After a pass from quarterback Aaron Boehme was tipped, Linfield wideout Trevor Patterson turns around quickly to make an outstanding play, stretching for the catch, securing the ball as he rolled onto his back.
Marcus Larson/News-Register

Punt returner Taylor Skore had several good returns Saturday, giving the Wildcats strong field position in their big win over Cal Lutheran to open the D-III playoffs.
Marcus Larson/News-Register

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It has been one heck of a season for the Linfield Wildcats. And they aren’t done yet.

Linfield College has earned the right to host its second Division III playoff game this year after thumping visiting Cal Lutheran 38-17 on Saturday. This weekend will bring Mary Hardin-Baylor of Belton, Texas to town, a team Linfield hasn’t faced since 2004 when the Wildcats narrowly defeated the Crusaders 28-21 in the Alonzo Stagg Bowl to claim the Division III national championship. Game time is noon at Maxwell Field in McMinnville.

The Cru bring a 10-1 record into Saturday’s matchup. Mary Hardin-Baylor upset Central College of Iowa last weekend 42-40 to earn the right to visit the Wildcats. UMHB was up 42-27 during the fourth quarter. Iowa came back with two touchdowns, but the Crusaders were able to stifle a two-point conversion attempt and recover an onside kick to seal the win.

While all playoff games are vitally important, the last time these two teams met there was a little more at stake. And Mary Hardin-Baylor is coming into the contest hot. The Cru have scored at least 42 points in their last four games and are currently averaging just over 40 points a contest. Their defense has been getting their job done, too, limiting opponents to just over 12 points a game — and keeping opponents’ backs to just 1.7 yards a carry.

Just like with Cal Lutheran, Linfield will have to find a way to stop the Crusaders’ potent running game. Their backs average more than 331 yards on the ground a game.

“They’re a very explosive rushing offense,” Linfield coach Joseph Smith said.

In Saturday’s win over Cal Lutheran, Linfield’s defense had yet another stellar outing on a windy afternoon. The Wildcats held Cal Lutheran to 220 yards, only 79 in the first half. They also laid down eight sacks on CLU’s quarterback Jericho Toilolo and added in four interceptions while denying the Kingsmen twice in the red zone.

“This was definitely the best defense we’ve faced all year,” Jericho said after the game.

“They didn’t do anything we weren’t prepared for, they just did it better than we did,” Cal Lutheran coach Ben McEnroe added.

After a flubbed opening drive — on the team’s first play from scrimmage, a botched handoff led to a turnover deep in Wildcat territory — Linfield found itself looking up at a 3-0 deficit. It was the only time the Cats would trail. On their next drive, Boehme used his feet rather than his arm to light a fire under the offense.

On an option-read, Boehme kept the ball and dashed 43 yards to give the Wildcats great field position on the CLU 29.

“That’s when we knew we had it in the bag, so to speak,” Linfield offensive lineman Scott Millenbach said.

After another couple of Boehme runs, Aaron Williams took the snap from one yard out and pushed into the end zone for Linfield’s first points.

The Cats scored 31 straight in the first half before CLU tacked on a pair of touchdowns in the final 1:18 of the first half. The first score was aided by a 59-yard kickoff return and the second came after an interception, returned 51 yards to the Linfield 15. The quick scores provided a bit of a boost for CLU, but Linfield still held a commanding 33-17 halftime advantage.

Linfield wound up adding one more touchdown in the second half on a 14-yard pass from Boehme to Gunnar Cederberg. There was no more scoring after those third-quarter points, but there was none needed as the Linfield defense blanked the Kingsmen’s offense in the half, forcing CLU to punt twice, intercepting two passes and stopping a pair of fourth-down attempts.

The Wildcat defense was led by both Jaymin Jackson and Alex Tkachuk who tallied eight tackles apiece. Three of Jackson’s tackles were for losses and he also recorded a sack. Safety Drew Fisher, who had seven tackles on the day, brought down two of Linfield’s four interceptions. Paul Partlow and Bryce Comfort snagged the other two.

“I thought our defensive staff had a really good plan to take away what Cal Lu did well and force them into some passing situations,” Smith said. “They did a wonderful job taking away the run, which is something we needed to do.”

Offensively, Linfield got 99 yards and a touchdown on the ground from Boehme. He also threw for 114 yards and three more touchdowns, battling both windy conditions and a strong CLU secondary. Aaron Williams ran 22 times for 129 yards and a score.

Passing was limited on the windy afternoon. Cederberg led Linfield with 32 yards on two catches, one for a touchdown. Simon Lamson had 30 yards on one catch. Buddy Saxon and Ryan Henderson each finished with 22 yards receiving. Henderson snared a touchdown as well.

Cal Lutheran was led offensively by running back Brian Stuart, who ran for 87 yards and scored both of his team’s touchdowns. Toilolo threw for 155 yards in the loss.