and a pop up window will appear that will direct you to all of our cool links. If you don't want to work with that small window just click on the link below the map to go to the large Linfield Schedule map.

The Links that are included are:

-Map Location of the Linfield Tailgate area (for those new to Linfield football)

-Game Previews from Linfield and SOU-Links to Video and Audio Broadcasts

-Information on Menlo College

-Ect.