PUYALLUP, Wash. – Connor McNabb rushed for 131 yards and one touchdown, and younger brother Luke McNabb passed for 249 yards and three scores in his first career start, leading ninth-ranked Linfield to a convincing 42-19 victory over Pacific Lutheran Saturday afternoon at Sparks Stadium.
The victory extended the Wildcats' Northwest Conference win streak to 33 consecutive games. More importantly, Linfield (8-0, 6-0 NWC) moved within one victory of clinching the program's fifth straight NWC crown. The 'Cats can sew up the league championship with a win at home next Saturday against unbeaten Whitworth.
PLU (4-5, 3-3 NWC) dropped its second straight contest following a three-game win streak.
Linfield outgained PLU 434-102 through three quarters before beginning to insert reserve players with a six-touchdown lead. The Lutes dominated the yardsticks in the fourth quarter, 159-34, scoring all 19 of their points in the final eight minutes.
PLU finished the day with just five yards rushing. Cutter Hillock led Linfield with eight tackles, including four unassisted. Payton Anhorn, making his first career start in the secondary, recorded six tackles, four of them unassisted.
After a scoreless first quarter, Luke McNabb put the Wildcats on the scoreboard, weaving his way for a 5-yard touchdown run. Tailback Aaron Martinez made it 14-0 with a 6-yard jaunt, capping an eight-play 60-yard march at the 6:49 mark.
Three minutes later, cornerback Chance Sparks recovered a fumble at the PLU 33-yard line, giving the Wildcats excellent field position. Five plays later, Luke McNabb found Franco Keplinger in the back of the endzone for a 10-yard scoring play. Gavin Dalziel's extra point made it 21-0 with 4:14 left before intermission.
The McNabb Brothers teamed up for Linfield's next score, a 19-yard catch-and-run by Connor from Lucas, pushing the Linfield advantage to 28-0 with 21 seconds before intermission.
Linfield wasted little time padding its lead in the third quarter. Luke McNabb laced a 27-yard TD strike to Colton Smith with 9:14 left in the period. Dalziel's extra point made the score 35-0. Tyler Larson stretched the Linfield lead to 42-0 with a 1-yard run at the 13:13 mark of the fourth quarter.
PLU scored all of its points in the final 8:08. Noah Palitz collected a Darius Chaffin pass for a 7-yard score, then Colby Rhinelander picked off a Carson Van Dyke pass and returned it for a touchdown less than a minute later. Chaffin threw his second TD pass of the quarter to Laakea Ane for the game's final points with less than a minute to play.
Luke McNabb threw for three scores, completing 22 of 32 passes. He also rushed for 45 yards and one TD. Connor McNabb finished with 159 all-purpose yards.
Palitz caught a game-high seven passes for 57 yards to lead the Lutes offensively. Chaffin passed for 256 yards but he was sacked three times and threw four interceptions.
'CAT SCRATCH
Saturday's attendance was 1,201. . . the Wildcats were penalized 10 times for 80 yards. . . Linfield converted 5 of 6 red-zone opportunities. . . the 'Cats defeated the Lutes for the 23rd consecutive time.
NEXT
The Wildcats return home next Saturday where they will host the Whitworth Pirates in the Pacific Office Automation Hall of Fame Game. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Maxwell Field. The winner of the game will claim the NWC championship and the conference's automatic berth to the NCAA Division III playoffs.
McNabb brothers carry Linfield to 42-19 win at PLU
/seasons/2023/boxscores/20231104_1a78.xml
2023
Linfield
42
Pacific Lutheran
19
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 21 Linfield (8-0) | 0 | 28 | 7 | 7 | 42 |
| Pacific Lutheran (4-5) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 19 |
Nov 04, 2023