Linfield football beats Whitworth in homecoming matchup
Junior Devon Murray runs the ball in for a touchdown during Linfield football’s homecoming matchup against Whitworth University.
October 9, 2021
Linfield University football beat Whitworth University 42-7 Saturday afternoon, handing the Pirates their first loss of the season during homecoming week in McMinnville, Ore.
Linfield went into Saturday’s matchup ranked seventh in D3football.com’s Top 25 D-III teams in the nation after their 56-7 win against University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Wash. last weekend. Whitworth was also ranked, sitting at 18th. Rankings are re-evaluated weekly, with new results likely coming on Sunday.
On the first play of the game, sophomore running back Connor McNabb rushed for a 64-yard touchdown. The Wildcats added four more touchdowns in the first half, ending with a touchdown by fifth-year quarterback Wyatt Smith to bring the score to 35-0 before heading to the locker room.
“It means a lot to beat a good team on homecoming,” McNabb said. “Seeing all of the alumni that came before us and created the Linfield culture was great and it was nice to put on a show for them. I’d have to owe this win to the defense who dominated as per usual and the offensive line for stepping up in a big way.”
McNabb added another touchdown in the third quarter for the final scoring play of the game for Linfield. The sophomore concluded the game with 77 receiving yards and 86 rushing yards.
The Wildcat defense held Whitworth to 246 offensive yards, compared to Linfield’s 508. The Pirates were scoreless until senior quarterback Jaedyn Prewitt ran the ball for two yards into the end zone with a minute remaining in the game.
Smith continues to lead the Northwest Conference in passing, averaging 344.2 yards per game and totalling 20 touchdowns on the season.
Linfield is currently averaging 49.4 points per game. The Wildcats hold three out of four highest single game point totals in the league, falling only behind Pacific University’s dominant 69-6 win against Puget Sound on Saturday.
The Wildcats will stay local next weekend when they face Pacific for Linfield’s family weekend in McMinnville. The Boxers are currently undefeated in conference play, besting both UPS and Willamette University in the last two weeks.
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