FOOTBALL: Lutes Take On NWC’s Top Passing Offense At Linfield

THIS WEEK: Linfield (3-2, 1-1 NWC) hosts Pacific Lutheran (5-1, 2-1) at Maxwell Field in McMinnville, Ore., Saturday, 1:30 p.m.

ON THE AIR: Pacific Lutheran football games are broadcast in the Tacoma/Parkland area on KLAY 1180 AM with Steve Thomas and Karl Hoseth calling the action. You can listen online at www.klay1180.com.

MATCHUP: Saturday’s game will be the 57th meeting between the Lutes and the Wildcats. Linfield holds a 31-21-4 edge in the series, which dates back to 1933. The Lutes have lost their last five games against the Wildcats, including a 42-13 loss in 2005 that was the biggest margin of victory for either team in the series. The two tradition-rich schools combined to earn five of the 10 NAIA Division II national championships during the 1980s, and each has won a NCAA Division III championship in recent years, the Lutes in 1999 and the Wildcats in 2004..

COACHES: Scott Westering, son of legendary PLU football coach Frosty Westering, is in his fourth season as Pacific Lutheran’s head coach. He has compiled an 18-15 record. Joe Smith is in his second season as head coach at his alma mater, compiling a 9-5 record in that time.

Brett Gordon

ABOUT THE WILDCATS: Linfield is 3-2 this season after defeating Southern Oregon last weekend 30-22. In their five games, the Wildcats have averaged 34.2 points on offense and have given up an average of 25.8 on defense, ranking second and fifth, respectively, in the NWC in each category.

QUARTERBACK DRAW: Saturday’s game will match the two top-ranked quarterbacks in the Northwest Conference this season. Senior Brett Gordon earned his second NWC offensive player of the week honors this season after Saturday’s four-touchdown performance in just over half of the Menlo game. Gordon leads the conference in pass efficiency among starters at 159.9. Linfield senior Trevor Scharer has earned offensive player of the week honors once this season, after a school record-setting performance September 15th, in which he completed 32 of 45 passes for 511 yards and six touchdowns with no interceptions. He ranks second among starters in the conference with a pass efficiency rating of 151.2. However, in five games Scharer has thrown for 401 yards more than Gordon and has attempted 58 more passes and completed 39 more.

WILDCAT OFFENSE VS. LUTE DEFENSE: Don’t look for Linfield to run much in this game. The Wildcats average less than 90 rushing yards per game and the Lutes rank second in the conference in rushing defense, giving up only 2.5 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Linfield leads the league by a large margin with an average of over 317 passing yards per game, and PLU gives up the most yards per game in the air in the Northwest Conference. This stat is slightly misleading, however, because the Lutes are tied with Linfield for third in the conference giving up only 6.7 yards per pass attempt. The number of total passing yards per game is a testament to the Lutes’ excellent rushing defense and scoring ability on offense that often forces teams to throw the ball more than they otherwise would.

Jacob Schonau-Taylor

LUTE OFFENSE VS. WILDCAT DEFENSE: Look for PLU to run the ball. Although the Lutes have the most efficient starting quarterback in the NWC and three of the top four wide receivers in terms of receiving yards per game, Linfield’s defense is weaker against the run than the pass. The Wildcats rank second to last in the NWC giving up 167.8 rushing yards per game, ahead of only Lewis & Clark’s atrocious 274.2. Meanwhile, their pass defense gives up the third-least yards per game and is tied for third in the conference in yards per play and second in touchdowns allowed through the air. With senior Craig Chiado, the NWC’s leading receiver, hampered by a shoulder injury that may prevent him from playing, the Lutes should focus even more on the running game. Look for traditional running with senior running backs Anthony Canger and Jacob Schonau-Taylor as well as some plays that line up versatile senior Chase Reed in the backfield. Reed leads the conference with ten touchdowns and is averaging 10 points and 93.5 all-purpose yards per game.

QB PRESSURE: The Lutes love to pressure the quarterback, leading the NWC with 27 sacks this season. Linfield will provide a special challenge to the PLU defensive line, as the Wildcats have given up only six sacks all season, fewest in the conference. On the other side, Brett Gordon may have more time to relax in the pocket on Saturday. The Lutes have given up a league-high 22 sacks this season, but the Wildcats have only sacked opposing quarterbacks nine times in five games.

TAKE THREE: Linfield leads the NWC with eight field goal attempts in only five games. Junior kicker Scott Birkhofer tied a single-game record last season against the Lutes with five field goals, including three from 40 yards or longer. Touted as a potential All-American kicker, he has converted both of his kick attempts of 50 yards or longer this season, including a 53-yarder.

Andrew Eisentrout

LAST YEAR: Scharer passed for 291 yards and four touchdowns and Birkhofer tied a Linfield school record with five field goals as the Wildcats defeated the Lutes 44-21 at Sparks Stadium. The game was a sloppy affair with the Lutes committing seven turnovers and the Wildcats committing five. Both teams threw four interceptions. After Birkhofer gave his team an early first-quarter lead, PLU defensive end Andrew Eisentrout made a spectacular diving interception to give the Lutes the ball at the Linfield 42 yard-line. Chase Reed ran left, broke a tackle, then cut back to the right and raced to the end zone to put the Lutes on top, 7-3. Linfield then proceeded to score 41 unanswered points, 20 coming directly as a result of three PLU fumbles and an interception. Trailing 44-7, the Lutes added a pair of big-play fourth quarter touchdowns. The first came on a 75-yard pass-and-run play from Chris Maine to Craig Chiado, and the other on a 38-yard interception return by defensive end Robert Thomsen. Linfield finished the game with 453 yards of total offense, including 328 through the air.

LAST WEEK: Reed scored three touchdowns as the Lutes rolled past the Menlo Oaks 48-19 in PLU’s 2007 Homecoming game. Gordon completed 12 of 19 passes for 244 yards and four touchdowns, playing only about two quarters before being removed to give playing time to some of the backup players. The Lutes took a quick 7-0 lead in the first quarter on a 28-yard pass from Gordon to Reed and never looked back. PLU took a 34-6 lead halfway through the second quarter, prompting Westering to insert some of his reserve players. The starters returned for one drive after halftime, scoring one final touchdown before ceding the field to the reserves. PLU ran the ball 36 times for 168 yards, giving 11 different Lutes rushing attempts in the game. Three quarterbacks played, completing passes to a total of seven different receivers. Junior linebacker Neal Chalmers led the Lutes’ defense with six tackles, one forced fumble and one interception.

Matt Wolford

LUTE NOTES:
• PLU junior defensive back Matt Wolford earned Northwest Conference Special Teams Player of the Week honors for his performance against Menlo. He averaged more than 13 yards per punt return and also had a 21-yard kickoff return.
• The Lutes continue to linger just below the top 25 in the d3football.com poll in the “others receiving votes” category. PLU is ranked No. 23 in this week’s Don Hansen’s Football Gazette Division III poll.
• For the second straight week, the Lutes were plagued by turnovers. After a three-turnover, no-takeaway performance against Whitworth two weeks ago, the Lutes had four turnovers and only one takeaway against the an Oaks team that had entered the game –8 in turnover margin and had the most turnovers in the NWC.
• Only a yard and a half separate the top three NWC teams in total offense. The Lutes rank third behind Linfield and Whitworth, averaging 405.3 yards per game. The Wildcats lead the conference with 406.8 yards per game, and the Pirates are second at 406.3.
• Senior defensive linemen Andy Eisentrout and Robert Thomsen continue to lead the NWC in both sacks and tackles for loss, and Thomsen also leads the conference in fumble recoveries.

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