Chris Forrer – For the Review. For the defensive players on a football team, there is no scenario worse than an opponent changing its offensive patterns at the last minute. The Linfield Wildcats were forced to confront that nightmarish situation Oct. 31 in their game against the University of Puget Sound.
But, after adjusting, the team secured a 54-36 victory over the Loggers as well as its first playoff berth since 2005.
“We had prepared all week for a more balanced offense,” head coach Joe Smith said. “But they brought a very pass-heavy game instead. We were rusty against their plays, and we struggled against them.”
It took the Wildcats until the fourth quarter to put UPS away on a 14-yard touchdown run by senior quarterback Aaron Boehme. Boehme had the game of a lifetime, accounting for every Linfield score while amassing a career-best 409 passing yards, five passing touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns. Boehme’s eight scores set a school record in total touchdowns scored by an individual in a single game.
“We came into the game knowing we’d have some favorable matchups in the air,” Boehme said. “Once we got rolling, it was hard to stop, so we kept putting the ball up.”
For the first three quarters of play, the game was tight. The Loggers stunned the ’Cats on their first drive by marching 62 yards downfield and scoring to lead 7-0. It was the first time all season that Linfield gave up a score on an opening drive and the first time it trailed a team since its second game of the season against Occidental College.
“They caught us off guard, and it really threw us for the majority of the game,” sophomore safety Drew Fisher said. “We had to throw out a week’s worth of preparation and get back to the basics.”
The Wildcats got things going on offense on their next two drives, scoring on a 1-yard run by Boehme and a 37-yard pass from Boehme to senior wide receiver Trevor Patterson to lead 14-7. Patterson and Boehme have connected this season for a Northwest Conference-leading 12 touchdowns.
“[Patterson] is an outstanding receiver,” Smith said. “He’s one of the best receivers in the conference, if not the best outright.”
UPS showed that it had a lot more fight left just after the beginning of the second quarter. With the Wildcats pinned deep in their own territory, a pass by Boehme was intercepted on the Linfield 36-yard line.
The Loggers motored ahead and scored thanks to a short pass into the end zone by their senior quarterback Spencer Crace. Crace picked up 328 yards and four touchdowns in the contest.
“Crace played an outstanding game,” Smith said. “He’s a very accurate passer.”
The rest of the half proved to be an offensive slugfest, as the Linfield offense continued its fiery play and the defense struggled to catch up. The ’Cats shot down the field on their next drive on big runs by Boehme and sophomore running back Aaron Williams to score and regain the lead 21-14. Puget Sound retaliated shortly after on a 36-yard touchdown pass by Crace to tie the score at 21.
The Wildcats mustered another scoring drive just two minutes later, scoring on another Boehme pass to Patterson. UPS scored once more before the end of the half on a field goal, leaving the score 28-24 at the break.
In the Linfield locker room, Smith had plenty to say to his players.
“The attitude of the coaches was to atone for our mistakes in the first half,” senior linebacker Paul Partlow said. “We did not want to finish the game the way we started.”
Partlow led the defense with a game-high 13 tackles. Linfield received the ball to open play in the third quarter and blazed up the field on two deep passes by Boehme, with one finding senior wide receiver Gunnar Cederberg in the end zone for another touchdown.
“It was reassuring that our offense could step up and win the game,” Fisher said. “Finding ways to win when you don’t have your best defensive performance is what good teams do.”
The Loggers and ’Cats continued to trade punches to close the third quarter and opened the fourth with the ’Cats up 41-36. After that, it was all Linfield.
Boehme found an opening on a broken play at the UPS 14-yard line and pounded the ball into the end zone. Following another missed point after touchdown by freshman kicker Maika Kunioka, the score was 47-36.
“It was kind of fun to put up so many points,” Boehme said. “Several times the offense struggled, and the defense has picked us up. It was nice to win one for them in return.”
The defense had finally settled into a rhythm. On UPS’ next drive, junior cornerback Bryce Comfort intercepted a pass in the Linfield end zone to snuff out a potential touchdown. The next time the Loggers had possession, senior linebacker Jaymin Jackson delivered a bone-crunching hit to a UPS ball carrier that sent the ball loose and the fans in Catdome to their feet. Fisher recovered the fumble, and the ’Cats scored their last points on the resulting drive to make the final score 54-36.
“This is certainly motivation to improve ourselves before our next game and, especially, the playoffs,” Partlow said. “We want to take care of business; no more let downs.”
Following a bye week, the Wildcats will next face the Pacific Lutheran University Lutes at Maxwell Field on Nov. 14. The Lutes and ’Cats have a long-standing rivalry, according to Smith, but the players are preparing for it in their usual fashion.
“Really, it’s just another game for us,” Fisher said. “They’re a fun team to play because, like us, they play their hearts out.”
In this week’s d3football.com top 25 poll, Linfield retained its No. 5 ranking. This week, the NCAA released its regional rankings, which order teams nationwide by region and then rank them to decide scheduling for the playoffs.
The ’Cats are third in the West Region behind No. 4 St. John’s College and No. 2 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Should they finish with the No. 1 ranking in the region, the Wildcats would host all playoff games up to the national championship.