NCAA 2019 FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS in CALIFORNIA: LINFIELD COLLEGE FALLS TO CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY IN TRIPLE OT, 68-65

Story by Logan Brandon, McMinnville N-R sports editor, 11/26/2019, with slight editing by Wildcatville. Photos by Wildcatville.

ORANGE, Calif. – What a way to go out.

Linfield College football clashed with Chapman University Saturday, Nov. 23, 2019, in the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs held at Ernie Chapman Stadium in Orange, California.

The postseason matchup between the Northwest Conference Champion Wildcats and the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference’s title-winning Panthers proved a thrilling contest.

It couldn’t be settled in regulation or two overtimes.

When Chapman eventually prevailed in triple OT – winning 68-65 on Tanner Mendoza’s 13-yard touchdown run – the two playoff teams had combined for 133 points and over 1,100 yards of total offense.

His players shouldn’t hang their heads after the tough loss, said Wildcat head coach Joe Smith.

“I’m really proud of them,” he noted. “I was very pleased with how our guys responded after falling in an early hole. We didn’t give up at any point in the game.”

The Wildcats faced an adjustment period against Chapman’s athletic defense. Two turnovers – a strip sack on Wyatt Smith and Keaton Woods’ fumble – granted the Panthers a 14-0 lead in the first quarter.

However, the Linfield offense, led by a career day from Artie Johnson plus Wyatt’s aerial attack, rebounded to overcome deficits of 14-7 and 21-14.

Johnson rushed for a career-best 158 yards and four touchdowns on 29 carries. The junior tail back tallied his finest performances in Linfield’s last three games, accounting for 372 rushing yards and five scores.

Coach Smith credited the ‘Cats’ vaunted passing attack for opening running lanes for Johnson. The speedy halfback responded with an incredible performance in the win-or-go-home playoff.

“We started to face double coverages in the passing game, which opened things for Artie on the inside,” noted Smith.

By halftime, Wyatt had passed for three touchdowns – two to his brother Colton on throws of 22 and 51 yards – but Linfield trailed 28-27.

The Wildcats earned their first lead to start the third quarter. Johnson rumbled 47 yards for the go-ahead score, but Chapman answered three minutes later with Dillon Keefe’s 10-yarder to knot the game at 34.

Both sides scored twice in the fourth quarter, including Johnson’s third and fourth TDs.

In the overtime period, Wyatt handed his Wildcats a seven-point lead on a one-yard QB sneak.

Linfield’s defense could’ve locked up the road victory on Chapman’s ensuing possession, but Reed Vettel shockingly completed a 17-yard pass on fourth down to extend the match.

“We just couldn’t get the stops, especially on that fourth-and-long,” noted Smith.

The Panthers regained the lead on a 25-yard trick play, but Wyatt and Keegan Weiss immediately retaliated with a 25-yarder of their own to make it 62-all.

“I really liked our chances in overtime, because our offense was rolling,” said Smith. “I was pleased with how Wyatt, the receivers and Artie played in this close game.”

Andrew Starkel nailed a 26-yard field goal in the third overtime, but Chapman scored the game-winner in three plays to advance to the second round.

Asked about his team’s defensive performance, Smith responded, “We haven’t seen a team that could run the ball that well in a long time. They had a great offensive line that maintained their blocks throughout the game. I was very impressed with how Chapman played and used their athleticism.”

On offense, Smith threw for 410 yards and four touchdowns with an interception. His two primary receivers – Weiss and Colton – combined for 270 receiving yards and four scores. Tight end Jacob Calo capped his Linfield career with six catches for 97 yards.

Defensively, Tyler Sitton collected ten tackles and broke up two passes. Keyell Davis racked up nine tackles and forced a fumble.

Overall, Coach Smith knows his team learned valuable lessons against the Panthers, saying, “We’re understanding what it takes to play a high level opponent in a playoff atmosphere.”

Reflecting on the season, he added, “I really enjoyed coaching this team from the start of the season to where they are now . . . They overcame adversity and played Linfield football.”

Smith continued, “This senior group was responsible for the cohesiveness of the team this year. It’s been one of the closest teams I’ve coached.”

