ADvantage Catdome

Send 'Em Up!

2012-01-27T10:05:00.001-08:00

Sometimes it's best to let the crowd tell the story.

2012-01-26T10:43:00.001-08:00

Photo Courtsy of Brad Thompson: View and Purchase Brad's Photos here

I was cleaning up my files the other night after wrapping up the 2011 highlight DVD and I ran into the raw crowd audio from the CLU playoff game and started to give it a listen. As you may know I'm a big video person and love great sports photography but there is something so visceral about closing your eyes and just letting the sound of the Linfield crowd and the voice of Linfield public address announcer Craig Singletary tell you the story of the 'Cats 30-27 playoff win over CLU.

This audio was just too good to let to collect virtual dust in the catdomealumni.com archives so I cut together some of the high spots of the win and loaded up them up via our Soundcloud account. Just hit play and give it a listen.

Linfield vs CLU Playoff Crowd Audio by Wildcat11

The 2011 Linfield Football Highlight DVD is in the can!

2012-01-23T12:22:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, I popped a blank DVD into the computer and burned a master copy of the 2011 Linfield Wildcat Football Highlight DVD. It felt good to have another production in the books and to drop it off with Coach Vaughan to do his magic. As always, there is a mad dash to have a version of the highlight film ready for the annual banquet but I never considered this process completely done until after I tune up a few issues and wrap up a few other elements included with the main highlight. You never know if you have a winner or not but I’m feeling pretty good when one of the players texted me after the banquet and said the 2011 version is the “best highlight DVD” we’ve put together. I’ll take it.

We stuck to our traditional format as if "it’s not broke then why fix it"? The highlight spans over 11 games and has a total run time of 1 hr 10 min and 49 seconds. That may seem long but when you’re putting up 40 points a game and leading the NCAA in sacks and tackles for loss there's a lot of action to cover. Working on the highlight DVD is such a big challenge to compile but the quality of the video is dictated heavily on the level of play on the field. This program makes it so easy with their style of play, emotion, and togetherness. It’s so easy to feel all of those emotions while watching the video and that isn’t because of some sort of special editing, no, it comes from the players in the locker room and on the field of play. I need to thank the players for accepting my camera in their personal space and allowing me to be the fly on the wall. Don’t think I take for granted the willingness to allow me to be in that locker room while you’re getting ready for the task at hand. Thank you.

Along with that, there are a number of people that helped contribute to this project and I want to be able to publicly thank them for their contributions

Video: A huge thanks to 2010 All-American offensive tackle Aaron Heston for reaching out to WC11 when I was scrambling for a 2nd sideline cameraman at the beginning of the season. Aaron stepped in and worked the visitor’s sideline for the LaVerne, UPS, PLU, Lewis & Clark, and at Willamette. It was his first time shooting football video like this and I thought he knocked it out of the park. His understanding of the game and the Wildcat system gave him a great feel and his shots added a perfect element to the footage. Thank you Aaron! Also, I have to thank Joe Seifert, another former Wildcat player and fellow defensive lineman (2008), for pitching in and shooting during the Pacific game. Joe stepped up huge and I appreciate him providing a needed help to old WC11. I couldn’t make the Menlo game due to work but former tight end Nick Safir (2010) filled in and captured some great footage for the ‘Cats win over Menlo. Thank you Nick for the help! Another resource at home games is the video board camera operators and I need to thank Dan Paulino (crow’s nest) and Spencer Crepeaux (sideline) for their contributions to the footage. Thank you guys!

One thing we did differently this season is use much more of the program footage than in previous years. It was a nice change up to have those wide side angles and the end zone footage that you see in most highlight DVDs. I wouldn’t have been able to get that footage together without the help of Coaches Yen and Haberly who were the guys that made sure I was hooked up after each game. Thanks guys for the help!

I also need to give a big thank you to Linfield Sports Information Director Kelly Bird for always taking care of our camera crew with field passes at the ‘Catdome and on the road. Kelly has such a good reputation around Linfield and the nation as a top SID and it’s for a good reason. Kelly is on top of everything.

Photography: The use of photos has been come a big part of the yearly highlight DVDs. I use a game photo as the transition between the offensive and defensive highlights of each game and I’m so grateful that Linfield SID Kelly Bird (Linfield Sports Football Photo Gallery) and Linfield Professor Brad Thompson (Brad Thompson's 2011 Linfield Football Photos) are so willing to share their work at no cost in the name of the program. We used shots from Kelly during the Whitworth, Menlo, and Wesley highlights and shots from Brad during the CLU games, La Verne, Willamette, Pacific, UPS, PLU, and Lewis & Clark. Also, thanks to Brad for passing along stills to use on our Monday game recaps throughout the season. They make those posts come alive. Please, go to both of their photo gallery sites and purchase a picture for yourself or a loved one. They shoot these games because they love small college football/sports and a printed photo will last much longer and look better than just keeping an electronic copy on your CPU.

Music: One of the hardest things for me about the highlight DVD is the music. I’m 35 years old and my taste in music rooted in the 90’s but I know it’s 2011 and the music of the highlight DVD needs to reflect the current players the best I can. I get A LOT of help along the way in the form of suggestions and I’d like to acknowledge those people. Former ‘Cat All-NWC linebacker Jaymin Jackson has been a HUGE help to me. Jaymin passed along so many good suggestions and bailed me out when I felt like I was hitting a brick wall on music choices. Thanks Jay for looking out. Mrs. Wildcat11 was my go-to person on the country music front and she gave me two winners (as always). Current players, Christian Hanna, Nate Dixon, Kala’e Parish, and Aaron Hire all gave me great suggestions that I used and a great find was by former All-NWC wide receiver Tyler Kaluza (2007). Tyler passed along the suggestion of a great Johnny Cash song. At first I was thinking “Johnny Cash and football?” but when I put the track down it work perfectly. Thanks Kaluza on that great find!

Radio: I can’t thank ‘Cats play-by-play man Bill Johnson enough for his help during the season. This was Bill’s second year of the call for the ‘Cats and he has developed such a passion for the program in short amount of time and it’s evident with the passion in his call. Bill, his wife Laurie, and Dave Hanson (the ‘Cats longtime color man) are a great group of people to work with. They treat me so well and are always willing to go above and beyond to make sure we have the sound we need for the highlights. Thank you so much.

Special thanks to Jen and Chuck Wert and Mark Funk. On the trip out to Wesley, Jen and Chuck (son is offensive guard Drew Wert) were nice enough to let me hitch a ride with them down from Philly to Dover. The Wert’s are awesome, treated me like a family member, and I had a great time getting to know them a little. Mark Funk (son is ‘Cats DB Brandon Funk) picked me up from the Spokane airport the night before the Whitworth game. Mark and I hit it off right away over a few cold drinks at a local watering hole. Mark is a great guy with a lot of passion for the game of football and I’m thankful for him making my trip to Spokane a welcoming one. Thank you again Jen, Chuck, and Mark. Go ‘Cats!

I also need to thank Linfield’s head coach Joseph Smith, athletic director Scott Carnahan, the ‘Cats Offensive line coach Doug Hire, linebacker coach Phil Rombach, and the entire football staff. Coach Smith and A.D. Carnahan provide incredible support and access to the program for me and this project wouldn’t be nearly as robust or in-depth without their continued support. Coach Hire’s work with me on getting me updated with equipment and access to older footage is very appreciated, thank you to Coach Rombach in all the help with the travel, and the whole staff with being willing to help me out at every turn with the blog and video. You guys make it look easy but I know the commitment is incredible.

Last but not least the biggest thanks go to my wife Kelly. There is so much time involved in this process and there is NO WAY I could pull it out without someone as supportive and loving as Mrs. 11. We have had such a big change in our lives this past year with the arrival our wonderful baby girl (Baby14) and even with the sporadic sleep for both of us Mrs. 11 was phenomenally supportive of making every game I could and traveling with the team. Mrs. 11 had my back at every turn in getting this project done and it feels great to have someone always in your corner. Thank you honey, I love you. Go 'Cats!!!

The passing of a Linfield Great: Dr. Norm Goss (1923-2012)

2012-01-20T10:00:00.000-08:00

Photo Courtesy of Linfield Athletics

This past Wednesday, Linfield Sports, passed along the news that Dr. Norman Goss passed away earlier that day at the age of 88. Norm suffered a stroke the previous weekend and was taken to Oregon Health Sciences University. Linfield Sports said it perfectly that Norm was a fixture of Linfield athletics for the past 50 years. Norm was a rock for the athletic department for so many years as the football and basketball programs' timekeeper. He was someone the department could always count on to support and help out the programs because of his love for Linfield.

I didn't have a personal relationship with Norm but each season at home games when I ran into Norm we would chat about the 'Cats. Every time I would walk away from those too brief of conversations my first thought would be "I hope I'm able to be a part of this for as long as Norm has." I have such great respect for what Norm was doing for the football program. Season after season, Norm was able to serve an institution that he loved greatly. Dr. Norman Goss is at the very core of what makes Linfield so very special to so many. It's not just the wins, big plays, facilities, traditions, etc. It's the people and our shared love to pitch-in and try to provide our small contributions to make the very best environment for the Linfield student-athletes.

Tom McFadden is one of these great Wildcats that had the honor of spending countless hours with Norm in press boxes and score tables. Tom was gracious enough to share some thoughts about a man and Wildcat that will truly be missed.

To our Wildcat family:

We have lost the example of what I can only hope to be when it comes to
service to Linfield athletics. Norm sat next to me for 23 seasons in
basketball and down the aisle in the press box from me at Linfield
football. And in that time, we not only shared our service time, but we
traveled together often to football and basketball games on the road. And
those weren't exactly trips to George Fox...we went to Eastern Oregon
University, Pacific Lutheran....even a trip up to Simon Fraser back in our
CFA days....and many of the shorter trips.

And during those trips, I can never recall him being critical of anyone at
the College, its' coaches or student athletes. It was always about the
game. I can only hope to match his love of the Linfield College, the
student athletes who wear the cardinal and purple and the coaches who
guide them. We will not have anyone quite like this man again.

-Tom McFadden

Left-to-Right: Adriana Sleigh (Norm's granddaughter and shot clock operator), Norm,
Tom McFadden, and Ronald Berg (public address).

Coaches reflect on 'Cat All-American/All-Region Awards

2012-01-16T20:41:00.000-08:00

2011 was another standout season for YOUR Linfield Wildcats as the 'Cats 10-1 season was recognized with four 'Cats received post-season accolades from D3football.com. All four of the Wildcats selected are not only great players but they are TEAM players first and foremost. Very little ego and that attitude was reflective throughout the program. As usual, Linfield Head Coach Joseph Smith puts it best when asked about these players: "As it typically the case, an All American Award is an individual award that is often dictated by the team’s overall success. So our entire program takes great pride when one of our own is selected, as it reflects on us all, not just the tip of the spear. This group is special in many ways, but one thing that jumps out at me is that they are all Oregon boys; now men. These guys put the goal of a National Championship right out in the open, daring for greatness. More importantly, they installed the mindset into this team that we would work so hard, that we would be able to stand toe to toe with the best in the country, anywhere, anytime. All are intense competitors and embody the spirit of this program. No short cuts. Shut up and lets work. And when its game time, run to the battle and leave it all out there." -Joseph Smith Linfield Head Coach

#4 Drew Fisher, Senior, Safety - 1st Team All-American
(2x All-American)

76 Total Tackles (45 solo, 31 ast.), 10 Tackles For Loss, 2 Sacks, 5 Int's, 4 pass breakups, 1 Fumble Recover, 1 Forced Fumble, 1st Team All-Northwest Conference (3x 1st team All-NWC), rated top defensive back in NWC (x2 (2009)) NWC Defensive Player of the Year, 1st Team All-West Region (D3football.com)

Defensive Back Coach Neil Fendall: "I have talked a lot about Drew and to a lot of people over the last 4 years. We've spent many hours around practice and meetings and I've gotten to know him fairly well. The truth is, we knew he could play. There's no way to predict that a guy would have the amount of success he had however. He truly performed. It's common to recall guys like Drew and it sounds like they are perfect players. That is never the case. However, I don't think you could ask for a better teammate than Fish. Aside from all the recognition and accolades, he was a guy who showed up every day. I am pressed to recall Fish missing a practice over the last 4 years. The way we practice, that's hard to believe. He was pushed very hard both by myself and the demands of the position he plays. Recently I was talking with an alum who played the same position and he stated how impressive it was to see how Drew performs in games especially knowing how much is put on his plate mentally at his position.

The beauty of coaching is watching a guy develop year to year and become a young man. Drew worked through our system, dealt with differences in opinions with myself, and continued to lead others and accept the responsibilities that entails.

Fish will be remembered for clutch interceptions and some of the biggest hits one will witness watching this game. I will remember the character and poise he showed at some of the most crucial moments of his career. I will remember him helping the kids in our community and coaching little league. I will remember arguing with him when he didn't think things were the way they should be. All these things stand out in my mind about Drew. He's a good man and has made this place a better one for those around him. He has guts and courage. He looks you in the eye. I'd love to conclude with a sarcastic shot across the bow, but instead I will commend him and thank him for the last four years. Only a young man with his wit and humor understands how difficult that can be!

Lastly, I would be remiss to talk about him as an All-American without mention of the others in his class. Testa, Biege, Krieger, Skore, Hanna, Dixon and Parish played a large part in this award as well as all the linebackers and defensive linemen who played in front of him. I know he would say the same thing."

Coach Smith on Drew: "We have had very few defensive players voted by their teammates as the Team MVP. Drew is in a very special class of players to have received that honor. He not only dominated on the field, but he was a tremendous leader for us, a rare player that makes everyone else around him better. I am not sure we have recruited a player for as long or as hard as we did Drew, I even called him from on top of Mt. Bachelor while skiing with my family. We were that sure he would be an impact player here and that he had everything we desired: integrity, poise, vision and anticipation, hip strike, and consistency. However, Drew’s ability to rise to the occasion during games is what separates him from the rest. He is truly remarkable at making a big play when it is needed the most. In the time I have been here, we have had 3 All American Defensive backs wear #4 (Hughes, Rix, Fisher). All were defensive MVPs of the league, all were among the top to have ever played their position here at Linfield. Halvorsen in the 80’s, Bolin early 90’s, Capdeville late 90’s, Lions early 2000’s, Ort mid 2000’s, and Fisher the last 3 seasons. In my opinion, those are the best to have played the Deep Middle at Linfield for the past 30 years. Fish is in rare company."

#59 Tyler Steele, Junior, Defensive Tackle
3rd Team All-American

49 Total Tackles (28 solo, 21 asst.), 18 Tackles For Loss, 13 sacks, 2 pass breakups, 1 blocked kick, 1st Team All-NWC (2x 1st Team All-NWC), rated top defensive NWC defensive lineman, 1st Team All-West Region

Defensive Coordinator and Defensive Line Coach Jackson Vaughan: "Tyler really had one of the most dominant seasons I have seen a Defensive Tackle have in my time at Linfield. Having started since the first game of his freshman year, Tyler has a tremendous amount of game experience and that really started to work to his benefit this season. In past seasons, Tyler was very good but was solely focused on doing his job, controlling his gap, and not getting tricked or fooled by anything. This season, with the added game experience Tyler had a great understanding of game situations and offensive tendencies which allowed him to take a lot more chances and make a lot more plays. For a defensive tackle to lead the team with double digit sacks and finish third in total tackles is certainly a very impressive feat and one that I don’t believe I have seen in my 18 years at Linfield.

The other factors that I feel have made Tyler successful on the field are his continual drive to get better every day at practice. He has established himself as the hardest working and toughest player on our defensive line and certainly leads by example every day. It is truly a lot of fun when you see someone that does it the right way have the kind of success Tyler had on the field this past season. This is especially amazing when you see his messed up feet and wonder how the guy can even run straight and then see you see him go out and dominate on the field!"

Coach Smith on Tyler: "Defensive Tackle is all about desire and toughness. If you can’t take a pounding constantly, and still keep coming with everything you have, you can’t play that position. Tyler has the true “motor” and desire that every defensive line coach covets, but few are blessed to coach a player with it. Tyler has everything you want as a DT. A great strike, great knee bend and flexibility, and able to learn and master the physical moves necessary to be great against the run and the pass. He is definitely one of the best DTs in the Country, and certainly one of the more dominant DTs to have played at Linfield. He was a wrecking ball this year versus every team we played. CLU and Wesley, two of the elite teams in the nation flat could not block him. Tyler is excellent in all that he does. He is a man of character, a true gentlemen, a complete team player, and a joy to coach."

#70 Jordan Barnes, Senior, Offensive Guard
Honorable Mention All-American

20 knockdowns, 5 pancakes, 1 sack allowed, 1st Team All-NWC (3x 1st team All-NWC), rated top offensive lineman in NWC (x2 (2009)), 1st Team All-West Region

Offensive Line and Assistant Head Coach Doug Hire: "Impressive from the start, the first day I met him. He had a look in his eyes that perhaps only I could see and will never forget. A look that was somewhat serious, very confident, and yet humbling. I saw the potential future of an All American- without a doubt. Jordan lived to that expectation through his work ethic, commitment to excellence, and willingness to learn. No question one of the most physical and confident players I have coached, a testament to the time and commitment in the weight room and training.

Offensive line coaches love physical and tough players up front, characteristics that will allow success in the trenches, every down, every game, and throughout the season. I believe toughness is not how much you dish out or give, it's how much you can take physically and mentally. Jordan is tough both mentally and physically and he played that way, persevered through adversity especially when he was hurt.

You hear of guys who are gamers, guys who get through practice during the week and show up on game day. Not Jordan, he practiced and prepared like a champion and expected perfection in everything he did- drills, team sessions, and one on one drills. He always came ready to practice although at time he was slow getting ready for practice (I gave him a hard time on this issue especially during his sophomore year) but once he finally got all his gear on he was ready to practice. Jordan was the guy who reminded me not to skip the tough drills, the drills that made the guys tougher and work harder (chutes, sled, yo-yo, and line drills).

Jordan will be missed and I can only hope for more Jordan Barnes in the future. "

Coach Smith on Jordan: "Jordan was someone we had very high hopes for, as his high school coaches thought he was of the finest offensive lineman to have played at Lake Oswego. He did not disappoint. Jordan was in the mix right away at Linfield, and has been amazingly versatile for us. He has performed at a steady high level his entire career here whether at Left Guard, or Right Guard, or Left Tackle, or Right Tackle. Jordan is at his best when the action starts for that is when his competitive nature is drawn out the most. No matter versus who or where, when the action started you knew Jordan would be ready and able."

#7 Josh Kay, Junior, Place Kicker

2nd Team All-West Region

Field Goals: 16 out of 19 (84.2%), Long of 49 yards, 55 out of 56 on PAT's, 5 out of 5 FG attempts in playoffs, 61 yard average on kickoffs, 1st Team All-NWC, Fred Mitchell Award Finalist

Special Teams Coordinator Brandon Hazenberg: "As a team, we couldn't be prouder of Josh for the season he just had on so many different levels. Josh decided to fully commit to the team sometime this off-season and it showed in his performance this fall. After what we would both call a disappointing season in 2010 for him, Mr. Kay developed consistency in all aspects of his game. From start to finish Josh worked on not only his physical skills, but his mental game as well. His time as a golfer throughout his life has prepared him for the big moments of place kicking, which are the moments that actually happen during a game, not practice! The largest change for Josh was creating practice habits of taking each PAT/FG kick as seriously and individually as the next, preparing himself for pressure kicking situations. With this routine we developed, he really found a comfort zone with each situation, trusting his teammates and putting it "up and through."

In terms of his Kickoff game this season, we lengthened his approach about week 3 of the season which really allowed him to get some more athleticism into the kick. Josh is a very fast and explosive kicker, so giving him an opportunity to attack the football with speed paid some dividends. For him, letting the approach and his speed do some of the work for him was different, which forced him to again rely on changing things mentally. Just like a golf swing, just like a high jumper, or even a javelin thrower would know..... your approach coupled with an explosive and sound contact/plant/jump leg is the key to maximum exertion in any athletic movement, any sport, period. If he continues to challenge himself and his limits, he could be very good next season.

It was very fun to see the way Josh committed to the team this season and the way I think everyone else committed back. Josh is a funny dude sometimes, but our team trusted this guy and that is a big time compliment to any kicker in my opinion. Heck, the guy lives with our JHill & Domo, two First Teamers! If he can hang with them, that's a good deal.

As he already knows, our biggest challenge lies ahead in working to get better and trying to become the best possible kicker we can. It's going to take the same patience, the same routine and the same commitment it did this year and more. This season, while it was amazing and deserving, sets some high standards for Josh to strive for this off-season. Our staff trusts that Josh is going to work very hard this off-season and will come back next year ready to start over. It doesn't matter if you've done it a 1000 times already, each year, each game and every kick is new in it's own right. Josh knows you have to approach it that way, assess your surrounding, relax and rely on your routine.

My only problem with the guy is that he's getting too comfortable in his own skin. He is probably gonna drive us crazy this year with jokes, dances and weird kicker antics.... but for a guy like that......we wouldn't trade'em for anybody.

Congrats again on a great season to Josh Kay, MY 2011 NWC Special Teams POY!

(*Quick Sidenote---We have a great group of kickers/punters. Tons of competition going on in there, but these guys are awesome to work with! Big shout out to Repp, Kuni, and Walk.)

(Quick Sidenote #2---To Chopp, Biege and Anderson....you guys helped change the way we as a team view Special Teams play. Can't thank you guys enough. It will be a lasting impact. Best of luck fellas.)"

Coach Smith on Josh: "I am so very impressed with how Josh came out and won the kicking job this year. After having an inconsistent and unfocused year last year, he worked on some things and came out and really performed well. He had as good a season as we have had from a kicker. He was dominant in his kickoffs, and his accuracy in his field goals was exceptional. Josh was a big factor for us this year, and it was not accident. He was usually the first one out on the field, and you could find him mentally going through his approaches from various spots on the field. His mental focus and toughness was commendable this year, and combined with a lot of intentional work on the little things, he developed into a real weapon."

These second year 'Cats are all in.

2012-01-12T21:40:00.000-08:00

After the 2010 season I asked four Linfield freshmen to write about the transition from High School football to their 1st year in the 'Catdome. I was curious about what brought them to Linfield and what they experienced during their Freshmen campaign and the players responded with a great view into the program. A year later and why not check in with these four again and find out what changed from year one to year two? Thank you to those four players for writing again and we added one more player, Steven Schultz, to write about year 2 as a Linfield College Wildcat.

#23 Dominique Forrest, Linebacker, Portland, Or. (Jesuit High)

Send ‘Em Up, Send ‘Em Up, Send ‘Em up… another year in the books I’ll tell my grand-kids about. Looking back, man it was a fun one. Going from a crash course in the level of play of college football last year to having a little experience under the belt was a good transition going into this season. I felt more comfortable with not only the players around me, but with the defensive scheme and the preparation steps necessary to understand a game plan for any given opposing team. That all started freshman year with the senior leadership we had in the LBC, and improved even more this year with the senior leadership we had on the defensive side. These guys really know how to show the way, the “Linfield way”. And to me, that simply means the way to just get it done.

Last year I was a role player on special teams and got in the mix throughout the season as backer. This year I was fortunate to have a starting role and contribute that way. It’s a lot different when you go from hearing all that calls and knowing just one position, to having to make the calls and know what the whole front is doing. With practice, coaches help, and just more focus really, day by day things started to sink in and I took a lot of good steps toward become a better player. This year I felt more at ease playing, the game seemed to slow down and my vision of the formations improved. I don’t want to feel content with my improvements and I know there is still a lot of work to be done for me to be the player I want to be. Physically and mentally. This off-season will be important as we prepare for next season.

You know, another year playing for this team has fostered a lot of my growth not only as a player, but as a person too. Playing for/with people who have become some on my best friends and guys who I have strong relationships with or mad respect for is something that makes these times special. The silent message this team has, the pillars we follow, the ambitious attitude we have will do wonders for us. I’ve bought into it and trust these coaches to take this team and myself on the right path. We just got to keep working for that goal. There is something special in this program and with the right work we can do something legendary.

-Dominique Forrest

#84 Jacob Priester, Tight End, Patterson, Cali. (Patterson High)

After completing my second season of football at Linfield College, one thing that has not changed has been the atmosphere of outworking our opponents. This year, even more so than last year, our team relied on the strength of the team as a cohesive unit that worked hard together, both on and off the field. This season really beat the idea into my head that the path to success is paved with nothing but sweat, hard work and dedication. This reoccurring theme throughout the season only made our successes that much sweeter as it seemed like our constant grinding on the football field was being fairly rewarded. And like Coach Smith reminded us at the end of the season, the pain of failing to reach our goal of a national title was made exponentially worse due to the level of work that this team put in throughout the season.

Between my first and second year of football at Linfield, I felt like I came into my own as a player and was no longer swimming to remember the schemes and plays that the coaches through at us. Coming into camp and being able to focus on technique as opposed to remembering plays was a huge weight off of my back. Further, the best feeling about coming into camp this year was feeling like I was part of a team, rather than an individual fighting for my survival on the roster. But I think the most significant change in my eyes for the program from year 1 to year 2 of my career was the relationships I built with the senior class. This past senior class, more than any other senior class that has been above me, made themselves available to me not only as mentors but as friends. Some of the senior linemen like Jordan Barnes and Hayden Mace stand out in my mind as friends that I will stay in contact with for many years to come.

On a personal level, I felt like I became a much more mature football player this year, able to take a step back from my role as a player and start to see the big picture that this program is working to. This team has taught me how to think of myself as a facet of a very complex machine working toward one goal. I no longer have any aspirations of becoming something like the “T.O. Show” because I know that only a true team can achieve great success. And as a person this team has forced me to learn how to mange my time very precisely because the consequence of a lack of organization is the suffering of my focus in either the football or academic departments of Linfield. This program is training me how to be a professional human being, able to take on the challenges of a professional career. I am very excited to continue my career in the Linfield Football program because I believe that it is one of the most successful organizations of any practice in the entire nation. As a sophomore I began to appreciate the magnitude of this team’s success and I am very proud to be a part of it because I know that no matter what happens in today’s world, Linfield Football will never settle for anything less than the best.

-Jacob Preister

#49 Kel Poomaihealani, Def End, Kahalu'u, Hawaii (St. Louis)

This is my second year at Linfield and I find myself more appreciative to go here than I did last year. I realized how great my professors, coaches, and friends are. It seems as if everything is starting to slow down and I'm beginning to get used to the "daily grind" of class and football. Whereas last year, everything was moving in a fast pace and almost hectic.

I feel I'm improving in my work ethic both on and off the field. I struggled a little in class last year as a freshman, especially in spring semester. I got distracted and didn't make use of my time which resulted in bad grades. Lots of poor life decisions (as coach Vaughan would say). This year, I used my time wisely and was not lazy with academics and finished the fall term a lot better than the previous fall term.

