Tyler Bergeron and the rest of the Wildcat D is making it hard for opponents to do much of anything on the ground. Linfield sports communications photo

By Joe Sager
D3sports.com

Thinking about running the ball against Linfield?

You may want to try something else. And, good luck with that something else.

The Wildcats rank fifth in the country in total defense (198.9 yards per game). They are especially miserly on the ground as they have the nation’s second-best rushing defense (38.3 yards per game).

• Playoff team capsules: St. John's bracket | UW-Whitewater bracket | North Central bracket | Mount Union bracket
• Whirlwind weekend extends Bethel's run
• Anna Maria riding high
• More playoff headlines

That’s one of the main reasons Linfield finished its regular season unbeaten (9-0), with its 43rd Northwest Conference championship.

“I have been so impressed with the consistency our defense has played with,” Linfield coach Joseph Smith said. “Our defensive line has been extremely solid. I am very proud of job our staff has done with those guys. They’ve been very stingy this year.”

Stingy and stifling.

“It’s been really fun this year,” Linfield senior safety Tyler Bergeron said. “I think we’ve worked hard. Coach (Jackson) Vaughan, our defensive coordinator, is a pretty special guy and gets us prepared every week. I think our success comes from us treating every opponent we play like they are the best team we’ve ever played. We don’t sleep on anyone. I think that’s why we perform so well on Saturdays.”

The Wildcats are especially geared up to attack opposing players who have the football. 

“We take a lot of pride in our ability to stop the run,” said Linfield senior defensive end Travis Swanson, who is tied for seventh nationally with 19.5 tackles for loss and 12th in sacks (11). “I think we have a really solid front group on our defensive line. I think we’re backed up well by our backers.”

The team ranks first in the nation with 445 negative yards off 87 tackles for loss and second with 40 sacks.

“I think we have a lot of tenacity,” Swanson said. “We definitely love to disrupt a run game. It’s pretty hard on an offense if you can’t run the ball. If you make a team one-dimensional, they are easier to stop.”

Eleven sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss in nine games for Travis Swanson means that he is racking up a significant amount of negative yardage. Linfield sports communications photo

Linfield’s high-powered offense helps take some pressure off the defense, too. Led by senior quarterback Wyatt Smith, the Wildcats rank fifth nationally in points scored per game (52.8) and eighth in total offense (510.3 yards per game).

“Having a truly complementary team gives us great explosiveness,” Joe Smith said. “Our offense has really played in two and a half quarters and, most games, just three quarters. The proficiency at which they put up points is understated. Our defense has been so dominant and our offense has been so dominant. Normally, that’s a pretty good combination.”

It’s certainly worked out well for Linfield, which welcomes Redlands to Maxwell Field on Saturday to open the playoffs. The Wildcats cruised past the Bulldogs, 51-10, in Week 2.

“It’s difficult to beat a good team twice and I think Redlands is a really good football team,” Bergeron said. “We played well down there and I think they may have had a bad game. If I were in their shoes, I’d want that rematch more than anything. So, we know they are going to give their best effort and we are, too. We are beyond ready for that challenge.”

“It’ll be an interesting game. Redlands is a really good team,” added Swanson. “They are going to look at what we did and what they did wrong, so it’s a little more difficult from a game-planning perspective. We just have to go out and execute our game. As long as everybody does their job, we should be solid.”

It’s Linfield’s first home playoff game since a 27-13 win over Hardin-Simmons in 2017.

“We’re really excited to have a home playoff game,” Bergeron said. “We know Redlands is pumped. It’s going to be an awesome game. We’re ready for that rematch. There’s just nothing better than playoff football.”

“The energy on our team has been amazing throughout the whole year,” Swanson added. “I think this team, the excitement keeps growing and growing. There’s a lot of energy on the team. It’ll be nice to have the energy of the crowd, too.”

The Wildcats know they can’t get too fired up for the game.

“Playoffs are really unique, in terms of excitement, anticipation and anxiety – all that wrapped in one is special,” Smith said. “Young men come to our Maxwell Field to play in big games and play against the best teams in the country to see how they measure up. Our guys are excited to do that. We’ve really tried to focus on having good technique and fundamentals and knowing the importance of that. I think they are focused.”