When his number was called, Tom Knecht passed for five touchdowns to lead Linfield to the semifinals. Photo by Scott Presley, d3photography.com

By Brian Lester
D3sports.com

Tom Knecht didn't let nerves get the best of him when he stepped in as Linfield's starting quarterback for Saturday's national quarterfinal against Mary Hardin-Baylor.

"I thought I would be more nervous than I was," Knecht said. "I'm not sure why I wasn't. I guess it had to do with having confidence and believing in my teammates."

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But that confidence and that belief could have easily been rattled. Two interceptions in the first half helped the Crusaders build a 28-14 lead at halftime. UMHB actually led 21-0 before the Wildcats even got on the board.

"It was tough to fall into that 21-0 hole," Knecht said. "We had a rough start to the game. But we never got down on ourselves. We kept believing and kept chipping away."

At the end of the day, Knecht, filling in for the injured Sam Riddle, had a day he won't soon forget as he helped Linfield rally for a thrilling 38-35 victory, a win capped when Michael Metter nailed a 32-yard field goal as time expired.

The numbers put up by the senior signal caller were nothing short of impressive. He threw for 492 yards, the fourth-most in program history, and completed 38 of his 54 passes for five touchdowns. The completion total was the second-most in school history.

"It was great to play so well, but I wasn't thinking about my stats," Knecht said. "I'm just happy we got the win."

Quarterbacks coach Aaron Boehme was impressed with what Knecht did. He can relate to the feeling of having success in the playoffs. After all, he took the Wildcats to the playoffs twice, including a national semifinal appearance in 2009, and was a two-time Northwest Conference Player of the Year.

"I thought he did an awesome job," said Boehme, now in his fifth season on the coaching staff. "He's a kid with a ton of talent and has been a solid backup throughout his career. He's always focused and never gets too high or too low."

Boehme noted preparation played a huge role in Knecht's ability to perform at a high level in a game with so much riding on it.

"Tom was ready for the game," Boehme said. "Last week wasn't any different than any other week of practice. He has been a leader all year and was able to have success."

Knecht played in five games as a sophomore and saw action in seven games a year ago, earning one start. He filled in during the second half of the 38-22 win over Cortland State two weeks ago, throwing two touchdowns in the second half.

He said competing with Riddle in practice every week is part of the reason he was able to thrive in clutch situations the last two weeks.

"Sam and I have been good friends since he got here," Knecht said. "Even when we were both competing for the job this year, we always brought out the best in each other. We pushed each other to succeed and we help each other out all of the time."

Knecht has thrown for 1,123 yards and 11 touchdowns this season. Three of his touchdowns came in the second half of the wild win over the Crusaders.

He connected with Brian Balsiger twice, once on a 13-yard scoring strike that tied the game at 28-28 and the second time on a 27-yard pass that gave the Wildcats a 35-28 advantage.

"Our wide receivers made big plays," Knecht said. "Everyone on our team stepped up. We put our nose to the grindstone and went to work. It was a really fun game to be part of."

Now the attention turns to a road game against St. Thomas in a national semifinal. But while the stakes are raised even more as a trip to the title game is on the line, not much will change in terms of getting ready for the game.

"We will prepare like we have all year," Boehme said. "We have to travel but we'll handle that just fine. We've gotten this far and we're hoping to go a little further."

As for advice for Knecht, Boehme said it's just a matter of playing with confidence.

"It's a great situation to be in to still be playing football," Boehme said. "Tom has the ability to get the job done. He's shown that. He is calm under pressure and he'll be ready to play."

Knecht said it's a big deal to have someone like Boehme in his corner.

"He's a great coach and easy to talk with," Knecht said. "He's been there before and understands the game. He's very football savvy. Having him as a coach is a huge reason why I've been able to be successful."

Knecht said the goal every year is to win a national title and he's looking forward to helping put the Wildcats one step closer to that goal.

"We've been working hard all year for this opportunity," Knecht said. "Our goal since I got here has always been to win a title and we know we just have to go out there, play up to our potential and have fun."

Knecht can't wait to play and is thankful his senior season has been extended for another week.

"As a senior, I'm excited that I get to be around my teammates for another week. I'm blessed," Knecht said. "It's a little surreal thinking that my career is almost over, but my goal is to do what I can to help our team win. We want to be able to play next week."