I had a blast this year playing in the Catdome. I came into the season knowing what to expect, and eager to see how our team develops. We had a young team but we all had the same desire. We practiced and played our hardest. The work ethic of our team as a whole was great. We're all anxious to hit the weights and get back in the Catdome.

-Kel Poomaihealani

#24 Tyler Robitaille, Linebacker, San Jose, Cali (Bellarmine Prep)

Two years down, two years to go. Now that my second season has come to an end, I can't believe how much has changed. Going from your freshman season to your sophomore season is a refreshing feeling. During spring ball, you actually know whats going on, it's great! Looking back at my freshman year, two things stick out the most. First, would be my experience on the field and how it translate to the game play and overall attitude towards the game. Last year, I played Rover but didn't see much playing time as most of my PT came off of Special Teams. This year was a huge change, going from Rover to Will. The position change shocked me because I viewed myself as a pretty undersized Rover, so moving to a linebacker position wasn't my first thought. It ended up being a great move and I enjoyed the position and the opportunity to see the field.

The second biggest change came with my role of the team and the roll of the sophomore class. We were all brought in to be the next generation of Linfield Football, to follow the building bricks Fish, Kreiger, Kal'ae, Hanna, Skore and Dix laid down. Now that they are graduating, the games on us Sophomores going into next season. My understanding of the defense grew tremendously as well. After having a whole year under your belt, it really helps make the game slow down, and you can play more football and less thinking.

Now that year 2 is over it made me just reflect on how lucky I was to be a part of this great tradition. It just makes me thank my mom for pushing me to play the game of football and take a chance not many people take. The opportunity given to Linfield players will never be understood unless one has played here. The streak is merely a number to us, yeah it's fun to talk about, but when we really get down to it, that's not what makes Linfield special. It's the relationships between player and coach. I can only hope that with the next 2 years, those relationships grow stronger and we can reach our goal of a National Championship.

Catdome '12
Tyler Robitaille

#78 Steven Schultz, Offensive Tackle, Tacoma, Wa. (Wilson)

After my high school football season concluded, I had no idea where I was going to end up the following year and if that would include football. It was not until January that Linfield contacted me. Before that I really did not even think of Linfield as an option. I had only heard of them through one of my coaches (Cameron Rogers). Throughout the next month I started to talk to Rogers about Linfield because I have always respected him as a coach and person and valued his opinion. He told me to trust him when he said that Linfield would be a perfect fit for me. I kept going through things in my head such as how far away from home do I want to be, which one of these schools has the best education, which will give me an opportunity to play early on in my career? The answer: Linfield.

I came in as a defensive linemen but in early July before the season started I injured my foot which did not healed for 8 months, causing me to sit out my first year of football. I was pretty down that I couldn’t play but decided to bounce back and get ready for the next season. In the spring I decided to spend my next four seasons at Linfield as an offensive linemen. Since then I have no regrets. Coach Hire put a lot of faith in me early on and that really motivated me to keep getting better everyday.

My first season as a player has so far been an amazing experience. With all the work we put in between the morning workouts and practices (including 12 hours a day of camp for the first two weeks of the season) it’s no wonder why we are a family. We are taught to push each other to get better everyday and spend so much time together that I doubt you could find another team with this much unity.

The seniors were great this year they worked hard day in and day out. Barnes and Mace really helped me throughout the season working with me after practices and helping me out whenever they could. It’s great when the seniors are eager to show you what they know so that you can one day fill their shoes and eventually pass on that knowledge to the new young bucks.

Every player in this program is expected to play their role. Whether that is scout team or starter you are expected to do your role to the best of your ability. Our scout team buys into that concept and gives the starters the best look they possibly can because they understand we are only as good as we prepare. We are able to compete on a national level every year because of how well we prepare. An even bigger part of our preparation is because of our amazing coaching staff. They analyze everything a team does and give us the best possible chance at success.

My first two years at Linfield have been an incredible experience and I am so proud of all that we accomplished this year. I will miss all of the seniors, but am excited to see what’s in store for us next season. Until then we will continue to get faster and stronger because it is in the off season that teams have the opportunity to go from good to great.

-Steven Schultz

2011 Linfield Wildcat Football: "Send 'Em Up"

2012-01-04T13:08:00.000-08:00

Wildcat11 wanted to give the 'Catdome something to start the new year off right so here is a little clip that if it hits you right should give you some goosebumps (or chicken skin for my island brothers).

The 2011 Linfield College Wildcats finished the season with a 10-1 record and a final Division III ranking of #6 in the country. The 'Cats scored 39.9 points per game (11th best in NCAA) while only giving up 16.4 points per game (24th). The Linfield defense also led in the county with 47 sacks on the year and 115 tackles for loss.

Linfield won their 35th Northwest Conference Championship with an average margin of victory of 32 points per game vs NWC foes, had 20 players named All-NWC, 4 players selected All-West Region, and 3 players tapped as All-Americans.

The 'Cats also extended their All-Level record of consecutive winning seasons to 56 seasons (1956-Present) and made their 23rd playoff appearance (8th in Division III since joining in 1998).

...and the North End Zone goes Crazy.

2011-12-21T16:40:00.000-08:00

In Wildcat11's mad scramble to start wrapping up all of the Football team's highlight video productions I came back across this little gem from Linfield's victory over CLU in the 1st round of this year's playoff. Our 2nd camera unit, Aaron Heston, turned the camera on the 'Catdome Faithful in the North Endzone after the 'Cats clinched the victory after blocking a potential game trying field goal. Some true excitement was capture and a nice cameo by PLU head Coach Scott Westering at the 23 second mark. Coach Westerning is a smart man who knows where the best place is to be to take in some Linfield NCAA playoff football.

You can check out the video and comments on 'Catdomealumni.com's Facebook page. Be sure to like our page upon your visit.

The 2011 Wildcats wrap up their season with the annual team banquet

2011-12-17T10:12:00.000-08:00

Last Friday (Dec 9th) your 10-1 Linfield Wildcats capped off their fantastic 2011 season by getting together at McMinnville's Covenant Church off of 2nd street to toast the accomplishments of another exciting year in the 'Catdome. During the night the 'Cats Coach Smith reflected on the season, thanked the players, support staff, and each member of this great coaching staff and their families for everything they put into the program. Then, the 'Cats enjoyed a robust meal while enjoying the debut of the 2011 Linfield Football Highlight DVD. From there, the programed moved into the team awards (both "awards" handed out by the Seniors and the actual team awards) and the night wrapped up with the staff recognizing the 2011 senior class. The banquet is always a great time and 2011 was no different. A great way to wrap a season that will be remember for the 'Catdome faithful for a long time.

2011 Linfield Football Team Awards

Co-Best Defensive Scout Player: Jeremy Girod, Def End, Soph, Vancouver, Wa.

Co-Best Defensive Scout Player: Erik Knapp, Safety, Junior, Eugene, Or.

Best Offensive Scout Player: Bobby Nix, Soph, Center, Bonny Lake, Wa.

Rookie of the Year: Lucas Jepson, Receiver, Junior, Aloha, Or.

Most Improved: Mickey Inns, Quarterback, Junior, Gresham, Or.

Co-Best Special Teams Player: Josh Kay, Kicker, Junior, Salem, Or.

Co-Best Special Teams Player: Kyle Wright, Monster, Soph, Springfield, Or.

Best Offensive Lineman: Jordan Barnes, Guard, Senior, Lake Oswego, Or.

Best Defensive Lineman: Tyler Steele, Tackle, Junior, Salem, Or.

Best Offensive Player: Josh Hill, Running Back, Junior, Portland, Or.

Best Defensive Player: Drew Fisher, Safety, Senior, Gresham, Or.

Offensive Captain: Hayden Mace, Center, Senior, Bend, Or.

Co-Defensive Captain: Kole Krieger, Rover, Senior, Sherwood, Or.

Co-Defensive Captain: Drew Fisher, Safety, Senior, Gresham, Or.

Most Inspirational: Eric Biege, Rover, Senior, Sammamish, Wa.

John LaRosa Commitment to Excellence Award:
Taylor Skore, Corner, Senior, Enumclaw, Wa.

Willis Baker Team Most Valuable Player:
Drew Fisher, Safety, Senior, Gresham, Or.

2011 Linfield Senior Class says "Thank You"

2011-12-13T13:09:00.000-08:00

The 2011 Linfield senior class is a special group of young men. This class, along with the 2009 & 2010 seniors, have brought Linfield back to where this program should be and that is at a National Elite level. During their four years at Linfield this class compiled a 37-7 overall record, 3 consecutive Northwest Conference Championships (23-1 NWC record), 3 consecutive NCAA Playoff berths (5-3 playoff record), a 2009 West Region Championship (NCAA final four), defeated twelve top 25 teams, and finished with 3 Division III top ten rankings (#3, #8, #5).

Beyond just the pure stats and rankings is how this class went about their business. Coach Smith has a philosophy about his coaching staff that is summed up by the phrase "low ego, high output" and that approach has resonated with this group of Seniors. They have been so key in the success of Linfield football over the past 3 years but they've managed to always keep the team first and represent Linfield football to the fullest both on and off the field. It seems like I say this every year but I will truly miss this group of players. It's been an honor and pleasure to cover this group over the past four years and I'm excited to see where life takes them.

But now is the time for them to say thank you to those that have helped molded and guide them in their life and during their time at the 'Catdome.

#1 Michael Chopp, Receiver

All I have to say is what an experience. I may not have been around Linfield as long as many of the other seniors, but it has been great ride. I can remember taking a recruiting trip to Linfield back in the spring of ‘07 and even though I didn’t come here out of high school, I knew if things didn’t work out, Linfield would always be there for me. The only thing I can say now is “why didn’t I come here right away”?

Linfield Football has shown me what the real meaning of family is. It took me some time to get close with the guys, as relationships had already been established. But everyone welcomed me in with open arms and man did we have a great time. Winning always makes it easier to come out every day and play the game you love, but the guys and coaches make football at Linfield special. I may have not of been an all-conference performer, but man we had some fun on special teams baby. Whether it was flying down the field with the Hit Squad or taking blocked punts to the house, we got it done. And I don’t care what anyone else says, special teams are an adrenaline rush and we have the most fun on the field, I can guarantee that.

I want to thank my parents for being patient with me through my college career, and allowing me to finish my career at Linfield. I couldn’t have done it without your support and love. To the coaches, thanks for giving me a shot and letting me be a part of the Linfield Football Family. You guys provide guidance, passion, drive, and care towards me and have made me into a better person because of it. And to the Seniors, thanks for letting me be one of the crew. Man we worked hard and we played hard. But it was the best time of my life and I owe it to you guys. Thanks for a great ride the last 1 ½ years. Catdome for Life.

Michael Chopp

#4 Drew Fisher, Safety

The biggest thank you goes to my parents. I couldn’t ask for more support and I couldn’t ask for better parents. They have given me the opportunity to go to college and to play football. Also, to my grandparents, relatives, and other friends that come to the games. It means the world to me to hang out after the games and be the last one to leave the field because I’m catching up with everyone.

Thanks to all my teammates. To the DBs, we own swim Olympics. And it needs to stay that way until the receivers become better looking than anyone on defense. Which will be never. To the seniors, it has been the best time of my life working hard in the offseason and seeing it pay off with playoff runs. There’s something I absolutely love about spending hours and hours with you guys running, sweating, bleeding, doing army crawls, log rolls, up downs, 6am practices, working out in the snow, and watching film until I can’t think anymore. It’s “a neat deal” to be around a group of guys with the same love and passion for the game and I wouldn’t trade the past four years of growing up any other way.

Thanks to all of the coaches. The amount of discipline, responsibility, and obligation to improve and become excellent that you guys taught us will stay with us forever. To be able to put up with my sarcasm, Kalae’s pigeon jargon, Kreecher’s self proclaimed philosophy, and the absence of words from Skore and Dix is quite the accomplishment. It’s no wonder we have 56 consecutive winning seasons under our belt and you guys are the tip of the spear. Special thanks to Fendall. He’s not only a great coach, but a tremendous mentor, leader, and role model with never ending words of wisdom and jokes about life and how to make it. You had your hands full with us for the past four years, but I think we trained the young guys enough to keep you busy for a couple more.

The Catdome has had a huge impact on my life and meant a whole lot to me. I’m going to miss suiting up on Saturdays with the boys but it will be exciting to see this program continue to dominate the NWC and get back to Salem in the near future.

Send ‘Em Up,
Drew Fisher

#5 Taylor Skore, Corner

First, I want to thank my parents for their support throughout my entire career at Linfield and even through pop Warner and High School football. They have made it to almost every game including our long travels to Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Delaware. If not for them, I wouldn’t have been able to have the success I have had in this program. Their love and support allows me to keep moving forward and striving to achieve my goals in life.

I feel very privileged to have been coached by the best coaching staff in the country. Not only do they do a great job in preparing us to play every week but they also make playing the game enjoyable. I want to give a special thanks to coach Fendall and coach Hazenberg as they have influenced my life greatly and have taught me so much about the game of football and life. They have made me into a more well-rounded football player in my time here as well as a more well-rounded person.

Finally, I just want to thank all the teammates I have played with these past four years. I especially want to thank the senior class and our senior DB’s for their hard work and commitment to get better every day. We have shared so many great memories whether it be our undefeated regular seasons, the DB’s dominating in synchronized swimming, morning workouts and 6am spring ball or taking down Willamette three straight years to lock up the conference. I could go on and on. I just really appreciate the relationships I have made with all of you and I wouldn’t trade these four years of being on the field with you for anything, it has been the best decision I have made in my life.

I love this program and I wish it continued success throughout the future, and I hope that all of you underclassmen enjoy the rest of your careers and don’t take it for granted. Keep the tradition alive and keep the streak going.

- Taylor Skore

#6 Nate Dixon, Corner

Most importantly, I'd like to thank my wonderful parents Nate and Yulanda Dixon for all of their love and support sent from Hawaii. I know you both wanted to make every game, but I really appreciate you guys for always being there in spirit when you weren't here. I'm truly blessed to have you both in my life.

Thank you to ALL of the coaches and staff --I don't think it can get any better than you all. Fendall and Haze, I appreciate all that you've done during my career. It's definitely been a grind every year, but you guys helped to make it worth every second. You both have helped me develop as a player and a person. I'm honored to have been coached by you two.

To ALL of my teammates in the past four years - it's been an amazing ride. I wouldn't trade the experiences I've had here (in practice, games, on/off-campus - especially those MUCHAS nights, etc.) for the world. The main reason I came to Linfield is because of the sense of family in this program. This truly is a special place, and I'm glad to have been here with all of you guys. As for my fellow Senior DB's- you guys will be my boys for life...enough said. I want to wish you all luck in wherever life takes you after Linfield. I'm very glad to have been a part of this incredibly special group.

Nate D. aka "DIXonDECK6"

#8 Eric Kozian, Receiver

Dear Cats,
It’s been an incredible four years and I can’t believe it’s all over. I have made so many great memories with the coaches and players and I wouldn’t trade these last four years for anything. I got to play the game I love with an incredible coaching staff and great group of guys. I want to thank everyone on the coaching staff for making our team better football players and better people. Coach Smith was right when he said Football is the greatest class you will take here at Linfield. I will miss things like waking up at 6am in the spring, busting it on the field and in the weight room with the guys. I want to thank the senior class for all the hard work they have put in these last four years and for all the relationships we have created. I have made a lot of great friends and I know we will continue to make more memories the rest of this year. I know football is over but we will be Wildcats forever.

-Eric Kozian

#9 Kole Krieger, Rover

It's hard to decide where to start. The past four years have been amazing. I have had the honor to be surrounded by a great group of coaches and players. I wanna say thank you most of all to my parents, my aunt Cherri and my grandmother if it weren’t for them I wouldn't have been able to go to school here at Linfield. My parents have always been by my side helping me to achieve the very best.

I want to thank Fendall for recruiting me, I've loved having you as a coach and mentor. And thanks for the words of wisdom and the jokes. I want to also thank all the defensive coaches you've taught me a lot and it’s been a great experience.

It has been an amazing time here at Linfield I can't believe its gone so fast. It seems like camp started just yesterday. I have to thank all of my cats over the years, it’s been an honor and I would want to play with anyone else. Keep working and win that National Championship!!
-Kole

#11 Eric Biege, Rover

I couldn’t be happier that I made the decision to come play football at Linfield. This is a football program unlike any other. Playing here means that you are part of a winning tradition that dates back almost sixty years. If you can grind it for four years, you will leave Linfield with an unparalleled degree, a strong work ethic, and lasting friendships that run deep. I am proud to say that I played four years of football at Linfield, but God knows I couldn’t have done it alone. I want to thank the people that made it possible for me to do that.

I first want to thank my family. Pete, Joyce, Brian, Liz, and Laura for all of your love and support over my eight years of football. Thank you for coming to all my games, and being my biggest fans. Our family went through so much during my four years in McMinnville, and I wouldn’t have stayed if it weren’t for your constant prayers and words of encouragement. I love all of you. Joshua 1:9

I want to thank all my teammates. I specifically want to thank the seniors from the 2009 & 2010 teams. You guys were great leaders and friends to us when we were youngens. And to my graduating senior class, I love you guys. I wouldn’t have stuck with it if it weren’t for you guys. Thank you for so many good memories, and good times. Thank you to the eight senior DB’s. Thousands of hours on the field, and off of it, and never a dull moment. I’d do anything for you guys. Thank you Coach Fendall and Coach Haze. You guys are great coaches, and great friends of mine. It has been a pleasure. I could write down a hundred names of guys I consider great friends. But to Hayden, Drew, James, Jason, and Kole, the five guys that had to put up with more of my antics then anybody, thank you. I don’t know how you guys did it, but you managed to get me through four years of college in relatively one piece. My family also thanks you.

Thanks again to everyone who helped me during my time here at Linfield, and to everyone associated with the Linfield football program.

-Biege

#15 James Testa, Rover

First off, I have to thank my parents for giving me the opportunity to play this sport back in middle school, as well as the immense amount of support that they have for my ambitions. I want to thank my sister for always coming to my games and supporting me. To all my family and friends who have come to support me while playing football, I am truly grateful. To the coaches I have been fortunate enough to learn from, I cannot thank you all enough. Especially to Coach Fendall for showing me the way back to the field after almost leaving it forever, thanks Coach.

Now the tough part, to my fellow seniors and teammates. The amount of time we have spent together the past four years far surpasses the amount that we have had with our families back home. Having said that, I would not trade a second of that time for anything. The memories and relationships I have made with you all are my most prized possession and I thank you for that. I thank you for all the hard work we have put in collectively as a team and the great football we have played in our tenure here. For my DBs, who I have spent even more time with, I love you boys you are all like brothers to me and I will always be there for you guys. The times we had we're great, but let's not let them outshine the times we will continue to have together as life rolls on.

Thank you to the whole Wildcat family, especially Ryan Carlson for making the best piece of recruiting material I have ever seen... our highlight dvds!

One Love 'Cats,
James Testa #15

#33 Kala’e Parish, Monster

God has been good to me and allowed me to play all these years. Mahalo to my parents for all their love and support. They believed in me even when I didn’t believe in myself and supported every decision I made though it was hard for them to see me leave home.

Fendall, thanks for an awesome 4 years. It’s funny how me and the boys would always tease which one of us were your son and you their dad. It definitely wasn’t me, but you were like a dad to all of us on the field. No one wanted to disappoint you and you were always there to pick us up when we needed encouragement. I couldn’t have asked for a better coach, mentor, and friend.

To the rest of my coaches thanks for the encouragement, fun times, and push that has brought me this far. Thank you for believing in me. “I won’t forget it!”

My brothers on and off the field: I’m never gonna forget stepping on the field with all of you. I cherished each and every moment. I’m going to miss all of you (the jokes, the laughs, morning workouts, playing in the snow, road trips, the people). Remember that this team plays for more than just the glory of the sport, but we play for the people around us. You have all become my second family and made leaving home easy for me. Thank you for all the memories!

I have truly fallen in love with this team over the years. The friends I’ve made and bonds we’ve created will go a lifetime. It took me awhile to completely buy in to the program and I would like to thank my brothers and coaches for being patient. I always wondered what the fuss was about when people talked about Linfield football. It isn’t until you play and experience this program, until you truly understand what we all feel and talk about. It’s more than the past rewards and accomplishments. It’s an unexplainable attitude and pride you gain over the years. I questioned my love for football my freshman year and this team/program helped me fall back in love with the sport all over again. It was a humbling experience and I’ve been able to grow from it.

I could go on forever of how thankful I am to have played in this program. I appreciate everyone who has made this experience unforgettable. I love you all and keep believing. “Don’t count the days, make the days count.”

-Kale’e Parish

#34 Bryan Anderson, Fullback/Tight End

I would like to thank all of the coaching staff and players for giving me a great college football experience. I will always remember the good times. It was great to be able to get out and see different parts of the country. I met most of my best friends through football and it was great being with such a tight group of guys. The coaches were always able to push us to be better but still be our friends at the end of the day. That is one of the things that I really respect about the coaching staff here. They also have a great commitment to excellence and played a huge role in our success. I think that we have a great thing going here with an awesome tradition that breeds success. I can’t wait to come back and watch some games next year.

My parents played a huge role in supporting me throughout my college career and a lot of my thanks go out to them. They were able to make it to all but one or two games and that was the California games my sophomore year. I wouldn’t have been able to make it to where I am today without their guidance and support. I wouldn’t trade any of the experiences I have made here for anything else. The Linfield football program has shaped me into a better person and I am very grateful for that.

Bryan Anderson #34

#36 Christian Hanna, Corner

‘Catdome,

Playing football for the Linfield program was absolutely the best decision I could have made for myself. I am tremendously thankful for the coaching staff that chooses to sacrifice their time in order to maintain and improve the best team I have ever been apart of. You have taught me an uncountable number of skills and tools that I am sure will prove to be crucial in my future success. I am thankful that I am part of a program that organizes priorities to allow for excellence both on the field and in the classroom; I would not be the student I am today without that trust. What has been most impressive to me is knowing that any football player who finishes his four years in the Linfield program can go on to be a successful coach using all the football knowledge that has been passed to us and the principles this program rests on. Coaches at Linfield turn average ball players into leaders destined for success, I will always be thankful for you all.

Although the coaches lay the foundation and instill discipline in us, it is the players on the Linfield team who trust in the program and in each other that make it truly special. Over these last four years I have been humbled by my teammates and friends. I am honored to have struggled through the workouts, meetings, and practices with you and thankful you always pushed me to work harder. I am most thankful that you guys accepted an Idaho foreigner like me into the group and let me embarrass myself with dances and Ducks gear. You guys inspired me to play harder and faster, speak louder, smile more, and enjoy the ride. You are an unforgettable group of comrades and I am forever thankful to be able to call you my friends.

Thanks again,
Christian Hanna

#65 Hayden Mace, Center

Coaches, I know you hear it a lot from some of our older guys who understand it, but you truly are one of the best staffs in the nation. I always felt like we had a schematic advantage going in each week and that is solely because of all of the time and effort you put in week in and out. I wish I would’ve had a chance to get to know the defensive staff a little better on a personal level, for example, I wish I could’ve experienced a ride on that Clue Bus that Coach Vaughan was always giving away tickets for. Thanks for everything that you have all taught me!

Returners, I know you felt the pain that I did exiting the playoffs as soon as we did this year, so I hope you remember that feeling every morning when you’re out there in the rain. If you’re wondering if all of the work is worth it, the answer is simply, yes. Nothing would make me more proud than to see the 2012 Cats make another playoff run for the title. Put in the work, and go win Linfield a national championship.

Thank you to the entire Wild-Mace family, both offense and defense, and past, present and future members! It’s been a glorious three seasons, and I think it’s finally safe to say that the defense never really stood a chance. Hopefully another QB-wanna-be-dreamer will come along next year and take the reins! Not a better feeling than watching opposing coaches watch us pre-game and try to figure out what the hell we were doing.

Seniors, I’m proud of the changes that we helped make during our four years, and I hope the 2011 Cats are remembered for their hard work, brotherhood and desire. I think the characters really made this class a special one. For example, there’ll never be another kid who looks like Jane and plays like Tarzan quite like Fish did. And I guarantee there’ll be another guy who loves Panda…but not like my guy, Donald. And I’d like to thank this other guy, who flip-flopped from offense to defense a few times, who made it socially acceptable again to rock a sketchy mustache as an elementary school teacher. Mr. Anderson, you’re now the reason I will consider private school for my children. Be sure to remember my O-line brother, Barnes, and his conspiracy theories and my main man, Testa, and his special Led Zeppelin connection with Coach Smith. And who could forget one of my best friends, BG, who loved kick return more than anyone in Linfield history. To all my seniors, I love you guys!

Thanks for the memories!

Wild-Mace

#67 David Balfour, Guard

Thank you to the teammates, coaches and alumni who were a part of my experience and time here at Linfield. Coach Smith was “in reality” correct when he said, “You don’t know what you don’t know”. I know Linfield and Linfield football is directly responsible for me growing up, seeing the world, and learning the values it takes to be successful in this world. All the great and not so great experiences really helped me learn about myself and who I want to be. I am proud of what we accomplished, learned and experienced here.

By the way, Log Rolls are the worst punishment you can put on a person.

-David Balfour

#70 Jordan Barnes, Guard

First off, I would like to say thank you to my family for supporting me and coming to every game they could. They have always been supporting and encouraging me through whatever path I chose and have always pushed me to do my best. I don’t think I would have been the person and football player I have become without their help and love.

The offensive line is a family within the Linfield family. I will forever remember our bento Fridays, joke filled meetings, and hard work we put in every day. I just want to thank everyone on the oline for making my four years a tremendous experience and for being a great group of people to be around at all times. I will truly miss hitting the sled and meeting under the goal post with everyone after the games. These times and memories we share is what I will truly take away from Linfield. Thank you for staying on the grind every day and I encourage the older guys to teacher the younger guys the same.

Seniors, it has been a great ride these past four years. I truly feel blessed to be in a class of such high caliber people on and off the field. I loved playing every second on the field with you guys and for us to bring Linfield back into the national spotlight is a very fulfilling feeling. It wouldn’t have been possible without the collection of the type of men that Linfield has in the program. I am also grateful for the relationships and lifelong friends I was able to develop throughout my years at Linfield.

Last but certainly not least, a thank you to everyone that put up with my sarcastic comments as well.

Roll ‘Cats,
Jordan Barnes

#75 Eric Anderson, Guard

The past four years have been an incredible ride with the wildcats. It is hard to believe that it is over. I feel an immense amount of pride just knowing that I was a part of the greatest football tradition in the country. Looking back now I realize how much work has been put in by so many Wildcats before me and just how special the tradition really is.

