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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