Chris Forrer – For the Review. After being hit hard by the flu the week before Linfield’s game against Menlo College, sophomore running back Aaron Williams was forced to watch the game from the sidelines.
On Oct. 10, however, he was back in full force against the Whitworth Pirates, rushing for 102 yards and three touchdowns en route to a 38-20 victory for the No. 7 Wildcats.
“It was very rewarding,” Williams said. “We have a strong passing and running game, so we really keep opposing defenses on our toes.”
In addition to Williams pounding in score after score on offense, the Wildcat defense again asserted its place as one of the best in the Northwest Conference, forcing six turnovers throughout the contest. Whitworth’s opening drive brought it all the way to the Linfield 1-yard line. But just when the ’Cats appeared as if they were in trouble, sophomore safety Kole Krieger intercepted Pirate quarterback Andrew Durant in his own end zone.
“The defense is firing on all cylinders right now,” head coach Joe Smith said. “This is the best defensive staff I’ve ever had, bar none.”
Senior quarterback Aaron Boehme had another strong game, as well, passing for 274 yards and two touchdowns. His first touchdown pass came just after Krieger’s interception erased a possible Whitworth score. Boehme led the ’Cats on an 80-yard drive capped by a 38-yard pass to senior wide receiver Trevor Patterson to lead 7-0. Patterson has become Boehme’s favorite target; this season, the two have connected for seven of Boehme’s 11 total touchdowns.
“The passing game has been very productive, which is exactly what we’ve wanted since last season,” Patterson said. “But I’m still waiting for us to hit our full potential.”
After a Whitworth three-and-out, the Wildcat offense quickly put up another score. Williams ran the ball in from the Pirates’ 3-yard line, picking up the first of his three touchdowns to raise Linfield’s lead to 14-0. Following the score, however, the passing game began to falter with an interception thrown by Boehme and several dropped passes. The ’Cats’ defense again kept them in the game, snuffing out drive after drive until Boehme and his receivers once again synchronized.
“I still need to improve on a lot of things,” Boehme said. “Our receivers made some big plays when they got the chance, and that gave us a huge boost during the game when our offense was sputtering a little bit.”
Late in the second quarter, after the defense recovered a fumble on its own 23-yard line, Boehme threw for 63 yards on a perfect 4-for-4 passing to score again, raising the lead to 21-0. On the next kickoff, however, Whitworth sophomore kick returner Cailen Thomason ran the ball back 80 yards. The Pirates scored two plays later, highlighting an area of concern for the ’Cats.
“The special teams still need work, especially on kickoff returns,” Smith said. “On the whole, they’re doing adequately. [Freshman kicker] Maika [Kunioka] has exceeded expectations.”
Kunioka added a field goal with 21 seconds left to leave the score 24-7 heading into the locker room.
The game became interesting early in the third quarter when a streaker took to the field wearing only a gorilla mask. The unidentified man ran onto the field, left out of the exit tunnel and hopped into a waiting escape vehicle.
“I thought to myself, ‘He’s wearing a gorilla mask … oh, he’s streaking,’” Smith said. “Our guys were impressed at his running form.”
The Wildcats and Pirates would trade scores each quarter in the second half to bring the final tally to 38-20. Williams accounted for each of the Wildcats’ second-half scores. Krieger also tacked on a recovered fumble to add to his interception and three tackles in the game.
“The defense is working like a well-oiled machine,” Patterson said. “They are shutting teams down and producing lots of turnovers. It takes a lot of the pressure off the offense when you have a great defense like we do.”
The Wildcats prepare for their Homecoming matchup against Lewis & Clark College on Oct. 17. It will be Linfield’s first home game since its season opener Sept. 12.
Linfield remains No. 7 in this week’s d3football.com Top 25 poll and, with a 5-0 record, is one of only 16 undefeated teams left in the country. The ’Cats’ victory against Whitworth also extended their streak of consecutive winning seasons to 54, the longest of any college in the nation.
“We’re excited to be back in Mac in front of our home crowd again,” Williams said.