Linfield football gave me so much more than just memories on the field, a sense of morality, a sense of purpose and an understanding of true work ethic. I am a better man for having been under the tutelage of the coaching staff here at Linfield. I am so grateful for having the opportunity to play under the coaches here at Linfield, especially Smith, Vaughn and most of all coach Hire. They were all willing to put up with my constant joking around and were always there to offer any sort of assistance I might need. One time my freshman year my car broke down and I needed to get it fixed. I asked coach smith if he knew a good place and within half an hour he sent me an email back with the phone number and address of four different auto repair places.

Most of all I am thankful for my teammate I had the honor to play with. Whenever I felt like I could not put forth the effort in to staying with the program I would just have to see one of my teammates, just as tired and sore as myself and know that I could not quit on them, and I could not quit on myself. I found two of my best friends on this team in Tommy Patrick and Bryan Anderson. Even though they might not ever amount to anything resembling success with their lives, they sure made it fun to show up every day.

So many people sacrificed just for me to have the chance to play here at Linfield and I am eternally grateful for them. To my parents, the coaching staff and all the Wildcat football players of the past and present thank you for making my experience here so great. My last parting thought is a statement about commitment. My freshman year Coach Elliot, in his first long distance away game as quarterback coach, forgot the game balls in the stadium. With few people to turn to he called me, and without a moment’s hesitation I drove the game balls from Maxwell stadium to PDX, just before the plane took off. As Coach Elliot was running back into the airport with the balls he turned to me and said “Anderson, I owe you lunch.” I am still waiting for that lunch….

Eric Anderson #75

#82 Joe Kloucek, Receiver

As a player, I used to see all of the faithful alumnus return to give their congratulations, thoughts and wishes to us as they reminisced on how good we had it being a Linfield Football player. When you’re young, it doesn’t mean much. As your days dwindle, however, you begin to realize how important each day is and what an impact every participant on the team has—each bringing with them a piece of themselves, their family, their community and so on. Linfield Football is all about demanding the best out of yourself and your brothers, regardless of the situation, in order to produce a championship caliber team.

Coach Smith always says that Linfield Football is the best class you will take at Linfield. I believe this is true, as long as you realize that everyday brings its challenges and the only thing you can control is how you respond to these challenges. Whether you wake up before it rises or after, during the season or during the offseason, while you’re a player or long after, the sun will rise again, bringing with it a new set of challenges to conquer and overcome. And when the time comes when these challenges seem unfeasible, remember your brothers.

I want to thank all the coaches, trainers, managers, supporters, hydration committee and players (especially this year’s senior class). I would also like to thank my parents and family for all of their love and care. Lastly, I want to give a shout out to my receivers. Keep catching the rock, making the block and STH. I’m out.

-Klo

#81 Buddy Saxon, Receiver

I want to thank my family for the support they have shown me over my entire football career. I can count on one hand how many football games they have missed, and to have support like that is pretty uncommon. They were always my biggest fans whether I had the best or worst game of my life. I want to say thanks to Coach Wakefield back in Grants Pass. His coaching throughout my four years of high school really developed me as an athlete, and more importantly as a man, and without it I probably wouldn’t have been able to handle the adversity that college athletics can bring.

Coach Fendall – Just want to say thanks for the “pull your head out” (nicer way of putting it) reality check you gave me freshmen year. I was on a path that was leading nowhere good, and without that talk I probably would not have made it through college and I owe you big for that. My grades were awful before that talk, and now they are the best I have ever had.

To my fellow seniors, what a wild four years that I promise you I will never forget. It got a little suspect on whether some of us were going to make it all four years, and we all pulled together and got it done. As a group we went into the toughest teams houses across the nation and battled it out, and I am proud as hell of that. So I want to say thank you for everything and can’t wait for the alumni game to suit up with you all again.

-Buddy Saxon

#89 Joell Reyes, Defensive Tackle

Wow these 4 years have gone by in such a blur. I have thoroughly enjoyed playing this game with each and every one of you guys. Seniors, we have been through so much and this has been a great ride. I love all you guys and I feel so fortunate to have been standing among you. Coaches, thanks for all your time and effort putting together all the game plans and spending time away from your families. I truly appreciate all your hard work and dedication. Our program would not be successful without all of the staff. Young guys, keep up all the hard work every day at practice and make sure to get in the weight room during the off season. All those 6 am work outs will pay off and bring everyone closer together. I feel like a lot of our success this year was how well everyone on the team got along and trusted one another. All that trust sprouted from all the time we have spent with one another, trying to get better. I want to thank my parents for all the support they have given me here at Linfield especially driving down to all the home games. Special shout out to all the D-line, I know I have bounced around at a lot of positions but I found my home at the D-line. Thank you guys for all the effort each and every day.

Roll ‘Cats! Catdome!

Joell Reyes #89

#92 Brent Shimabukuro, Defensive End

I want to thank my parents first of all without them I would never have come to Linfield. I owe plenty of thanks to my brother. He really was my inspiration for playing football and to continue playing after high school.

I would like to thank all the friends I have made through football during these four year. They have become my family. I would like to thank the coaches for believing in each and every one of us. They all seemed to see the potential in every player under them. Them not giving up on us made us not want to give up ever.

Overall words cannot truly express how thankful I am to have played such a great game. Looking back on my nine year career I have learned so many things about myself and about life. I look back at the places football has taken me, places I wouldn’t even have gone if it wasn’t for this sport. I am thankful for all the emotional highs and lows that nothing else in my life will ever give me. I would not trade my football experience for ANYTHING. I thank God everyday for the opportunities that I have been given.

Brent Shimabukuro

#93 Sparky Gonzalez, Defensive End

First and foremost I’d like to thank my parents who gave me the opportunity to further my education and allow me to play football at the next level. I also want to thank my mom for trying to make it out to as many games as possible, even the freezing cold in Minnesota. My parents are my number one fans and when they can’t make a game they still tune in and listen to me play.

Seniors: I’d like to thank all the seniors of the 2012 class. I couldn’t ask for a better class of men that I became so close with. It’s been a long journey together; there were a lot of ups and a couple downs, but I don’t regret any moment or feeling left out on the field with you all. You guys mean so much to me and I’m glad I had the privilege to be your teammate and friend.

I’d like to thank a special group of people and they are the “old guys” from Hawaii. These guys have been with me since day one. There is a special bond between the small handful of guys that are left, but I’d just like to say that I probably couldn’t have made it all four years without you guys.

The coaches: Thank you all coaches that I had the privilege to play under. This is an incredible staff that has taught me many lessons on the field and off. You guys have molded me into a better person and allowed me to find out whom I really am inside. Coach Hire, you opened my eyes to the Linfield family and I don’t regret any of the choices I have made on coming to Linfield. Coach Smith, Thank you for being a great mentor to me, and believing in me to get it done. Coach Vaughan, Thank you for making me into the player that I am today, thank you for believing in me and trusting me to get the job done, I will never forget our memories with the DLine. Coach Rombach, you’ve been the closest coach since day one. Thank you for everything, you’ve been there for me every year and you always have your door open to me, I appreciate everything. I’d also like to thank Mack Farag. He is the most genuine and nicest man I’d ever met, thanks Mack.

To the young guys, thank you guys for keeping me on my feet and keep me competing every day. You guys are the future of Linfield Football, and I’d have no problem with passing the torch to you guys. You have potential for greatness, its just how you prepare and how bad you want it. My one piece of advice is to buy into the program and cherish every moment possible. Buy in and be apart of everything you can, you never know when you’ll be in and then suddenly out with a potentially season ending injury. Always work hard and have no regrets. Represent yourself and the name on the jersey everyday of your life and I guarantee you’ll be a better man at the end of the day. Good luck to you all

Send Em Up
Sparky Gonzalez #93

#95 Tommy Patrick, Defensive Tackle

I would like to take a moment to thank my parents, my teammates, my coaches and the whole Linfield community for providing me with such a great football experience. Without my parents support I never would have had the chance to come here. They made it to nearly every game and I am very thankful for them being in my life. It was a great four years and I have no regrets; I would do the same thing if I had to do it all over again. My teammates are my greatest friends and that is the main reason I value my Linfield experience. This program does a great job evaluating players not only on a physical talent level but even more on a class and integrity level. I think this program speaks for itself and I’m glad I could be a part of something with so much tradition and I look forward to seeing that tradition continue for many years to come. I also would like to thank the coaches for the countless hours of preparation that they put in to make us the players we are today. Go Catdome!

Tommy Patrick #95

Linfield’s 2011 season ends in Delaware 49-34

2011-11-28T09:47:00.000-08:00

Saturday was the ultimate tale of two halves as the ‘Cats rode a big play offense and solid defense to take a commanding 27-7 halftime lead to only see Wesley storm back in epic fashion to end the ‘Cats 2011 season by the score of 49-34. It was such a hard way to end the season as Linfield was in control of the game at half but two early 2^nd half turnovers wildly swung momentum over to Wesley and once the Wolverines had the home crowd fired up, Wesley quarterback Shane McSweeny and the Wesley defense couldn’t do anything wrong as the Wesley offense made play after play and their defense bottled up an explosive Wildcat offense. It was such a crappy feeling to watch the 2^nd half unfold for our ‘Cats, not only because the season came to a close, but because that half of football was on a big stage and wasn’t truly reflective of what this 2011 Linfield football team was all about. The 2011 Linfield Wildcats were a great football team. Yes, those two quarters of football was downright terrible for the ‘Cats but there isn’t a single doubt in my mind this team had the goods to play for it all and I guess that’s why Saturday stings the worst. This team had the skill, scheme, coaching, and players to make an even deeper run into the playoffs but ran into a very fine team on Saturday that rallied and made more plays to put the ‘Cats away. You just have to tip your cap to Wesley and congratulate them on something the 10 previous opponents couldn’t do and that’s stop our ‘Cats.

That game is going to hurt for awhile but it’s ok for this to hurt. How could it not? The players, staff, and support people put so much into Linfield football that when you come up short of your ultimate goal it’s going to sting hard. Coach Smith nailed it beautify after the game when he talked about this team and program “daring greatly” and brought that home by quoting an excerpt from Theodore Roosevelt’s “Citizenship In A Republic” speech that is well known as “The Man In The Arena” . Coach Smith talked about how much he appreciates the fact this team puts it out there that the goal of this program each year is to not only play for but win a National Championship. It’s a daring statement to make that you believe so much in what you’re doing as a program that if the team executes and performs at a high enough level during the course of the season you’ll wind up being the last team standing. “…the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly…” There are those that might snicker at that goal especially with Whitewater and Mount Union have played against each other in 6 consecutive Stagg Bowls but those are programs or people that are probably too afraid of being hurt to ever put so much on the line.

That’s what I think I’ll remember the most about this 2011 team. From this past spring this team said there are other programs that want what Linfield has and since that’s the case go on and “Send ‘Em Up because the ‘Cats will be waiting” and once they’re done with them then Linfield will be onto their biggest goal. That statement wasn’t arrogance but an attitude of confidence forged by the work and preparation the program has put in over the previous seasons. It’s a belief system that Linfield has in place that prepared this team for the challenges of 2011 and will carry them forward through a difficult ending to what was a spectacular season.

This is a special group of young men that the Linfield community should be wildly proud of. They handled both victory and loss with grace and dignity and we should celebrate everything they’ve accomplished on and off the field. I’ll talk more in later posts about the numbers the 2011 ‘Cats put up and about a program changing senior class but right now I just want to thank the 2011 Linfield Wildcats for everything they’ve provided to the fans of the ‘Catdome. You guys were not only a top rate football team but represented everything that’s right with Linfield and right about college athletics. Please keep daring greatly on and off the field. Send ‘Em Up!

NCAA Playoffs Round 2: Linfield vs Wesley Live Twitter Feed

2011-11-26T06:12:00.000-08:00

Your Live Linfield game day Twitter Feed is back. You can now follow live updates of the 'Cats at Wesley via folks that will be tweeting the action. Join twitter (it's easy) and be a part of the action. Just make sure you hash-tag "Catdome" in your updates. i.e. #catdome

Also, there is a live video feed of today's action via the folks at D3football.com

WATCH LINFIELD VS WESLEY

NCAA Playoffs Round 2 Preview: Linfield (10-0) at Wesley (10-1)

2011-11-23T20:59:00.000-08:00

I have to tell you that it's so dang nice to be writing a Linfield game preview two weeks after the regular season ends. Heck yes! After the 'Cats outlasted the Kingsmen of Cal Lutheran 30-27 this past Saturday, Linfield jumped out of the West Region Power frying pan and right into the National Power fryer as the 'Cats will travel cross country and play in Dover, Delaware against the Wesley Wolverines. You maybe asking yourself "Why is Linfield going across the country to play at a team who's lost once this year?" I have no bloody idea but that's the decision that was made and the only thing for the Wildcats to do is embrace what is a fantastic opportunity. Think about it for a moment. All of the other small college players in the Pacific Northwest (Division III, Division II, NAIA) have been sitting at home the past two weeks catching up on homework, playing video games, cleaning out their locker rooms, and generally looking forward to the 2012 season while the players on the Linfield roster are still in a championship hunt. Only 16 Division III teams out of the 236 remain and the 'Cats are once again one of them. It's an awesome honor this team has earned with an incredible amount of hard work so why not go on across the country and play against one of D3's top programs? Let's tee it up and see how Linfield measures up.

Wesley is a top level division program. The Wolverines have made 4 National Semifinal trips since 2005 and boast a lofty 16-6 NCAA playoff record. This year's Wesley's team has been equally impressive to their squads of the past as the Wolverines scores 41 ppg while only allowing 12. They're talented, well coaches, and play very well at home. Bottom line, this is a big challenge but Linfield has faced teams of this magnitude over the past couple of seasons (Whitewater, Mary-Hardin Baylor, St. Thomas, California Lutheran) and the 'Cats have held their own and then some. There are an excellent football program but with only 16 teams remaining...who isn't? It's going to be a matter of playing another full 60 minutes of Linfield football in order to get the job done and this team is built for a challenge like this.

Get To Know A Wildcat

#33 Kala'e Parish, Senior, Safety

Favorite Place in Mac to Eat: Wildwood

Favorite Movie: Role Models

Favorite Music: Reggae music!

Favorite TV Show: Jersey Shore

Favorite Pro Football team: Dallas Cowboys

Class I Most Look Forward to: Business Law I & II. I had a great professor and the subjects were very interesting.

Mac or Pc: Mac

Twitter or Facebook: Facebook

Short Board or Long Board (do you even surf?): Long board. I prefer to catch more waves rather than get more tired paddling on a short board. There's no sense in making my fun any harder.

Xbox, PS3, or WII: None, there is only Nintendo 64, Favorite Game: Super Smash Bros. I like the "old school" games, plus I like to think that I'm pretty good at this one.

Favorite Coach Fendall Saying: No particular sayings. Really enjoy his pre-game jokes before the games. Classics!

Some might know but your in a popular local band called Na Hemo. What's a bigger rush...being on stage with a good crowd or making a big play on the field? Definitely a big play on the field. I can't describe the feeling. It's that burst of adrenaline that you can't control. Playing music is more carefree and expressive. Football is all that and more.

If you had to choose one Na Hemo song to describe the 2011 Wildcats what would it be? "Coldest Zone" by J Boog "to all my soldiers who ain't afraid..." SEND EM UP

Your Favorite Part About Playing at Linfield is: Playing with a group of men who are always beside you, ready to run to the battle with you, and play with an aggressive passion for the game.

Post Linfield aspirations: Establish myself here in the mainland before moving back home to Hawaii. I'm leaning towards a possible career in sales. I thought about becoming a sports agent.

Wildcat11's Keys To Victory

Embrace the road less traveled: It's so easy for teams that are not accustom to so much travel to let it be a distraction. The distance, flying, time zone changes, hotels, are all easy outs for a team to point in why they fail on the road. The 'Cats 1st step to victory this Saturday starts on Thursday as Linfield heads out to the East Coast. The players need to enjoy the opportunity by coming together and making the most about getting to play a game on the other side the country. Linfield likes to take the 'Catdome all around the West Coast and this is no different. 'Catdome East Coast!

Start Strong: Wesley has been a very strong 1st quarter team (outscoring opponents 104-13 on the season) so it's imperative for Linfield to run to the battle and establish themselves early as a team that is going to fight every down for 4 quarters.

Have to be able to run the ball: Wesley's defense is only giving up 2.2 yards per rush but Linfield can't let that sway them from trying to establish Josh Hill and the Linfield rushing attack. We've seen it time and again that if Linfield is able to be effective running the ball the 'Cats are going to be tough to beat.

Take away the Wesley rushing attack: Wesley is a very balanced offense in averaging 201 rushing yards a game and 200 passing yards a game. The 'Cats have to be able to limit one aspect of the Wesley offense and that has to be the Wolverines rushing attack. That's going to be a tall task as Wesley All-American QB Shane McSweeny is a duel-threat QB that has established himself as an electric scrambler. McSweeny might get his in running around the pocket but the 'Cats can't let Wesley's base run game get traction.

Pressure without extra bodies/don't give up big plays: The 'Cats defensive line need to have a huge day on passing downs in allowing the 'Cats to keep their nickle backs/linebackers in coverage and not having to dial up extra bodies. If the 'Cats front four can get pressure it's going to go a long way towards getting the Linfield defense off the field.

Solid Linfield pass protection: The 'Cats offensive line need to stay on a roll in keeping Mickey Inns upright. It's going to be tough as Wesley averages around 3.5 sacks per contest. I have a lot of believe in this offensive line and Saturday is a big stage to show the division what they're made of.

Solid Special Teams: If this unit can keep on playing at high gear it makes the job of the offense and defense so much easier. Wesley has a huge amount of speed but there is no reason why this group can't have a great day in coverage and in kicking the ball. This group doesn't have to put the "S" on their chest but they can have a big impact by just doing their job.

Overall

'Cats by 7. A huge game on a huge stage. This is why players come to Linfield, to play in games like this. It's simple really and cliche but this is the truth. The team that executes, takes advantages of the opportunities, and limits mistakes is going to walk away the winner this weekend and I truly feel the 'Cats have the mental toughness to push away the distractions and find a way to beat one of the divisions finest. There's going to be lows and highs on Saturday but if this team can handles both and keep doing the little things right the 'Cats are going to be there in the 4th quarter. I believe.....do you?

‘Cats Win!!! Linfield blocks CLU’s bid to advance in the NCAA playoffs

2011-11-21T22:47:00.000-08:00

Photo Courtsy of Brad Thompson: View and Purchase Brad's Photos here

You smell that? That’s not the smell of fear but it’s actually the smell of the Wildcat’s 30-27 playoff victory over California Lutheran. What a great day in the valley and a great day in the ‘Catdome between two very worthy teams. It would be easy for me to take some light hearted jabs at CLU about the ‘Cats beating them for the 3rd year in a row in the playoffs but I can’t do it. They’re a very good team and as someone who was in St. Thomas last season to see your team put it all on the line and have it end in heartbreak us Linfield fans and our players know the feeling of coming up short. Bottom line, both teams punched and counter-punched. Both teams had flags go against them that put each other in tougher situations. Both teams made big plays to keep the game close, but at the end, the Wildcats ended the game in the area this Linfield team as excelled in all year long: special teams. The ending couldn’t have been more perfect.

Rounding back to the days headed up to the game I was struck by the very confident tone of CLU fan base about this match-up. Hey, our fans are always beyond confident (me included) but this week’s tone was different than the previous two seasons. Some were guaranteeing a CLU victory, comments such as this the “best CLU team” fans have ever seen, and CLU was on such a dominate roll in the SCIAC that they couldn’t be stopped. Etc, etc, etc. Obviously, this was the closest game of the previous 3 years but I felt like some on the CLU bandwagon was discounting what makes Linfield…well…Linfield. The ‘Cats are so solid in all three phases of the game, have outstanding coaching, toughness, fundamentally sound, and we have a lot of darn good players too. As a fan, I was nervous during fall camp headed into the season opener vs. this CLU team. We weren’t very healthy, I wasn’t sure how Inns and our young defensive front were going to perform, and it was hard not to question our chances were versus a hyper-talented and veteran laden team like CLU. As we all know, the ‘Cats put those questions to bed and gave you a look to why this team was going to be exceptional. This is not just a team but this is a brotherhood. It’s a group devoid of ego and focused on being in the moment. I may have had a small doubt in the late days of August but I don’t have any doubt now. Unlike the CLU faithful, I won’t guarantee a trip to the Stagg Bowl but I will say that I wouldn’t bet against this Linfield team anytime soon.

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

The Good

Total Team Effort: All three phases did their part to pitch in to get the job done on Saturday and that's what you want during the playoffs. A great effort by the staff, scout team, all the support people, and the players on the field. The 'Cats got it done the "Linfield Way".

Special teams/Josh Kay: The 'Cats special teams were once again great. There were only a couple of issues that bubbled up during this phase of the game but the coverage was good, the kickoff team set up the offense with great field position. Then you have the blocked field goal to win the game and Josh Kay was freaking clutch all game long. Coach Smith was right when he said Kay should have been the NWC special teams player of the year as Kay has proven all year long to be a big time weapon for Linfield.

Offensive Line/Josh Hill: I thought the 'Cats offensive line played brilliantly on Saturday. It was their biggest test of the season and the Linfield offensive line was physical, determined, and provided excellent protection in the pass game. A great effort by them and what can you say about Josh Hill's performance running the ball? It seems the bigger the game the better J-Hill plays.

Wide Receivers: Yeah, I know the offense only threw for 152 yards but I loved the way the Linfield wide receivers played. Totally fearless and battled about as fine of defensive backfield in the nation.

Defense, Defense, Defense: While CLU put up 444 yards of total offense but the bottom line is the Linfield only gave up 20 points on the day vs a team that had averaged almost 60 ppg in their last 6 contests. CLU put pressure on the 'Cats defense but time, after time, after time, the 'Cats defense turned CLU away when it mattered most and that's what made the 'Cats defense so great this year: they find a way to get it done.

Drew Fisher’s TD saving tackle: When Daniel Mosier broke that run early in the 3rd quarter I was 100% sure that he was gone for the touchdown. There was no way the 'Cats were in position to bring him down but the 'Cats All-American Safety might have made his greatest tackle in a long list of great take downs. The remarkable rundown tackle kept the touchdown off the board as Linfield was able to limit CLU to a field goal and changed the complexion of the game. It was an all-american play by one of the divisions very best players.

Linfield Faithful: Easily the smallest crowd of the season with the students starting Thanksgiving break and CLU not bringing up much of a crowd but the hardcore Linfield fans that were at the game rocked the 'Catdome all game long. Don't believe me just listen to the raw audio of the field goal block and it sounded like 20,000 fans instead of just a little under 1,600. Great effort 'Catdome!
Linfield CLU Block FG Raw Audio by Wildcat11

The Bad:

3rd Down Play: It was the 1st time all season long the 'Cats were outdone on 3rd downs (CLU 8 of 16, Linfield 5 of 14) on the season and it showed up in the total yardage as CLU was able to extend multiple drives off the legs and play-making of Laudenslayer. The 'Cats will need to tighten up this down this week out in Dover in order to give Linfield the best possible chance for success.

Giving Up Big Plays: I can't remember the stat but I believe the 'Cats gave up 3 or 4 plays of more than 30 yards and that's just way too many and it almost bit the 'Cats hard on Saturday. Credit CLU for making that happen but again the 'Cats have to get the big plays under wraps this upcoming Saturday.

Not Putting CLU away in the 1st half: Linfield had a prime chance to take a 20-3 lead into the half and possibly send CLU into the locker room with a lot of doubt creeping into their minds. However, CLU was able to convert a Hail Mary with no time left to make it a 20-10 Linfield lead and give CLU the momentum. It was a big play as the 'Cats were unable to shake CLU for the rest of the game.

The Ugly:

Linfield fans limited access to 2nd round game: I'm not complaining about having to go on the road in the 2nd round but I do think it's too bad that Linfield has to travel such a great distance during a holiday week. This combination just makes the trip such an expensive proposition to overcome. I feel for the fans that want to go but even more so for the player's and staff's family that have sacrificed and supported their 'Cats year after year. Just a shame on announcing the site location so late(as every day counts in terms of costs of airfare) and for sending the 'Cats almost 2,500 miles away. Again, I'm excited to play a team of Wesley's caliber but not thrilled with how the NCAA handled it.

Linfield Block For The Win and Cal Lutheran Post Game Interviews.

2011-11-20T13:47:00.000-08:00

What a great victory yesterday at the 'Catdome as Linfield held on to send home California Lutheran 30-27 in an instant classic DIII playoff game. For Linfield what a perfect ending to what has been a stand out aspect of this unit: special teams. I'm telling you that the players on the Linfield sideline just felt that block coming on as Defensive End Tyler Steele made first contact and WR Buddy Saxon finished it off. I don't need to say anything more just watch the clip below.

After the game WC11 grabbed Linebacker Dom Forrest, offensive guard Drew Wert, and senior corner Taylor Skore to talk about the 'Cats 3rd consecutive playoff victory over Cal Lutheran.

NCAA Playoffs Round1: Linfield vs Cal Lutheran Live Game Day Twitter Feed

2011-11-19T09:03:00.001-08:00

Your Live Linfield game day Twitter Feed is back. You can now follow live updates of the 'Cats at California Lutheran via folks that will be tweeting the action. Join twitter (it's easy) and be a part of the action. Just make sure you hash-tag "Catdome" in your updates. i.e. #catdome

Around The 'CatdomeO'sphere: Playoff Edition

2011-11-18T11:43:00.000-08:00

Send 'Em Up!

Yes, so great to be back with a very special Around The 'CatdomeO'sphere as we trim the fat and focus in on the 'Cats 1st round playoff game vs Cal Lutheran. All the links below are all about Linfield and CLU. Granted, there has been a big run of stories on the feel good Lewis & Clark Pioneers. I can understand the interested in them starting the season so well, but after reality came crashing down in the form of the right hand of Linfield, all of those interviews and special stories dried up faster than Puget Sound's run game. No need to say it but tomorrow is a big day at the 'Catdome and I'm excited to see how the 'Cats battle. Bundle up and get yourself to the game. We're lucky enough in DIII to be able to settle it on the field so make sure you don't miss the chance to be a part of it. 'Catdome!

News-Register: Ben Schorzman's live blog of Linfield's 47-14 mauling of Lewis & Clark

The Linfield Review: 'Cats wrap up another undefeated season, NWC title, and playoff birth in 47-14 beating of L&C.

The Linfield Review: Study room in Nicholson Library dedicated to former 'Cats football player and fallen solider of Vietnam war, Mike Barrow (class of '68)

The Pioneer Log: "Solid" Lewis and Clark defense holds 'Cats down to only 34 1st half points.

wildcatspread40.blogspot.com: Wildcats Crush Pios 47-14...

Linfield Sports: The 'Cats Shimabukuro and Gonzalez have been teammates for life.

wildcatspread40.blogspot.com: What WCS40 learned about the 'Cats during the regular season

Statesman Journal: 'Cats take Lewis & Clark out with the trash.

