McMINNVILLE, Ore. – No. 7 Linfield clinched its record-extending 65th consecutive winning season Saturday afternoon, beating Pacific 52-23 in Northwest Conference football at Maxwell Field. The Wildcats' streak, the longest ever at any level of college football, began in 1956.
Linfield (5-0, 3-0 NWC) used a 17-point burst at the start of the third quarter to pull away from Pacific (3-2, 2-1 NWC), turning a 14-10 halftime edge into a 31-10 advantage going into the final period and getting that 65th straight winning season within sight.
"It's hard to put (65 winning seasons) in perspective because it's such a big number, but I'm just so proud of this team, the way they're playing," Linfield head coach Joseph Smith said. "It's an honor to the guys who came before them. And I think that's the secret of this place, it's understanding this program is so much bigger than any one person. It's meant so much to so many people and I think these kids have made those guys proud. It's fun to be part of that."
Wildcats quarterback Wyatt Smith was 23-for-34 passing for 312 yards and four touchdowns and added a 40-yard scoring run off a fourth-quarter scramble. Devon Murray had eight catches for 50 yards and a score for Linfield while Joel Valadez added four catches for 143 yards and a touchdown and Connor McNabb rushed for 80 yards and a score on 18 carries.
For Pacific, Joshua Harris ran for 97 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries. Kenyon Harris was 10-for-21 passing for 102 yards and a score and Ty Hargis had four catches for 43 yards for the Boxers.
At halftime, Pacific was within 14-10 on the scoreboard and trailed just 159-144 in total yardage as Linfield's usually potent offense was forced to punt four times. After the break, the Wildcats went to work on extending what is known in Linfield circles as The Streak.
Taking the third-quarter kickoff, Linfield marched 79 yards in seven plays. The tone was set on the second play of the drive when Smith avoided the Pacific rush and found Valadez in the middle of the field. The sophomore wideout broke to the left sideline and eluded several Boxers with nifty moves before finally being knocked out of bounds at the Pacific 12-yard line after a 61-yard gain.
A few plays later Linfield faced a fourth-and-three from the Pacific 5; the Wildcats converted when Smith found tight end Sam Paris on the left side for four yards. On the next play, Connor McNabb went up the middle for one yard and a touchdown to make it 21-10.
After a Pacific three-and-out, Linfield turned a short field into Andrew Starkel's 43-yard field goal and a 24-10 lead with 7:33 left in the third quarter.
The Wildcat defense again held the Boxers without a first down and took over on their own 39-yard line. On the first play of the possession, Smith connected with a streaking Valadez deep down the middle of the field for a 61-yard touchdown pass and a 31-10 advantage with 5:39 to go in the third period.
In that third quarter, the Wildcats outgained Pacific 161-38 in total offense.
Early in the fourth quarter, Linfield moved even closer to clinching its winning season. On fourth-and-five from the Pacific 40, Smith scrambled up the middle, found open field and raced in for the touchdown to put the Wildcats up 38-10 with 13:41 to play.
Pacific picked up a pair of late touchdowns thanks to long kickoff returns by Ty Vargis. His 75-yarder set up Kenyon Harris' 13-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Pitre to make it 38-17, and another 70-yard runback by Vargis put the Boxers in position for Joshua Harris' six-yard touchdown run to pull Pacific within 45-23 with 9:47 to go.
Those were sandwiched around Connor Morton's 10-yard touchdown run for Linfield that had pushed the lead to 45-17, capping a 70-yard, six-play drive. The Wildcats finished the scoring on Murray's 8-yard touchdown reception from Smith for a 52-23 advantage with 4:31 left, ending a 62-yard, nine-play drive.
Pacific had taken a 3-0 lead on its second possession of the game as Kent Braden booted a 27-yard field goal with 10:28 to go in the opening quarter. The score was set up by Joshua Harris' 55-yard run.
Linfield responded with a 65-yard, 12-play drive and took a 7-3 lead when Morton snuck out of the backfield and hauled in a 17-yard touchdown pass from Smith. The drive included a fourth-and-one conversion from the Wildcat 44 as McNabb followed the surge of Linfield's line and went for four yards.
The Wildcats scored again on their next possession, this time going 54 yards in eight plays and scoring on the brother-to-brother connection of Wyatt Smith to Colton Smith for four yards to make it 14-3 with 13:53 remaining in the opening half.
Pacific got within 14-10 on Joshua Harris' four-yard run 5:12 before intermission. The Boxers went 50 yards in nine plays; the big one was Kenyon Harris' 24-yard pass to Hargis on a third-and-20 play from the Wildcat 49.
NOTABLE
Six members of Linfield's 1956 team that started The Streak were on hand for Saturday's game: Cliff Allen '60, Bob Flood '58, Larry Hermo '59, John Prutsman '57, Paul Ward '59, Dick Holliday '57. Also in attendance were the widows of two 1956 Wildcats and one assistant coach: Sandra Fox (Vic Fox '58), Margie Bergan '54 (assistant coach Marty Bergan '51), Margie LeMaster (Bill LeMaster '59).
AHEAD
Linfield heads to Puyallup, Wash., on Saturday to play the Pacific Lutheran Lutes. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Sparks Stadium.
Linfield drubs Pacific 52-23, assuring record 65th straight winning season
/seasons/2021/boxscores/20211016_7qe8.xml
2021
Pacific
23
Linfield
52
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pacific (3-2) | 3 | 7 | 0 | 13 | 23 |
| No. 7 Linfield (5-0) | 7 | 7 | 17 | 21 | 52 |
Oct 16, 2021