Linfield earns tie in NWC
By Terry Richard
Sunday Oregonian, Nov. 16, 1975 (with some 2010 editing).
McMINNVILLE – Linfield’s Wildcats earned themselves a chance to wait for another football game when they held off Willamette 14-9 for a Northwest Conference win Saturday afternoon at a quagmire called Maxwell Field.
The win for coach Ad Rutschman’s Wildcats gave them a tie with Pacific Lutheran and Whitworth for their sixth NWC title in seven years. It also earned them the right to play for the Oregon “championship” against Oregon College if the Wolves become available.
(As it turned out, it was Linfield’s last game of the season. On the same afternoon in Monmouth OCE beat UPS, 30-27. That helped put OCE into to the NAIA playoffs. The Wolves lost in Kingsville, Texas, to Texas A&I, 37-0, to end their season. If Linfield, NWC co-titlist, and OCE, Evegreen Conference champ, had played in post-season, it would have been a rematch. OCE beat Linfield, 13-6, in the season opener for both teams in McMinnville.)
Linfield almost started its waiting game too soon. After slogging to a 14-0 halftime lead on the scoring of Rob Love and Rick Hadeen, the Wildcats were outplayed in the second half.
“I thought we played an exceptionally good first half-considering the conditions,” said Rutschman. “But, in the second half mistakes started to hurt. We also may have had a change of attitude because of the 14-0 lead.”
Willamette (coached by Tommy Lee) scored its nine points in the fourth period. The Bearcats could have had more except the Linfield defenses twice stopped drives inside the five-yard line.
The last-quarter rally by Willamette was led by an aroused defense and backup quarterback Dave Claunch. After defensive end Gary Johnson blocked a punt out of the end zone for a safety, Claunch scrambled for an eight-yard touchdown with 7:05 to play.
The pair of scores got the Bearcats within range but Linfield’s defenders rose to the challenge of the final few minutes.
Love opened the game’s scoring (on a reverse) when he found the only solid footing on the field and sprinted around right end for a 53-yard score (with 5:23 to go) in the first quarter. He added the Cats’ other TD when he caught a pass from Keith Wentela in the second period.
Love’s best run of the day, a 33-yard tackle-busting jaunt after a pass reception, was nullified because of a clipping penalty.
Linfield’s, still waiting on OCE’s fate, has a 6-3 season record. Willamette finished at 4-5.
Willamette 0 0 0 9 – 9
Linfield 7 7 0 0 – 14
Lin-Love 53 run (Hadeen kick)
Lin- Love 5 pass from Wentela (Hadeen kick)
Wil – Safety, Johnson blocked punt out of end zone
Wil-Claunch 8 run (Simmers kick)
A – 3,300
Wi/Lin
First downs 10/9
Rushes-yds. 35-64/40-147
Passing-yds.152/93
Runback-yds.79/54
Passes 14-34-4/5-17-2
Punts4-27.3/7-28.4
Fumbles-lost 1-1/1-1
Penalities-yds 5-42/6-70
By Terry Richard
Sunday Oregonian, Nov. 16, 1975 (with some 2010 editing).
McMINNVILLE – Linfield’s Wildcats earned themselves a chance to wait for another football game when they held off Willamette 14-9 for a Northwest Conference win Saturday afternoon at a quagmire called Maxwell Field.
The win for coach Ad Rutschman’s Wildcats gave them a tie with Pacific Lutheran and Whitworth for their sixth NWC title in seven years. It also earned them the right to play for the Oregon “championship” against Oregon College if the Wolves become available.
(As it turned out, it was Linfield’s last game of the season. On the same afternoon in Monmouth OCE beat UPS, 30-27. That helped put OCE into to the NAIA playoffs. The Wolves lost in Kingsville, Texas, to Texas A&I, 37-0, to end their season. If Linfield, NWC co-titlist, and OCE, Evegreen Conference champ, had played in post-season, it would have been a rematch. OCE beat Linfield, 13-6, in the season opener for both teams in McMinnville.)
Linfield almost started its waiting game too soon. After slogging to a 14-0 halftime lead on the scoring of Rob Love and Rick Hadeen, the Wildcats were outplayed in the second half.
“I thought we played an exceptionally good first half-considering the conditions,” said Rutschman. “But, in the second half mistakes started to hurt. We also may have had a change of attitude because of the 14-0 lead.”
Willamette (coached by Tommy Lee) scored its nine points in the fourth period. The Bearcats could have had more except the Linfield defenses twice stopped drives inside the five-yard line.
The last-quarter rally by Willamette was led by an aroused defense and backup quarterback Dave Claunch. After defensive end Gary Johnson blocked a punt out of the end zone for a safety, Claunch scrambled for an eight-yard touchdown with 7:05 to play.
The pair of scores got the Bearcats within range but Linfield’s defenders rose to the challenge of the final few minutes.
Love opened the game’s scoring (on a reverse) when he found the only solid footing on the field and sprinted around right end for a 53-yard score (with 5:23 to go) in the first quarter. He added the Cats’ other TD when he caught a pass from Keith Wentela in the second period.
Love’s best run of the day, a 33-yard tackle-busting jaunt after a pass reception, was nullified because of a clipping penalty.
Linfield’s, still waiting on OCE’s fate, has a 6-3 season record. Willamette finished at 4-5.
Willamette 0 0 0 9 – 9
Linfield 7 7 0 0 – 14
Lin-Love 53 run (Hadeen kick)
Lin- Love 5 pass from Wentela (Hadeen kick)
Wil – Safety, Johnson blocked punt out of end zone
Wil-Claunch 8 run (Simmers kick)
A – 3,300
Wi/Lin
First downs 10/9
Rushes-yds. 35-64/40-147
Passing-yds.152/93
Runback-yds.79/54
Passes 14-34-4/5-17-2
Punts4-27.3/7-28.4
Fumbles-lost 1-1/1-1
Penalities-yds 5-42/6-70