Oregonlive.com: Inns has Linfield singing a playoff tune.

Oregonlive.com: Linfield puts the Pios away in the 1st half.

The Linfield Review: The Review tries to make sense of wild playoff bracket.

Oregonlive.com: 'Cats host a familiar face in the opening round of the playoffs.

The CLU Echo (page 10 of .pdf): Kingsmen looking to avenge only loss of their season as they head back to the 'Catdome

D3football.com's Around The Nation: D3fb takes a shot a their playoff picks, surprises, and disappointments

D3blogs.com's Triple Take: D3football.com crew picks 1st round games.

D3football.com Road To Salem Feature: CLU and Redlands go their separate ways in the 1st round of the playoffs.

VCstar.com: Cal Lutheran halftime adjustments lead to big 3rd quarter results.

VCstar.com: CLU's Ben McEnroe "We can beat anyone in the country, anywhere in any conditions right now."

VCstar.com: Cal Lutheran fishing regular season in style in 70-20 torching of Occidental.

2011 NCAA Playoff Round 1 Preview: Linfield (9-0) vs California Lutheran (8-1)

2011-11-16T12:04:00.000-08:00

Once again we meet with our good friends from California Lutheran. For the 3rd year in a row the ‘Cats will line up against the Kingsmen for the right to advance in the NCAA Division III playoffs. For those that follow both programs know this is actually the ‘Cats 5th meeting with CLU in Linfield’s past 22 games (past 21 for CLU) and at this point I think each teams' players and staff know each other so well they could recite the others playbook by heart.

Even though the frequency of this game is almost at a nauseating level, it’s still intriguing to me on a number of levels. I think there’s zero doubt that both of these teams are in an elite class of Division III football teams this season and while it’s too bad we have to face off in the 1st round, it’s just our reality in DIII out in the far west. It would be easy for me to go on a tirade about the brackets being unbalanced and how the seeding is ridiculous but it’s pointless. Both of these teams say they’ll play anybody, anytime, anywhere, so we might as well buckle it up and get down to business against a top flight team now instead of getting a sacrificial lamb from the weak auto qualifiers from the Midwest. Hell, why not? Send ‘Em Up!

For California Lutheran, the season opening 24-14 loss to Linfield can to a surprise to the CLU fan base and even to their Head Coach Ben McEnore who told the Ventura County Star “…in all honesty, I am surprised we lost this football game. Give Linfield credit, they took advantage when they had chances. But for the most part, this was a winnable football game for us.” The loss at the ‘Catdome wasn’t in the plans for the Kingsmen and they looked a little uneven the next week in defeating PLU 28 – 17 at Moorepark College but then came a pivotal moment in CLU’s season. On the opening night of play at CLU’s brand new stadium, the SCIAC title was eventually on the line as Redlands came to town. It looked like the wheels were falling off as Redlands raced out to a 24-0 halftime lead but CLU turned the tables on Redlands and stormed back by putting up 28 consecutive 2nd half points to take the big 28-24 win. Since that half of football CLU has been on a major roll in defeating Whittier, La Verne, Pomona-Pitzer, CMS, Chapman, and Oxy by an average score of 59 to 13. Supporters and fans around the CLU program are saying this is the best CLU team ever and they have been playing up to their potential over the last 2/3rds of the season. Needless to say, the CLU confidence is at an all-time high as they head into this weekend.

Get To Know A Wildcat

#65 Hayden Mace, Senior, Center

Favorite Place in Mac to Eat: I don’t have a favorite, but I get into a pretty good weekend routine, so I’ll share it with everyone: Friday O-line meeting: Bento from 76. Post-game dinner: GVB. Saturday night: Muchas. Sunday afternoon: Carl’s Jr.

Favorite Movie: I go back and forth on this a lot, but the movie that’s always in the running is The Dark Knight.

Favorite Music: Alternative rock (Panic! At The Disco, Fall Out Boy) and the blues, acoustic and jazz genre (The Jack Johnson, John Mayer and Colbie Caillats of the world).

Favorite TV Show: I have a plethora, but The Office is hands down my #1.

Favorite Pro Football team: GO HAWKS!

Class I Most Look Forward to: The best class on campus is Economics of College Sports by Randy Grant.

Mac or PC: PC

Cpu Homepage: ESPN

Twitter or Facebook: Can I say both? No? Well then, Twitter.

Car or Truck: I drive a 1992 Ford Taurus. If anyone is looking for a classy car, let me know.

Xbox, PS3, or WII: Xbox

Favorite Coach Hire Saying: Oh, wow! There are so many to choose from. His two favorites this year have been, “Just take him on the angle” and “We wear our swag on our helmets and facemasks.”

Favorite Movie Director: You’re killing me with all of these favorite questions, you know? Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight & Inception) has two of my top-five favorites, so he has to be the guy.

All you can eat buffet at Izzy's. Which O-lineman could do the most damage in one evening: Barnes can put the food away, it’ll just take him all day to do it.

Your Favorite Part About Playing at Linfield is: The coaches and the players make the difference. The guys that choose to play here at Linfield are great guys, both on and off the field. The combination of the brotherhood that this team has along with the best coaching staff in the nation makes for a winning culture.

Post Linfield aspirations: Hopefully get a job with Nike or a finance company in the Portland area and become an offensive coordinator or head coach for a high school team.

Wildcat11’s Keys To Victory

Nothing else but a full 4 quarters of Linfield Football: In order to win this game the ‘Cats need to take the approach that has worked for this group all season long. Be 100% focused on being in the moment and doing your job to the very best of your ability. There are going to be high’s and low’s on Saturday and if the ‘Cats are able to handle both adversity and success for the duration of the contest then I like our chances to slug out a win.

Have to limit the CLU run game: This is no disrespect to the Kingsmen ability to strike in the air (because they’re dangerous throwing the ball) but if you let Daniel Mosier loose on the ground you’re going to make it awfully hard to slow down the CLU offense. Linfield’s defense has to limit the CLU run game in order to take away their balance and give the ‘Cats defense a shot to make plays when CLU is put in positions to throw the ball. That’s easy for WC11 to type because the Kingsmen line is pretty darn big but the ‘Cats have to find a way to beat blocks and put on a tackling clinic on Saturday.

Keep bodies off of Mickey Inns: During the 1st game of the season against CLU, Mickey Inns took way too many hits on the day. Inns and the ‘Cats passing game has grown tremendously over the course of the season and it will be a major key this Saturday to keep Inns on his feet and Kingsmen out of his face.

Have to win field position game: The Kingsmen offense is too explosive to give them opportunities to work with short fields. Good field position isn’t just about special teams but it’s about all three phases of the ‘Cats game keeping the action on CLU’s side of the field. If the ‘Cats can make CLU work long fields and get the offense chances to work with short porches the ‘Cats will be in a great position to win the game.

Keep CLU’s big play strikes down: The CLU passing game features a fine group of receivers led by their All-American candidate Eric Rodgers. While Rodgers has hurt Linfield in the past, the ‘Cats still need to be mindful of the other big play threats on the field and not allow CLU to get behind the ‘Cats defense. I know I’m asking a lot to both stop their run game and also don’t allow big plays downfield but I have faith the defense will give it their best effort to do both.

Run the darn football: Linfield’s saving offensive grace in the season opener was rushing for 256 yards against CLU. I’m sure that isn’t a fact that’s loss on CLU’s coaching staff as they put together their defensive game plan. Regardless, of the extra attention CLU will probably put on the ‘Cats run game, Linfield has to be a balanced offense on Saturday and that starts by running the ball.

Special Teams having a day: CLU has explosive returners and play solid special teams so this will be a good challenge for what has been a stand-out year for Linfield’s special teams unit. Linfield needs to have a great day in covering returns to help win that field position battle.

Overall

‘Cats by 7. This has the potential to be a whale of a game. I respect the heck out of CLU’s ability and talent but I love what this Wildcat team brings to the table. There many CLU supporters that think the Kingsmen will break through against Linfield on Saturday. That just plays into the overall feeling I get that CLU believes they shouldn’t have lost that season opener and that’s fine. However, there is a reason Linfield has and will continue to be an elite team in Division III and I’m looking forward to those reasons being on display this Saturday. Go ‘Cats!

‘Cats Win!!! Linfield fixes Lewis & Clark's wagon in 47-14 mauling at the ‘Catdome.

2011-11-14T13:18:00.000-08:00

Photo Courtsy of Brad Thompson: View and Purchase Brad's Photos here

Lewis & Clark brought a knife to a gun fight as the ‘Cats put the game away before the horn went off to signal the end of the 1st half. Honestly, it could have been a much worse score than 34-0 but regardless it was total and complete domination of a team that was a nice little story headed into their last games of the season. Linfield was sharp, focused, and once again proved they are the cream of the Northwest Conference crop. In victory, the ‘Cats sealed the NCAA playoff automatic birth, the program’s 3rd consecutive NWC title, and the Linfield’s 35th overall conference championship. Since the Northwest Conference was reinstated in 1996 the ‘Cats have now captured the NWC title 9 times over the past 16 years. Since the 2000 season, the ‘Cats have run their NWC record to an astonishing 60 wins against 5 losses. Just flat out dominate.

This 2011 Wildcat team has been on the same level of those conference champions of year's past in winning their NWC games with a margin of victory of 32 points per game (avg score of 46-14). The ‘Cats have done it in all phases this season in mauling teams with a suffocating defense, stand out special teams play, and a more balanced offensive attack that has shown tremendous growth during the season. I’ve heard some coaches around the NWC state that while Linfield is a great team they don’t have the 2 or 3 stars to carry them. I’d argue with them on that point but where this team stands out to me compared to the rosters of previous years is the depth. To me, this is one of the deepest Linfield rosters I’ve seen in terms of speed and talent. This Linfield team comes at you with wave after wave of fast and tough minded football players. They’ve been an honor to cover and watch.

But let’s round back to Saturday. The big question people had was if the ‘Cats would be able to limit mistakes and hold down the Pioneer offense. The ‘Cats answered with an emphatic “yes” to both of those questions and it was apparent early on the 'Cats were ready to roll. Both the ‘Cats offense and defense dominated Lewis and Clark in out gaining the Pios 381 yards to 90 yards in the 1st half of play. It was so one-sided that the student section bailed at halftime and one Wildcat fan in the North End Zone said to me “I’m kind of disappointed. I was hoping to see a game today.” Myself….I was fine with how the game turned out.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

The Good

The ‘Cats played Linfield Football: After a rocky performance at Whitworth the week before I was curious to see how the ‘Cats would respond. I’ve stated before that when this team is on their game they’re going to be hard to beat and the ‘Cats were hitting on all cylinders this past weekend. That just doesn’t happen on Saturday but that comes from a great week of preparation, the Scout Team busting backside, and the whole team zeroing in on playing Linfield football. The ‘Cats were not afraid of the moment and came out and rolled physically and emotionally.

Defensive Domination: The Wildcat’s once again faced a highly touted NWC offensive player and did what the ‘Cats seem to do with regularity in this situation: suffocate and dominate. The Pioneers had 90 total yards of 1st half offense but if you take out their single drive of 65 yards, the ‘Cats defense only allowed 14 yards on L&C’s other 7 first half possessions. The ‘Cats shark tank was in a feeding frenzy.

Offensive Explosion: At times it looked like the ‘Cats were play a summer pick up 7-on-7 skelly session as Linfield raced up and down the ‘Catdome surface in posting up 34 1st half points. Linfield knew coming into the game they would be able to score points but it was almost surgical in how Linfield took apart Lewis and Clark’s defense.

Tackling: Against a team that spreads you out sideline to sideline you have to be able to tackle well and that’s just what the ‘Cats did. Fantastic job in wrapping ball carries and being smart along the sideline in getting carries out of play but without a chance of getting any late hit flags tossed. Very solid fundamental contest by Linfield.

Josh Kay going 4 for 4 in Field Goal attempts: Josh Kay and the Field Goal/PAT team has been locked in all season long and yesterday was another great example. Great protection, great snaps, great holds, and Josh was automatic on all 4 attempts. Outstanding.

‘Cats rushing game: The passing game was there all day long but so was the rushing attack. The ‘Cats out rushed Lewis & Clark on the day 181 to 128 as the ‘Cats Josh Hill led all rushers with 111 yards on 18 carries (6.2 ypc). The whole offensive unit was busting tail blocking and J-Hill was electric. It was also great to see Aaron Williams back and regaining that All-Conference form with 32 rushing yards in only 5 attempts. Josh Hill, Stephen Nasca, and Aaron Williams are a darn good trio of backs headed into the playoffs.

3rd down defense: L&C came into Saturday with almost a 50% conversion rate on 3rd down but Linfield’s defense was up for the task in only allowing the Pios to convert on 25% of 3rd down chances (3 of 12).

‘Cats passing attack: Mickey Inns and the offense competed 67% of Inns passes on 20 of 30 attempts for 286 yards, 4 touchdowns, and zero picks. 8 different ‘Cats caught passes and the receivers were impressive in accumulating the yards after catch. The Linfield passing game was very sharp.

The Bad

Giving up 5 sacks: Honestly, I was pretty surprised at this number as Inns hardly seemed under duress through the game but in looking back L&C had a sack to close out the half and got to Inns on back-to-back plays early in the 3rd. Yoder took two more sacks late in the game but this offensive line knows keeping Inns upright is a major priority headed into next weekend. I think the 5 sacks is a little deceptive but the ‘Cats still need to button this up.

The Ugly

Lewis and Clark player mean-mugging Linfield before the game: As the ‘Cats headed into the locker room after warm-ups, L&C was still on the field going through their routine. One L&C player that wasn’t participating in the Pios O vs D walk through was standing at midfield near the Linfield sideline and was in full out mean-mugging mode. If you don’t know what “mean-mugging” is here is a definition “To glare at another person with a scowl, or other antagonistic facial expression, with malicious intent, hoping to provoke a response from the intended recipient. I.E. glare, smirk, leer, or stare.”

Yes, this L&C player was about ten feet away was trying his best to intimidate the ‘Cats as they entered the locker room. It was rather comical and the ‘Cats thought so to as I heard some chuckling and head shaking. Listen, this team and program has seen the Whitewaters, Hardin-Simmons, Mary Hardin-Baylors, USTs, and the Cal Lutheran’s of Division III. Those teams actually don’t do any of that nonsense because they already know they’re good. The point is that display was like a little leaguer trying to brush back Albert Pujols. Save that for Pomona-Pitzer and just worry about playing football when you finally get to see an elite team.

Thank You Senior Class of 2011!

2011-11-13T17:13:00.000-08:00

What a great day at the 'Catdome yesterday as the 'Cats secured their 3rd consecutive Northwest Conference title after a 47-14 pasting of Lewis & Clark at Linfield's Senior/Hall of Fame Day at the 'Catdome. This is a great group of seniors that have accumulated a 36-6 record over the past 4 seasons, 23-1 record in Northwest Conference play, 3 conference championships, and 3 straight playoff appearances. However, the final script has yet to be finished for this group as the 'Cats will once again host Cal Lutheran in the 1st round of the NCAA playoffs. Check back often as we'll have a wrap up of the L&C game and take a good look at round 5 of Linfield vs CLU. Send 'Em Up!

Linfield vs Lewis & Clark Live Twitter Feed

2011-11-12T07:33:00.000-08:00

Your Live Linfield gameday Twitter Feed is back. You can now follow live updates of the 'Cats at Whitworth via folks that will be tweeting the action. Join twitter (it's easy) and be a part of the action. Just make sure you hash-tag "Catdome" in your updates. i.e. #catdome

Around The 'CatdomeO'sphere

2011-11-11T13:27:00.000-08:00

'Catdome

Welcome back to our last regular season installation of our link around up of various news and media on your Linfield Wildcats and the rest of the NWC. Lots of coverage in Spokane of the 'Cats win over Whitworth. Be sure to check out Taylor Skore's rim rocker of a hit in KREM story. It was textbook decleater. Some Linfield vs Lewis & Clark coverage to get you primed for the deciding NWC game this weekend at the 'Catdome. But the worst and I mean worst story of the week is our Bonus clip. The Pacific University student paper put out a "be on the lookout" article on some local pervert that has been using the Boxer athletic facilities and sneaking in the showers as the same time as their football and wrestling teams. I would insert some smarmy joke here but I can't. That's just gross.

The Linfield Review: 'Cats escape the Rats plague 42-38.

The Spokesman Review: Linfield gets out of Spokane with 42-38 win over the Rats.

The Whitworthian: Rats almost able to bite the 'Cats (page 21 of .pdf)

ESPNnorthwest.com (w/video): Rats upset bid comes up short...of course it did.

KREM.com: Linfield storms back at half in tight win at the Pine Bowl. Nice shot of Taylor Skore's KO hit at the :43 mark

Oregonlive.com: Willamette bursts L&C's balloon in 57-28 victory.

The Pioneer Log: Players say they played at a "C-" level vs Willamette and look to have huge week of practice before taking on Linfield.

AM860 NW Sports Tonight: Ron Callen talks with L&C's Chris Sulages (13:34 mark of podcast)

D3blogs Triple Take: Lewis and Clark listed as one team that can alter its fortunes the most this weekend.

D3football.com Around The West Region: The West Region previews Linfield vs Lewis & Clark.

Full Access Sports Podcast: Willamette announcers talk about "what if's"

D3football.com Around The Nation: Keith talks various Playoff scenarios and Ithaca consecutive winning season streak stops at 41.

The News Tribune: Lutes take commanding lead and then hand on tight as Pacific makes last quarter gasp.

The News Tribune: Both PLU and UPS struggle to score points. Just blame it on the team's youth...that's what everyone else does.

The Pacific Index: Boxers see improvement in year 2.

The Pacific Index: Boxer football has brought along new founded school spirit.

BONUS:

The Pacific Index: Creeper Alert as random perv is reported taking showers with football and wrestling team.

NWC Pick 'Em Contest: Week 11

2011-11-11T09:58:00.000-08:00

Send 'Em Up!

Thankfully my pick 'em year is coming to a close. I went from defending 2010 champ to pick 'em chump in the matter of 365 days. A real flash in the pan. I guess this is what Willamette felt like in 2009. (*rimshot*). Wildcat11 went 4 out of 6 last week as my two blemishes came with Willamette keeping the Wagon Wheel vs the Pios and McMurry ended Louisiana College's season out in the ASC. That brings my yearly total to 50 correct picks out of 66 games (75.8%) which puts me in the middle of the pack. So here is one last week to go out on a respectable note and finish strong.

Northwest Conference

Whitworth (3-6) over Puget Sound (0-8) (at Puget Sound): If the Rats offense plays as well as they did in last weekend's game vs Linfield then Whitworth should score a solid win. Whitworth should be feeling pretty good as over the past three weeks they've smashed Pacific, beat Willamette on the road, and give Linfield all they could handled. UPS has been a turnover over machine with zero run game and that will spell doom for the Loggers.

Willamette (4-5) over Pacific Lutheran (5-3) (at Willamette): Well, I talked a gang of smack about Willamette last week. The Bearcats responded with a double tall man pointed in my direction as their offense clicked in putting up a huge number on the Pios. But this game isn't about the up and down Willamette offense but more about PLU's lack of offensive production. Unless the Bearcats shoot themselves in the foot, I like the Bearcats to win.

West Region Games Of The Week

St. Olaf (7-2) over Concordia-Moorehead (6-3) (at St. Olaf): St. Olaf's pool C playoff bid took a major hit last week as the corpse known as St. John's football tripped up Oles 27-24 in Collegeville. I almost took Moorehead because of the playoff hopes of St. Olaf getting dashed but see the Oles getting it done in their season finale.

Louisiana College (7-2) over Hardin-Simmons (5-4) (at HSU): Two good teams that are playing for a matter of pride at this point. LC's playoff hopes came to an end last week at the hand's of McMurry and HSU has been playing out the string for a good chunk of the season. I'm going to take LC to get the win over HSU because I need to start getting used to picking against the Cowboys since Linfield and HSU are picked up their series again as HSU will visit the 'Catdome in 2012 and Linfield will return the favor in 2013.

National Game Of The Week

#14 Kean (8-1) over #15 Montclaire State (8-1) (@ Montclaire): The NJAC championship is on the line in this clash of these East Region top teams. Kean has come up a few times this year in the NGOTW and have came through each time. That's good enough for me even if they have dudes that mug for the camera like this. COme on bro...brutal.

Game 9 Preview: Linfield (8-0, 5-0 NWC) vs Lewis & Clark (7-1, 4-1 NWC)

2011-11-09T10:42:00.000-08:00

Last game of the regular season and it could be any bigger. It’s for all the marbles and as a football fan that’s all you can ask for. Linfield and Lewis and Clark will be locking up at the ‘Catdome with the automatic playoff bid on the line and that tells you exactly the importance of this game. Linfield did clinch a share of the NWC title last Saturday with the ‘Cats victory over Whitworth and Lewis and Clark’s loss vs Willamette. However, for each team, sharing a title doesn’t really matter. It’s all about winning the head-to-head game and earning the right to represent the NWC in the playoffs.

For Lewis and Clark, people around the conference knew they would be improved but to those outside of the program nobody saw the Pios headed into the last two weeks of the year at 7-0. You can talk about a soft schedule if you want but the Pio players played who was in front of them and have beaten them all until last week vs Willamette. The Pioneers are lead by their explosive Sophomore Quarterback Keith Welch and their 20 starting upperclassmen (12-13 seniors, 7-8 Juniors) that make for the most experienced and veteran starting lineups in the NWC. The Pioneer offense is the real deal. They spread you out sideline to sideline and have a nice scheme to get the ball into their playmakers hands and pile up the yardage. While the L&C defense have given up points (31.9 ppg) throughout the season the Pio defense has shown the ability to make the big play on defense in the form of sacks (24), solid 3rd down defense (only allowing 37% conversions), or creating turnovers (16 turnovers gained to only 7 lost). These are not the paper thin Pioneers of years past. They have talent, they have a good scheme, and they will make you pay if you allow them the opportunity.

This is going to be a big challenge for Linfield. After two weeks of up and down play on the road people are going to be very curious to see what Linfield brings to the table on Saturday. Are they going to be the sharp Wildcat team that scored big wins over CLU/Willamette and handed out beat downs to UPS, Pacific, La Verne, and PLU? Or are they going to be the squad that had parts of their game not rolling as was the case down at Menlo and this past week at Whitworth? The answer the Wildcats provide is going to go a long ways in deciding this Saturday’s contest.

Get To Know A Wildcat

#37 Stephen Nasca, Junior, Running Back

Favorite Place in Mac to Eat: Ribslayer or the Thai Country, both are delicious.

Favorite Movie: It’s really bad but it would definitely have to be Finding Nemo, the only movie I can watch over and over.

Favorite Music: Lupe Fiasco all day every day.

Favorite TV Show: Gotta love SportsCenter, or The Wire. (this is WC11's all-time favorite scene from The Wire (language advisory))

Favorite Pro Football team: Buffalo Bills baby. It’s been a long time coming but their finally looking good this year.

Class I Most Look Forward to: Financial Management with Romero, she’s a boss.

Mac or PC: Once you go Mac you never go back.

Cpu Homepage: CNN, I try to stay somewhat in touch with what’s happening out in the world so this helps because without it I would most likely be oblivious.

Twitter or Facebook: Facebook, It’s a really bad habit.

Car or Truck: Truck/SUV. Something that can get me up to the mountain takes preference.

Xbox, PS3, or WII: XBOX 360. Madden, Call of Duty, and FIFA are where it’s at.

Favorite Coach Smith-ism: Coach Smith’s attempts to cut back on his overuse of the term “ Does that make sense?,” by using other terms such as “Ya feel me?,” or “Yaddada mean?,” etc. Or when he incorporates popular hip-hop song lyrics into post-practice speeches.

Who's cleats are uglier? Jordy Walker's or Josh Hill's: Tough Call on this one. I would say Jordy Walker’s based off of consistency alone. Josh seems to always have a new set of freshies on constant rotation throughout the season.

Did you dress up for Halloween? If so, what was the costume: I’m going to be honest I didn’t have much time to put a costume together during the week, but I managed to put some type of Ferris Bueller costume together that night when we got home from Menlo.

Your Favorite Part About Playing at Linfield is: The relationships that I have built with the guys on this team. The feeling of being part of something bigger than yourself. The feeling of bonding together with my teammates and knowing we’re all working towards the same mutual goal of winning that Natty Championship.

Post Linfield aspirations: I’m a finance major so I want to do something exciting in the business world with it. I eventually want to be making the big bucks and working within the corporate structure of a company like Oakley, Burton, etc. With the big bucks I hopefully will be able to live a lavish lifestyle.

Wildcat11’s Keys To Victory:

A Full 60 Minutes of Linfield Football: Really, this is the biggest key to victory right here. Be in the moment as a team and thrive in the spotlight. You already know what I mean when I write “60 minutes of Linfield football” that means running to the battle, doing your assignments to the best of your ability, and winning one play at a time. If the ‘Cats approach the contest with this mindset they are going to be difficult to beat.

‘Cats O-Line being a force: The ‘Cats offensive line needs to have another great day at the ‘Catdome with pass protection and running the football. Lewis & Clark will bring lots of pressure so it’s paramount for the ‘Cats to win their one-on-one battles and have great communication up front. If this group keeps Mickey upright and provide lanes for Hill and Nasca then we’re going to score a lot of points.

Be Great Tacklers: Lewis & Clark’s offense, like Willamette’s, challenges the very core fundamental of defensive football: tackling. Huge line splits, empty backfields, sideline to sideline action, and a QB who has a great feel in the pocket in when to step up or lose ground to escape pressure. If the ‘Cats have a great day in being outstanding tacklers this defense will get the job done versus a high powered offense.

WR corp having a big day: This game is prime for the ‘Cats wide receivers to bust loose. This group need to be sure handed and ready to make the big play when it’s time to go up top. The weather could be a little rough but the Wildcat receivers need to fight though possible slick conditions and haul in those deep balls to stretch out the L&C defense.

Win 3rd and 4th down: Lewis and Clark are converting their 3rd downs at a blistering 48% this season and are again at 48% on 4th down tries. You bet that L&C is going to let it all hang out this weekend and be willing to gamble and take their shots on 4th down. These will be paramount plays throughout the game.

Limit mistakes: Let’s take care of the football and keep the penalties to a minimum. That is a very simple statement that could go a long way in deciding if this will be a big Linfield win or a tightly contested game that isn’t decided until the 4th quarter.

Enjoy the moment: This is a fun Linfield team to be around. Great young people that play football the right way. Don’t lose sight of that on Saturday. Embrace the opportunity to play at home with a lot on the line and be in the moment with your teammates. Don’t let the distractions of the weeks ahead cloud what is the most important aspect of this Saturday and that’s flat getting after it.