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See Wildcatville video about game:

https://youtu.be/exNSlIzrSnw


Wildcatville Postscript:

Assuming the Linfield name change takes place, this was the last game in which Linfield COLLEGE football competed. Starting with the 2020 season it'll be Linfield UNIVERSITY football.

MARTY BERGAN, REST IN PEACE WILDCAT (1930-2019)

Martin Trygve Bergan 1930 - 2019

I have slipped the surly bonds of earth and danced the skies on silver wings

11/26/2019 McMinnville News-Register

Martin "Marty" Bergan was born July 21, 1930, in Yakima, Washington, the eldest of four, to Opal and Trygve Bergan.

He grew up in Parkrose, Oregon, overlooking the Portland Airport, graduating from Parkrose High School in 1948. He attended Linfield College in McMinnville, Oregon, where he played football and baseball for the Wildcats.

In 1951 he left Linfield to serve in the U.S. Air Force so he could learn to fly. He had his first solo flight in July 1951, and graduated in May 1952 along with his fellow cadets of 52 Charlie. Four months later, he shipped off to Daegu Air Base in South Korea, where he flew 100 combat missions in the Republic F-84 Thunderjet.

Upon returning home in June 1953, he married Margie, and they started their life together at Craig AFB, Selma, Alabama, and Bryan AFB, Bryan, Texas. At Bryan, he was a flying training instructor, flying the T-28 Trojan when Mona, their first daughter, made her debut. Marty was released from active duty in 1955 and immediately joined the Oregon Air National Guard, where he continued to fly on weekends and nights because he loved flying.

The family returned to Linfield College, where he earned his bachelor’s and Master of Education, and Mindy and Mary-Alice joined the family. Marty became a teacher and coach at Franklin High School in Portland and moved his family to Happy Valley, Oregon, where he had an unobstructed view of Mount Hood. 

In 1962, fourth daughter Michaele made the family complete.

In 1967, he left teaching and accepted a full-time position at the Oregon Air National Guard Portland Air Base. In 1971, Marty was responsible for the aircraft conversion from the F-102s to the F-101s, and in 1980 the conversion of the F-101 to the F-4C Phantom II. In 1981, he moved the family to Klamath Falls, Oregon, where he became the Chief Executive Detachment Commander of the 142nd Fighter Interceptor Group Alert Force at Kingsley Field. In 1985, he retired as lieutenant colonel, logging more than 7,000 flight hours.

Several years after retiring, Marty and Margie moved to McMinnville so he could play all the golf he wanted at Michelbook Country Club and attend as many Linfield Wildcat games with long-time Linfield friends. In 1999, Marty began coaching Linfield Women’s Golf, guiding them to four Northwest Conference titles. Throughout his whole life, Marty enjoyed hunting, fishing, golfing, boating, skiing and, most of all, flying.

Marty is survived by his wife, Margie; Mona and Dave Thomas of Eureka, Montana; Mindy and Jack Pharris of Rancho Palos Verdes, California, Jax and Janelle and great-grandchild, Eowyn; Mary-Alice and Mike DeBoer of Happy Valley, and Mitchell and Madeline; Michaele of Richmond, Virginia, and Mark and Omar. 

Outdoor graveside military honors will be held at 11 a.m. December 17, at Willamette National Cemetery, Happy Valley. 

A “Marty Party” will be held at a later time in McMinnville. In lieu of flowers, consider a donation to Linfield Top Cat, Alzheimer’s Association or Bristol Hospice.

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Wildcatville Postscripts:  

--On 11/26/2019, Linfielder John Prutsman, like Marty Bergan a Class of 1957 member, said Marty had two brothers, also Linfield grads.

The brothers were John Bergan, class of 1958, and Dan Bergan, class of 1960.

John Prutsman said the three Bergan brothers played baseball for Linfield on the same team. In at “least one game (Coach Roy) Helser put them all in the infield with Vern Marshall at 1st base. I don’t that it ever happened but thought it would be great for an announcer to call a triple play: That was Bergan to Bergan to Bergan to Marshall.”

--See video about US Air Force Lt. Colo. Martin T. Bergan:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pP8tYx5Phgw

--The Franklin Post student newspaper of Portland’s Franklin High School June 2, 1965, edition included the fact the school’s wrestling teams were city champion in 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959 and 1960. “Coached by Mr. Marty Bergan, the teams were well-balanced and had little trouble wrapping up the city championship.”

