Chris Forrer – For the Review. After a year sidelined because of injury, senior quarterback Aaron Boehme had one simple goal for Linfield’s season opener against the Hardin-Simmons University Cowboys: “I wanted to win.”
Boehme and the ’Cats could not have reached that goal in a stronger fashion, rolling over the then No. 4 nationally ranked Cowboys on Sept. 12, 37-22. Boehme’s return under center wasn’t just strong; it was dominant, finishing the game with 335 yards passing and three touchdowns.
After winning the coin toss, the Cowboys elected to receive in the second half, giving Linfield initial possession. The ’Cats’ offense seemed unstoppable as they moved the ball downfield. Boehme led the way, completing five passes sans an incompletion on the drive. He put Linfield on the board first, running the ball in from eight yards out for the score. A missed extra point by freshman kicker Maika Kunioka left the score at 6-0, which left some fans concerned about special teams.
“Maika started a bit slow, but that’s to be expected of a freshman in his first time out,” head football coach Joe Smith said. “But he settled in after that and had a terrific game.”
Hardin-Simmons struck on its next possession, a gritty 15-play drive that put the score at 7-6, but Smith and the ’Cats were far from worried.
“They have a big play offense, so the defense’s goal was to shut down big plays,” sophomore defensive player Nate Dixon said. “Their drive was 15, 16 plays, exactly what we wanted.”
Following a punt by each team, Hardin-Simmons ran a trick play on fourth and short, leaving Linfield deep in its own territory on the one-yard line. Boehme, however, came up big again, orchestrating a 99-yard drive that culminated in a Linfield touchdown, making the score 13-7.
Hardin-Simmons scored once more to go up 14-13, but the Wildcat offense delivered yet again, scoring within the final two minutes to take the lead at the half, 20-14.
Boehme credited Linfield’s offensive line for its large role in the team’s offensive success.
“I got touched one, maybe two times in the whole game,” Boehme said.
Smith agreed that the line performed well.
“Sure, there were some question marks before the game about the offensive line, but they came up big,” he said. “All credit to our staff; they did a terrific job preparing for the game.”
If the story of the first half for Linfield was offense, the story of the second half would undoubtedly be defense. The ’Cats clamped down on the Cowboys, starting with Dixon’s high-flying interception of HSU sophomore quarterback Justin Feaster’s pass, which came shortly after Kunioka nailed a 32-yard field goal to extend Linfield’s lead to 23-14.
“I just really scouted that play,” Dixon said of his interception. “Read him, went where I needed to go and stayed on my man.”
Following the pick, the offense made another impressive drive down the field, with Boehme hitting senior Trevor Patterson for a 14-yard touchdown pass, bringing the score to 30-14.
Hardin-Simmons then put together an offensive series that would bring it within the red zone, but more hard-hitting plays by the ’Cats’ defense forced a turnover at the Linfield one-yard line.
As if to prove they could respond, the ’Cats’ offense again marched down the field 99 yards to score its final points of the game, putting them up 37-14.
“That was a great drive, a great, big drive for us that made a big impact on the game,” Smith said.
Hardin-Simmons put a few more points on the board just as time expired to bring the final total to 37-22.
Smith, although clearly pleased with the win, kept the hype to a minimum.
“It’s just one game,” Smith said after the game. “[It’s] great to start the year with a win, but it’s just one game.”
Turning his focus to the week ahead, Smith had a few thoughts on Linfield’s coming road game against Occidental College in Los Angeles on Sept. 17.
“Occidental has a great program, a really fine program,” he said. “It should be a good test for us.”
Dixon said he believes the matchup will be similar to that of HSU.
“They run a big-play offense, [which is] a lot like HSU’s, so it shouldn’t be too hard to adjust to, which is nice,” Dixon said. “But they’re tough.”
Last season, Occidental finished the regular season undefeated at 9-0, but it fell in the NCAA Division III quarterfinals to Willamette University.
“They had a great season last year, no doubt,” Smith said. “But they lost some starters, so it’ll be a different team this year we’ll be competing against. I look forward to it.”