Overall

‘Cats by 17. Listen, I’m not sleeping on Lewis and Clark. I’ve watched enough of their games (via their ustream broadcasts) to know they are very talented and pose a very strong challenge this Saturday. I just believe this Linfield team will be ready and won’t be overlooking L&C for an instant. If the ‘Cats come out with that fire and sharpness they should roll, however, if they are not sharp and making mistakes we’re going to have a major fight on our hands. The ‘Cats and I have been saying all season long “Send ‘Em Up” well…they’re now coming up. We’re just going to have to wait and see what OUR Linfield Wildcats decided to do about it. ‘Catdome!

Game 9: Linfield vs Lewis & Clark Game Day Guide

2011-11-08T14:00:00.000-08:00

View 2011 Linfield Wildcats Football Guide in a larger map

Last regular season game of the year and it could be bigger. The 7-1 (4-1 NWC) Lewis & Clark Pioneers will be headed to the 'Catdome to take on our 8-0 (5-0 NWC) Linfield Wildcats. On the line is the coveted NCAA Division III automatic bid to the playoffs. It's simple...whoever wins this games goes to the playoffs. If you're a Wildcat fan and have the means and ability to get to the game you've gotta get down to the 'Catdome to back the 'Cats. However, if you're new to the 'Catdome and McMinnville and not sure where to grab the best cup of coffee in town or where to get some food after the game? That's where we come in to lend you a hand on some recommendations around town.

Just click on the Wildcat Head with the number 9 and a bubble will pop up with a gaggle of information on the game (start time, links to game video, audio, previews, tailgate location) and also some recommendations on what to do in Mac and where there are some solid places to eat. Now, the Wildcat11's are not wine drinkers and McMinnville has a booming wine industry. So if you are looking for wine makers in the area then here is the link to the Yamhill Valley winemakers association.

Also, there is a link to the 'Cats primo tailgate area located a few short blocks south from the stadium. Here is the link if you don't want to click on the map info bubble. A lot of great Linfield fans down in that area that are always welcoming to anybody headed to the 'Catdome that day. So if you're a new Wildcat family or visiting Pioneer backer looking to tailgate, then that's the best place to set up.

If you want a bigger look at the map then either click on the link on the info bar on the right or just click here.

'Cats Win! Linfield escapes rat trap in a 42-38 victory over Whitworth.

2011-11-07T10:34:00.000-08:00

A win is a win. At the end of the day what mattered most is the ‘Cats dug deep after a most lackluster 1st half and pulled out a 42-38 victory at Whitworth’s Pine Bowl. The game on Saturday took place in three acts. Act one was without a doubt the worst 1st half of football the ‘Cats have played all season long. Silly penalties, turning the ball over, and mental lapses paired with some great play from Whitworth put the ‘Cats in their 1st deficit at halftime all year long. Act two, was the ‘Cats getting back to playing Linfield Football and raking Whitworth for 28 consecutive points and suffocating the Pirate offense while taking a commanding 17 point lead. Then the third and final act was the last 7 minutes of the game where I felt the ‘Cats took their foot off the gas in coughing up the ball at the Rat 33 yard line, missing a wide open TD pass that would have ended it, and Linfield giving up the longest play from scrimmage of the year that gave Whitworth life and a chance to pull off a huge upset. Thankfully, the ‘Cats responded and put the game on ice with a big 3rd and 10 Mickey Inns to Buddy Saxon conversion. It was a roller coaster of a game but going back to my first thought: Linfield won.

So what did Saturday mean for the ‘Cats? I think Coach Smith nailed it perfectly in the post-game huddle when he said that when this team is not hampering themselves and focusing on playing Linfield Football, the ‘Cats are a force with be reckoned with. On the other side of the coin, when Linfield is making mistakes, turning the ball over, and not sharp the ‘Cats can be average. I think Saturday was an opportunity for this team to learn a great lesson about who they are. When this team is on their game and zeroed in on the task at hand, they’re going to be pretty hard to beat. When they’re not doing those things…. Whitworth can happen. So that’s what we’re going to find out next week from OUR Wildcats in a high stakes regular season finale. Are the ‘Cats going to be on their game or are they going to give an improved Lewis & Clark a chance to beat them at the ‘Catdome? Thankfully, we'll find out soon.

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

The Good

Wildcat resolve: I’ll write more about this in “The Ugly” but there wasn’t panic during halftime. Instead the ‘Cats came together and decided they were not going to lose that game. Some teams might have folded up the tents but Linfield knew that 1st half wasn’t who they are. It was an unfamiliar position for this year’s team and they handled it beautifully.

Special Teams balled out: 4 blocked PAT’s? Are you kidding me? What a tremendous effort by the defense/Field Goal block team. Those 4 points wound up being the margin of victory for Linfield and just is another example of the ‘Cats special teams have so many ways to hurt you. Besides the PAT’s being blocked, the coverage’s were excellent and we’ll talk about Drew Fisher and the Punt Return team a little bit later. Another great effort.

Offensive Line Play: The O-line brought it on Saturday. They did a tremendous job in pass protection. So well, that at times, Mickey could have busted out a guitar and played Freebird before getting off a pass. Along with pass protection, I though the run game blocking was solid and allowed the ‘Cats offense to pile up 455 yards of total offense and 42 points. It was a good day’s work for the guys up front.

Punt Return Team: Huge. Over the past few weeks the ‘Cats have blocked multiple punts for touchdown but Linfield knew Whitworth does a very good job in protection. Linfield turned their attention to the return game and the result was a near Linfield single game record for punt return yardage. Drew Fisher finished with 124 punt return yards which is 5 yards short of the single game record set by Tony Agcaoili vs Southern Oregon in 1995 (129 yards). The returns set the ‘Cats up with great field position and got the ‘Cats rolling. On top of that, Fisher's running style is about as entertaining as it gets.

‘Cats passing game: Linfield QB Mickey Inns was a wrecking machine in tossing for a career high 344 and 5 touchdowns against only one pick. Actually, I thought Inns could have gone over 400 yards on the day as they just missed on one or two potential deep balls. Mickey completed passes to 9 different Wildcats on the day and looked in total command of the Linfield offense.

2nd half pressure: A big reason why I thought Whitworth’s passing game was able to get off so well that 1st half was the lack of QB pressure. The ‘Cats have been able to make quarterbacks feel very uncomfortable throughout the entire season but didn’t get any heat that 1st half. The 2nd half was a different story as the ‘Cats defensive front was getting multiple hits and sacks on Whitworth and that pressure was a key cog in getting the game back in control.

The Bad

11 penalties: I’ve been complaining about this for weeks and it finally bit the ‘Cats hard this past weekend. If the ‘Cats would have been able to keep the laundry on the field limited it would have solved some the ills of Saturday. They were killers: extended Whitworth’s 1st scoring drive, put Linfield in bad field position multiple times; took away 1st downs, aided Whitworth’s last scoring drive of the 1st half, and stalled potential drives. I think you get the message. The ‘Cats have to clean this up now.

Giving up 38 points: Linfield’s defense has been 100% dominate all season long but had a dreadful performance during the 1st half and at the end of the game vs Whitworth. I don’t believe for a second that Linfield’s defense was exposed because the body of work is too extensive to think otherwise. This game reminded me in so many ways of that 2009 UPS game where a stout Linfield defense laid a big ‘ole egg versus UPS that caused a lot of fans to hit the panic button. It was an anomaly in 2009 as that defense played incredibly well for the reminder of the season and I feel Saturday was the same thing…an anomaly. It was bad but this Linfield defense will bounce back.

4 turnovers: 2 of those turnovers created short fields for Whitworth and led directly to two touchdowns, the ‘Cats fumbled on the Rats 5 yard line that took away a Linfield scoring chance, and the other turnover the Rats picked off a pass at the deep in their own territory. Factor in the 11 penalties along with the 4 turnovers and it’s remarkable the ‘Cats dug deep and found a way to win.

The Ugly

1st half effort: This was a rather easy call. The ‘Cats did so much self-inflicted damage during that first half in making the long walk up to the locker room I was curious in how Coach Smith, the staff, and the players would respond. When I walked into the field house (visitor’s locker room) there were no chairs being thrown, players freaking out, and not even a raised voice in anger by Coach Smith. It was just the opposite. That makeshift locker room was all about working it out and coming together. There was no panic but just the believe that if the ‘Cats could correct some of their issues they could storm right back and that’s just what happened. It was comforting to witness the process. Bullets were flying, things were breaking down all around the ‘Cats, and Whitworth was playing at their top gear. In all of that chaos and adversity our ‘Cats were able to take a step back and work it out. That’s a true mark of a great program and of a great team. There’s nothing ugly about that.

Linfield at Whitworth Live Twitter Feed

2011-11-05T09:12:00.000-07:00

Around The 'CatdomeO'sphere

2011-11-04T09:57:00.000-07:00

Catdome!

Welcome back to your weekly news/media round-up. Not a ton on the 'Cats this past week since Linfield was in Northern California and the Oaks are not exactly a hot press item in the Bay Area. Have some interviews with Coach Tully and a few of his players about the Willamette game and hosting Linfield. The Pioneers continue to milk their run for all it's worth in getting coverage by various Portland media outlets. Make sure you check out the Bonus YouTube video on a Linfield great, Luke Buchheit, who was about as dominate of a true Tight End the NWC has seen in a long time.

The Linfield Review: ’Cats shake the Oaks 23-6

Wildcatspread40.blogspot.com: 'Cats chop down the Oaks 23-6

Linfield Sports: The 'Cats Bill Johnson talks to Coach Smith about Menlo and big game at Whitworth.

Newsregister.com: 'Cats move past scrappy Menlo

D3football.com: Keith McMillan's Around The Nation gives advice to Seniors, breaks down his top 50, and the 1st regional rankings.

SWXrightnow.com (video): Whitworth players talk about OT win over Willamette and looking towards Linfield

SWXrightnow.com (video): Rats all smiles.

SWXrightnow.com (video): Tully talks going for 2 and says a lot but nothing at all about playing Linfield.

Willamettecollegian: Whitworth upsets Willamette and the only quote is from the Field Goal kicker...really?

The News Tribune: Pioneers stun the Lutes with a big 2nd half comeback.

Portland Tribune: "Amazing" Lewis and Clark goes to 7-0 with win over PLU

Oregonlive.com: Lewis and Clark looks to keep the magic going.

AM750 The Game: L&C's Chris Sulages sits in studio with the Morning Sports Page Chad Doing and talks his Pioneers, the season, and what he thinks there's an East Coast Bias in D3.

AM860 NW Sports Tonight: Ron Callen talks to Keith Buckley about Pacific's 1st win and with L&C's Chris Sulages about beating PLU (12:40) Clip is from "10/31/2011 Hour 3"

Oregonlive.com: Boxers win a game and cornerback Craig Bailey says the Boxers are now on the uprise.

Oregonlive.com/Hillsboro Argus: Boxers break through

Portland Tribune: Boxers pass by Puget Sound 44-25

Pacific Boxer YouTube Page: Boxer highlights of win over Puget Sound

Bonus

Major shutout to a WC11 favorite and former Linfield great Luke Buchheit who was inducted into the McMinnville High School Athletic Hall of Fame. This documentary runs down Luke growing up, his time at Mac High, and as a Linfield Wildcat. Congrats Buch!

NWC Pick 'Em Contest: Week 10

2011-11-03T09:28:00.000-07:00

Send 'Em Up!

Last week was interesting to say the least. Wildcat11 went 5 out of 8 in last week's Pick 'Em contest but the three misses were all Northwest Conference games. Obviously, I'm not perfect by any stretch of the imagination but I can't recall ever missing 3 games in the NWC in a single week. Once again, Whitworth didn't jive with a WC11 pick, Pacific rolled UPS (not upset on that miss), and L&C continues their magic carpet ride in coming back on the 'Lutes. Wild. That puts me at 46 our of 60 and drops me to 76.7% on the season. I'm still right in the middle of the pack but still have a chance in the next two weeks to possibly climb up to 3rd place. BTW, can you remember the last time Linfield finished 3rd in the conference standings? Yeah, neither can I. Good slate of games this week so let's get to it.

Northwest Conference

Lewis & Clark (7-0) over Willamette (3-5) (at L&C): A few weeks ago this was one of the games most people were saying would put an end to L&C's solid start in 2011. How things change in a few weeks. Willamette has gone through a very challenging schedule and they seemed to be a mortal lock to finish up the year as the NWC's number 2 team. That feeling was validated after the Bearcats hung in there and battled I-AA Portland State to a moral victory. Then came last weekend. I caught most of the second half of the Willamette/Whitworth game and what I saw out of the Bearcats was a team that was emotionally checked out, disinterested, heartless, flaccid. Willamette looks sub-par at best. On the other side of the coin you have a team that has a large group of Seniors that are believing in themselves. Lewis and Clark was a pretender but after last week they assured themselves to be an NWC contender after roaring back on the road vs PLU. That wasn't something to roll your eyes at, and after seeing that result coupled with the lack of effort from Willamette, it made this pick actually easy for me. I like the Pios to set up their dream scenario and that's heading to Linfield in the final week of the season at 8-0. Willamette, welcome to a losing season.

Pacific Lutheran (4-3) over Pacific (1-7) (at PLU): Last week about 99% of everyone in the pick 'ems liked UPS to take care of business on the road but Pacific had other plans and unloaded on the Loggers for the Boxers 1st win since bringing back the program last season. It's just another small step for the Boxers to building their program with all of their "Freshmen and Sophomores". PLU had to be stunned after letting last week's game slip away and dropping their 1st game to Lewis and Clark in almost 20 years. I would have hated to be apart of that afterglow session. I like the Lutes to rebound here as Pacific won't be able to run the ball on PLU and the Lutes pressure will bog down the Boxer Passing game. PLU should handle the Boxers this week.

The Bye Week over Puget Sound (0-7) (at UPS): I like the Bye week here to slow down what Pacific's Keith Buckley called "one of the most prolific passing teams in the nation." **WC11 rolls eyes into back of head** The Bye will eventually pour it on the Loggers in the 2nd half and hack and chop their way to victory.

West Region Game of the Week

Wisconsin-Platteville (5-3) @ Wisconsin-Stout (5-3): Man, slim pickings in the west region this week. I cheated a little here and checked out the WIAC pick 'em page to take the temperature of the WIAC fans on who they like here. It's pretty well slip with a slight lean towards Stout. (BTW, Stout is a very cool name for a football school.) I'm going with Plattville because going with the majority of people that live in Wisconsin can't be a bright thing to do. I mean, these people did choose to live in Wisconsin so they have to be somewhat misguided. I'll roll with the minority and take Platteville.

National Games of the Week

#6 North Central (7-1) over #13 Wheaton (7-1) (at NC): Big game in the CCIW and the North region. Since losing to Redlands (ha!) in the 1st week of the season, North Central has been rolling along. Wheaton is a good program that always seems to put a good product on the field but the Thunder have lost 3 in a row to N.C. and I like that streak to move to 4 after Saturday.

#20 Louisiana College (7-1) over McMurry (6-2) (at LC): Linfield fans better be keeping a close eye on this game. The folks at D3football.com have started some early projections on possible playoff pairings and if Linfield wins out there is a chance the winner of this ASC/South Region showdown gets moved to the West and shipped out to McMinnville. This is still two weeks away and we know a lot can change but still take a look at this result. The winner will keep their Pool C hope alive and the loser is done.

Game 8 Preview: Linfield (7-0, 4-0 NWC) at Whitworth (3-5, 2-2 NWC)

2011-11-02T14:15:00.000-07:00

The ‘Cats are on the road again this week and for the final time during this 2011 regular season. Linfield is traveling out to Spokane, Washington where the improving Whitworth Pirates will be waiting. Obviously, this is another of a string of big games for the ‘Cats. Linfield is still in the middle of the NWC conference title race and trying to secure their 3rd NWC title in a row and 9th conference crown in the last 12 seasons. Mathematically, Linfield will be playing for the NWC auto-bid regardless of this week’s outcome but Linfield is playing for more than just making the playoffs. This team has their sights on making a deep run into the NCAA’s and hosting playoff games. If Linfield is going to earn that right then this Saturday is a must win for the ‘Cats.

For Whitworth, this has been a year of rebuilding and restocking the shelves with new talent. The Rats record isn’t that great but if you look beyond the numbers what you see is a young team that has been in every game they’ve played but just didn’t know how to finish. That was proven in close home losses to a list of solid opponents (30-20 Redlands, 24-17 Menlo, 20-17 PLU) However, the last week Whitworth grew up some in taking a big program win in upending Willamette in double overtime 25-24. Whitworth has some talented young skill players and their defense backs have been play makers on the season. Whitworth is still Whitworth, even with a revamped roster. They run love to run the counter in about 20 different ways, try to make big defensive plays on the ball, and force you to limit your mistakes in order to win. It’s classic Tully-Ball.

In fact, it was just one year ago where Linfield was the heavy favorite but the ‘Cats came out with a flat effort and Whitworth took a surprising 17-14 lead at half. The ‘Cats snapped out of it and went on a 28-0 run to finish the game but the lesson to this Linfield team is that if you don’t give Whitworth your best effort then the Rats have the players and scheme to make you pay. Myself, I’m having a little Catdome withdrawal as I was unable to attend last week’s game. I’m pumped to catch back up with the team and I’m expecting a top level effort this weekend from all three phases of this Wildcat squad.

Get To Know A Wildcat

#92 Brent Shimabukuro, Senior, Defensive End

Favorite place to eat: Wild Wood Cafe

Favorite Movie: Snatch

Favorite TV show: The Office

Favorite Football team: Packers

Class i look forward to: How the west fed the US (HST 353)

Mac or PC: Mac

CPU home page: Google

XBOX, PS3, or WII: PS3

Favorite Coach Vaughan saying: "You look very soft sister"

Favorite NWC road trip: PLU... Country Cousin Breakfast

Favorite part about playing at linfield: The tradition and attitude of excellence.

Post Linfield Aspirations: Get a job in the health industry. Hopefully in a physical rehab setting.

Wildcat11’s Keys To Victory

Take away the Whitworth passing game: Ah-ha. You for sure thought that I was going to list my typical “limit the run game” key here. I would have but the thing is that Linfield has ALWAYS limited the Whitworth run game. In fact, I went back and took a look at the Rats net rushing yards vs Linfield since 2000 and the ‘Cats hold Whitworth to an average of 78.3 rushing yards a game in EVERY season since 2000. Tully knows that and that’s exactly why the Rats went to the passing game early and often last year and found some 1st half success with it. I would be at all surprised if Whitworth came out of the gates throwing the ball all over the Pine Bowl this Saturday. Because if they decide to try to move the ball by running zone and counter all game then their punter is going to get a lot of work.

Run the ball downhill: Whitworth gives up a respectable 303 yards per game and has a solid defensive backfield. This is a game where Linfield has to be able to force their will on Whitworth in the running game in order to loosen up the Rats defense. It’s a big day for the ‘Cats offensive line and I’d love to see the ‘Cats power it up.

QB pressure: Whitworth has give up a whopping 38 sacks on the season (almost 5 a game). Linfield is leading the nation in sacks per game (4.85) and need to continue that pace this weekend. If Whitworth does go to the passing game then it’s paramount for the ‘Cats defensive line and LB’s to harass and put down the Whitworth quarterbacks multiple times.

Limit penalties/turnovers: Whitworth’s defense has always been based on creating turnovers and they’ve done a nice job this year in picking off 11 balls this season and forcing 7 recovered fumbles. Linfield has been solid all season long in taking care of the ball and will need to be once again. Along with that, let’s keep the penalties down this weekend.

Put up points early and with emphasis: if the ‘Cats offense can come out early and put up a good number during the 1st half then I just don’t see Whitworth with enough firepower to mount any sort of comeback against the ‘Cats. I want to see the offense come out with purpose and attitude and look to score each time they get the ball. If the 'Cats can do that then there’s no question Linfield is headed home 8-0.

Dominate on Special Teams: The ‘Cats special teams has been playing at a high level all season long and that needs to continue this weekend. I’m not asking this group to put an the “S” on their chest but just do their job and if the opportunity is there to make a play, let’s take another one to the house.

Overall

‘Cats by 17. Listen, I think this will be a nice challenge for the ‘Cats. Whitworth has been steadily improving throughout the season and have some good talent but if Linfield plays near that ‘Catdome top gear I don’t see how the Rats have enough to hold this team down. I’m looking for the ‘Cats to make another big statement this weekend.

'Cats Win! Linfield slugs out a 23-6 win over Menlo.

2011-11-01T15:25:00.000-07:00

Yes! Your Linfield Wildcats went down to Menlo for the last time (at least for an extended period of time) and punched out a 23-6 victory over the Oaks. The 'Cats rode a stifling defense, big-play special teams unit, and an offense that made the plays when it mattered to beat a defensively strong Menlo team. There was no doubt that the Oaks were geared up to break the 'Cats 12 game win streak that Linfield possesses over Menlo. The Oaks knew this is one of their last chances to get one win in the series but it didn't matter as the 'Cats prevailed.

The tenancy of some football fans when an explosive team wins "ugly" is to start freaking out over the offense not running up and down the field like it's a track meet. It's understandable when you're accustom to cleaning the clocks of most teams that you run across. However, winning games 73-7 or 45-7 are not always going to happen. Good teams get challenged and great teams find ways to win when it's "not our day" in one or more phases of the game.

Of course, in looking back at this past Saturday there will be areas the 'Cats will want to improve upon, but in a lot of ways, this game at Menlo was par for the course for the 'Cats in Northern California. In the 'Cats six victories (6-0) at Menlo the average margin of victory is 17 points. What was the margin of victory this past Saturday? Yup, 17 points. Menlo had a solid defense, two weeks to prepare, and nothing to lose in the 'Cats 1st overnight/travel squad road game of the year. What did the 'Cats do this Saturday? Put the clamps on the Oaks offense and made the plays they needed to get the job done. That's a sign of a helluva team and I was proud of the victory. Great job boys. Still, it wouldn't be right if I left it at that. We still have a "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" to sort through.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.

The Good

Taking care of business on the road: I was expecting a tough challenge in Menlo and that's what was delivered; a competitive ballgame. Honestly, I would rather have some challenges down the stretch than a bunch of tomato cans that don't test what you're made of. Linfield is going to come out of these two long road trips a better team than if the 'Cats played 8 homes games vs the likes of the Puget Sounds of the world.

Wildcat Defense: The 'Cats were suffocating all game long in allowing only 161 yards of total offense. That came out to 2.5 yards per play and the 'Cats did it in all ways. Great pressure on the QB, coverage sacks, no yards after catches, pass break ups, etc. The 'Cats defense has been on point all season long and did a great job in shutting down the Oaks.

Special Teams once again: 4th game in a row with a Special Teams touchdown and 3 out of those 4 have come off the punt block. Incredible job and the 'Cats actually had two other point blank chances to block punts that just missed. Besides the blocked punt for TD, the special teams unit was fantastic in coverage most of the day and only had one bad moment on a blocked PAT. Beyond that, the kicking game was great and this unit continues to be a big weapon for Linfield.

'Cats Offense closing the Show: The offense didn't score a ton of points and credit Menlo for doing a nice job in limiting aspects of the 'Cats offense. Even with that said, the Linfield offense made the plays they needed to build a lead and then finish the deal midway through the 4th quarter. That 73 yard Inns to Jepsen TD strike was a great pitch and catch. It showed that if you think you have this offense figured it out the 'Cats only need one play to get it back.

The Bad

Lack of Running Attack: The 'Cats running game was non-existent in only gaining 98 rushing yards (after the sacks only a net of 44). I'm not going to freak out about this, mainly because I thought Menlo did a nice job, but we know that in order for this offense to be explosive we need that offensive balance.

Sacks/Pressure: 2nd game in a row where there was too many sacks and too many times where Inns was getting hit. The 'Cats have two weeks to get that cleaned up and I know it will. Our offensive line and running backs are very talented and will get it worked out.

Penalties: This is getting redundant but for the 3rd week in a row the 'Cats racked up 8 penalties and this is one area where I'm getting irritated. It's irritating because the laundry on the field has been drive killers and drive extenders for the opposition. Linfield's a dominate team but would be even more dominate if they can cut back on the hankies.

The Ugly

No "Ugly" this week but I do want to spread some thanks and share some holiday cheer. First thanks to former Wildcat Tight End Nick Safir (class of 2010) for stepping in for Wildcat11 and shooting the game action for Wildcat11. Nick did a great job as a 1st timer and have to give him big thanks for being willing to step in on short notice. Thank you Nick! Also big thanks to Coach Brandon Hazenberg for conducting the interview up top. He also spoke with Wildcat WR Lucas Jepsen but Lucas' voice was overwhelmed by the noise from the fans/family on the field. Thanks Haze! Also need to thank Bill Johnson (radio), Daniel Harris (photos), Mack Farag (equipment), and Linfield SID Kelly Bird for helping out old Wildcat 11.

BTW, here is a special treat from some of the Wildcat faithful who did some Linfield inspired pumpkin carvings and passed them along to share. Some solid work but the Fisher Family takes the grand prize for the Wildcat helmet. That was too sweet to describe.

Linfield vs Menlo Game Day Twitter Feed

2011-10-29T09:43:00.000-07:00

Doing something different here today on ADvantage 'Catdome. You can now follow live updates of the 'Cats vs. Menlo via folks that will be tweeting the action. Join twitter (it's easy) and be a part of the action. Just make sure you hash-tag "Catdome" in your updates.

Around The 'CatdomeO'sphere

2011-10-28T11:58:00.000-07:00

Old School Catdome

Bam! Lots of action in our weekly link round-up of news on our Linfield Wildcats and the Northwest Conference. Check out D3.com's article on their projected regional rankings and Keith McMillan adds his thoughts on his current top 50 in DIII. Willamette and Portland State obviously came with a good amount of coverage in the I-AA vs DIII game, and yes, I'm still calling schools like Portland State "I-AA". The love for Lewis & Clark continues by various media outlets, Whitworth is feeling darn good about where they're headed after breaking their 4 game skid. However, my favorite of the week has to be the article from the CLU student paper on an issue with their new stadium. Classic.

News-Register.com: Ben Schorzman's Linfield vs PLU running game blog

The News Tribune: Linfield beats UPS and PLU this season by a combined score of 118 to 14

The Linfield Review: 'Cats Crush PLU (page 16 of .pdf)

D3football.com's Regional Rankings: Slot 'Cats 3rd out west behind UWW and UST and Keith McMillan breaks down his DIII top 50.

Linfield Sports: 'Cats play-by-play man Bill Johnson talks PLU and Menlo with the 'Cats Coach Smith.

Wildcatspread40.blogspot.com: Lutes get PLU'd 45-7

Wildcatspread40.blogspot.com: What WCS40 learned about Linfield after PLU

Wildcatspread40.blogspot.com: WCS40's Menlo game preview

Mercurynews.com: Menlo is fired up to play Linfield this weekend

The Menlo Oak: Menlo has given out 120-130 athletic scholarships this year.