--Oregonian “Northwest Notes” by sportswriter Pat Frizzell on May 20, 1956, included (see photo below):

LINFIELD FOOTBALL IS A FAMILY AFFAIR (11/19/2019 Portland Trib)

LINFIELD FOOTBALL IS A FAMILY AFFAIR 

Wildcats have amassed 127-25 record under Joseph Smith, and two sons star on this year's playoff-bound team


By Kerry Eggers, Portland Tribune, Tue, Nov 19, 2019 

McMINNVILLE — "Smith" is not just a name in Linfield football. It's a brand.

Joseph Smith, 48, is in his 14th season as head coach of the Wildcats. This week, he was named Northwest Conference Coach of the Year.

Wyatt Smith, 21, is Linfield's 6-foot, 205-pound junior quarterback who leads the NCAA Division III ranks in passing yardage per game this season, having thrown for 3,121 yards and 39 touchdowns. He set a school record with eight touchdown passes in a 77-22 win over Puget Sound on Oct. 12. Wyatt was named NWC Offensive Player of the Year.

Colton Smith, 19, is Linfield's 6-foot, 170-pound freshman who ranked sixth in the conference in receiving yardage per game, having hauled in 47 passes for 711 yards and nine TDs. He was named NWC Freshman of the Year.

The 20th-ranked Wildcats (8-1 overall, 7-0 in NWC play) head into the first round of the national playoffs at noon Saturday against 12th-ranked Chapman (9-0) in Orange, California.

If there's a more successful football family in all of college football, that's saying something.

Linfield's only setback was a 27-19 nonconference loss to Redlands on Sept. 21, the second game of the season. Chapman, champion of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, beat Redlands (8-2) 21-18 on its way to the league title.

"We're a much better team than when we lost to Redlands," Joseph Smith said. "I like our chances. But then, I like our chances every game we play."

As well he should. Linfield has assembled a 127-25 win-loss record under Smith's direction, continuing the winning tradition that began with Paul Durham in 1948 and continued through the regimes of Ad Rutschman, Ed Langsdorf and Jay Locey. The Wildcats have enjoyed 64 consecutive winning seasons, most ever by a college football program at any level.

"A little pressure is always there," Joseph Smith conceded. "Nobody wants to be on the team that ends the streak. But our goals are much higher than that. Our winning percentage over that period is over 80 percent. I expect us to be in that range every year."

Smith, 48, has been a part of the success for 31 years. The Grants Pass native was a four-year starter at cornerback under Rutschman and Langsdorf, earning second-team NAIA All-America honors as a senior in 1992. The Wildcats went 12-1 and lost to Findlay in the NAIA Division II national championship game that season.

Smith served as an assistant coach at Linfield for 13 years, including seven as defensive coordinator from 1999-2005. During that time, the Wildcats went 60-6 and made five NCAA Division III playoff appearances, capturing the 2004 national championship.

As head coach, Smith has won 10 NWC titles and gone as far as the national semifinals in 2014 and 2015.

Last season, Linfield went 7-2 and earned another league crown, but was not selected to participate in the Division III playoffs.

"Nobody was very happy about that," Wyatt Smith said. "That lit a fire in our team going into this year. We've had a chip on our shoulder. Now we're having a great season."

The Wildcats lead the nation in pass offense (375.8 yards per game), are eighth in total offense (495.3) and ninth in scoring average (46.4). They have outscored league opposition 364-101 while averaging 52 points.

Wyatt ranks third nationally in touchdown passes (39) and is fourth in completion percentage (.720) and passing efficiency (185.5). Though he started only the last two games, Colton ranks sixth in the NWC in receiving yardage average per game, having caught 47 passes for 711 yards and nine TDs.

"This is one of the better offensive teams we've had, and we're young," Coach Smith said. "The majority of (players on) our two-deep are freshmen and sophomores. We'll miss our senior starters, but on paper, we're a better team next year."

