After Linfield’s dramatic win over Mary-Harden Baylor they have catapulted from the brink of defeat to the edge of national championship.

The Saint Thomas Tommies are the only thing standing in the way of the Wildcats and the biggest game in Division 3 football.

Both teams are entering the semifinals with an undefeated record, though St. Thomas has one more win at 13-0.

Beyond their records both teams bear shocking statistical similarities.

Each team has over 600 points of total offense, averaging over 50 points per game.

Where these two teams bear a drastic difference in stats would be on defense.

Linfield has scored a combined 171 points off of turnovers this season while the Tommies trail by a longshot with two defensive touchdowns all season.

With senior defensive end Alex Hoff as a consistent force on Linfield’s defense there is no doubt they will be competitive.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the ball senior quarterback Tom Knecht demonstrated every ounce of his ability to Wildcat fans against Mary-Harden Baylor.

Even as Linfield’s backup quarterback, Knecht illustrated the depth of this team and its ability to rise to meet any challenge, with or without their starting quarterback.

The ’Cats and Tommies have squared off twice before in the playoffs, both games coming within the last six years.

With a record of 1-1 against the Tommies, Linfield took the first competition with a score of 31-20 in 2009.

One year later and the Tommies came back with a vengeance to beat the ’Cats 24-17.

With the odds stacked almost equally for or against either team the question comes to home field advantage.

Minnesota will prove to be a much colder arena than most in the northwest, however; Linfield football has been training for the cold as long as they have been able to.

“It has been freezing here for the past few weeks,” sophomore defensive end Jake Handran said.

“Around Thanksgiving time it was frosty, so we are definitely ready for the weather.”

Ultimately it comes down to the number one and number two ranked teams in the nation and Linfield is looking to conquer St. Thomas to prove they deserve to be number one.