Northwest Sports Tonight w/ Ron Callen: Ron talks with D3football.com's Pat Coleman about Linfield, L&C and division III football. (Starts at 21:30)

D3football Daily Dose: Pacific is winless team with something to play for. (which would be a win)

Willamette Collegian: Willamette gives it the old college try against Portland State.

Portland Tribune: Portland State doesn't embarrass Willamette which equals a victory for the Bearcats.

Oregonlive.com: Willamette staying within 26 of Portland State doesn't lead to too many smiles in the Viking locker room. Bonus material in the comment section of the article.

Full Access Sports Vimeo Page: Coach Speckman reflects on the Portland State game and talks Rats.

Statesman Journal.com: PSU swats Willamette 36-10

Full Access Sports Weekly Podcast: The Full Access guys talk Portland State and Willamette's upcoming game with Whitworth. They like Willamette by about 30 points this weekend.

Northwest Sports Tonight w/ Ron Callen: Ron talks with L&C's Keith Welch about the Pios 6-0 start.

Portland Tribune: The Lewis and Clark love-fest continues but not everyone on Palatine hill is doing backflips.

D3football.com Around The West Region: Lewis and Clark isn't satisfied.

Portland Tribune: Pacific still looking for the win. If you played a drinking game where you took a shot each time you read the words "Freshman" or "Sophomore" you would be hammered by the end of the article. We get it. You're still a young team.

The Spokesman-Review: The Rats run right through Pacific

KXLY.com (video): Whitworth plunders Boxers

KREM (video): Rats break 4 game skid in stomping Pacific

SWXrightnow.com (video): Whitworth feeling good after big win over Pacific

SWXrightnow.com (video): Seriously, Whitworth is feeling really good after beating Pacific

BONUS:

CLU Echo: The Kingsmen build sparkling new stadium but too cheap to put light post on top of press box. Guess what happens? People working in the press box are having issues with seeing the field with a light post right in the middle of the press box's line of sight.

NWC Pick 'Em Contest: Week 9

2011-10-27T13:05:00.000-07:00

Send 'Em Up!

THANK YOU Whitworth! Thank you, thank you, thank you for winning a game that I picked you to win. The curse is OVER! Thanks to the Rats crushing Pacific in the Pine Bowl, old Wildcat11 went 6 for 6 on the week in the NWC Pick 'Em Contest. That moves me to 41 out of 52 (78.8%) on the season. Still tied for 6th place but I've been on a bit of a roll. The NWC Pick 'Em commish decided to add some juice this week by adding extra games in the West Region (battle of the sad sacks) and added another game to the National pick as well. 8 games total this week (you already know I have Linfield) so let's get to work.

Northwest Conference

Pacific Lutheran (4-2) over Lewis & Clark (6-0) (at PLU): This is the start of the 3 game stretch where everyone gets to find out if Lewis & Clark is the real deal or if they're just a solid team that has made the most of a soft front end schedule. Linfield put a whippin' on PLU last week at the 'Catdome but for the past few years the 'Lutes have been a much better team at home. The L&C offense gets all the hype but I think this game hinges on the production of the PLU offense. The Pioneer defense will give up points and if PLU's inconsistent offense can find the end zone during the contest I like the Lutes to break L&C up.

Willamette (3-4) over Whitworth (2-5) (at Willamette): Whitworth has been respectable at home in losing to Redlands, Menlo, and PLU all at the wire but have dropped terrible games to Chapman and Lewis & Clark on the road. Whitworth's offensive strength (run game) plays right into the hands of Willamette's defense. Compounding the issue for the Rats' is their inability to protect the quarterback against teams that can pressure. I see Willamette controlling the game from the kickoff and settling in on a solid victory.

Puget Sound (0-7) over Pacific (0-7) (at Pacific): This game has been receiving all sorts of attention from the various pick 'em pages as the "something's gotta give" game of the 2011 season. My heart say "Pacific" but my eyes are telling me "Puget Sound". If this game was played early in the season I would have gone with Pacific but I think the fact they missed out on earlier opportunities for victory has weighed on this team while Puget Sound has shown some competitive spirit after getting hacked and chopped by Linfield. In looking at the various pick 'em pages I'd say it's about 98% in favor of Puget Sound. So stick that on your bulletin board Boxers. Myself...I wouldn't be mad if I was wrong here.

West Region Games of the Week

#20 Bethel (5-2) over Concordia-Moorhead (6-2) (at C-M): I was "this close" to taking the Cobbers citing an emotional let-down game for Bethel after losing to Saint Thomas. That was a major blow for Bethel but I think they are still playing for a chance to obtain an at-large bid so the motivation is still there to finish the season strong. Concordia is having a decent season but I like Bethel to go WAY North and earn the win.

Whittier (1-5) over Pomona-Pitzer (0-6) (at Whittier): Talk about the junk of the junk. Poets vs Hens. I'll take Whittier for no real reason besides I think P-P is incredibly awful to Whittier's only downright awful.

National Games of the Week

#7 Wesley (6-1) over #11 Salisbury (7-0) (at Wesley): Big game out East. Salisbury has been putting up a whopping 50 ppg while only giving up 16.4. Great numbers but those drop into the 20's when they are not playing the Sister's of the Poor in the East Region. Over the past 8 season's Wesley has lost only 1 regular season home game and that stat alone is why I'll take Wesley to win over the Steak school.

#18 Kean (6-1) over Rowan (5-2) (at #18 Kean): Ah my old friend Rowan. There is nothing more fun for me to pick against the former "Beat of The East". I can remember that 2004 National Semi-Final game at the 'Catdome like it was yesterday. Rowan came in and looked like athletic freaks that would run the 'Cats off the field. Man, I was rather nervous. Then the game started and this happened. I'll take Kean.

Game 7 Preview: Linfield (6-0) at Menlo (5-2)

2011-10-26T13:35:00.000-07:00

Linfield steps out of NWC/DIII play this Saturday to take on former NWC football only member and now NAIA member, the Menlo Oaks. The 'Cats and Menlo first played each other in 1999 down in Menlo came away with a tight 28-19 victory. Since then, Linfield has run the string of wins over Menlo to an even 10, but it hasn't been easy. The Oaks always have a talented roster with size and ability and 2011 is no different. Menlo has started off the year with a fine 5-2 record and has been in and out of the NAIA Top 25 on the season. This year's Oaks are built on defense (only allowing 15.4 PPG) and a ball control passing game. Menlo is still very much in the hunt for an at-large NAIA playoff birth and they've had two weeks to prep for the 'Cats (on a BYE last week). This will not be a walkover for the 'Cats.

Linfield can't let the fact this isn't an NWC game effect their preparation or focus. If folks say that if Linfield dropped this game it wouldn't effect their possible playoff seating then they would be dead wrong. Playoff committees are made up by people and people are not always bound to follow the logic laid out by NCAA rules. If Linfield wants to host multiple playoff games then the 'Cats need to be 100% focused on beating Menlo and moving on to the rest of their NWC business. It's a big game vs a team that wants nothing more than to beat Linfield. If you secretly asked Menlo's staff if they could guarantee one win in the 2011 season you know they would 100% circle this game. I can't be there this weekend but I'm excited to see Linfield perform and rise up to the unique challenges of this Saturday. Catdome Baby!

Get To Know A Wildcat

#81 Buddy Saxon, Senior, Wide Receiver

Favorite Place in Mac to Eat: Panda Express

Favorite Movie: Major League (WC11 is with Buddy on this 100%..still get chills every time Willie Mays Hayes beats the tag at home)

Favorite Music: Not a big music guy so what ever Nate Dixon puts in my car

Favorite TV Show: Two and a Half Men (with Charlie Sheen) or Criminal Minds (A WC11 household staple)

Favorite Pro Football team: Oakland Raiders JUST WIN BABY!!!!!!

Class I Most Look Forward to: Economics of Pro Sports (Professor Randy Grant)

Mac or PC: Mac

Cpu Homepage: Espn Fantasy Football

Twitter or Facebook: Facebook but have gotten complaints that i need to step up my Twitter game

Car or Truck: Truck

Xbox, PS3, or WII: Xbox GamerTag= Big Saxy 14 bring your "A" game

Favorite Coach Yen Saying: TEMPO TEMPO TEMPO

Which WR has the best hands: Logan Krellwitz because he has conquered the Jerry Rice catch

You were an athletic trainer for the 'Cats softball team last season. Could manage to make contact off the 'Cats starting pitching: I wouldn't even get in the batters box against them, but if i did out of 100 pitches i would swing and miss 99 times and foul tip one.

Your Favorite Part About Playing at Linfield is: Playing in big time games.

Post Linfield aspirations: Make lots of money

Wildcat11's Keys To Victory:

Make this a business trip: Like was mentioned above this is the 'Cats 1st big road trip of the season. There are a lot of firsts this weekend for this team (overnight trip, hotel, flight, etc) and the fact Menlo doesn't have the best accommodations can make it even more of a distraction. This Wildcat team has to just take all of these items as they come and focus in on the task in front of them. Menlo will be a worthy challenger and the 'Cats need to be ready to go from the moment they touch down in the Bay Area. 60 minutes of Linfield Football.

Protect the Quarterback: Menlo's defense is a pressure/movement defense that brings bodies from all areas. Looking at the numbers of the year, Menlo has limited the opponent's run game (78.6 total rush yards per game) so the ability to keep Mickey upright becomes even more paramount.

Limit the Oaks Passing Game: Menlo will to try to establish some sort of rushing attack but the Oaks offense has primary been getting it done in the passing game. Linfield's defensive backs have been stellar on the season and will be getting challenged once again this weekend. If Linfield can slow down the Oak's passing attack then the 'Cats will bottle up Menlo's offense.

Get Special Teams on a roll: Linfield's special teams have been dominate this entire season and they will be needed once again for this big road trip. Menlo is averaging about 20 yards a kick return and return punts at a 9.3 per yard clip. If the 'Cats special teams can force their will on Menlo it will only make it easier on the Wildcat offense and defense to be effective. The travel roster will limit this group in some regards but they will be needed to have a big day in the office.

'Cats Wide Receiver Corp need to have a day: Menlo's defense is based on stopping the run and challenging you to throw the ball. Last week the 'Cats WR's were put in that same position and came through with tough catches and play making. Linfield will need more of the same this weekend. If the WR corp can execute and preform to their ability the 'Cats offense will move the ball on Menlo.

Limit Penalties/mistakes: This is always big in the game of football but even more magnified in tightly contest games. Linfield started off the season with a small amount of penalties but over the past two weeks have been flagged 10 times and 8 times. In the past, there has been some rather dubious officiating so Linfield is going to have to tighten this up on Saturday. Don't give Menlo extra life with bad penalties and don't kill drives for the same reason.

Overall:

'Cats by 14. I wish I could be there and I'll be in knots watching on-line. I'm fully expecting Menlo to bring their best effort with guns blazing. Menlo knows they can make a huge name for themselves and officially claim the program is on the rise with a win over Linfield. However, if Linfield is sharp and if the 'Cats can execute the way they have over the course of this season then Linfield will walk away with the win and move on to 7-0. This Linfield team is on a mission right now and that won't get derailed this weekend. Send 'Em Up!

Game 7: Linfield at Menlo Game Day Guide

2011-10-25T14:11:00.000-07:00

View 2011 Linfield Wildcats Football Guide in a larger map

My goodness. The end of October means three things, Holloween, Linfield is closing in on another NWC title, and Wildcat11 has to miss his only game of the season. Yes, Catdome peeps, due to work (yes, I do have a real job) I won't be able to make the trip down to NorCal to watch what I'm expecting to be a competitive and possiblity tight game down at Menlo. I'll talk more tomorrow on why this has the makings of a classic "trap game" for the 'Cats if they're not prepared to take on an improved and talented Menlo team. But for now I have some tips for you if you're making your 1st trip down to Menlo.

Atherton, California is a stone's throw away from the heart of Silicon Valley and just a few miles away from Stanford's campus. It's a highly populated area which is both good and bad if you're making the trip. The good there are a gaggle of food and lodging options off of El Camino Real which seems to run through the entire West Bay metro area. If you want to stay with the 'Cats then give the Hilton Garden Inn in Mountain View a call and see if you can get a break on your room.

Menlo's campus is small....tiny. Parking is very limited and this is the only small college venue that I can remember where you have to pay for parking. I know $5 isn't much but it's still different to pay to park at a small college game. (It was the same kind of shock I had when UPS paid me to park because they were so happy to have someone attend their game.) So you better get to campus early and have some cash on hand. Click on the #7 ICON above and there's links to the games VIDEO FEED and to a map of Menlo's campus so you can see where your parking options are. Weather should be prefect, 72 and sunny, so enjoy one last Saturday in shorts in T-Shirts before we into the last two weeks of the season which I'm sure will be a little more chilly.

If you want a bigger look at the map then either click on the link on the info bar on the right or just click here.

REMINDER: Parents and Fans that are looking to travel to Whitworth the 'Cats will be staying at the Red Lion River Inn. Click on the link for hotel contact information.

‘Cats Win!! Linfield steamrolls Pacific Lutheran 45-7.

2011-10-24T21:02:00.000-07:00

Photo Courtsy of Brad Thompson: View and Purchase Brad's Photos here

Wow, if Linfield was a steamroller they would have rolled right over PLU. It was somewhat surprising because I think PLU is a solid team. However, Linfield was playing at a higher level in about every phase of the game. Granted, there are few things that were not great for Linfield on the day and I’m sure the coaches are finding all sorts of areas in the ‘Cats game that will need to be improved upon going forward. But let’s step back for a second and talk about the ‘Cats domination of PLU. Like I mentioned in my game preview, for me and other ‘Cats of my age, PLU will always be our “rival”. However, how could the more recent generation of Wildcats feel that way? It’s a little crazy to think that back in the “leave no doubt” season of 2002 is when this run of 10 consecutive wins over PLU started. A full decade of owning a program that once time battled the ‘Cats year-in and year-out for conference, and at times, national dominance. If I look at it from the current player’s perspective I understand how PLU is still respected but is just another game on the schedule to the ‘Cats.

For the game itself, Linfield’s defense turned PLU into a one-dimensional offense and that played right into the speed and pressure packages that the ‘Cats have in bunches. I felt that if Linfield was emotionally sharp and didn't hurt themselves the 'Cats would be in control for most of the game but I was surprised with just how dominate the 'Cats were from the opening kickoff. Like I wrote above you can see the talent and play-makers PLU has on their roster but like we've seen from this Wildcat team when they get on a roll it's going to be difficult for most teams to hold up under the constant pressure the 'Cats put on you in all phases of the game.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

The Good:

The ‘Cats were focused and ready: Luckily, I had the camera rolling about 8 minutes before kickoff in the ‘Cats locker room. The place was so quiet that Northrup Library would have been jealous. However, the air was filled with a palpable tension. You could just feel it in the air. About a good 20-30 seconds into me filming this silent room filled with over 100 players and all it took was for Eric Biege and Drew Fisher to light the fuse by forcibly asking the ‘Cats if they were ready to play and I though the room was going to explode. Needless to say, our ‘Cats were ready physically and emotionally to play the on Saturday.

Linfield Defense: Outstanding. The ‘Lutes could only manage 98 total yards in the 1^st half of the game and if it wasn’t for that very late 80 yard TD drive the ‘Cats would have held PLU to 103 yards of offense on the day. Just a great job all around by the players, staff, and scout team players for putting in a great week of work to get ready for the week.

Great offensive balance: If it wasn’t for those crappy 59 loss sack yards (we’ll get to those later) Linfield’s offense would have put up 193 yards rushing and 326 passing the ball. That is the balance I’m talking about right there that will make this offense so difficult to deal with over these last 3 regular season games and beyond. 44 rush attempts and 37 pass attempts. Those are numbers that Wildcat11 can live with.

WR Corp making plays: The WR corp took some well deserved heat early in the season for too many drops but there was none of that this weekend. In fact, what we had was a WR crew making play after play on the ball and it was a joy to watch. I loved the way they played on Saturday in getting dirty down the field in the run and screen game and just being difference makers on the ball. Great job by Coach Yen’s crew.

Owning 3^rd down: The ‘Cats stuffed PLU on 11 of 14 3^rd down attempts while the Wildcat offense (check the paw prints) went 10 out of 17 on the day. That is about as telling of a stat you’ll find on the day. 3^rd down is so important in the game of football and Linfield dominated this down on Saturday.

8 Tackles for Loss and 5 Sacks: Linfield’s defense front did a great job throughout the day in getting pressure in PLU’s backfield. PLU’s Zack Halverson literally looked like he was auditioning for Happy Feet 2 midway through the 2^nd quarter due to the ‘Cats constant harassment and pressure on the PLU signal caller.

3^rd week in a row Special Teams TD: This has to be a Linfield record. 3^rd week in a row the Linfield Special Team’s has scored a touchdown. This week the honor went to ‘Cats placeholder Taylor Skore who busted out a 23 yard Fake Field goal for the TD. This group is just impressive. Also, a big shout out to the ‘Cats staff for being willing to continually roll the dice this season and take chances. There is always risk/reward but this added element just forces other teams to burn precious time during the week on all the different possibilities where the ‘Cats could attack during special teams. We have the athletes and it’s great to see the staff go for it.

‘Cats Defensive Backs: Just a banner day in the office for the Linfield DB’s. What else could you say about this group? Great run stopping support, 3 picks, a forced fumble, 3 pass break-ups, and constant blanket coverage on PLU. If you didn’t love watching this group perform then you don’t like football.

The Bad:

Not fishing the ‘Lutes off in the 1^st half: This is a bit of a knit-pick but I really felt Linfield missed a golden chance to dump the dirt on PLU’s grave in that first half. Granted, the fake field goal TD was a pretty big dagger but it felt like Linfield had other chances to put PLU down even further and extinguish and hope for a comeback. Again, I’m picking on the edges a little but against teams of great resolve the ‘Cats need to strike on those opportunities.

8 Penalties: 2^nd week in a row where the penalties are getting up there. Most of the hankies were silly mistakes that Linfield can easily clean up and will need to moving forward. It didn’t burn the ‘Cats on Saturday but it needs to be addressed.

The Ugly:

Giving up 6 Sacks: Coming into the game the ‘Cats had only give up 2 sacks (only 1 sack on Mickey Inns). Linfield left the game on Saturday giving up 8 sacks on the year. I don’t think I’m offending any of the ‘Cats offensive players when I put this in the Ugly category because it was ugly. It was a mixed bag of sacks coming off a blown assignment, holding onto the ball too long, to getting beat one-on-one (O-line and RB). Linfield’s O-Line and RB’s have shown major growth over the early part of the season in keeping bodies of Mickey Inns but Saturday was just a bad day in the office. I’m stating the obvious when I write that needs to get fixed sooner rather than later because Menlo’s defense have made a habit of getting to know the other team’s quarterbacks this season.

Pacific Lutheran Post Game Interviews, Tip Drill TD, and a Non Top 10 Play

2011-10-24T13:49:00.000-07:00

We're a day late but not a dollar short here at the ADvantage. Above is your PLU post game interview. A good group of 'Cats this week as we went D-Line strong as we spoke with Senior D-End Brent Shimabukuro and Soph DT Mike Maierhofer. On the offensive side of the house we spoke with freshman OT Steven Schultz and senior receiver Erik Koczian.

Next we have two plays for you...one that is fantastic and another that if not so fantastic but pretty fun. The 'Cats extended their lead to 45-0 early in the 4th quarter on this tip drill TD as the intended pass to Tight End Jacob Priester was knocked in the air but Buddy Saxon was on the spot and brought in the tipped pass for the 'Cats TD.

The final play...well we're going to submit this to D3.com as their non-top play of the week. The 'Cats make a great 4th down stop late in the 3rd but the ball came loose and it seemed that PLU and Linfield decided to play a game of hot potato.

Around The 'CatdomeO'sphere

2011-10-21T17:02:00.000-07:00

'Catdome!

Have to keep it short and sweet but here's your weekly news and video round-up on the 'Cats and what else is happening around the 'CatdomeO'sphere. As always, we have many good pieces on last week's game and various player profiles. BTW, who's won the NWC that past couple of season? At least one coach thinks that would be Whitworth. Really? COme on, coach.

The Linfield Review: 'Cats knock out Boxers (ah...I see what you did there Linfield Review)

The Linfield Review: The Review hands out mid-season grades to the football program.

Linfield Sports: The 'Cats Kole Krieger does it all for the Linfield defense.

Linfield Sports: Linfield's Josh Hill is at home in the 'Catdome.

News-Register: Ben Schorzman's Pacific live game blog.

News-Register: Linfield's Special Teams continue to shine.

Wildcatspread40.blogspot.com: WCS40's PLU game preview (good quotes as usual)

Wildcatspread40.blogspot.com: WCS40 hands out his mid-season review of the 'Cats

Sportsillustrated.cnn.com: The 'Cats performance of the Star Spangled Banner gets a mention during this week's hot links

Wildcatspread40.blogspot.com: Boxers get flattened 49-6...

NCAA.com: Linfield vs PLU are in this week's storylines

Hillsboro Argus: Winless Boxers put up little fight against nationally-ranked Linfield

Statesman Journal: Widing's Sharp and the defense is not in Willamette win over UPS.

Statesman Journal: James Day think Portland State is going to clobber Willamette

The Tacoma Tribune: 'Lutes ride their defense to tight win over Menlo

The Tacoma Tribune: PLU's hard hitting safety buying into funky pregame jumping jacks and other Lutey Luteness.

The Tacoma Tribune: Loggers lose to Willamette.

Willamette Collegian: The team with the alleged defense who's every starter is better than Linfield's gives up 31 points to Puget Sound

Full Access Sports Vimeo Page: Coach Speckman puts a spin on playing ok in Tacoma and basically says the trip to Menlo is so bad they would rather get caved in by Portland State.

Oregonlive.com: The Oregonian's crappy small college round up

Whitworthian (page 20 of pdf): Rats don't plague the Pioneers

LCpios YouTube Page: NW Sports tonight talks to L&C Head Coach Chris Sulages who claims the Northwest Conference is the best in Division III and he thinks Whitworth has won the conference championship in the last 3 or 4 years.

LCpios YouTube Page: L&C's Keith Welch. He wants to be a scientist.

NWC Pick 'em Contest: Week 8

2011-10-21T09:11:00.000-07:00

Send 'Em Up!

Had a solid week in picking 5 out of 6 games. Once again, I was bit by the Rats as my continued non-logic based faith in Whitworth has almost ruin any shot of being in contention in the NWC Pick 'Em Contest. I moved up to 35 out of 46 on the season (a very average 76.1%). That has left me way off the pace and near the bottom half of this year's contest. The NWC seems like no-brainers for the most part but some big games are going on at the National Level out in the MIAC and CCIW. Keep and eye on those games as they will have a ripple effect towards the playoff selections and seeding a few weeks down the road.

Northwest Conference

Lewis & Clark (5-0) over Puget Sound (0-6) (@ L&C): First off, you're welcome Lewis & Clark. I took Whitworth last week which pretty much meant the Pios were a lock for victory. Second, the folks up on the hill are very excited...I mean excited about their 5-0 start. UPS decided nothing is going to happen this year and is building for the future by starting a Frosh QB last week vs Willamette. That's probably the best long term decision but short terms it just means more losses. L&C should roll Puget Sound this week. (Side rant: BTW, that link above and the L&C fan calling their field "rated best in Oregon". I want to know who rated that mess of a field "the best" and get them fired. Beyond the look, that surface feels odd under your feet and you can get dizzy looking at those LAX & Soccer lines crisscrossing all over the place. It's almost as ugly as Pacific's surface)

Whitworth (1-5) over Pacific (0-6) (@ Rats): Oh my. Listen at this point I need the Rats to come though for me here. If they continue to lose when I keep picking them as winners I could be forced to pick Whitworth over Linfield in a few weeks. Seriously, I'm frightened that I have this George Costanza karma going on with Whitworth that the opposite thing is going to happen when I pick Whitworth to win/lose. Come on Rats, break the spell so you don't force me to pick against my 'Cats.

Portland State (3-3) over Willamette (3-3) (@ PSU): I don't know weather to congratulate the Bearcats for playing at Portland State or to call them foolish for doing so. It might be a little of both. If you're Portland State how could you be excited to play this game? You just got done losing a tight game in front of 25,000 people at U of Montana and now you get to come home and play Willamette. That has to be the one hope for the Bearcats that the PSU players will be so disinterested/flat that Willamette will be able to hang at least for a half with the Vikings. This could get ugly.

West Region Game of the Week

#3 St. Thomas (7-0) over #10 Bethel (5-1) (@ Bethel): HUGE game in the west. I mean big. Bethel is playing for their playoff lives and UST is playing for that #1 seed out west (assuming Whitewater gets moved to another region). This is a game I will not be sad about getting wrong because if Bethel can knock off UST then there is a little team out West that could be in position to capture a very high seed in the playoffs. However, UST seems like the read deal this season and Bethel, while very good, might be over-matched this weekend.

National Game of the Week

#6 North Central (5-1) over #15 Illinois Wesleyan (6-0) (@ IWU): I know NCC is very good and if you're a Redlands fan you're praying that the Cardinals continue to win and win big. Honestly, I don't know anything about Illinois Wesleyan and I'm not going to pretend I do. I'll take NCC just based on rep alone.

Game 6 Preview: Linfield (5-0) vs Pacific Lutheran (4-1)

2011-10-19T14:08:00.000-07:00

It's Lute week at the 'Catdome! Saturday will be the start of a big stretch for this 2011 Linfield Wildcat team. Coming down to Linfield this weekend is a strong defensive Pacific Lutheran that currently sits at 2-0 in Northwest Conference play. On the line is the 1st place lead in the NWC and the automatic playoff bid that comes along with who wins the conference crown. For Linfield fans in my age bracket and above (mid 30's plus) this is the team you love to beat more than any other in the conference. The apex of this rivalry spanned over all of the 80's and 90's and both programs have had their fair share of success over the other. There is a lot of history and classic battles over the years between these two programs. However, the past nine years Linfield has owned PLU with consecutive wins over that time period. That fact isn't lost on PLU as the 'Lutes have seemed to have re-established themselves as a conference contender year-in and year-out after having some big ups and downs (mostly downs) over the better part of the last decade. PLU knows they are not "back" and won't be until they knock off Linfield.

Last year, the 'Cats won a very competitive and tight game at PLU 35-20. The 2010 PLU team was built around an explosive offense that featured an accurate QB with a fleet of big play receivers. This time around the 'Lutes calling card is their suffocating defense. Through 5 games PLU's 3-4 based defense is only giving up 11.6 points per game. The 'Lutes have racked up 18 sacks on the season, 43 tackles for loss, to go along with 6 INT's and 5 fumble recoveries. If your offensive line isn't up to the task then the 'Lute front 7 is going to eat your lunch. While the PLU defense has been thriving the 'Lutes offense is still transitioning after losing most of their firepower from last season. PLU is managing 19.8 points per game but feature a hard nosed running back and an outstanding red zone offense (94%, scored on 16 of 17 trips).