The Smith brothers grew up around Linfield athletics. Joseph Smith coached football and, for 12 years, was an assistant in baseball under the Scotts, Carnahan and Brosius. Wyatt and Colton were ball boys for Linfield football when Brett Elliott was quarterbacking the Wildcats to the 2004 national title. Now Wyatt is challenging the school records of Elliott, Linfield's current co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

"When we were kids, Wyatt and I would always have our mom (Darla) drop us off at Linfield after school," Colton said. "We'd go play around on the sidelines, find something to do and have a blast doing it."

Both of the boys were terrific three-sport athletes at McMinnville High. Wyatt was a three-year starter at quarterback and an outstanding baseball player. Colton led the state in receiving yardage as a senior.

Even as youngsters, they got along.

"We've always been very close," Wyatt said. "We haven't had a sibling rivalry."

"We always played together," Colton said. "I'd always play with Wyatt's friends. There were moments when I'd get on Wyatt's nerves and he'd have to let me know he's the older one. He was bigger than me, too. I could always tell when it was time to back off."

The Smith brothers thought about playing college ball elsewhere, but it seemed inevitable they'd wind up at Linfield.

"It was meant to be," Wyatt said. "I always knew I wanted to be a Wildcat — Colton and me both. We wore Linfield jerseys and played out in the back yard. I knew it was where I wanted to go."

Wyatt wanted to play two sports in college. He was a regular on the diamond for the Wildcats as a sophomore, hitting .316 while playing first base and catcher.

"It's a little tough with the time commitment," said Wyatt, a 3.6 GPA student majoring in finance. "There's no offseason, but the benefits outweigh the problems. I love baseball. I love football, too. Whatever season is in season, I go all in on."

Colton had the added incentive of getting to play with his brother for two years at Linfield.

"I was considering some other schools," he said. "I had a dream of going bigger for a bit, but as it got close to signing, I wanted to have an opportunity to play right away. I knew by coming to Linfield I had a good shot to get snaps early in my career.

"And Wyatt was here. We had played together my sophomore year in high school, and it was really fun. I realized there was no reason for me to go somewhere else."

Joseph Smith did not want the boys to feel pressure to join his program.

"As a football coach, I wanted them to come to Linfield," said Smith, who moved from coaching receivers to tight ends this season so he wouldn't be Colton's position coach. "What Darla and I wanted as parents was that they would make the kind of connections and friends that would set them up for the rest their lives. Linfield was the best place for them to accomplish that.

"Colton was the best receiver in the state of Oregon last year. He's an FCS-level player. He was a steal for us to get. I would imagine he's here because of Wyatt and me and the program and the education he can get here. There's no school that plays football on the West Coast that out-earns a Linfield grad."

The kids have enjoyed playing for their old man.

"It's special," Wyatt said. "People ask me if it's odd. It isn't — it's all I really know. He's always been great to me, but he doesn't play favorites. I know I'm going to get yelled at, just like the other guys."

"I watched my brother play for my dad, so I knew it wasn't going to be weird," Colton said. "It's been great for me, too. When Dad is in his coaching mode, I'm just another player. But he can flip the switch easy and go back to being my dad off the field."

Joseph calls coaching his sons "surreal."

"But I'm used to it," he said. "I coached them growing up in baseball along with their friends. We have seven kids off their youth baseball teams who are playing football here. That's been really fun.

"Wyatt and Colton know they're going to be held to a higher standard than everybody else. They're respectful and able to compartmentalize coach and parent. For them to achieve what they did in high school — to be good in the classroom and in three sports — makes me very proud."

In Joseph's three decades at Linfield as a player and coach, no freshman had ever started at quarterback.

In 2017, Wyatt began his freshman year as the No. 3 QB but wound up starting the final four games.

"I didn't want to start him, but we were struggling at the position," Coach Smith said. "He did really well and showed poise in decision-making. We needed a guy who could stay calm under pressure while everything was going to hell. He's really good at that."

Wyatt was second-team all-NWC last season and has developed into one of the best QBs in the country this fall. By the time he is through, he'll hold every record for a Linfield quarterback not named Brett Elliott.

"Wyatt has had a great year," Colton said. "He has an ability to make reads. He doesn't have many picks (seven), and for as often as we throw, that's something. He's also a very good leader. He's a leader by example first, but he is getting more vocal. It's been fun to see."

Colton has made an immediate impact in Linfield's passing game this season.

"He's very talented," Wyatt said. "He has a lot of assets to bring to the table. He's explosive, fast, a play-making guy. He has the ability to change the game. That's why I love throwing the ball to him."

