McMINNVILLE, Ore. — What was supposed to be a potential 2015 title match-up between the 2014 co-conference champions turned into a showcase for perennial power Linfield on Saturday afternoon.
The No. 3 nationally ranked Wildcats (D3football.com) scored on its first nine possessions on the way to a 77-10 romp over Pacific in front of 2,190 fans on a rainy and breezy day at Maxwell Field. One week after defeating Lewis & Clark 73-0, Linfield improved to 4-0 on the season and to 2-0 in the Northwest Conference. The Boxers fell to 3-2 overall and to 1-1 in conference play.
The hosts scored just a minute and a half into the game on a 51-yard punt return by Dylan Lewis and they didn't stop scoring until their tenth possession midway through the third quarter. Lewis' return came after Pacific opened the game on offense with a three-and-out. The snap to Pacific punter Ryan Carhart was high and he had to run it down but still got off a good boot down the sideline. But the Boxer coverage converged on midfield where the Wildcats bluffed a return, opening up the sideline for Lewis.
The Boxers shrugged that off with a drive that covered nearly the length of the field, moving the chains five times and entering the red zone. But on third down, quarterback Warner Shaw was sacked and fumbled, with the Wildcats recovering.
It would go rapidly downhill for Pacific from there.
It took Linfield four minutes to move 70 yards for another score on a one-yard touchdown run by Spencer Payne. And after another three-and-out by the Boxers, the Wildcats went to work quickly striking on a 43-yard pitch and catch from quarterback Sam Riddle to running back to Erick Douglas III to make it 21-0. An additional Boxer miscue, on another high snap that went out of the back of the end zone gave the Wildcats a 23-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The safety gave a free possession back to Linfield, something they didn't need on a day where they would score 10 out of the 11 times that they had the ball.
The Boxers would have their one bright offensive moment midway through the second quarter when they moved 65 yards on ten plays, scoring on a 13-yard burst by Bronson Barretto to make the count 36-7. But Linfield would score on a fake punt on its next opportunity, using a 66-yard surprise strike from punter Kevin McClean to Levi Altringer. Linfield would add one more score to make the count 50-7 at the break, and to add injury to misery, Pacific's Shaw was injured on the final play of the half and did not return to the game.
The Wildcats scored on its first two opportunities in the third quarter before finally being forced to punt with 4:22 to go in the third.
The Boxers would kill nearly eight minutes of the clock in the third and fourth quarters with back-up quarterback Campbell Summerfield at the helm of a 17-play, 60-yard drive that resulted in a 24-yard field goal by Alex Beekman.
The No. 3 ranked Wildcats would put up two more scores on the board to account for the 77-10 final.
Eleven different Linfield players caught passes from three quarterbacks. Five different ball carries compiled numbers that added up to 698 yards of total offense for the purple and red. The Boxers would be held to 200 yards of total offense. Barretto had 47 yards rushing on seven carries and Summerfield connected on nine of 13 passes for 58 yards.
"It's hard to know what to say," said disappointed Boxer head coach Keith Buckley afterwards. "We made so many mistakes and you really can't make many against a team like this. It's just very disappointing to play our worst game in our biggest moment thus far this year."
The Boxers will have a short time to lick their wounds before playing on the road at Lewis & Clark next Saturday. Start time is 2 p.m.
Wildcats run over Boxers, stay in driver's seat
/seasons/2015/boxscores/20151010_4vfu.xml
2015
Pacific
10
Linfield
77
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pacific (3-2) | 0 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
| No. 2 Linfield (4-0) | 23 | 27 | 21 | 6 | 77 |
Oct 10, 2015