For the 'Cats, this will be a big test after two weeks of pounding winless teams. While it was great to rack up the points and spread the playing time around the program is back to finding out just where this team is going in 2011. If this team is firing in all 3 phases of the game then Linfield is going to be one of the toughest outs in all of division III. However, this team isn't at a place where they are so overwhelming that they can survive on lackluster performances. If the 'Cats come into a game like this with sloppy execution and make big mistakes the 'Cats could get burned. That's my big question for this team. Are they going to raise their play to the next level? Are you ready for PLU to Send 'Em Up?

Get To Know A Wildcat

#59 Tyler Steele, Junior, Defensive Tackle

Favorite Place in Mac to Eat: I would have to say Muchas

Favorite Movie: Friday Night Lights or The Guardian

Favorite Music: Country music

Favorite TV Show: SportsCenter

Favorite Pro Football team: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Class I Most Look Forward to: Any class besides Anatomy, that was the worst!

Mac or Pc: PC

Cpu Homepage: Google

Twitter or Facebook: such a hard decision. But now that I have became a twitter junkie thanks to Zach Hickman, I would probably say Twitter now.

Car or Truck: Car 2001 oldsmobile

Xbox, PS3, or WII: Xbox 360

Favorite Coach Vaughan Saying: "Get a ticket buddy"

You play without gloves, any reason: I have always played without gloves, they are just not my thing. I feel like I have a better grip without them and I don't really care what happens to my hands.

How has the best pass rush on the 'Cats D-Line:

Dt: Tommy Patrick
De: Nighthawk (aka Hyland)

Your Favorite Part About Playing at Linfield is: At Linfield its about the team, no one person is bigger than the streak or more important than the team. I couldn't imagine playing football any place else!

Post Linfield aspirations: Hopefully get a PE teaching job over in Eastern Oregon and become a football and wrestling coach!

Wildcat11's Keys To Victory

Wound To The Right Tension: After being emotionally flat last week vs Pacific, I'm a little concerned about the pendulum swinging too far the other way and Linfield being too lathered up for this weekend. That concern is minimal as there have been enough players on this team that have been in the battles and know where this squad needs to be in order to sustain the effort needed to win a full 60 minute game of playing Linfield football.

'Cats O-Line need to bring their "A" game: I've ran though all of the PLU defensive stats above to paint the picture of what this Linfield o-line needs to do. PLU's front 7 is going to be a good challenge for the 'Cats big bodies and if this group has a good day at the office then the 'Cats are going to control this game.

Defense has to limit PLU's Brandon James: The hard running PLU running is the main focus of the 'Lute rushing attack. James is averaging in the neighborhood of 80 yards a game and the 'Cats have to do a good job of making sound tackles and rallying to the ball in order to contain James. If Linfield can limit an aspect of the 'Lute offense then the 'Cats will be able to start bringing the heat as the game moves on.

Own 3rd Down: PLU only gives up a conversion rate of 29% on 3rd down. The 'Cats have been lights out with only allowing 1st down conversions 17% on the season during 3rd downs. This down is going to loom large on day and play into field position and who gets the opportunities to put points on the board.

Run the ball downhill: If Linfield is going to be the NWC champions and be a threat in the playoff the 'Cats have to prove they can flex their muscle and run the ball and own the line of scrimmage. Linfield has shown they can run the football and will need to again vs a stout rushing defense.

Control the field position game: While PLU's offense isn't putting up huge points the 'Lute offense has been deadly once they get into the red zone. Best way to solve that is to keep them from even entering the red zone in the 1st place. Controlling the field isn't on just one phase of the team but all three groups need to pin PLU deep, sustain drives, and create as many "3 and out" opportunities as possible.

Tackling/Turnovers: When Linfield's defense is at it's best they are tackling at a high level but there have been times when the tackling is lacking and teams can pop big gains on the 'Cats aggressive and pressure defense. Linfield needs to break down in space and make the sure play this Saturday. Along with that...ball security is huge in every game and this isn't any different.

Overall:

'Cats by 10: If Linfield plays to their potential they are going to win this game. PLU is a solid club and will be highly movtivated this weekend. PLU isn't just playing for this season but is playing to stop the 'Cats roll over their program and are trying to reclaim their place with the NWC elite. PLU is going to bring it but I feel the 'Cats will match that resolve and eventually force their will on the 'Lutes. It's going to be a great day in the Valley.

Linfield vs Pacific Lutheran Game Day Guide

2011-10-19T08:40:00.000-07:00

View 2011 Linfield Wildcats Football Guide in a larger map

HUGE old school game between the 'Cats and the 'Lutes this weekend. It should be a beautiful late October Saturday in the Valley. With the Ducks and Beavers both out of state there is only one place you should be at and that's the 'Catdome. So if you're new to the 'Catdome and McMinnville and not sure where to grab the best cup of coffee in town or where to get some food after the game? That's where we come in to lend you a hand on some recommendations around town.

Just click on the Wildcat Head with the number 6 and a bubble will pop up with a gaggle of information on the game (start time, links to game video, audio, previews, tailgate location) and also some recommendations on what to do in Mac and where there are some solid places to eat. Now, the Wildcat11's are not wine drinkers and McMinnville has a booming wine industry. So if you are looking for wine makers in the area then here is the link to the Yamhill Valley winemakers association.

Also, there is a link to the 'Cats primo tailgate area located a few short blocks south from the stadium. Here is the link if you don't want to click on the map info bubble. A lot of great Linfield fans down in that area that are always welcoming to anybody headed to the 'Catdome that day. So if you're a new Wildcat family or visiting 'Lutes looking to tailgate, then that's the best place to set up.

If you want a bigger look at the map then either click on the link on the info bar on the right or just click here.

We'll have our Linfield vs PLU game preview posted up later this afternoon.

REMINDER: Parents and Fans that are looking to travel to Menlo and Whitworth. For the Menlo game the team will be staying at the Hilton Garden Inn in Mountain View and for the Whitworth game the 'Cats will be staying at the Red Lion River Inn. Click on the links for hotel contact information.

'Cats Win! Linfield takes 49-6 victory over Pacific

2011-10-17T14:31:00.000-07:00

Photo Courtsy of Brad Thompson: View and Purchase Brad's Photos here

How could it be that a 49-6 victory didn't feel that great? I know it sounds weird to say but as one of the 'Cat's Seniors told me late in the 4th quarter vs Pacific "This is a very unsatisfactory feeling". If you step away from the field and break down the box score and even watch the film, Linfield did some very nice things and had sharp play during significant portions of the contest. However, the feeling on Saturday was one of being flat, not focused, and emotionally checked out before the start of the game. Heck, even I wasn't all that geared up and that's pretty rare. Some might say that it has to be hard to get up on back-to-back weeks against winless teams but that's the whole point: this Linfield team is trying to reach a top gear and prepare for a challenging 2nd half of the season and the goal of making a run in the playoffs. It shouldn't matter what the record is of the team lining up against the 'Cats.

The 1st five teams the 'Cats played have a total combined record of 8-19 and looking at the next four games, the 'Cats upcoming opponents have a combined record of 15-7. The 'Cats have a pivotal game against a defensively strong PLU this weekend. Then, have two long road trips vs Menlo (who's on the bye and has 2 weeks to prepare for Linfield) and at Whitworth. Last, the 'Cats wrap up the season at home versus a sound Lewis & Clark team. This regular season isn't in the bag for the 'Cats and in order to get to that level Linfield has been talking about they need to come correct over the next 4 weeks to prove they're worthy of being in this season's elite of Divison III. Now isn't the time to feel fat and happy. Now is the time to get to work.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

The Good:

1st half offense: Actually the 1st half and 1st possession of the 2nd half was very good. The 'Cats scored on 3 of their first 4 possessions and should have been 4 out of 4 if the 'Cats didn't drop a wide open TD on 4th down at the end of the half. The 1st half was funky with combination of the 'Cats special teams striking twice, Linfield extending two Boxer drives with dumb penalties, and Pacific's very deliberate slow pace. When the 'Cats did manage to get the ball, the offense did what they wanted for the most part in putting up 477 yards of total offense on the day.

Special Teams: Again, another great day for the 'Cats special teams unit. A blocked punt for a touchdown on back-to-back weeks, an 86 yard kickoff return to the house, and nice play during the contest by most aspects of the 'Cats special teams. This unit continues to shine weekly for Linfield.

No touchdown allowed: 2nd time this season the 'Cats haven't allowed a touchdown and the 1st time all season Pacific didn't reach the end zone. Linfield didn't make it easy on themselves with blowing a few big blitzes, some poor tackling at times, and giving up some big chunks in the air. However, when push came to shove the 'Cats shut down Pacific and kept them from pay dirt.

0 Sacks...again: Great job by the 'Cats offensive line and running backs in the pass protection game. The 'Cats have only given up 2 sacks on the season and have provided the Linfield quarterbacks with plenty of time to strike. The protection has improved greatly from the 1st two weeks of the season.

0 Turnovers: Any game you don't turn the ball over probably puts yourself in a good position to win and Linfield has kept the turnovers down to just 5 on the season. The 'Cats currently sit with a +8 takeaway/turnover ration. The bigger you can make that "+" number the better season you're going to have. FACT

Drew Fisher: "Fish" isn't the type of player to bring attention to himself and doesn't care to be singled out but I have to tip my cap to the 'Cats All-American Safety. #4 just turned in a fine performance on Saturday in turning in 11 tackles, returned the blocked punt for TD (nice block Kyle Wright), had a pick, 3 tackles for loss and one of those was a bone jarring sack that made everyone in the stadium cringe. Fisher was a force for Linfield and showed why he's one of the Nation's finest.

The Bad:

Penalties: Oh man. This was a big challenger to win this week's "Ugly". Linfield came into the game being the least penalized team in the NWC with a total of 21 on the season. Linfield racked up 9 hankies in the 1st half alone and 10 on the day that cost the 'Cats 96 yards. 2 of those flags directly led to extend Pacific drives and both of the Boxers field goals. The penalties where the sign of how sloppy and unfocused the overall play of the 'Cats were at times and it wasn't great.

Red Zone miscues: Yes, the 'Cats scored TD's on 3 of the 5 trips to the red zone but the overall execution at times was uneven at best. Linfield allowed Pacific to make plays in the backfield when trying to run the ball and the 'Cats dropped a wide open TD and couldn't make a play on another 4th down fade pass.

Rushing Game: Linfield rushed for only 96 yards as a team. Granted, the 'Cats were getting 4 yards a rush but the 'Cats are going to need a better effort in running ball over the next 4 weeks vs some stingy defenses. I'd love to see the 'Cats get back to more balance.

Tackling: This is mainly on the LB's and D-Line. The 'Cats front 6 could have turned in a better performance on breaking down on some wide open stunts and blitzes but instead were so intent on the kill shot they just flew by and allowed Pacific to extend the play or reel off big chunks of yards.

Not making plays on the ball: Linfield's pass defense played well enough but there was 3 instances of Boxers getting past the 'Cats on deep balls and striking on plays of 45, 47, and 27 yards. The 'Cats had multiple opportunities to make plays on the ball but just didn't get it done and this group is too good to let that happen.

The Ugly:

Flat 'Cats: We've already covered this up above. For whatever reason, the 'Cats were flat on Saturday and that's the only time Linfield will be able to get away with it and not suffer the consequences. However, Saturday is over and done with. This Linfield team will move on and grow from the experience. I'm very excited about this upcoming four game run. We're going to find out a lot in terms of how good this team can be. Wildcat11 thinks they've yet to hit their stride and full potential, and when they do, the rest of the NWC and the nation better look out.

Linfield vs Pacific Post Game Interview and more

2011-10-16T22:18:00.000-07:00

We'll talk more about the 'Cats 49-6 victory over Pacific tomorrow but we have a trio of goodies to get you through the night and into tomorrow. Unfortuantly we only have a single interview after the Pacific game. Due to Pacific's rigid security, family and friends are not allowed on the field after the game so after I wrapped up with the 'Cats Colin Forman just about every single 'Cats was off the field and headed into the locker room. So Foreman gets this post almost to himself as we're submitting his TD return to D3football.com as a play of the week nomination.

However, my favorite clip from the weekend is video below video of the three below. During the Star Spangled Banner, the performer was experiencing some heavy technical issues with her mic/sound system. There was an awkward moment of silence before the 'Cats took the moment and ran with it. Well done boys.

Around The 'CatdomeO'sphere

2011-10-14T08:24:00.000-07:00

Dang, the 'Catdome is a great place to take in a football game.

Welcome back to your weekly news link round up where we gather everything we can track down dealing with OUR Linfield Wildcats and teams around the NWC (and Menlo since the 'Cats will be playing them soon). We have a full range of nice pieces this week. Justin Derby continues to nice job on wildcatspread40 in covering the 'Cats and capturing some nice quotes from players and coaches. The Full Access podcast is classic, and the bonus video is FAN-tastic. Make it back to the ADvantage on Sunday with Pacific post-game interviews and we'll get ready for 'Lute week!

The Linfield Review: 'Cats put Loggers out of business

The Linfield Review: Linfield prepares for the next level

News Register: Nasca keeps it moving

The News Register: UPS vs Linfield live blog recap

Fullaccesssports.com Willamette's weekly podcast as they talk to UPS Head Coach Jeff Thomas and Mike Allegre claims that Linfield doesn't have a single starting defender that's better than any of the Willamette defenders (13:40 mark)

wildcatspread40.blogspot.com: What WCS40 leaned about the 'Cats in week 6

wildcatspread40.blogspot.com: Loggers Get Chainsawed 73-7...

Krem.com: Rats fall to PLU in the final moments

Kxly.com: PLU kicks the Rats to the curb

SWXrightnow.com: Weak unsportsmanlike conduct penalty dooms Rats

Spokesman.com: Rats vs Lutes Photo Gallery

The News Tribune: Logger assistant coach has been sticking it out for a LONG time with UPS football. It has to feel like dog years.

Statesman Journal: Bearcats rolls Pacific

Spokesman.com: Pirates taunt their way out of a victory

Oregonlive.com: The Oregonian's crappy small college round up

Full Access Sports Vimeo Page: Willamette's Mark Speckman talks Boxers and Loggers...oh my!

The News Tribune: PLU Field Goal decision of "fake it or kick it" leads to win and the Loggers "didn't execute in any aspect of the game"

Statesmanjournal.com: James Day talks about the 'Cats 73

Newschief.com: Menlo improves to 5-1 in shutout vs Webber International in Florida

Paloaltoonline.com: Menlo wins in terrible conditions in Florida vs Webber International

Mercurynews.com: Menlo's Mattias Pelesasa has found a home just down the street from his home

The Whitworthian.com: Rats lose another close one, this time to PLU (page 20 of pdf)

Pioneer Log: L&C is undefeated and feeling "Bloodthirsty" for more

Pacific Index: Boxers are mining 8-man football for their 11-man teams.

Pacific Index: Boxers not afraid to reach in the bags of tricks.

Pacific Index: When you're 0-5 you have to have something to cheer about.

BONUS:

UW-Whitewater has a great football program. No doubt about it and I'm not going to take pot shots at the type of football they play because how can you? They're freaking good. However, their team intro videos they run on the UWW scoreboard are high freaking comedy. I mean, COme on UWW. The 2010 video was pure gold because it was like 5 guys were sitting around and said "Let's slap together a intro video where we look very uncomfortable in front of the camera and people are laughing in the background". This one is painful because it looks like someone actually tried and it's just brutal. "DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS?" Um....well I'm sitting in a football stadium with a bunch of football players running around so I hope it's time for a football game. Then we get to the meat of the video with sweet animations and random video clips that don't do justice to the type of program UWW is. I'm probably a jerk for writing this but if you're going to have 10K watching this on your board then it might be good to step your game up.

NWC Pick 'em Contest: Week 7

2011-10-13T21:26:00.000-07:00

'Catdome!!!!

Rats. Seriously. I was once again bit by two close losses and my season of near misses continues as I languish in the middle of the pack in 7th place of the NWC pick 'em contest. Like Willamette, I'm relegated to just playing out the 2011 string. (ZING!). I was 3 out of 5 last week and that brings my pathetic yearly total to 30 out of 40 and drops me to only 75% on the season. That's just plain weak sauce. We have 6 games this week and you already know I have Linfield (duh) so here is my breakdown of the rest of this week's pick.

Northwest Conference

Whitworth (1-4) over Lewis & Clark (4-0) (at L&C): If you're from Lewis and Clark and you're reading this (and I know you are) then you should be thanking me for taking the Rats on the road over L&C. The Rats have broke my heart time and again this season and last week is no different. L&C is saying this is their 1st real test and that's all you need to know about the first 4 games of the Pio's season. Regardless of the lack of tough competition L&C's offense have some legit talent and going to be tough to contain for a full game. However, the 'Rats have played a solid schedule and have had shots in each game and have weapons. L&C is overwhelming the favorite with the other NWC pick 'em players as all the close losses have solidified the Rats as a team that can't close. That's my biggest worry in the game as Whitworth has fallen short so many times they could be mentally broke at this point, while L&C is flying high with confidence.

Pacific Lutheran (3-1) over Menlo (5-1) (at PLU): Again, this should be a tightly contest game and could go either way. While each have glossy records I think each of these teams are solid but not outstanding. If this game was in California I would take Menlo but since it's at Sparks I'm taking PLU due to their track record of being a solid team at home over the past two seasons. Linfield fans should be keeping a close eye on this game and what these team bring to the table as each should present some very good challenges to the 'Cats in over the next couple of weeks.

Willamette (2-3) over Puget Sound (0-5) (at UPS): Nothing to say here besides Willamette's reserves should get plenty of work.

West Region Game of The Week:

UW-Oshkosh (4-1) over UW-Platteville (3-2) (at Platteville): Hugh game in the WIAC race. Platteville is coming off a very respectable loss to Whitewater and Oshkosh's only blemish on the season is a loss to Mount Union in week 2. This game as the folks on the WIAC pick 'em board split down the middle but I'll lean towards the team coming in on a 3 game win streak.

National Game of The Week:

#22 Salisbury (5-0) over #23 Alfred (4-1) (at Alfred): I know squat about these two teams. I do know that I loved Salisbury steak as a kid and the only Alfred I know is Batman's butler. I'll take the steak.

Game 5 Preview: Linfield (4-0) vs Pacific Boxers (0-5)

2011-10-12T14:23:00.000-07:00

This weekend is the half way point of the 2011 season and the 'Cats look to continue their hot start vs the Pacific Boxers out of Forest Grove. This is the 'Cats 1st trip up to the Forest Grove campus since 1989 (I'm pretty sure about the year, could be 1990) and I'm looking forward to my 1st trip to a football game at Pacific. Right now, the 'Cats have to understand there is much work to be done for this team to get to the places they desire. Obviously, the 'Cats should be a heavy favorite coming into this weekend but it's games like this that can get sloppy due to poor preparation and you can give a building program something to hang their hat on. Last Saturday, the 'Cats show they have the mental maturity to put forth a great effort against a lesser team. I'm betting and wanting more of the same this Saturday.

The Pacific Boxers are not a bad program. This is the 2nd year of Pacific bring back football and they are laying the foundation to a solid football program. The Pacific players are well coached and they have good schemes but right now they lack the depth of talent and experience it takes to be a player in a rather competitive NWC. The Boxers are still without a win since rebooting the program but have been competitive in multiples games towards the end of last season and at the start of 2011. Pacific missed some prime opportunities to cash in that 1st win and I'm sure right now it has to be weighing on the program to be 0 for 14 and are now in the heart of their 2011 schedule. I do think there is a win left on their schedule (Puget Sound) but that win isn't going to come this weekend. Not against this dynamic and fast Linfield team.

Get To Know A Wildcat

#23 Dominique Forrest, Sophomore, Linebacker

Favorite Place in Mac to Eat: Rib Slayer and Wendy's

Favorite Movie: Top 3 in no particular order: Shooter, Blow and Despicable Me.

Favorite Music: J. Cole, Wale, Drake.. plus many more. There is a lot of good music out there.

Favorite TV Show: Rob Dyrdeks Fantasy Factory

Favorite Pro Football team: Broncos, Tebow is the man!

Class I Most Look Forward to: Football 201

Mac or Pc: Mac is better, I rep the PC though

Cpu Homepage: Google

Twitter or Facebook: Facebook all day

Xbox, PS3, or WII: XBOX

Which LB has the fastest 40: Mike Nardoni, that kid can move!

Your Favorite Part About Playing at Linfield is: If someone spent one day with this team, they could see how close we are collectively. Guys on this team are with you on and off the field, the brotherhood we have here is pretty strong.

Post Linfield aspirations; Hopefully I can take the things I learn at Linfield with me and apply them to my job life, become wealthy and be able to support my own family and then in later years filter my little Domos through the Linfield program.

Wildcat11's Keys To Victory:

Play with purpose: The 'Cats need to come out and play as if a Whitwater or Saint Thomas was lining up against them this weekend. You only get so many chances to play in a college football game so this is the payoff for all of that hard work during the winter, spring, and summer. Play to the best of your ability, do your job the best you can, and have fun doing it.

Continued the balance attack: Pacific gives up a boat load of yardage on the ground (228 ypg) and have done a respectable job in allowing 160 yards in the air. Linfield's offense needs to control this game with their now established balanced attack. I would love to see a 50/50 split between the run and pass at the end of the day.

Keep Pacific Quarterbacks in the pocket: T.C. Campbell is the primary starter for Pacific and has done a very nice job. T.C. is completing passes at a 61% completion rate but is most dangerous extending the play while scrambling out of the pocket. Campbell isn't looking to run the ball very much but buy time for his receivers to find open spots. Linfield needs to keep Campbell's activity restricted in the pocket. Look for P.J. Minaya to get some extended action as well.

Secure the Football:While the Boxer defense is giving up 39 points per game the one area they've done a very nice job in is forcing fumbles. While the 'Cats need to be aggressive with the ball let's not get sloppy and give Pacific life with turnovers.

Suffocate the Boxers on 3rd and 4th down attempts: I mentioned this on Monday but the 'Cats defense has been lights out on 3rd and 4th down over the past two weeks. 1 of 26 conversion attempts on 3rd and 4th down combined vs Willamette and UPS. Now, asking Linfield to continue this pace is a ridiculous request but let's see if the 'Cats can keep the Boxers in the teens on 3rd and 4th down this Saturday.

Lock up Fukumoto: Jordan Fukumoto is a heck of a football player. The Sophomore wide receiver has game breaking speed and the 'Cats 1st team defense found out the hard way last year as Fukumoto took a bubble screen on the Boxers 2nd play from scrimmage 79 yard to the house. Fukumoto is the big play man for Pacific this year and a lot of that damage has come off of deep posts routes. This is another opportunity for the 'Cats secondary to take a big number WR and take them out of the game.

Overall:

'Cats by 30+ If Linfield comes to Forest Grove with the hammer and puts forth the effort and execution it will be All 'Cats, All Day. Pacific is going to be a good team sooner, rather than later, but the promise of a winning team down the road isn't going to help the Boxers this Saturday.

Linfield's Aaron Boehme and Paul Nishizaki bring home the German Football League Championship!

2011-10-12T10:05:00.000-07:00

2011 German Football League Champions!

2010 Linfield Graduates and stand out Wildcats Aaron Boehme and Paul Nishizaki wrapped up what had to be a trip and experience of a lifetime. The pair helped their Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns of the German Football League to their 1st ever undefeated season (15-0) and German Bowl Championship with a wild 48-44 victory over the defending GFL champions the Kiel Hurricanes.

Boehme was named the German Bowl MVP for his 18 of 28 for 230 yard effort. Aaron threw for 3 TD's against 2 picks and also racked up 93 rushing yards on 10 attempts and punched in the game clinching TD with an 8 yard rush with 1:09 remaining in the contest.

Nish representing the strongest link!

Nishizaki was a force all season in the middle of the 'Corns defensive line. Nish racked up 6 sacks on the season and did what Nish does best and that is cause chaos in the heart of the offense and let the LB's pile up the tackles. Boehme was a wrecking crew for the 'Corns offense. He led the GFL in passing yards per game (310.3), Pass Efficiency, and total offense (338 yards per game), and hurdled defenders (1). Boehme's season stat line alone was ridiculous. 315 completions in 451 attempts (69.8%), 4,965 yards, 59 touchdown passes against only 3 picks. Needless to say I don't think they will be forgeting the names Boehme and Nishizaki anytime soon in Schwäbisch Hall.

Catdome Germany!!!!!!

GFL Stats

Game 5: Linfield at Pacific Game Day Guide

2011-10-11T15:26:00.000-07:00

View 2011 Linfield Wildcats Football Guide in a larger map

2nd road trip of the year as the 'Cats make the short trip up to Forest Grove to take on the Boxers. No matter what some old timers at Pacific might say there are plenty of paved roads out of McMinnville to make the short trip North. Very much looking forward to making my 1st trip to Pacific to take in a football game. From what I've seen the Boxers have the right idea in allowing fans plenty of access around the field so seating shouldn't be an option. Do plan on bringing some rain gear as their are some chances for rain on Saturday and there is no covered seating at Pacific.

A Boxer supporter passed along some spots to hit in Forest Grove for grub. McMenamins Grand Lodge, Prime Time for a solid pub choice, or a more upscale choice is Stacchini's located downtown. Also, word is the Pacific tailgate scene is very solid so there should be plenty of mingling and grub options.

REMINDER: Parents and Fans that are looking to travel to Menlo and Whitworth. For the Menlo game the team will be staying at the Hilton Garden Inn in Mountain View and for the Whitworth game the 'Cats will be staying at the Red Lion River Inn in Spokane.

'Cats Win! Linfield hammers Puget Sound 73-7.

2011-10-10T16:14:00.000-07:00

Photo Courtsy of Brad Thompson: View and Purchase Brad's Photos here

"The coaches have been telling us that Linfield's not anything special pre se, it's the fact they've done well consistently that makes them (in) the top 5." -UPS Linebacker Tyler Vlasak

I guess that Linfield was pretty dang consistent in that 1st half on the 'Cats way to hanging up that 59 spot before the break. The 'Cats were on point and on fire in scoring in all three phases of the game in a 42 point 2nd quarter explosion that left no doubt it was going to be a happy homecoming for alumni that were back in Mac and for students that would be wrapping themselves up in sheets later that night. (Toga?) For me, I was happy to see the maturity of this Linfield team. It would have been easy for the 'Cats to mail in an effort after coming off a big win over Willamette just the week prior but the 'Cats coaching staff and players moved forward with mental toughness and a desire to get better.