It's going to happen for as long as the Wildcats are alive this season, and for next season, too. And on the sidelines, there will be the coach — and dad — soaking it all in. 


PHOTOS FROM LINFIELD/LIAM PICKHARDT


- -Colton Smith (left) and Wyatt Smith (right), sons of Linfield coach Joseph Smith, are top offensive players at wide receiver and quarterback, respectively, for the Northwest Conference champion Wildcats.


--Linfield is back in the national football playoffs under coach Joseph Smith and in part due to the exploits of sons Colton and Wyatt....

Trustees favor 'Linfield University'

Trustees favor 'Linfield University'


By Starla Pointer, McMinnville News-Register, Nov. 12, 2019


Linfield College’s Board of Trustees approved a resolution favoring a name change at its fall meeting this month. If the board gives formal approval in February, the McMinnville-based school will become “Linfield University” beginning in the 2020-21 academic year.


It would be the institution’s fourth name in just over 160 years. The school was founded in 1858 as Baptist College at McMinnville, soon renamed McMinnville College, then named Linfield College in 1922 following a major donation by the Linfield family.


Over the years, trustees said, Linfield also has gone through “a multiplicity of revisions in curriculum, programs and structures” in order to meet the needs of students “in widely-divergent historical eras and to evolve as a dynamic organization.” The change also would help in marketing the college and attracting more students, their resolution said.


President Miles Davis announced the potential name change in late October, saying the term “university” would define the school’s mission as it moves forward with graduate programs, as well as undergraduate studies.


Davis said Linfield is working toward grad programs in health fields, as an expansion of its popular bachelor’s degree / registered nursing program; and in other areas, such as the wine studies program, which already is partnering with a university in France to offer a combined bachelor/master’s degree program that starts on the McMinnville campus and finishes with two years in Europe.


Linfield surveyed alumni in October about the idea of a name change. Davis said most of the 2,000 responses he received were supportive of “Linfield University.” Only about 7% responded negatively, most of them saying they are fine with the word “college.”


No matter what it’s called, Davis said Linfield will always retain its small-school friendliness and opportunities, which range from international studies to classes taught by professors to chances to play sports, join the marching band or audition for a play no matter what their major.


Trustees said the initial Linfield University structure probably will consist of a College of Arts and Sciences, a School of Nursing, and a School of Business. All students will take classes at the College of Arts and Sciences on the McMinnville campus first “so that the distinctive interdisciplinary features of a Linfield education will remain accessible to all, in both undergraduate and graduate programs.”

LINFIELD FOOTBALL 38-31 OVERTIME WIN VS. WHITWORTH IN SPOKANE'S PINE BOWL ON NOV. 9. 2019

Photos by Tommy B and Lance T.

==Story from Spokane Spokesman-Review


Linfield rallies to beat Whitworth in overtime of Northwest Conference thriller


By Ryan Collingwood, Spokane Spokesman-Review Sat., Nov. 9, 2019


It was getting dark at the Pine Bowl as Linfield’s powerful offense orchestrated its final push, igniting a 38-31 overtime win over Whitworth.


The Pirates’ hopes of a second straight Northwest Conference title and playoff berth became even dimmer.


Whitworth’s scoreboard illuminated a field devoid of football lights as teary-eyed players tried to make sense of their heartbreaking loss in what was essentially the Northwest Conference title game.


The Pirates slowed down the 19th-ranked Wildcats (7-1, 6-1), but not when it mattered most.

Quarterback Wyatt Smith – son of highly successful Linfield coach Joseph Smith – rolled left in the extra session, ran near the sideline and lobbed a 2-yard touchdown pass to his brother, Colton Smith, helping one of the winningest NCAA Division III programs lock up its latest conference title.


Whitworth (5-3, 4-2) had an opportunity to answer and send the 4-hour game to a second overtime, but Leif Ericksen’s fourth-down pass to Nick McGill fell incomplete, sending Ericksen to his knees in frustration.


Instead of potential hardware, Whitworth will wrap up its season at next week at Pacific (4-5, 4-2). 


“We had a great game plan, and there’s no doubt in my mind that everyone left it all out on the field,” said Whitworth safety Zach Hillman, who had a late interception. “I thought we played well. There’s no reason to hold our heads down.”


The Pirates had a 31-21 cushion in the fourth quarter after Bryce Hornbeck picked off Smith and returned it for a 35-yard touchdown. 


Linfield’s offense, which averages 499 yards and 49 points a game, put up 21 points in the first quarter before being held scoreless the next two quarters.

The nation’s second-leading passer, Smith, who had three interceptions going into the game, was picked off three times.



But Linfield came alive in the fourth quarter, scoring the game’s final 17 points. Its game-tying drive was boosted by a 46-yard pass to Jacob Calo, and an extra 10 yards were tacked onto the big play due to a roughing the passer call.


“We had a lot of highs and lows, and Whitworth is a great team,’ said Smith, who completed 41 of 60 passes for for 425 yards and five touchdowns. “Our defense stepped up big for us and kept giving up chances.


Whitworth went scoreless on its final five drives.


“We saw some things we didn’t expect to see, but found ways to attack them,” Ericksen said. “We had chances. They had chances. But they just made a few more plays.”


Ericksen completed 28 of 52 passes for 280 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Whitworth was held to 61 yards rushing.


Whitworth knotted the game at 21 in the second quarter with trickery, a 20-yard reverse pass from receiver McGill to Taylor Hall. McGill also hauled in a 46-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter. 


Linfield was on the goal line in the final seconds of the first half, but Whitworth stuffed with Wildcats as the clock expired.


Noah Alejado’s 41-yard field goal gave Whitworth its first lead of the second half.

Linebacker Ian Black had a game-high 18 tackles for Whitworth. 


“That was a Northwest Conference championship game, and we knew it was going to be a championship fight,” Ericksen said. “We have one more game left, so we have to respond well. Our season isn’t over yet.”


==Photo gallery from Spokane Spokesman-Review (click on link below)


https://www.spokesman.com/galleries/2019/nov/09/whitworth-vs-linfield-nov-9-2019/



==From Linfield Sports Info


'Cats sink Pirates, clinch NWC title and NCAA berth / Game Recap: Football | 11/9/2019


SPOKANE, Wash. – Colton Smith pulled in a 2-yard pass from older brother Wyatt Smith in overtime, vaulting the Linfield Wildcats to an emotional 38-31 victory over the Whitworth Pirates Saturday afternoon at the Whitworth Pine Bowl.


The Wildcats (7-1, 6-0 NWC) overcame 24 unanswered points by the defending NWC champion Pirates, clinching the program's 10th NWC title in 11 years. Linfield scored the game's final 17 points. The victory also assured Linfield of a berth in the upcoming NCAA Division III playoffs, which begin Nov. 23 at a site to be announced Nov. 17 by the NCAA.

Linfield quarterback Wyatt Smith passed for five touchdowns and a season-high 421 yards, leading the 23rd-ranked Wildcats to their sixth-straight victory.


Whitworth (5-3, 4-2 NWC) lost on its home field for the first time in three seasons, snapping a 12-game home winning streak


Linfield outgained Whitworth in total yards, 517-407, running a total of 97 plays from scrimmage, three shy of the Linfield single-record.


The Wildcats opened the scoring with a touchdown on the game's first drive. Wyatt Smith passed 12 yards to Colton Smith just two minutes into the contest. The Pirates answered with Leif Ericksen's 10-yard touchdown pass to Jerusalem To'oto'o with 7:55 left in the first quarter.


Linfield moved back in front five minutes later as Smith connected with Keegan Weiss fir a 40-yard scoring pass. The 'Cats went in front by two scores after Artie Johnson pulled in an 11-yard TD pass from Smith.


Whitworth scored twice to close the half, the first coming on a 46-yard pass play from Taylor Kolste to Nick McGill with less than a minute left in the first quarter. McGill's trick pass to Taylor Hall tied the game at 21 with 4:24 left. The ball was deflected in the end zone by Isaiah Cole before settling into the hands of Hall.


The Pirates got the ball back to start the second half and promptly took their first lead of the game on a 41-yard field goal by Noah Alejado. Whitworth then opened a 31-21 advantage midway through the third quarter as Bryce Hornbeck picked off a Smith pass and returned the ball 35 yards for a touchdown.  