What else can you say about Saturday besides it was a satisfying effort and I'm excited to see the continued improvement of this team? That's the great thing about this team is there are still areas for growth and improvement. You wouldn't think so if you watched Linfield play a near flawless 1st half of football but I'm sure the coaches found many mistakes on film and areas the 'Cats need to tighten up.

There is little question that Linfield should be a heavy favorite for the remainder of the season. PLU has started off with a strong 3-1 (2-0 NWC) record, and Linfield can't overlook the long road trips down at Menlo (4-1) and while Whitworth is 1-3 (0-1 NWC) all of their home losses have been decided late. There are still tests in front of the 'Cats and I'm curious to see how Linfield plays now that they're clearly the 2011 NWC front runners.

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

The Good

Fantastic Readiness: Like stated above, my big question headed into Saturday was if the 'Cats would be sharp after last weekends big win. Linfield more than answered the question in putting up the most points every in a half as a program and 2nd highest total in program history (most point for a team during "the streak" era).

3rd and 4th down defense: Once again, the 'Cats defense was suffocating on 3rd and 4th down. Linfield held UPS to 1 of 13 on 3rd down and 0-2 on 4th down. Over the past two games Linfield has only allowed 1 of 26 conversion attempts on 3rd and 4th down (3.8%). That is a mind blowing stat.

490 yards of total offense: Great balance by the 'Cats. Linfield rushed for 227 yards and threw for 263. Linfield's offense continues to keep team's off balance with the growth and development chemistry with this unit.

Once again, Special Teams comes up aces: Great all-around effort by the kickers, protection groups, and cover groups. 10 for 10 on PATs, a 49 yard field, block punt for a TD, and the kick off team dishing out more punishment on returners. The 'Cats special teams continue to live up to the billing of being outstanding.

Blanketing Kniffin: The UPS WR came into the game as the top WR in the conference, in terms of statistics. The 'Cats corners were dominate in only allowing Kniffin 4 catches for 28 yards. Kniffin must hate seeing the 'Cats as those stats from Saturday are almost identical to last season's 4 catches for 23 yard performance.

WR core: The 'Cats Wide Receivers were dynamite on Saturday. 11 different receivers caught passes for 263 yards and 4 TDs. The WR's not only performed well catching the ball but were terrific in the blocking game as the 'Cats worked on their bubble screen series and looked great in sustaining blocks. Blocking is so much about effort and it was fun to watch them mix it up.

11 tackles for losses: Not only did the DB's have a great day the 'Cats young D-Line and LB's feasted in piling up double digit tackles for losses. I have to admit was very concerned about the depth of the defensive line at the start of the season but the D-Line has grown up fast and has been impressive so far.

The Bad:

Nothing

The Ugly:

Nothing: I'm sure I could get ticky tack and talk about our horrible all-purples (haters gonna hate), giving up the shut out, or the standing ovation our crowd gave UPS when they scored (I know that came from a good place but it was still high comedy). At the end of the day it was a great day in the Valley and a great day to be a Wildcat. Send 'Em Up!

2011 Puget Sound Post Game Interviews

2011-10-09T21:01:00.000-07:00

Here are your post game interviews after the 'Cats 73-7 unloading on Puget Sound from this past Homecoming Saturday. Our lineup today is 'Cats offensive guard Drew Wert, kicker Josh Kay, WR Dre Wiersma, and corner Christian Hanna. Check back with us tomorrow as we bring your our UPS game review and we'll talk about Aaron Boehme and Paul Nishizaki's German Football League Championship.

Around The 'CatdomeO'sphere

2011-10-07T15:21:00.000-07:00

Be The Hammer.

Welcome back to the our latest edition from Around The 'Catdome'Osphere. If this is your 1st time with us this is our in-season news link round up of everything Linfield and NWC related. As expected, there was some solid coverage of Linfield's victory over Willamette. I enjoyed listening to the Full Access podcast. The guys that run Full Access sports are Willamette's radio guys, and I really enjoy talking to them. They are good people. However, they're about as homer as it gets and I loved it during the podcast when they said they were not complaining about the officials but then went on to do just that. Fantastic listening. BTW, the bonus video/link is terrible but I guess I should stay consistent in my coverage.

The Linfeild Review: 'Cats claw Bearcats

Statesman Journal: Linfield wins 3rd in a row vs Willamette (and 10 out of last 12)

Oregonlive.com: Linfield tops Bearcats (BTW Coach, it wasn't play action to Josh Hill on that holding call. It was the correct call, the LB tackled him from behind)

Newsregister.com: 'Cats open up NWC play with win over Willamette

Newsregister.com: BTW, if you thought that was Taylor Skore playing WR against Willamette, it wasn't. Dre Wiersma had a jersey malfunction and slipped into a number 5

Full Access Pod Cast: Listen to Willamette's annoucing team break down Linfield vs Willamette.

Linfield Sports: Cats's offensive guard, Jordan Barns, is looking to engineer many more Linfield wins in 2011

Linfield Sports: Coach Smith reflects on win over Bearcats and talks about Puget Sound (download .mov)

D3football.com: Around The Nation Pod Cast talks Linfield at the 11:50 mark. Lewis and Clark gets mention at 39:45 mark

Wildcatspread40.blogspot.com: Wildcats conquer Bearcats 20-10

Wildcatspread40.blogspot.com: What did WCS40 learn about the 'Cats after week 5

Wildcatspread40.blogspot.com: WCS40's Puget Sound game preview

The Puget Sound Trail: UPS thought they should have beat PLU. Funny, nobody told PLU that.

The News Tribune: The Lutes grind out win vs UPS

PacificBoxers YouTube Page: The Boxers highlights vs Lewis & Clark

808HawkFan YouTube Page: ESPN put in Pacific's 2 point conversion as SportsCenter top play

swxrightnow.com: Rats think they are close to being very good

The Whitworthian (page 19 of pdf) Rats ready for NWC play

mercurynews.com: Menlo drops homecoming and 1st game of the year to Southern Oregon

Bonus

SI.com's Hot Clicks:Thursday's Sports Video of the Day is pure rubbish. *putting on my bitter fan pants* I still say the play should have been blown dead. *taking off my bitter fan pants*

NWC Pick 'em Contest: Week 6

2011-10-07T10:56:00.000-07:00

Send 'Em Up!

Wildcat11 had a solid week in picking 5 out of 6 games. I was tripped up by the national game of the week as my refusual to pick a school called "Adrian" came back to haunt me. (You're dead to me Trine, you hear that. Dead.). That currently puts me at 27 correct out of 35 games and nudges me up to 77.1% on the season. WC11 currently sits tied for 3rd with one other player but I'm still a whopping 6 picks off the lead and in reality I'm going to have to be near perfect 2nd half of the season to cover that wide gap. Let's see if I can go perfect this week with 5 games on the slate (you already know I have Linfield)

Northwest Conference:

Whitworth (1-3) over Pacific Lutheran (2-1) (at Whitworth): Why am I doing this again? I don't know why I keep putting my faith into the Rats but I keep getting dupped into thinking they're going to play well enough at home to beat a decent team. The Rats last two home losses have been close and against two teams that are a combined 7-2. PLU's two wins are against two teams that are 0-8. I think the Rats are more battled tested and the bye week will have them ready to down PLU. Of course, they'll lose in the last minutes of the game and I'll just sit there and shake my head for being a big dummy.

Willamette (1-3) over Pacific (0-4) (at Willamette): Please, Willamette is going to win big here. Pacific has some good young talent but they're not ready for Prime Time. If Willamette is able to get out of the fetal position after last Saturday and able to turn in a worthy effort then the Bearcats should roll.

West Region Game of the Week:

Debuque (5-0) over #20 Wartburg (4-1) (at Debuque): The Spartans of Debuque are on fire to start the season and while Wartburg is a very good program they haven't been overwhelming this season. I'll take Debuque to keep rolling at home in a tight win.

National Game of the Week:

#11 Montclair State (4-0) over #15 Cortland State (3-1) (at Montclair): Cortland State already let me down once this year so like George W. Bush said "Fool me once, shame on....shame on you. Fool me....You can't get fooled again." Exactly! I'm taking Montclair.

Game 4 Preview: Linfield (3-0) vs Puget Sound (0-4)

2011-10-06T10:21:00.000-07:00

After an emotional and hard fought victory the 'Cats turn their attention to The Puget Sound Loggers. This is going to be a great test of the 'Cats emotional maturity as a team. Being highly ranked and undefeated it can be easy for a team to start feeling pretty content with themselves especially when the next game is against a team that has struggled over the past decade. This game is a true test of finding out where the Wildcats' heads are at. Are they solely focused on the team in front of them or are the 'Cats putting their feet on the proverbial desk and being content?

UPS is still in the middle of a rebuilding job under 2nd year Head Coach Jeff Thomas and have stumbled out to an 0-4 record in 2011. The Loggers have build their reputation as a high flying passing team that racks up the offensive yardage. The Loggers defense was shredded in their 1st three contests but showed signs of life in holding PLU to only 21 in a defeat on the road. They seems to play a bit of a high risk/reward system as the Loggers have piled up some decent sack, forced fumble, and tackle for yards stats. Clearly this is a team that is still in the middle of a culture change but clearly think they can play with anyone in the NWC as many players have publicly stated they will not be satisfied by anything less than the NWC championship.

Get To Know A Wildcat

#5 Taylor Skore, Sr., Corner

Favorite Place in Mac to Eat: Muchas

Favorite Movie: The Departed

Favorite Music: Rock

Favorite TV Show: Dexter

Favorite Pro Football team: THE Dallas Cowboys!!

Class I Most Look Forward to: Exercise Physiology

Mac or Pc: Mac

Cpu Homepage: ESPN

Dog or Cat: Dog

Car or Truck: Truck

Xbox, PS3, or WII: XBOX

Favorite Coach Fendall Saying: "Play fast and smile"

Big Hit or Interception: Pick Six

Who has the best hands out of the 'Cats DBs: I'll challenge Fish

Your Favorite Part About Playing at Linfield is: The family atmosphere that you feel with the players and coaches. There is a lot of selflessness on the team and everyone is playing for one another. I also love the tradition and class the program has held onto over the years.

Post Linfield aspirations: Physical Therapy grad school and possibly coaching high school football prior to school.

Wildcat11's Keys To Victory:

Put Puget Sound away early and keep the hammer down: La Verne came to town a few weeks ago and while Linfield took care of business in a 52-3 victory it was sloppy and it wasn't till the 3rd quarter until Linfield ended it. Saturday, I want to see our 'Cats come out and dominate from the opening kickoff and play crisp Linfield Football. The 'Cats need to put the foot on the gas from the jump and not let up until Coach Smith decides to.

Gobble up the Loggers' Short Passing Game: The Loggers cannot run the ball very well. In fact, they're so terrible in the run game they don't even bother. Instead, they use a very short passing game as their De facto run game. Linfield's under coverage has to be on their game in limiting the yards after catch and being sound tacklers. This can be a frustrating game as a defensive lineman because UPS often gets rid of the ball quickly but the pass side D-Line needs to be getting their hands up while the backside of the line needs to keep working up the field.

Maintain Offensive Balance: Linfield's offense needs to continue to strike that balance in their offense between a punishing rushing attack and the passing game. The offense has proven they can move the ball on stingy defenses and I want to see the offensive unit dominate with a balanced approach.

Limit Kniffin: He's the Loggers poster boy for their passing offense. The Junior WR leads the NWC in receptions (46), Yards (519), Yards receiving per game (128.9), and is 2nd with 5 TD receptions. The Linfield corner that draws Kniffin's number is going to get the opportunity to show what they have and I'm betting on whatever Wildcat that may be (Skore, Dixon, Hanna).

Lock 'Em Down on 4th Down: In 4 games the Loggers offense has gone for it on 4th down a whopping 19 times. (8 for 19) 4th down is going to be huge for the 'Cats defense this upcoming Saturday.

WR's dominate: The Linfield WR corp has shown flashes of brilliance but they have also had some poor drops/inconsistency along the way. This group is very talented but they've yet to flat dominate a defense so far this early season. The 'Cats WR corp needs to own UPS this weekend. There is no excuse for them not to make plays and be a force in the run game. Let's see what you've got.

Keep Mickey/QB's on their feet and out Loggers out of the backfield: The Loggers appear to be a high risk/reward team that isn't very big but seems to have some speed. The Loggers have piled up 9 sacks, 33 tackles for loss, and 7 forced fumbles. This will be a good challenge for the 'Cats offense line to have back-to-back games in keeping bodies off Mickey and defenders out of the backfield.

Overall.

'Cats by 28 plus. Look, if Linfield comes into this game sharp and ready to play there is no reason for the 'Cats not to put a healthy spanking on UPS. The Loggers road all-while uniforms might look like Linfield but that's where the similarities between these two programs end. UPS could stick around and cause the 'Cats pain if Linfield is sloppy but I'm betting this team will be ready to feast and beast on Saturday.

Linfield vs Puget Sound Game Day Guide

2011-10-04T14:36:00.000-07:00

View 2011 Linfield Wildcats Football Guide in a larger map

It's homecoming week which means you're going to be packing up your cars and headed to the 'Catdome this weekend to watch the the 'Cats welcome with open arms the Loggers of Puget Sound. Are you new to the 'Catdome and McMinnville and not sure where to grab the best cup of coffee in town or where to get some food after the game? That's where we come in to lend you a hand on some recommendations around town.

Just click on the Wildcat Head with the number 4 and a bubble will pop up with a gaggle of information on the game (start time, links to game video, audio, previews, tailgate location) and also some recommendations on what to do in Mac and where some solid places to eat. Now, the Wildcat11's are not wine drinkers and McMinnville has a booming wine industry. So if you are looking for wine makers in the area then here is the link to the Yamhill Valley winemakers association.

Also, there is a link to the 'Cats primo tailgate area located a few short blocks south from the stadium. Here is the link if you don't want to click on the map info bubble. A lot of great Linfield fans down in that area that are always welcoming to anybody headed to the 'Catdome that day. Be sure to set up shop down in the Keck parking lots.

If you want a bigger look at the map then either click on the link on the info bar on the right or just click here.

Come back tomorrow afternoon for our game 4 preview.

Attention Alumni Brothers of the Delta Alpha Chapter of Theta Chi. Current alumni chair of Theta Chi's Delta Alpha Chapter, Clayton Cooper, wanted me to pass along an invitation to you for a post-game BBQ the house is holding (405 College Ave). The chapter is working on reconnect with their alumni members and hopeful you'll drop by after the game for some burgers and dogs. Please contact Clayton to RSVP.

Attention Alumni Brothers of Delta Psi Delta Fraternity: Alumnus Larry Baker passed along that Delta Psi Delta Alums are gathering at Michelbook Friday night at Michelbook for dinner and drinks. 50 alums have already signed up for the event so should be a good turnout and they have a block of seats together at the game on Saturday. Reservations for the dinner can be made on the Linfield Homecoming website. Dinner starts at 7 p.m on Friday.

If any other Greek Organization or Campus Club would like help in getting out information on Game Day gatherings drop WC11 a line at catdomealumni@yahoo.com

REMINDER: Parents and Fans that are looking to travel to Menlo and Whitworth. For the Menlo game the team will be staying at the Hilton Garden Inn in Mountain View and for the Whitworth game the 'Cats will be staying at the Red Lion River Inn. Click on the links for hotel contact information.

'Cats Win! Linfield leavs Willamette all wet after 20-10 victory.

2011-10-03T13:20:00.000-07:00


This will not be the cover of Brian Widing's Christmas card.

Photo Courtesy of Brad Thompson: View Brad's 2011 Linfield Photo Gallery Here.

Saturday was a great day to be a Wildcat. No doubt about it. Our Linfield Wildcats made the short road trip down to Salem and took care of their business in a 20-10 win over the Willamette Bearcats. Linfield now opens the season at 3-0 and more importantly 1-0 in Northwest Conference play. Saturday night was Linfield’s 3rd win in a row against the Bearcats and Linfield’s 5th victory in their last 6 trips to the Catdome Capitol or Catdome South. Either works. Since moving to Division 3 in 1998 Linfield is 11-3 versus Willamette and Coach Smith moved his record versus the Bearcats to 4-2.

As for the game itself, the weather man lied, because what was predicted as just some showers that would give way to cloudy skies in the early evening turned out to be a 4 quarter downpour that made it a wet and wild game for both teams in terms of ball handling. The weather had a big impact on the game but the biggest impact on the contest was the overall play of the Wildcats. Linfield bullied and brusied their way to a 17-0 lead early in the 3rd quarter and looked for the dagger but a missed field goal and a fumble at the goal line breathed life into Willamette and sent the game into a seesaw finish. In the 2nd half Willamette threw their playbook (and I guess Linfield’s too) at the ‘Cats with fake double reverses, fly sweep passes, and found a sweet spot in the ‘Cats defense and when it looked like Willamette could take control, the Linfield offense grinded out a huge drive to burn clock and kicked a field goal to push the game to a 2-score lead, and the ‘Cats defense closed the show.

It was a fun game to win on so many levels. Not only does Linfield keep control of their own destiny but I think the ‘Cats grew up on Saturday night. There is a lot of football to be played but I have a feeling this group of grinders will use Saturday night as a launching pad for the remainder of the season. This is a fun and tough (physically and mentally) group of young men and you should be proud of how they went about their business on Saturday. The 2011 Linfield Wildcats have a big opportunity in front of them, now it’s just up to them to run with it.

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

The Good

A full 60 minutes of Linfield Football: Awesome job. It wasn’t perfect but I didn’t expect it to be. What I was looking for was how Linfield would handle adversity and there was plenty of it. When the ‘Cats missed their chance to ice the game in 3rd you could feel that big swing of momentum tilt towards Willamette and that was the moment of truth for Linfield. That is the moment teams either rise up and figure it out or collapse under the pressure. The ‘Cats responded beautifully. The defense needs some help and time to chalk up some adjustments and the offense responded with the drive in the 4th quarter to extend the lead to 10. At that point we know the story as the defense iced it for the ‘Cats. It was all three phases chipping in to get the desired result and it was fantastic to see.

Team Defense: Big shout out for the defense. While Willamette did have over 200 yards rushing a big chunk on that was on the Bearcats loan TD drive of the night. The bottom line is our defense was fantastic on the whole. Only giving up 10 points to a team that had 2 weeks to prepare and threw out a gaggle of new wrinkles and looks at the Wildcat defense. This is a fun defense to watch and as an old Wildcat defender, I couldn’t have been prouder of the Salty D.

Offense Line play: The 1st two games of the year the offense line was doing a great job in the run game but at times were having trouble keeping ‘Cats QB, Mickey Inns, off the ground. No such issues on Saturday as the ‘Cats offensive line and running backs were masterful in allowing 0 sacks and keeping hits off of Mickey. Great job big fellas.

3rd and 4th down defense: This was a great stat on the night. Willamette was 0-10 on 3rd down and 0 for 1 on 4th. That’s just flat getting it done. As Coach Smith said before the ‘Cats ran out on the field “Sometimes you’re the walls, but tonight we’re the hammer.” The ‘Cats defense brought the hammer all night long on 3rd down. This isn't just a "good" but rather a “great”.

Mickey Inns: Quarterbacks always get too much credit and too much blame but the praise for Mickey’s performance on Saturday night is more than deserved. The Bearcats defense started to solve the Wildcat rushing attach and in a downpour the offensive staff turned it to Inns to get it done in the pouring rain. Mickey responded with a 20 of 37 performances that covered 329 yards. I’ve already heard some folks say if we didn’t have as many drops that number would have been greater but Mickey would tell you that there were some fantastic “go get it” catches by our WR core in key moments. It’s been fun watch Mickey develop over the past three weeks.

Defensive Back play: I’ve talked a lot over the past month about the talent and promise of our young LBs and defensive line (it’s warranted) but the heart and soul of this team is that talented veteran defensive backfield. They were superior on Saturday night. There were multiple times Willamette broke plays past the 1st level of the defense, and against most defenses it’s off to the races for the Bearcats, but Saturday it was Kole Krieger, Drew Fisher, Christian Hanna, Taylor Skore, Kala’e Parish and Nate Dixon making play after play to contain Willamette. Linfield fans, enjoy every second of watching this group for the remainder of 2011.

Josh Hill’s toughness: J-Hill was a beast for the ‘Cats. He was asked to carry the rushing load for Linfield and was what Linfield needed him to be: tough. J-Hill never gave up his feet and was contently turning 2 yard gains into 4 yards and 5 yards with his desire and willingness to keep moving forward and that led to 36 carries for a bruising 110 yards and a touchdown. Josh has plenty of explosion and speed but he showed last night he can put the hard hat on and grind away.

‘Cats keeping their composure: It was very chippy last night and that is a bit of an understatement. Both teams were getting after each other and as the game grew into the latter stages the pressure of that hot light increased and with it so did tempers. Instead of acting out and getting mentally weak unsportsmanlike conduct penalties the ‘Cats kept their cool and focused on performance. They didn’t get duped into retaliation and as we witnessed Willamette’s inability to stay in control cost them dearly.

The Bad

Not putting Willamette away: Linfield had a point blank shot at sticking the dagger in Willmette’s heart with the 'Cats up 17-0 and knocking on the door deep in the 3rd quarter. The ‘Cats fumbled into the end zone and the subsequent Willamette recovery got the Bearcats and their offense going. Ultimately, it led to Linfield having to overcome their most adversity to date and in some ways I think the experience will help Linfield down the road but I’d rather the ‘Cats “lop off the head” when the chance is right in front of them.

6 fumbles/Drops: I’m not out of my mind about this because the weather did have a major impact on both teams in securing the ball. However, we live and play in the Pacific Northwest so we’re again going to see elements like this for the reminder of the season. We have to be better in this department when the weather is poor.

The Ugly:

The Rain: I was not ready for that on Saturday night. All week long we just had some light showers and sitting around the tailgater before the game (BTW, great job Wildcat fans in owning that parking lot and stadium once again) there was a very light rain, almost mist. I was thinking “No problem, this should be the worst of it right here.” I was dead wrong. Many fans were not ready for the rain as I saw a lot of drenched and soaked fans sticking it out. The constant downpour had an impact on the game but not so much where it was the biggest factor in deciding the outcome (ala 2006 Whitworth). I’d rather it had been clear and in the 60’s but it was one of those issues you just adapted to and moved passed. That game was much too entertaining to let it ruin the experience.

Linfield vs Willamette Post Game Interviews

2011-10-02T21:33:00.000-07:00

Last night was fun. A fun night to be a fan of football and a fan of the Wildcats after the 'Cats delivered the 20-10 win over Willamette in a complete soaking of a rain storm. We'll dive head long into the game tomorrow afternoon but above are your post-game interviews. I always try to get at least 2 offensive and 2 defensive players after each game but in my haste in getting all of gear together and dried we're defense heavy this time around (I'll make it up offense). We talked to the 'Cats Josh Hill (RB), Tim Edmonds (LB), Tyler Steele (DT), and Drew Fisher (S).

Your bonus video tonight is the complete flop job by Willamette's soccer player...errr...quarterback Brian Widing. COme on bro. I thought guys from Redlands are the only ones to pull such a footie move. This is freaking tackle football and I know it sucked to get crushed my multiple Linfield Wildcats but to dupe the officials like that is weak. I'm surprised he didn't lay on the turf rolling around cluching his leg until the trainer came out with that magic spray that seems to cure every soccer player from when they break a leg. The biggest surprise is Widing is from Canby. I thought guys from Canby are country tough and not a bunch of floppers?

Around The 'CatdomeO'sphere

2011-09-30T12:04:00.000-07:00

'Catdome!

Welcome back to our weekly link dump where we catch you up on everything that is happening around the 'Catdome and NWC. Some great items this week. Be sure to download the video from Linfield Sports of the 'Cats 4 National Championship teams (1982, 84, 86, and 2004) being inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall Of Fame. Lots of Linfield vs Willamette fodder to get you stoked up for tomorrow's 4 pm kickoff. BTW, if you were curious on why the 4pm kickoff it's because of a "big" Cross Country meet tomorrow in Bush park and Willamette had to push the game out. I'll hold my comment on that..... Also, another recommend is watching the video former 'Cat defense end, Ian Estrada ('09) put together of his trip back to the 'Catdome to play in the 2011 Alumni Game. Great work by Ian. Check back with us on Sunday for post-game interviews and make it out to this game. It's going to be a huge battle between two very good teams.

News-Register: Linfield's Tyler Robitaille is a stud

News-Register: Linfield vs La Verne running game blog

Linfield Review (pdf): 'Cats claw Leos (page 16 of .pdf)

sbsun.com: LaVerne stays postive after getting hammered.

The Sports Curmudgeon: The Curmudgeon is still kepping up with the 'Cats

KPAM 860 AM: NorthWest Sports Tonight interviews with Linfield's Joe Smith (starts at 23:25 mark) and Willamette's Mark Speckman (33:48)

WildcatSpread40.blogspot.com: Wildcats skin Leopards 52-3

WildcatSpread40.blogspot.com: What WCS40 learned about the 'Cats after La Verne Game.

WildcatSpread40.blogspot.com: WCS40's Linfield vs Willamette Game Preview

D3football.com: Around The Nation lists Linfield vs Willamette as one of the games to watch this week and gives a nice plug to catdomealumni.com

Full Access Sports Vimeo Page: Willamette's Mark Speckman talks Bearcats vs Wildcats

Statesmanjournal: James Day is taking Linfield over Willamette. Smart man.

Linfield Sports: Download the video clip of the 'Cats 4 National Championship teams being inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame

Oregon Sports Hall of Fame: Press release of the OSHOF 7 newest inductees.

Pacific Index: Boxer students want changes at venue

Pacific Index: Student Coach helping out the Boxers.

The Mooring Mast: This article doesn't say it but this is the 1st step in PLU getting an on-campus stadium.

The Trail: Loggers 0-3 and Linebacker Tyler Vlasak can't really think they have a shot at winning the NWC.

TheNewsTribune: Kniffin sets UPS career TD reception record with 22nd as Loggers loss to Whittier. Kniffin is now only 37 TD catches behind Linfield's Casey Allen for Conference Record.

Oregonlive.com/Hillsboro Argus: Pacific looking for answers vs L&C

Dailyrepubic: Former H.S. teammates face off in Pacific/L&C game

TheNewsTribune.com: PLU Quarterback, Zack Halverson looks the part

mercurynews.com: Menlo moves to 4-0 and is feeling good.

Thespokanereview: Menlo dominates the Rats up front..Whitworth gave up 10 sacks? Really?

KXLY's YouTube Page: Oaks keep it perfect in sinking the Pirates ship.

Oregonlive.com: The Oregonian's terrible small college round up

BONUS:

Linfield's Ian Estrada (Linfield, Class of 2009) put together this great video of the 'Cats 2011 Alumni Game & Weekend.

Linfield trip 2011 from Ian Estrada on Vimeo.