Trailing by 10 points entering the fourth quarter, the Wildcats scored twice in a four-minute span to tie the game. Andrew Starkel booted a 22-yard field goal at the 13:31 mark to trim the margin to seven, and Johnson scored the equalizer on a 10-yard shovel pass from Smith with 9:07 left to play.


Linfield got the ball first in the overtime and the Wildcats took the upper hand on their 12th play of the drive. The Pirates advanced just five yards in four plays in overtime, with Ericksen passing incomplete on the final two plays.


Johnson rushed for 97 yards on 22 carries and caught 11 passes for 56 yards and two scores. Colton Smith, who made his first career start, caught 11 passes for 75 yards and two TDs.

Wyatt Smith passed 60 times – second-most in Linfield history – and completed 41. He was intercepted three times by the Whitworth defense, twice by Hornbeck.


Keyell Davis led Linfield's defensive charge, recording nine tackles. Tyler Sitton, Tyler Good and Dustin Ramsayer-Burdett were each credited with six tackles.


NEXT

Linfield returns home to play George Fox in the regular-season finale on Saturday in the annual Pacific Office Automation Hall of Fame game. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. with Senior Day introductions taking place at 12:45.



==From Whitworth Sports Info 


Linfield Edges Whitworth 38-31 in Overtime/Posted: Nov 9, 2019  


SPOKANE, Wash. – Visiting Linfield scored the final 17 points of the game, including the only touchdown in overtime, to pull out a 38-31 win over Whitworth and clinch the 2019 Northwest Conference football championship on Saturday in the Pine Bowl.


The 18th-ranked Wildcats improved to 7-1 overall and 6-0 in the NWC while the Pirates (5-3, 4-2) saw a 12-game home winning streak come to an end.


In a duel between the NWC's top quarterbacks, Wyatt Smith of Linfield completed 41 of 60 passes for 421 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions.  Whitworth's Leif Ericksen completed 28 of 52 passes for 280 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

Linfield looked poised to make this game a runaway when the Wildcats ran out to a 21-7 lead in the first quarter.  

Smith completed a 12-yard touchdown pass to younger brother Colton Smith on the Wildcats' first possession.  After Whitworth tied the game on Ericksen's 10-yard pass to Jerusalem To'oto'o, Smith completed a 40-yard touchdown pass to Keegan Weiss and an 11-yard shuffle pass to Artie Johnson to give the visitors a two-touchdown lead late in the first period.


Whitworth responded by outscoring Linfield 24-0 over the next two-plus quarters.  First Nick McGill caught a double pass from Taylor Kolste for a 46-yard touchdown at the end of the first quarter.  Then McGill was credited with his own 20-yard touchdown pass to Taylor Hall with four minutes left in the second.  McGill threw into triple coverage, but Hall corralled a deflected pass for the Pirate touchdown.


Whitworth took its first lead of the game when Noah Alejado converted a 41-yard field goal on the Bucs' first possession of the third quarter.  Later in the third, Bryce Hornbeck picked off Smith and returned the ball 35 yards for a 31-21 Whitworth lead.


Linfield got back on the scoreboard when Andrew Starkel converted a 22-yard field goal with 13:31 left in the game.  The Wildcats pulled back into a tie when Smith and Johnson connected on another shuffle pass, this time from 10 yards with nine minutes to play. 


Neither team threatened to score in the final minutes as both defenses came up big.  Linfield took over on offense first in overtime and Smith converted a third and ten when Jacob Calo made a diving catch at the 11-yard line.  Six plays later Smith threw the eventual game-winning touchdown pass to Colton Smith from two yards away.


Whitworth gained five yards in its overtime possession as the light faded to darkness in the Pine Bowl.  Mana Kupihea broke up a fourth down pass to Nick McGill on the final play of the game.


Linfield outgained Whitworth 517-407, but the Pirates had a 3-2 edge in turnovers.  Smith came into the game with only three interceptions all season, but Whitworth picked off Smith three times in the game, two by Hornbeck and one by Zach Hillman.


Iain Black had a career-high 18 tackles, including 3.5 for loss for the Whitworth defense.  The Pirates sacked Smith four times in the game. 


Whitworth will conclude the season next Saturday at Pacific (Ore.).

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